Oswiecim, Poland July 6 !!! Warning…….this is a tough blog to read Part 1

 

The German’s pronounced the name of this Polish city incorrectly.  They pronounced it Auschwitz.  This is where they built their first Polish camp, since the area has been mining coal and therefore has great rail lines.  It is also situated between 2 rivers, so it is easier to control.

                                                 

We have been dreading this visit, but we felt we needed to see it.  We have learned many things we didn’t know, straightened out some things we thought we knew, and felt all kinds of feelings. (as you would imagine)

Some things I learned: There were actually 3 Auschwitzs.  Auschwitz I is the first one built.  It only housed men.  Originally the men were Polish political prisoners, Catholic Priests and Russian prisoners of war.  They were brought in to be laborers.

                                                

The workforce was later expanded to other Poles and citizens of other countries, mostly Jews and gypsies and Slavic peoples.  These people were considered inferior races.  They also captured anyone they thought might organize the people, like teachers, priests, reporters and the intelegencia of the countries.   By comparison to what was being built down the road, these guys had it good (if good means being starved, beaten and worked to death.)  This camp was kept looking nice to the outside world so when the red cross came to inspect or when Nazi higher ups came to see the camp, it looked like a reasonable place where prisoners were kept.  They did not get to see the small gas chamber or crematorium.  These soon became too small to handle the amount of people, Jews and Poles and gypsies and Russians and…….that “needed” them.  So another camp was built.

  The sign over the entrance to Auschwitz I translates to “Work makes you free”, giving false hope to those who passed under it.

 

     

  

The gas chamber and crematorium at Auschwitz I still remains.  The ones at Birkenau were destroyed as the Russian army approached.  We were shown into the chamber.  We were about 40 people.  They had crowded 700 people at a time into this space.  It felt very uncomfortable to enter, even now.  With 40 people it was warm, imagine 700.  Well that was necessary for the poison to turn into gas……heat.

                       

It took only 20 minutes to murder 700 people, but 2 days to clear out the chamber, so more “efficient” means were needed.