Weekend 10: Poland Part 1 -- Auschwitz

Friday, November 3rd

We arrived to Oświęcim around 6:30am and had breakfast at a youth center. 

After breakfast, we took the bus to Auschwitz I, the Main Camp. This was the first of the three Auschwitz locations and was used as a prison, forced labor camp, and killing site.

Auschwitz I

Today, there are different displays in a few of the barracks that walk visitors through what happened in Auschwitz I. One barrack had items taken from victims, like suitcases, glasses, and prosthetic limbs from WWI veterans. There was also a large pile of women's hair that had been shaved on their arrival to Auschwitz. The Nazi's used the hair to create coat linings to stay warm in the winter while large numbers of their victims froze to death. 

Another barrack displayed different types of cells that victims were kept in. One cell was intended to suffocate its prisoners; it would hold four prisoners at once and was the size of a telephone booth with only a small ventilation hole at the top. 

At the end of our Auschwitz I tour, we walked through the gas chamber. 

I feel like I'm well-educated on WWII and the Holocaust, but it's completely different to see Auschwitz in-person. 

We had a short break and bus ride to Auschwitz-Birkenou, the second Auschwitz location that served as a forced labor camp and mass killing facility. 

Auschwitz II

Auschwitz II aerial view

I could explain everything in detail, but it wouldn't provide any more insight than anyone reading this already has. After visiting Auschwitz, it's still difficult to fully wrap my head around. 

I found it exceptionally upsetting due to the current conflict and hope one day there will be a world without similar tragedies.