Auschwitz I

Thursday we went to the Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration camps. It's hard to begin this post because it's hard to put our experiences into words. Our first impression was surprising. Auschwitz I was more of a museum and it was full of tourists. We were part of a large group that moved fairly quickly, so when we broke off and had moments to ourselves, it became more real. We were able to process the information we were given and envision the space as it once was. When we began our journey we did not have any expectations, but one thing we wanted to bring back and share were our feelings and connections. Being able to break away from our group was one of the best things we did.

AUSCHWITZ MUSEUM
We began our tour walking through the famous gates that say "Arbeit Macht Frei", which means "work sets you free" (see picture below). This was just more lies fed to the prisoners to keep them under control. So many things were set up in the camps to keep the illusion that all will be okay.

As we explored the camp we learned that each building, called a Block, had a number and a purpose. The blocks that were open to the public were set up like a museum containing artifacts and photographs that we could read about to learn more.

Block 11
One Block that was particularly moving was Block 11. It contained several underground cells that were used to punish prisoners who committed an "offense". As we walked down the stairs to the dungeon a feeling of dread came over us. There were no windows or light coming through. We don't recall how many of these cells were down there - at least 7 or 8 that we saw. Cell 18 was used starve prisoners to death. Cell 20 was called the suffocation cell. There were also four standing cells in which 4 men were forced to stand in a cell 2 1/2 by 2 1/2 foot area all night long, after working an 11 hour day. This is insane to us! We were walking all day, feeling tired and sore, and these people endured so much torture day after day for months. We had no right to complain about our tired feet or the heat. There is no way to comprehend how they were able to survive and find hope. We were heartbroken as we walked through looking into each cell. When you leave Block 11, there was a courtyard set up with a shooting wall.

As horrific as this is, the windows along the courtyard were boarded up so other prisoners could not see what was going on. This was another way the Nazi's maintained control and instilled fear.

Blocks 19, 20, and 21 were set up as the hospital. We left wondering why they would even bother having a hospital in such a place. Then a feeling of shock overtook us as we walked by a gate with another open courtyard. Dead bodies were once left there to wait for transport to the crematorium, while new patients were waiting to be seen.

Gas Chamber
Before entering, we hesitated to prepare ourselves for the emotions we knew would come.

We took a deep breath and stepped through. It was quiet. No one spoke. People had tears in their eyes. It was so surreal and it's difficult to put into words how we were feeling. But this was not a crowded area, no one lingered. We had a feeling of urgency to leave - we felt like we wanted to get out quickly.