My Trip to Auschwitz (Long with lots of pictures)

[Scrumhalf]

Auschwitz II - The Outdoor Pit At one point, the number of arrivals who were sent to the gas chambers was so great that the crematoria could not keep up. The Nazis resorted to burning corpses outdoors. The pit in the picture below, marked by the memorial stone markers, contains ashes of thousands of victims.

 

[Scrumhalf]

Auschwitz II - The Memorial Next to the crematoria is the International Monument to the victims of the Holocaust that was built in 1967.

 

[Scrumhalf]

The Soviet POW Memorial: The woods behind the International Monument has a long path that ends in a memorial to the Soviets POWs that were killed at Auschwitz. I started walking down the path for a few minutes. However, there was nobody with me. The path went through a heavily wooded area. The silence was deafening. The only sound was that of my boots on the squishy ground wet with rain. I am not ashamed to admit that it spooked me, a 43 year old man. I could almost feel the ghosts of the place. I couldn't go on. I turned and headed back.

 

[Scrumhalf]

Auschwitz II - In Memoriam I am not Jewish or even of European ancestry. I have no connection with the Holocaust other than the fact that I am another human being at a place where millions of my species were killed by monsters also of my species. It is not an easy place to visit and the emotions will definitely overwhelm you. But I can't recommend a vist highly enough, if you are in that part of the world. I can't think of a more profoundly moving place that I have ever visited. It still haunts my dreams over a month later. To the millions who were victims of tyranny - may your souls rest in peace.

 

[Dakota rube]

Thank you for these photos.

I can't imagine the atmosphere you must've experienced there. My ancestors were on both sides of the barbed wire. I don't know that I could visit this place.

 

[rioni]

wow! incredible

 

[Scrumhalf]

Originally Posted by Dakota rube

Thank you for these photos. I can't imagine the atmosphere you must've experienced there. My ancestors were on both sides of the barbed wire. I don't know that I could visit this place.
It was an experience that is hard to describe with words. I was certainly overwhelmed by it all. The scale and magnitude of the whole thing is so enormous - it is something that doesn't translate with books, pictures or television - you have to be there. One can't but be in equal parts amazed and shocked by the sheer folly of it all - so many people butchered, and for what? The place was so quiet, even though there were many visitors from many countries. The only sound was the voices of the guides leading tour groups around.

 

[judges76]

Wow! Powerful! I've been to the region a number of times & I just can't bring myself to go. Thanks for the pics.

 

[RedLantern]

Originally Posted by Scrumhalf

It was an experience that is hard to describe with words. I was certainly overwhelmed by it all. The scale and magnitude of the whole thing is so enormous - it is something that doesn't translate with books, pictures or television - you have to be there. One can't but be in equal parts amazed and shocked by the sheer folly of it all - so many people butchered, and for what?

The place was so quiet, even though there were many visitors for many countries. The only sound was the voices of the guides leading tour groups around.


I had a similar experience when I visited Arlington National Cemetery. Just sat down on a bench and cried for an hour. After I realized it wasn't going to stop I just walked around like that anyway.

 

[Scrumhalf]

In addition to the horror and sadness I felt, I almost had to shake my head and laugh incredulously at the sheer pointlessness of it all.... I mean, it is 1943, you are fighting for your life on two fronts, getting your ass kicked at Stalingrad, and you have all this time and resources to round up folks who don't have eyes that are right shade of blue... WTF?

 

[scarphe]

Originally Posted by Scrumhalf

In addition to the horror and sadness I felt, I almost had to shake my head and laugh incredulously at the sheer pointlessness of it all.... I mean, it is 1943, you are fighting for your life on two fronts, getting your ass kicked at Stalingrad, and you have all this time and resources to round up folks who don't have eyes that are right shade of blue... WTF?

for most part you are correct, but until you have to deal romani everyday, you will not understadn the hatred of them.

 

[Germanicus]

Originally Posted by scarphe

for most part you are correct, but until you have to deal romani everyday, you will not understadn the hatred of them.

Could you please elaborate this?

 

[Dakota rube]

 

[edmorel]

lets not futz up this thread.

 

[imhotep]

Originally Posted by Germanicus

Could you please elaborate this?

i believe what he is saying is that dealing with the romani people (gypsies) may stir sufficient hatred to want to exterminate them as the Nazi's did. i assume scarphe believes the genocide of this particular group of people was understandable.

now perhaps scarphe can gtfo, and this thread may not be ruined.