I was only in Poland for a short time. I did see the sites of Kraków while I was there, but the main reason I came was to see Auschwitz. World War II and specifically the holocaust is something I am fascinated about. It is such a dark part of the history of humanity. So, with planning a trip to Europe it only made sense to visit the concentration and later extermination camps of Auschwitz and Birkenau. 

Walking through the gates it was surreal and eerie. Many people walked through this gate never to come out alive. The tour guide also told us to not eat or smoke in the camp since the whole camp was like a cemetery. We may be walking on the ashes or remains of people. As I walked around the camp I felt an immense amount of respect for those that lost their lives here.   We toured around the various buildings looking at where people slept, worked, or were killed. In one part of the camp some of the belongings of the victims were displayed to show the enormity of those who were affected. For example there was a display of thousands of people’s hair that would be later used to make fabrics. There was also displays of the shoes, luggage, glasses, etc of things taken from the victims. Approximately 6 million Jews were killed in the Holocaust. Seeing just a fraction of the things taken was such an intense reminder of the humanity of each an every victim. 

  

 It’s one thing to read about this period of history in books another to actually walk and see where it happened. 

As George Santana said, “The one who does not remember history is bound to go through it again.”