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Published: February 16th 2009
The town of Oswiecim, Poland is just 50 kilometers from Krakow. It's brick barracks were built before the second World War, as barracks for the Polish Army. This little village, has grown into a small town over the last 65 years. And each day thousands of people from literally all over the world find their way here. To see for themselves, and to remember those that died.
The numbers of the victims are subject of controversy. But this facility claims more victims of the Nazis, than any other such camp. It was built for slave labor and for extermination.
Now the memorial and museum at Auschwitz-Birkenau stands as a reminder. Memorial plagues at Birkenau state in 21 languages "...let this place be a warning to humanity..." 21 countries have victims in Auschwitz-Birkenau.
In his book, "Night" Elie Wiesel writes, " to forget the dead would be akin to killing them a second time."
We first came to the memorial in 2006 when we visited Krakow. We have reluctantly been several times, since living here, accompanying our guests, to tour the grounds. Until the last visit with my mom in October 2008, I had not taken photos. A few
Birkenau
guard tower and electric fence postsof the pictures I have posted here, Hank took when he visited, in August 2008. The video of the cattle car is his. It is just outside of the Birkenau camp, between the road and the rail way tracks, with a plague describing it. Listen to the train passing nearby, and imagine being one of maybe 200 people crammed in that car headed to the camp. Only, you know nothing of the horrors, that we now know occurred. You think you and your family are being relocated, you even have belongings with you. You have labeled your family's suitcases with your names and addresses.
The Polish government opened the camp up as the museum in 1947, they understood even such a short time after the end of the Second World War, that the world had to see what had happened. The first prisoners of the Nazis were Polish political prisoners, the intellectuals and resistance members.
When The German Army knew the end was near they moved prisoners into Germany. The ones left behind were too sick to walk. These were the ones that were freed by the Soviet Red Army in January 1945
Krakow is full of
reminders of the second world war, a tourist industry has sprung up around all the sights. There will soon be a Shindler Museum. But I think none more touching than the Auschwitz Memorial. I believe all citizens of the world should have a chance to walk the grounds, and remember. But this kind of murder has happened since, and today there is still senseless killing taking place.
Again, I must mention, that in his book, "Night" , Auschwitz survivor Elie Wiesel writes, " to forget the dead would be akin to killing them a second time." Let's not forget any of the victims.
Raymond Kolbe was not a Jew, but a catholic priest. He died at the camp August 14, 1941. He had been sent there when his friary was seized by the Nazis, it had been a refuge for displaced Poles, many of whom were Jews. Anyone who didn't meet their critieria for Arian supremacy was sent to concentration camps, Jehovah's Witnesses, homosexuals, Gypsies, Polish underground resistance members. And good catholics who tried to help the Jews.
You are familiar with the yellow star that Jews were forced to wear. At prison, there were pink triangles for homosexuals,
block 6
brick barracks Auschwitz I purple for the Jehovah's Witnesses, green for the common criminal, (yes, Naizis did not have a place for them) red for political prisoners, vagrants wore black triangles. Now do you see that the Jewish star was two yellow triangles placed together?
There are many stories of Father Kolbe's calm demeanor and his constant reassurance to his fellow prisoners. The camp's policy of escaped prisoners was that 10 would die in place of the escapee. On this occasion, as one of the chosen men was crying out for pity on his family, Father Kolbe asked to take his place. The SS obliged him. When after 2 weeks of starvation, 4 men were still alive, the guards injected them with carbolic acid to kill them. Father Kolbe offered his arm with out resistance, and died. On the tour you are taken into the starvation cells. Other cells for punishment, were the standing cell - 4 men per 1.5 square metre. A suffocation cell, where it is said that some guards would light a candle to use up the oxygen faster.
The cell where Father Kolbe died has become a shrine. It is a very moving spot. He was beatified as Confessor
by Paul VI in 1970, and canonized as Martyr by Pope John Paul II in 1981.
And the man whose place he took, Franciszek Gajowniczek, survived Auschwitz, to find his wife, but his sons had perished. He lived to be 95, and each year on the anniversary of the priest's death, they say, made his way to the memorial at Auschwitz, to acknowlegde Father Kolbe's sacrifice.
I have hesitated writing about this memorial. There is already so much written about it. My hope is that this entry doesn't come across as void of emotion, as in "just the facts". My purpose in this blog is to document the places we have seen while living in Europe.
Yet, you don't just "see" Auschwitz, we should be changed by it.
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Katie
non-member comment
This entry brings back memories from our trip there. Thanks for posting it.