Auschwitz I and Auschwitz II - Birkenau

Author's note: This post contains writing about and images of Auschwitz I and Auschwitz II - Birkenau. I have not included anything that I consider too graphic or offensive, but please don't read further if you believe you will find it disturbing.










I only just made my bus from Budapest to Krakow. I was meant to leave from the Nepliget Bus station. What no one (including the bus company) explained is that there is Nepliget Station and there is Nepliget M Station. Nepliget Station is the main bus terminal where most of the buses come and go from on that side of town. Nepliget M Station is a small sign on a side road about 400m away. How one is supposed to know this is beyond me, but thank goodness a station official saw me wandering around Nepliget Station looking lost and confused because I couldn't find my bus that was supposed to be leaving in about 10 minutes. He pointed me in the right direction and I got there just in time to load my luggage and go (along with several foreigners who had obviously had the same problem). The bus got us to Krakow just before 11pm and I didn't have to go far to get to my hotel.

I was up early the next morning as I had to catch an 0800 train to Oświęcim, which is the town in which Auschwitz I and Auschwitz II - Birkenau are located. I started off in Auschwitz I. To begin with it seemed quite crowded as I entered at the same time as several tour groups, but we soon spread out. I think this trip is better described with pictures than words:

"Work sets you free". The entrance to Auschwitz I

The camp is encircled by double rows of barbed wire fences

People brought their most valuable possessions with them 'for the future'.
They were relieved of these possessions by the S.S. as soon as they arrived .

Some of the spectacles taken from the victims

Shoes removes from the victims

Unfortunately some of my picture files have become corrupted and I am missing the rest of my photos from Auschwitz I including examples of the living conditions and the gas chamber and crematorium that is open for viewing. When I get home I am going to look for someone who might be able to fix the files (any ideas/offers?).

After finishing up at Auschwitz I, I jumped on the shuttle bus to Auschwitz II - Birkenau. This camp has two sides: one in which the 'barracks' were made of wood (which has not really survived) and the other which was brick and is still in pretty good condition. The corrupted files extend into the first part of my visit to this camp, but then come right, so I still have something to remember my visit by...

Washroom 

Three tiers of bunks with 6-8 people in each tier of each section, often with only one or two blankets between them

Each building only had two of these tiny stoves for heat. Many people froze to death

Some of the adult prisoners managed to paint a mural in the children's barracks

I'm glad I made this visit, but I'll admit to feeling a sort of detachment from it all. Maybe it's because it's so hard to relate to in these times of plenty, or maybe because it's just too horrific to really picture and believe, or maybe it's the same self-protection mechanism that kicks in at other times in my life and dampens my feelings so I don't hurt. Who knows?... It's definitely a powerful memorial to have, and as the saying goes "Those who can not remember the past are doomed to repeat it". This must never happen again, yet century after century there are people condemning others for all sorts of unjustifiable reasons.


And if anyone has any ideas about fixing my JPG files, please let me know 😢