By Julienne Munson (Sophomore, Department of Undergraduate Studies)
Auschwitz-Birkenau, this place is something that you can not fathom. This camp was 20 times larger compared to Auschwitz 1 and what a hike it was to walk around only a portion of it. We all walked an average of close to 7 miles and to see all of the barracks’ and exhibits took roughly 3 and a half hours to visit. Some of that time was used to take pictures. We had time to stop and listen to the guide about what happened there, so all of it wasn’t just walking around.
The moment we got to Auschwitz-Birkenau, we instantly saw the train tracks and the main gate that the train went through to drop off the prisoners. Once at the main gate we went up to the watch tower and saw a 360 view of the surrounding area. When you faced the camp all you could see from your left were, still standing builds and some foundations. When you looked in the middle you can see the train tracks and the platform that the prisoners offloaded onto. When you looked to your right, you can see more barracks standing and more foundations. The right side of the camp went on for hundreds of meters and it seemed to look like an endless amount of barracks.
Photo by: Julienne Munson (Left side of Auschwitz-Birkenau from watch tower on top of main gate)
Photo by: Julienne Munson (Middle of Auschwitz-Birkenau, showing train tracks and platform were prisoners were offloaded onto)
Photo by: Julienne Munson (Right side of Auschwitz-Birkenau from the top of the watch tower)
After the watch tower we went to the first building which was the toilets. Going into them made me instantly think how bad it would smell in them and how rushed everyone felt, since they only had seconds to use the latrine.
From there we saw one of the barracks. It was empty except the heating system. During the winters the heating system was never on because the lack of fuel and if it snowed the top bunk, since it was closest to the roof would be covered in snow. All I could think about was how poorly these conditions could be and how cramped it was since hundreds of prisoners would sleep in them. Afterwards we saw where the children and women would stay. And also the wash room.
Photo by: Julienne Munson (Washroom for prisons of Auschwitz II-Birkenau)
When we stood on the platform, I could envision the prisoners being rushed of the train cars, formed up and going through the selection process. The whole time I kept in the back of my head was what it would have been like if I was there. Where would I go? Would I go straight to the gas chamber? Or would I be working? I had so many thoughts of what it would have been like for me. And then I thought about the prisoners and how awful it was and how nervous it was for them.
Photo by: Julienne Munson
From there we made our way towards crematorium and gas chambers 2 though 5. All of them were destroyed by the Germans to hide evidence and the existence of what they did to the prisoners. My initial thoughts were how massive they were and how many people they killed in them. Just thinking about the Germans on top of the buildings and dropping Zyklon B down vents and watched and hearing the lives of children, women and men of all ages suffer.
Photo by: Julienne Munson
(Crematory #2)
Photo by: Julienne Munson
(Crematory #2)
We continued to walk the outside of the camp until we got to the other crematoriums and saw just rubble. The one spot was a small farm house foundation which was called the “White House”, behind it was an open field and a plaque that said “To the memory of men, women, and children who fell victim to the nazi genocide. Here lie their ashes. May their souls Rest In Peace.” Looking out into that field made me feel uneasy and to hear that all of their ashes once covered this land….the Nazi’s used their ashes to fertilize the land.
Photo by: Julienne Munson
(Ruins of “the White House” crematory and field where human remains were scattered during the war).
Photo by: Julienne Munson
(Memorial for the victims of Auschwitz)
Photo by: Julienne Munson (Field where human remains were scattered during the war)
Towards the end of the tour we came across “Canada”. This were storage buildings full of the prisoners personal belongings.
Photo by: Julienne Munson
The last place we saw was the processing center. This was where the prisoners we be washed and the clothes to be sanitized. It was like an assembly line. The would take the clothes off, rinse off, dry off the best they could, get the stripped prisoner clothes, and from there they would be put to work.
Photo by: Julienne Munson
(Signage with details for the sauna “bath” processing area)
Photo by: Julienne Munson
(Area where prisons began processing for the camp)
Photo by: Julienne Munson
Prisoners were quickly run through the building where they were forced to undress, be shaved, shower, sanitized with delousing powder, and finally provided with prison uniforms.
Photo by: Julienne Munson
Additional processing area
Photo by: Julienne Munson
(Showering area for prisoners)
Photo by: Julienne Munson
Additional processing area for prisoners.
Auschwitz-Birkenau was massive. And to see everything that once was a running concentration camp made things very in easy. I couldn’t even imagine what the prisoners really went through and I don’t want to ever see or feel that pain. Losing family members and seeing family members and friends go through this was very hard for all of them.