Auschwitz - Birkenau visit - January 2020 - Part 2

The thoughts and opinions in this blog are mine and mine alone. The details of the visit are recalled to the best of my ability.

Still reeling from all that we had seen and heard during our visit to Auschwitz I we boarded the mini bus for the short journey to Auschwitz II Birkenau.

Auschwitz-Birkenau

The journey took about 20 minutes and we arrived at the Visitor Centre which is about a 10 minute walk from the camp.

One of the shots on my shot list was the archetypal image looking through the arch of the main gate and along the railway line towards the selection platform. What we hadn't realised was the the month of my 60th birthday coincided with the 75th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz (27th January). As part of the celebrations the main entrance archway and buildings had been enclosed in a huge white tent-like structure to allow dignitaries and survivors to attend the celebrations irrespective of the Polish winter weather. Therefore the image above is a composite of the camp barbed wire and a stock shot of the entrance arch.  

This tent-like structure put and end to my plans for that particular shot but it also made me reconsider what shot I could get. We met up with our lovely Polish guide again and we followed her as she made her way towards the main camp. This time we didn't have the radio receiver and ear piece which meant keeping quite close to the main group if we wanted to hear the commentary. Before setting out she reminded us that whereas Auschwitz I was a re-purposing of an existing army barracks, Auschwitz II was a purpose built camp with one purpose in mind. The execution of those deemed not required and the holding of those who were considered fit for work and could be made to serve the Nazi regime in some way.

Walking along a small road and crossing a railway line we got out first glimpse of the camp. The barbed wire fences lined the road and watch towers placed every few hundred yards. It seemed to me, at first, that the wire fences simply lined the approach roads until I realised that the fences were actually lining the perimeter of the camp itself.

Perimeter Fence

Passing through a gate in the fence, we were now in the camp. It was massive. I couldn't take it in. As far as the eye could see were either prison buildings or the remains of prison buildings. The main gate, to our right,  was closed in preparation for the celebrations so we had entered the camp slight further down the road. We were walking down a concourse with the Women's Camp huts to our left and the selection ramp and remaining transport carriage to our right.

Women's Camp

Hut Remains

During our visit to Auschwitz I we had seen images of the selection process on the ramp. We had seen how the prisoners we separated into groups. Men in one group and women and children in the other. Separating families meant nothing to the Nazis. All that mattered was whether someone was of use or not. Those that were of no use, the old, the young, the disabled, etc. were sent immediately from the selection ramp to the concourse and to the gas chambers. This was the 'Walk of Death'. Our guide explained that were were going to follow their path along the 'Walk of Death' to the gas chambers.

Hut Remains with Transport Carriage and platform in the background

From a photography point of view there was so much to point the camera at. It was a balancing act trying to take photographs and also be at the right place to listen to what our guide had to tell us.

We stood at the junction of the path from the selection ramp and the path to the gas chambers. Our guide explained that the huts at the camp were built from stone and brickwork taken from surrounding villages that were demolished by the Nazi's.  As that fact sunk in I looked to my right at the selection ramp and the looked to my front towards the gas chambers. So many people had turned right and walked to their fate along these paths. It was a chilling thought and caused me to lose track of our tour group.

Railway Line looking towards the Gas Chambers/ The Walk of Death is to the left.

A few minutes passed before I realised that our tour group had moved on and was quite a long way in front standing by an information board. My mind was racing. I wanted to catch up and listen to then next lot of information but at the same time I wanted to capture as many images of the camp as I could because I knew we were on a circular walk and that we wouldn't be passing this way again

I started walking towards our group and paused to take in the sheer size of this place. To the left of me were the women's huts that have been left in place as part of the museum but also as a reminder of the horrors that took place here. To the right of me were the remains of huts that had been demolished. Hundreds of huts as far as the eye could see. Huts that, at the camps peak operation, contained over 90,000 prisoners.

The path to the gas chambers was lined with barbed wire and, of course, the obligatory guard towers just to ensure that no one attempted to escape. I finally caught up with our group at the dividing fence between two sets of blocks. Looking up I saw the lights that ran along the fences making sure that everyone could be seen.

Fences and Lights

Our guide explained that prisoners were made to walk from the camp to local factories to perform forced labour. They walked in all weathers and if any prisoner died during the walk in either direction then their comrades were made to carry them until they returned to the camp at the end of the day. If the count of the prisoners that left in the morning did not match the count of the prisoners returning in the evening then the block would be punished.

Watchtower

It was at this point of the visit that we heard the story of Lilly Jacob. On the day of her liberation, in the Dora concentration camp hundreds of miles from Auschwitz, Lilly came across a photo album in a deserted SS barracks.  The album contained not only pictures of her family as they arrived on the ramp and unknowingly awaited their death but it also contained a complete record of the extermination process from start to finish.  It was also the only photographic record of Jews arriving at Auschwitz II. To ensure its safe keeping Lilly passed the album to be  safeguarded at Yad Vashem. The 'Auschwitz Album' can be viewed on their website.

Having heard this amazing story we continued along to the end of the path until we came to the 'Monument To The Victims' commemorating the victims of Auschwitz erected in 1967. We took some time to look at the different memorial stones and their inscriptions. As with most of the things at Auschwitz, it's enormous. It was at this point that my son drew my attention to the fact that we were actually standing at the end of the infamous Railway Line. I turned around to find myself looking up the railway line towards the main gate. This was one of the main shots that I wanted but had somehow lost track of that desire because of all of the other thoughts swimming around my mind as we toured the camp.

Railway Line and Selection Ramp

For a while I simply stared along the track and tried to imagine what was happening here over 75 years previous. Other visitors were trying to take the same image so I quickly dropped to my knees and took a couple of shots. At the end of the Railway line in the shot above you can just make out the tent-like construction that enclosed the main gate and arch. Yes, it would have been nice to see the main gate but I'm more than satisfied with this image. The lack of the gate doesn't really detract from the subject here.

My son and I caught up with our guide as she moved us away from the Monument to the remains of the gas chambers IV and V and the crematoria. The Nazis demolished the chambers in an attempt to disguise their crimes at the end of the war. As you stand a look at the remains you begin to realise that this camp was designed for death at an industrial scale. Totally mechanised. Prisoners entered at one end, got undressed, were gassed and then passed straight to the crematorium to be cremated. Not far from the chambers is a pond into which the ashes of those cremated were disposed of.

Demolished Gas Chambers

Demolished Gas Chambers

We continued our tour by entering one of the only blocks that were accessible. This was in the Women and Children's section. This was yet another reminder that children were held here and were treated no differently to any other inmate. 

Children's Block

As we entered the block we walked to an area that appeared to be a large shelf. Our guide explained that what we were looking at was the 'accommodation' for the inmates and that they slept 3 or 4 to a 'shelf'. Each 'shelf' had one below at ground level and one above. The prisoners were given straw to sleep on. She also explained that as most of the prisoners were on the brink of starvation and that one of the effects of starvation is diarrhoea. Because of the way they were stacked the diarrhoea from those above ran onto those below. Women and children alike.

Sleeping Accommodation

Inside the block the paintings and drawings created by the children of the block still adorned the walls. Although photography was permitted all over the camp I didn't feel I could photograph the art. It felt too personal. We completed our tour of Auschwitz - Birkenau by leaving this block and walking slowly back towards the visitors centre. As we walked we tried to take in the magnitude of the camp and of the atrocities that took place here.

More Camps Huts

Once again it's hard to believe that any regime is capable of designing, building and operating such a place. Man’s inhumanity to man is very much demonstrated that this awful yet fascinating place. It remains here as a reminder from history that nothing like this should ever be allowed to happen again. When you consider that Auschwitz I and Auschwitz II Birkenau was the biggest camp in the system but it was only one of a network of camps the reality really hits home.

As we left I took the image below. It is of the main railway line that fed the camps from the outside. The line is now disused.

The Feeder Line to the Camp.

If you've ever considered visiting the Auschwitz Memorial Museum then you really must. Nothing you've read or seen on TV or in the movies can replace the experience of actually being here. Standing where all of this took place. Although you can tour the camps without a guide I strongly recommend that you take the guided tour. By taking the guided tour you really get to experience the camps at a human level as stories and experiences are passed on by people who know everything there is to know about it.

My thanks to my daughter, Becki and son Ben for this mind-blowing experience that I will never ever forget.