My Auschwitz experience

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Bill Medland
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My Auschwitz experience

#1

Post by Bill Medland » 17 Nov 2002, 16:00

Hi Forum,
A few years ago I went to Poland to see what I could find from the Third Reich time.
Some of the buildings in the former Jewish quarter of Krakau remain unchanged from the old photos, indeed in one street I saw bullet marks in the wall of a house, three meters long, and one meter twenty centimeters high, so about chest level.
Moving on to Auschwitz, my first thought on seeing the permanent buildings and streets with street names on the corner buildings, almost like a "town" within the wire, my thought was, the ones who came here must have the feeling that this complex was here to stay, and that they would not be leaving! Nothing here looked temporary at all, this camp was here to stay.
My wife and I decided to walk to Birkenau, there was a bus but the walk would give us a "feel" of the area.
Birkenau's first impression was "Oh my God, look at how big this is!!"
It seemed to go on for miles! We were there in November and a thunderstorm started and we took shelter in one of the buildings, we were alone with the lightning coming down and the heavy rain on the roof.
The sky came over dark and we just sat on one of the bunks.
We read the graffiti from the jews. Much of it was pro-German, "we are still Germans and proud of the Fatherland" was one of the ones I read, dated 1942. In a gap in the bunk I found a black metal spoon, thought about taking it. But it had been there 60 years, so left it where it was.
A most moving experience.
I have also been to Dachau, but it was not as moving as Birkenau.
Regards,Bill.

Davey Boy
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#2

Post by Davey Boy » 17 Nov 2002, 16:13

I've been to Auschwitz several times. But every time I go, I seem to be in a rush for one reason or another, and I have yet to do it all properly.

I actually found it really hard to look at the place, the buildings and the rest, and connect it all to those terrible events of WWII. One of the problems, I think, is seeing all those tourists there. That really takes the edge off for me.


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Beate
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#3

Post by Beate » 17 Nov 2002, 17:30

When visiting Krakow a while ago, it obviously was a must to go to Auschwitz and Birkenau too. To get away from the "tourist-industry" I travelled by train and local bus services and foot, just to be confronted with busses of well organized tourists armed with cameras and whatever they needed for "a day out". God was I naive to think November and horrible weather would make any difference...I must say Bill that I had much similar feelings on arrival at Auschwitz and Birkenau. While Auschwitz seemed to be like some kind of barracks, Birkenau just left me speechless. On arriving I could see down on it from a little hill, getting the full size of it. Trying to imagine how many football-fields could fit in it I walked towards the entry and just had to sit there for a while in silence....No words can discribe what went through my head-and the feeling-well by that time it was late afternoon already getting a bit dark and raining terribly, the tourists nearly all gone...I walked along the railwayline to the gas chambers and just cried.

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Benoit Douville
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#4

Post by Benoit Douville » 17 Nov 2002, 20:01

I had also had the same feeling when i visited Auschwitz-Birkenau for the first time last year " How big this is" and didn't have time to visited everything because it is so huge... It is a moving experience. Everybody who is interested in history should visit this place at least one time in their lifetime to not forget what happened.

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Bill Medland
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#5

Post by Bill Medland » 17 Nov 2002, 20:32

I agree that you cannot see everything in a day, that is why I stayed in the area 10 days, and climbed over every brick and stone!
As a railroad man, I had a big interest in the condition of the tracks and railroad equipment, everything appears to be original and the tracks were built in 1943 and would still hold a locomotive and trucks if driven at a slow pace.
Regards,Bill.

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