A very sobering experience….. our guide for the day was a very passionate young lady who grew up nearby.
“Nazis final Solution to the Jewish Problem”
By the numbers: 1.3 million inmates and 1.1 million were killed. Most were Jews and some were political dissidents, college professors, artists, handicapped people, and anyone that didn’t follow the Nazi party. They were brought to camps like these and died of over work , disease, medical experimentation, starvation, execution by firing squad and gas chambers.
Entrance to Auschwitz, if prisoners weren’t sent directly to the gas chamber(women with children, old(anyone over 40), and the sick)
They walked under this gate, “Arbeit Macht Frei”… meaning “work will set you free”. The prisoners quickly learned that the only way to escape the camp was to die and be cremated.
The perimeter is surrounded by electrical fence and double wall with guard towers and dogs. Some prisoners committed suicide using the fence or running from the guards so that they would be shot. Rudolph Hoss was the first commandant of Auschwitz and he was convicted and sentenced to die after the war. He was hung here on the outer fence line of Auschwitz within sight of the house that he and his family lived in during his time here. The movie, “Zone of Interest ” is based on his time as commandant of Auschwitz and how his family lived the good life during the war. A very well done movie showing what monsters the Nazis were.Auschwitz Berkenau, the Train tracks leading to the camp.One of the rail cars that transported the prisoners. They were meant for 50 people but up to 150 people were in the cars. At Birkenau these trains were unloaded at a spot where a Nazi SS doctor stood and in a few seconds pointed one way or another and that determined if you would go to a work camp or straight to the gas chamber. Only people he deemed fit to work were sparred the gas chamber. Women with children were both doomed, a woman with child didn’t have time to work. Anyone over 40 was deemed too old to work…… A map of all the camps. What would the world have been like had Hitler succeeded ?
We had a three hour tour that was very insightful and educational. I’m so glad that we saw lots of high school age field trips at the camps. It is so important to keep the memory alive and teach the history to the following generations. May mankind never be allowed to repeat this act again. I know that we see acts of genocide by various groups today around the world and I hope we can stop these before they get bigger.
Rod and Patty Jenkins are retired and enjoy traveling. We hope you enjoy our posts as we we see different locations around the globe.
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