Auschwitz Buildings, “outside the wire”

[*NL*]

Old and new Judenrampe image 29-32

Thank you for viewing,

Hans.

[Geoff Walden]

Hi Hans,

Thanks for the photos! Your efforts always show a real eye for composition and art!

I did most of my exploring that afternoon, and took most of my photos, in the area outlined in red below. As I understand it, this is the area identified by Hans Citroen as the original Judenrampe (more or less, the bold yellow line). I also explored the abandoned rails just on the other side of this line (the side toward the memorial site).

Geoff

[*NL*]

Well if that is the case Geoff, then the memorial is on the wrong place. Somehow it does not amaze me.
It looks simple, just follow the track from the mains, and see where it ends up. But through the bushes, it was clear
that parts of the rails where cut, so i find it very hard to see weather it was the original track or it was later changed or added.

Furthermore i am wondering about the rail road control house which is for example in image 8 and 9.
Is it a post war building or was it already there during the war time era ?

[N.C. Wyeth]

Well if that is the case Geoff, then the memorial is on the wrong place. Somehow it does not amaze me.

According to Geoff, I think that is the conclusion.

Although it felt obvious to me . . . at the time, I couldn't quite comprehend all the details you two are discussing here. Now that I am back home - and can place the images with being there in person - it all makes much better sense. Thanks!

Not to steer too far away from the immediate topic at hand . . . but after all the things we saw, I now have so many more questions. For instance, one would be to know more about this location we visited - I found it very interesting, but can't recall all the details. Perhaps this can be something else to talk about?

Like Geoff, we both seem to take many photos when going on these kind of adventures [he can't deny this, as I have proof - and caught him in the act many times!] - so often, that it's not uncommon for me to lose track of what I'm doing - and wind up missing out on some of the best things going on around me [must stop doing this! ] . . . This time, it was so bad . . . that I can't count how many times I looked away from the lens . . . and all I would see, is Geoff and Amy chatting and walking away into the horizon - with me being left behind!

[Geoff Walden]

Well if that is the case Geoff, then the memorial is on the wrong place.

That's what Hans Citroen says - the "big discovery" that he made. He even says the remains of the concrete ramp are beneath that gravel pile. I didn't see any such, but of course I didn't dig down into the gravel hill. For sure, there are several pieces of broken concrete along the other abandoned line, just on the other side of that gravel hill.

Furthermore i am wondering about the rail road control house which is for example in image 8 and 9.
Is it a post war building or was it already there during the war time era ?

I wonder that too. I can't see these buildings on the 1944 aerial photos (or maybe - it's hard to say), but I really do not have very good copies of the images that show that area. It seems to me that Hans Citroen is saying that there was some sort of building in that area, for "Bahnhof West." Unless "Bahnhof West" was only the group of tracks that were built there.

Not to steer too far away from the immediate topic at hand . . . but after all the things we saw, I now have so many more questions. For instance, one would be to know more about this location we visited - I found it very interesting, but can't recall all the details. Perhaps this can be something else to talk about?
Like Geoff, we both seem to take many photos when going on these kind of adventures [he can't deny this, as I have proof - and caught him in the act many times!] - so often, that it's not uncommon for me to lose track of what I'm doing - and wind up missing out on some of the best things going on around me [must stop doing this! ] . . . This time, it was so bad . . . that I can't count how many times I looked away from the lens . . . and all I would see, is Geoff and Amy chatting and walking away into the horizon - with me being left behind!

Aarrgghh! Well, we'll have to do it again, at a slower pace.
Since I knew where we were, when we were at the greenhouses, I'll leave this one hanging, unless no-one else wants to address this. I've already got all of this added to my webpage, but I haven't uploaded it yet. I'm trying to finish up the Birkenau pages.

Geoff

[Geoff Walden]

The photographic result of "caught in the act"
The Auschwitz I SS-Unterkunftsgebäude, "then and now."

left - Auschwitz-Birkenau State Museum

SS_Unterkunftsgebaeude3.jpg (43.99 KiB) Viewed 1578 times

(period photo from http://www.auschwitz.org)

[N.C. Wyeth]

The photographic result of "caught in the act"
The Auschwitz I SS-Unterkunftsgebäude, "then and now."

Oh Yeah - I remember that moment . . . and seeing the archival clip, I now know what you were talking about - awesome! To think we were standing there in that very same spot - that's what brings all of this together, and makes the effort so worthwhile . . .

Often I criticize myself for taking so many photos - but when one stops to think about it . . . for me, this is what keeps the memories alive.

As the discussion about the misplaced Judenrampe was so interesting, perhaps a temporary break from my posts of deviating nature would be good - allowing the discussion to be better conducted by you fella's that know so much more about these places? But before I do, I'll leave everyone with an additional complement to our moment in times past . . .

[Paulheald]

All very fascinating - looking at the picture above "SS_Unterkunftsgebaeude3.jpg " - how did you guys get inside the fencing? Did you manage to have a good look around the inside of the building?

[Geoff Walden]

A large section of the fence was simply missing. And no signs there to say "stay out." We didn't try to get inside - bars on the lower story windows and doors blocked up. We just looked inside the windows ... Brad took some photos.

[Geoff Walden]

I have uploaded the photos I recently took of sites in the Auschwitz Zone of Interest to my webpage at http://thirdreichruins.com/auschwitzzoneofinterest.htm. These sites include the Raisko greenhouses that Brad showed in photos above, along with several other existing sites in the area.

I have to say a big "thanks" here to all the AHF members who answered my questions and provided other references, including Greg Singh, Hans (*NL*), Roman (history1), and Makarov. (Many of the sites I photographed have already been shown here in Hans' fine photos.) Obviously, when I started this thread, I knew very little about the many sites outside the Auschwitz Museum properties. I had seen many of these buildings and ruins while traveling in the area, and could find almost no info in books or on the Auschwitz Museum webpage, so I asked here, and the great members of AHF provided a huge amount of info. Thanks!

Geoff

[Paulheald]

Thanks Geoff for the link above. What astounds me is not only the size of the camp itself but also the large number of administrative and industrial complexes beyond the wire. Yet, until the Wannsee Conference, the German administration in Krakow claimed that they had no knowledge of the existence of Auschwitz - a mere 80 Km away! They, the SS administration, did an amazing job of keeping the location and activities of what went on at Auschwitz and its environs a tight secret.

[Mauser K98k]

Slightly off-topic (i.e., INside the wire) -- Question: In the middle of the Birkenau women's block area there are two long buildings running north/south bristling with chimneys, just south of the Zyklon B disinfestation buildings. Were these living quarters for the SS women guards?

[history1]

No, SS-women were not housed in the middle of the inmates or the camp. Not in Birkenau and nowhere else.
What you talking about is the kitchen in BIa and BIIa.
Marked here with "k":
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/ ... RKENAU.png
http://media-cdn.tripadvisor.com/media/ ... witz35.jpg

[Makarov]

I have to say a big "thanks" here to all the AHF members who answered my questions and provided other references,..........

And many thanks to you Geoff, not only for your contributions, but also for creating this thread.

There were several of those water pools all over the complex. In German they were referred to as Feuerlöschteich - fire extinguishing pond ?

Red circle: Filled fire extinguishing pond just North of the main camp.
Yellow Circle: Still existing fire extinguishing pond (ruin).

[Geoff Walden]

No, SS-women were not housed in the middle of the inmates or the camp. Not in Birkenau and nowhere else.
What you talking about is the kitchen in BIa and BIIa.
Marked here with "k":
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/ ... RKENAU.png
http://media-cdn.tripadvisor.com/media/ ... witz35.jpg

Hi all,

Has anyone been inside these kitchen buildings? They have not been open when I have been there (it seems, lately, there are fewer and fewer of the brick buildings in Birkenau that are open to visitors). I'm just curious as to what's in there ... like the kitchen buildings at Gross-Rosen and Flossenbürg, or not ...