It’s difficult for me to describe the tour of Auschwitz-Birkenau, the two largest concentration camps of the Nazi Holocaust. Auschwitz-Birkenau was the site of the “largest mass murder in the history of mankind“. Everything I had learned through books, podcasts, news media, and cinema pales in comparison to seeing the cruelty of these places firsthand. Man’s inhumanity to man and the indignities and barbarism inflicted at Auschwitz-Birkenau is abhorrent and brought me to tears.
Even though we only looked at photos, toured vacant barracks, and viewed the remains of stolen possessions, some in our group couldn’t complete the four-hour tour. Horrified when faced with the stark reality of atrocities committed, they headed for the exit. Our tour guide – Anna – broke up when telling stories of innocent children who survived the horrors and later shared their experiences. Many watched their parents and siblings being led away, never to see them again. When they realized what had happened, they were brokenhearted at being unable to say goodbye to their loved ones.
The Auschwitz-Birkenau website contains information about the camps and how they were organized. People who were identified as traitors or threats to the Gestapo and those who were unhealthy and couldn’t provide labor, were sent directly to death camps. Those who were useful and capable of providing needed labor or services, were spared. Prisoners who received a temporary reprieve were ultimately worked to death or died from starvation or diseases that spread in inhuman living conditions. Prisoners weren’t referred to by name, but rather by their prison number.
The only comparison I have is a 2011 tour of Cambodia’s Killing Felds and Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum in Phnom Penh – another sad example of man’s inhumanity to man. Those places of genocide were used by the Khmer Rouge led by Maoist Pol Pot from 1975 to 1979. Although what I saw there was horrifying, it doesn’t compare to the cruelty of Auschwitz-Birkenau.
These were the different concentration camps:
- Auschwitz I – first and oldest “main camp” with 15,000 to 20,000 prisoners “established on the grounds of prewar Polish barracks” in Oswiecim.
- Auschwitz II – second camp named Birkenau with over 90,000 prisoners in 1944. The Nazis began building Birkenau in 1941 on the site of Brzezinka Village, about 3 kilometers from Auschwitz I. “Polish civilians living in Brzezinka were evicted from their land and homes. Their houses were confiscated and demolished.” The greater part of the “apparatus of mass extermination was built in Birkenau, where the majority of camp prisoners were murdered”.
- Auschwitz III – 40 sub-camps where prisoners who were spared from extermination death camps were exploited as slave laborers at German industrial plants and farms between 1942 and 1944.
In this post, I share photographs taken during the tour – some captioned, others speak for themselves. What happened is a grim reminder of what evil, unbridled power can do when there’s no human compassion or fear of being held accountable.
The tourists in our group were mostly European. Tours were divided into small groups of 15-20. At Auschwitz, each person had a headset, so they could hear the guide’s commentary clearly. I’m so glad someone finally figured out how to manage this type of tour! The Birkenau tour was short, and we were outside the entire time, without headsets. With unyielding rain and wind in the background, it was difficult hearing our guide’s commentary. I gave up using my umbrella at the same time as taking photos, and just got soaked.
Photography definitely wasn’t a piece of cake. The tour group moved quickly, and it was a crowded, noisy, cold, windy and rainy environment. There were groups immediately before and after us, and the people behind were literally right on our tail. The barracks and other old buildings were dark and dimly lit, with narrow corridors and steep stairways. Even though they’re far from perfect, the photographs tell the story.
I don’t regret taking the tour, but reflecting on what happened is unspeakably sad and disturbing. It’s important to be aware of atrocities like Auschwitz and think about how and why they happened. Once you’ve seen Auschwitz-Birkenau, you’ll never forget it – that’s clearly the point.
