Day 17 - In Krakow, Poland - Visit to Auschwitz and Birkenau Nazi Concentration Camps
Top picture: The entrance to Birkenau where the box cars brought the prisoners. Birkenau was 20 times the size of Auschwitz and built after much experimentation showed the Nazis how to exterminate the Jews with gas. So Birkenau was built with more gas chambers and 2 crematoriums.
Middle picture: The platform where a Nazi doctor looked at each person on arrival. Thumb to the left meant they went to the gas chamber immediately. Thumb to the right meant they went to a barrack to be put on a work detail – but most of these only lasted a few months and then were gassed.
Bottom picture: The toilets in the mens’ camp. There were 200 holes with no
sewerage system. Hard to imagine living in these conditions.
The sun did it to me again - woke up at 4 am, but went back to sleep until 6. They don't know air conditioning like we know air conditioning. My room is HOT relatively with just air blowing. Not really cooling.
I got dressed and headed out to St. Mary's Basilica to hear the bells and trumpet again. Updated my blog using the free internet at the square. The Grand Hotel doesn't have internet service!!!!
Today was a reflective and somewhat emotional day spent visiting Auschwitz and Birkenau about 70 km outside of Krakow. How fortunate I am not to have endured anything like this. The horrors that were carried out at these 2 Nazi concentration camps are mind-boggling. Over 1.2 million people killed with 1 million of them being Jews. Will we human beings ever learn????
I found a great breakfast with large coffee for only $4! Who said Krakow was expensive? Then I found a deli and got a fresh ham sandwich, chips, 2 waters, and a candy bar for another $4. What a deal! Met the tour at 8:45 am and by 9 am were on the mini van – only 12 of us. Better than a large tour bus.
On the trip to Auschwitz, we watched an hour long video made by a Russian photographer at the time of the liberation of Auschwitz and Birkenau. Horrible sights.
We arrived at Auschwitz and things were a bit confusing so I’m glad I went with a tour. She made logic out of madness. She then put us with our tour guide for the camp and we donned headsets that allowed us all to hear her talking. Very effective. We went all through Auschwitz – the smaller of the camps. Here we saw where the prisoners lived, and displays of the hair cut from their bodies, personal possessions, suitcases with their names, and many other pictures. We saw where many were “tried” and then shot at the shooting wall. The Nazis experimented on the Jews at Auschwitz with the gas and after perfecting it, they built Birkenau which was 20 times larger. The objective was the total annilation of the Jews and Poles as well as any other “undesirable” ethic groups – i.e. gypies, gays, etc.
We had a very short break so I sat in a park next to Auschwitz and ate my bargain lunch. Then back on the van for the short ride to Birkenau. Here we saw where the trains brought the Jews into the camp. The camp was huge. On the train platform, a Nazi doctor would look at each person and make an immediate determination as to their fitness to work. If fit to work he motioned his thumb to the right. If not, he motioned his thumb to the left and these people went off to the gas chambers immediately. They were stripped, and marched into the chamber supposedly to get a fresh shower. It took less than 15 minutes to kill 1,000 people at a time. But then the problem the Nazis had was disposal of the bodies so the crematoriums were built to get rid of “the evidence” quickly. The Nazis destroyed the 2 crematoriums at Birkenau when the Russians liberated it in 1945.
We arrived back in Krakow about 4 pm. I booked a transfer to the airport for tomorrow and took a short nap. Then went to the Vienna Café at the Grand Hotel for a glass of wine. Then off to explore other areas of the city that I didn’t see yesterday on foot. Stopped at a sidewalk café for a beer and to people watch. The Polish beer is good. I’ve tried Zywiec and Tyskie. Both are good.
Then enjoyed a great dinner at a Polish restaurant. Had their specialty – Potato cake (it was black?) with Polish chicken goulash and a trio of salad. It was so good but very filling (and salty!).
I walked dinner off with a long walk down by the Vistula River – to the other side, around and back to the Planty, the main square, and to the hotel. Arrived back about 9:30 just as it was getting dark outside.
Really enjoyed Krakow. Now on to Warsaw tomorrow afternoon.
Top picture: The entrance to Birkenau where the box cars brought the prisoners. Birkenau was 20 times the size of Auschwitz and built after much experimentation showed the Nazis how to exterminate the Jews with gas. So Birkenau was built with more gas chambers and 2 crematoriums.
Middle picture: The platform where a Nazi doctor looked at each person on arrival. Thumb to the left meant they went to the gas chamber immediately. Thumb to the right meant they went to a barrack to be put on a work detail – but most of these only lasted a few months and then were gassed.
Bottom picture: The toilets in the mens’ camp. There were 200 holes with no
sewerage system. Hard to imagine living in these conditions.
The sun did it to me again - woke up at 4 am, but went back to sleep until 6. They don't know air conditioning like we know air conditioning. My room is HOT relatively with just air blowing. Not really cooling.
I got dressed and headed out to St. Mary's Basilica to hear the bells and trumpet again. Updated my blog using the free internet at the square. The Grand Hotel doesn't have internet service!!!!
Today was a reflective and somewhat emotional day spent visiting Auschwitz and Birkenau about 70 km outside of Krakow. How fortunate I am not to have endured anything like this. The horrors that were carried out at these 2 Nazi concentration camps are mind-boggling. Over 1.2 million people killed with 1 million of them being Jews. Will we human beings ever learn????
I found a great breakfast with large coffee for only $4! Who said Krakow was expensive? Then I found a deli and got a fresh ham sandwich, chips, 2 waters, and a candy bar for another $4. What a deal! Met the tour at 8:45 am and by 9 am were on the mini van – only 12 of us. Better than a large tour bus.
On the trip to Auschwitz, we watched an hour long video made by a Russian photographer at the time of the liberation of Auschwitz and Birkenau. Horrible sights.
We arrived at Auschwitz and things were a bit confusing so I’m glad I went with a tour. She made logic out of madness. She then put us with our tour guide for the camp and we donned headsets that allowed us all to hear her talking. Very effective. We went all through Auschwitz – the smaller of the camps. Here we saw where the prisoners lived, and displays of the hair cut from their bodies, personal possessions, suitcases with their names, and many other pictures. We saw where many were “tried” and then shot at the shooting wall. The Nazis experimented on the Jews at Auschwitz with the gas and after perfecting it, they built Birkenau which was 20 times larger. The objective was the total annilation of the Jews and Poles as well as any other “undesirable” ethic groups – i.e. gypies, gays, etc.
We had a very short break so I sat in a park next to Auschwitz and ate my bargain lunch. Then back on the van for the short ride to Birkenau. Here we saw where the trains brought the Jews into the camp. The camp was huge. On the train platform, a Nazi doctor would look at each person and make an immediate determination as to their fitness to work. If fit to work he motioned his thumb to the right. If not, he motioned his thumb to the left and these people went off to the gas chambers immediately. They were stripped, and marched into the chamber supposedly to get a fresh shower. It took less than 15 minutes to kill 1,000 people at a time. But then the problem the Nazis had was disposal of the bodies so the crematoriums were built to get rid of “the evidence” quickly. The Nazis destroyed the 2 crematoriums at Birkenau when the Russians liberated it in 1945.
We arrived back in Krakow about 4 pm. I booked a transfer to the airport for tomorrow and took a short nap. Then went to the Vienna Café at the Grand Hotel for a glass of wine. Then off to explore other areas of the city that I didn’t see yesterday on foot. Stopped at a sidewalk café for a beer and to people watch. The Polish beer is good. I’ve tried Zywiec and Tyskie. Both are good.
Then enjoyed a great dinner at a Polish restaurant. Had their specialty – Potato cake (it was black?) with Polish chicken goulash and a trio of salad. It was so good but very filling (and salty!).
I walked dinner off with a long walk down by the Vistula River – to the other side, around and back to the Planty, the main square, and to the hotel. Arrived back about 9:30 just as it was getting dark outside.
Really enjoyed Krakow. Now on to Warsaw tomorrow afternoon.
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