The sign above the entrance reads "Arbeit Macht Frei," which means "work sets you free." You may have heard that the sign was stolen last year, later found and returned. While it was missing, it was replaced by an exact replica. I'm not sure if this is the original or the replica. Anyway, upon entry prisoners were given the impression that it was a labor camp, but it was much worse than that.
This site was originally a Polish army base and therefore contains sturdy brick buildings. When it was turned into a concentration camp, barbed wire was added. In these former barracks, prisoners (adults and children alike) were warehoused and made to endure horrendous medical experiments.
Nearby is Auschwitz II, also known as Auschwitz-Birkenau. This place was built more hastily, with wooden stable-like buildings for housing prisoners before they were sent unknowingly to the gas chambers. Some were not even housed at all, but sent directly to be killed upon arrival because they were not useful as laborers.
Many of the buildings are gone now. Some were destroyed by the Nazis when they realized the Russians would soon arrive to liberate the camp.
Many people come to see the sites and remember those who suffered. We saw lots of different groups and tours being given in many different languages. It's sickening to hear about the events that went on here, but it's also important not to forget. More information available here.
2 comments:
Visiting Auschwitz had a big effect on me. I had nightmares for days afterward. I wrote about it on my blog too: http://lonniebruner.blogspot.com/2008/02/yesterday-i-visited-nazi-death-camps-at.html
Damon, I'm not at all surprised that your visit had a deep impact on you. It's hard not to have a physical reaction. Thanks for the link to your blog post -- your descriptions of size and scale revealed a part of why a visit there is overwhelming.
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