Auschwitz

We were down in Krakow, Poland for a prayer conference this past weekend. Our first day there we had the opportunity to visit Auschwitz. It was a very sobering experience. For the most part, no one spoke the entire time we were there. To imagine that amount of devastation really was impossible, but being there brought it a little closer to home. It was an experience I will never forget.

"Work Makes Freedom"

There was an orchestra that would play right to the right of this gate twice a day to make sure the prisoners marched quickly enough and instep which made it easier for the guards to count them.









Flowers at the "Death Wall". The woman who was showing us around had an uncle that was murdered here for sneaking extra food.

The prisoners' flag.

Women's hair that was used to make clothes.

People were told to mark their bags clearly so they could be found easily after settling in their new homes.

Baby's clothes

80,000 shoes that were collected after the war.

Just behind here is where Rudolf Höß, the SS commander in charge of Auschwitz lived with his family which included young children. Their complaint was that during the time the crematorium was being used, they had to close their windows because of the horrible smell and the ash that would settle in their house.

The crematorium at Auschwitz.

Where Rudolf Höß was hung after the Nuremberg trials. Höß was the SS commander in charge of Auschwitz.

They left the chimneys of all the old barracks up, but the rest of the buildings were torn down. This is at Birkenau (Auschwitz II).

The rail that passed through Birkenau to the crematorium at Birkenau. They had the capabilities to gas and cremate 20,000 people a day.

The "Passage of Death" into Birkenau (Auschwitz II). This building was used in the filming of "Schindler's List".

A watch tower at Birkenau. If a prisoner escaped, they would kill his or her family publicly as well as murder ten people at random from his or her barracks. During the existence of Auschwitz, 700 people attempted escape and only 300 did it with success. It was through the testimonies of some of those who escaped that the devastation of Auschwitz began to be taken seriously.

Some barracks in the women's camp at Birkenau.

The SS destroyed the crematorium before leaving Auschwitz.

This is a memorial at Birkenau. Over six million people were killed during the Holocaust. Our tour guide gave us the comparison of the number of deaths on September 11th happening every second day for six years.