Auschwitz (Warsaw Day Four)

Today we visited Auschwitz, a place that should need no introduction.

We had set the alarm for 3am at which time we were fairly quickly out the door, and just across the road to where we had parked our rental car for the night. After figuring out how to pay using the machine, we hit the road. Thankfully it was not raining as we were driving in the dark almost all the way. It is a 4.5 hour drive and almost the entire distance on dual carriageway where the speed limited varied constantly, from between 70km/h (closer to Warsaw) and 140km/h in open countryside, and 2-3 lanes for almost the entire journey. It's incredible how many trucks were on the road, they all stick to the "slow" lane like a convoy.

Within half an hour of arrival, the sun rose and we peeled off onto country roads through smaller villages. We stopped at a supermarket so grab something for breakfast, then arrived at the Auschwitz visitor centre around 8:15am. The carpark is vast and was already filling fast especially with tour coaches. We got a park right near the entrance, toilets etc which proved to be handy.

Now a bit of a story, we had been unable to book English tour tickets online. Limited numbers of tickets are available each day for those without bookings. Not wanting to risk going all that way and finding tickets sold out, we opted to pay online for a German tour starting 10:15am. Our plan was to secure English tickets in exchange for the Germain tickets. Alternative, worst case we would not understand a word of our tour, but better than no tour at all. Thankfully our plan worked, the ticket lady was very helpful, and converted us to an English tour for no extra change. We had a two hour wait for our tour. Back to the car to relax and have a snooze!

For the tour we had to provide proof of identification, tickets and go through security with metal detectors. Then our tour guide issued us with headsets so we could hear her, although the radio range was short and often it was difficult to hear.

We started by walking through an underground passage under the road. It has a long, gentle ramp and as you walk through there is a gently spoken soundtrack naming prisoners & victims of Auschwitz one after the other. In the time it took to walk we must have heard a hundred of more. Very sobering but only a drop in the bucket of total numbers.

The tunnel then slowly walks us to ground level for a first glimpse of the camp grounds. Immediately what hit me is the size of this place. especially after passing through the famous gate.

The buildings are surprising large, double story, laid out in perfect lines, row after row. We had a nice day with sun breaking through cloud. The buildings are made of orange bricks, and rows of trees planted in perfect symmetry means the camp is actually quite picturesque and lovely to look at.

This is so ironic, knowing the purpose of this place and what happened here. I took so many photos at every turn but in the end they all look the same, yet were taken in different places, such is the size and nature of the camp. Yet in the end we only walked a small section of it for the entire camp.

Some buildings are a museum with exhibits of photos and information about what happened here. just incredibly sad and it's hard for us to even comprehend how this could have ever taken place. Also, standing here seeing it in the flesh, I wonder how some people can deny the holocaust took place.

Worst of all was the building containing "material proofs of crimes" and if this were any museum you might expect to see one or a few examples of a particular thing. 

The Nazis kept full records of every arrival including photo, name, date of birth. The corridors are lined with photos which will be but a tiny sample. Also they stripped prisoners of their belongings and had them carefully sorted (by prisoners) so the exhibits are huge piles of shoes, suitcases (with peoples names on them), mugs and plates, artificial limbs, spectacles, and even hugs piles of human hair which was used to make fabrics. Seeing this is indescribable. 

The entire camp is surrounded by double electric fences, barbed wire and guards.

Finally we were taken into a crematorium. Understandable, photos are forbidden in such places.

Just when we thought the tour was over, we learn this is the end of part one. We return to the visitor centre, have a 20 minute break, then jump on a shuttle bus to another concentration camp nearly called Birkenau. Now this blows my mind. We are told Auschwitz was 20 hectares in size, and Birkenau is 171 hectares. Much of Birkenau was destroyed by the Nazis when Allies found them, to destroy evidence. Also the buildings are of a lower quality and many have not lasted. But still, this is all flat land, and as far as the eye can see are buildings or just chimneys that remain. 

There is a memorial at the far end of the camp.

Also here the railway tracks remain from when the trains full of prisoners arrived.

It feels strange that this is like visiting any ancient ruins we've seen except for the horror of what unfolded here, and that this happened within the lifetime of a few remaining survivors.

We now had to find our way home. Another 4+ hours of driving including stopping for dinner along the way. In total we drove 666km return, that's the equivalent of driving Wellington to Auckland, but with nearly 7 hours at Auschwitz included. We returned the rental car at the airport at 8pm then hopped a train back to our hotel.

Tomorrow is our last day in Warsaw.