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Poland

Krakow and Oświęcim
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Next time to go to a hotel and complain about the bed not being comfortable think about how the Jews used to sleep here. Usually about 3 of them slept on the same slab of wood and on the bunk above, another 3. This one had a window but living here had to be ruthless and one of the most hostile environments as there was no bathroom either. You either held it or accident happened which leaked down below and everyone around you had to groan and bear it.
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Next time to go to a hotel and complain about the bed not being comfortable think about how the Jews used to sleep here. Usually about 3 of them slept on the same slab of wood and on the bunk above, another 3. This one had a window but living here had to be ruthless and one of the most hostile environments as there was no bathroom either. You either held it or accident happened which leaked down below and everyone around you had to groan and bear it.

NikonD7000 John Chandler Auschwitz Berkinau Poland Black and White PhotolooksNikonD7000 John Chandler Auschwitz Berkinau Poland Black and Whi

  • Here is a view of the gas chamber from outside. Note there was only one and if you look closely on the roof you can see the gas drop canister portal. Having walked inside this gas chamber was truly a depressing and somber experience but one that I felt had to be done. I believe its important to witness the true scale of the horror, and terror the Nazi's committed upon mankind.
  • A warning sign and high voltage lines. Here you can see the barracks lined up with electrical fences in all directions. There was absolutely no escaping.
  • An electrical post which were all too common around every corner all through out the camp. A stark reminder of the cruel ingenuity of the Nazi's.
  • A plaque naming the location. Growing up as a kid I was taught about the holocaust and saw movies about it but never did I ever think I would be standing here one day to read it myself. I'm glad I did because after having seen it with my own eyes I feel more human. Reading, learning and being taught about it simply does not compare to actually being and witnessing it yourself.
  • Another high voltage sign. Of course they were no longer active yet they are everywhere and the place is exactly how it was back in the day. Some things, objects have not been moved and were left on purpose just as they were so you, yourself could feel what the horror was like if you were to take a step back in time. Another reason why I left all my images in black and white.
  • Most people venture into Auschwitz first than head over to Birkenau. Imagine 15 football fields of these barracks you see here. Originally horse stables which the Nazi converted into human barn yards. I don't remember the exact number now but there were dozens of these all surrounded by barbed, electrified, high voltage fences.
  • If you look carefully, on the left side you can see a demolished building, in late 1944 the Nazi realized they were going to loose the war so in an effort to cover up their atrocities they began to level as many buildings as they could but did not get to finish. Its row after row of these buildings. In The winter it would get very cold so even if you did escape the building you still have to get past the fences in freezing temperatures.
  • These buildings ran at max capacity, there never was such as thing as a vacant building. The Nazi's kept them fuller they they could handle.
  • The buildings were very long and notice how there are no trees, flowers or any thing pretty. A location totally devoid of gardens, flowers or anything, not even a bush.
  • Here you can see just how vast and large Birkenau is, on the right is where the trains pulled in to unload the Jews. In the foreground is whats left of the buildings which the Nazi's tried to destroy. As the war was ending they got orders to erase all evidence, there was to be no trace of what took place here. Being so many buildings they simply did not have enough time nor the man power to demolish everything.
  • These were actual living barracks for the Jews. No pillows, bedsheets or any other creature comfort and imagine what it was like in dead of winter.
  • Next time to go to a hotel and complain about the bed not being comfortable think about how the Jews used to sleep here. Usually about 3 of them slept on the same slab of wood and on the bunk above, another 3. This one had a window but living here had to be ruthless and one of the most hostile environments as there was no bathroom either. You either held it or accident happened which leaked down below and everyone around you had to groan and bear it.
  • I can not put to words what took place here but a lamp now burns 24 hours a day 365 days a here as a symbol of the horror that took place in this exact spot. The Nazi's were notorious for conducting experiments on humans. I was fortunate enough to do this trip with a good friend of mine, Mohit and together we educated each other, telling and reading factoids from books were carried with us as we felt it was vital to learn and be educated about exactly what happened at each part of this place. The horror was simply not confined to just what happened in general but the fact that certain spots is where certain things took place.
  • The toilets and more than often there was no running water.
  • The wash basins. There were no showers or bath tubs so if you were lucky enough to wash it was done here by doing the best you could with what was available. You have to understand Birkenau was a horse stable facility which was converted for human usage. The Nazi's considered and treated the Jews like cattle. To them there were not human not even the same species and hence did not deserve better standards. Oh yeah, water was not always present.
  • This was like an over sized wheel barrow used to collect corpses and then hauled off to the burners.
  • A memorial. Towards the rear there was a huge gas chamber which had been destroyed is now a pile of rubble but nearby you can see this and there are several, as they are in different languages.
  • The placement of a rock symbolizes the life of a Jew who died here. It was common to see rocks and pebbles on every corner, ledge and where ever a rock could stand firm.
  • Even if you did manage to escape, you had to get past the fence then the guard tower then make it to the tree line. The guards towers were strategically placed so you could see them coming from far away if one was trying to escape.
  • A part of the train left remaining as a sober reminder that it carried Jews jam packed like sardines. Hundreds of these pulled into Birkenau daily. IF you look closely you can see rocks sitting on it.
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