Lessons from Auschwitz
Sarah McCusker and Connor Dickson
On the 27th of January 1945 Auschwitz-Birkanu was liberated by allied soldiers. After WWII ended many of the Nazis concentration camps were destroyed however it was decided that a few would remain to serve as a reminder of the holocaust for generations to come. Auschwitz-Birkanu became one of the most high profile destinations associated with the holocaust with over 2 million visitors a year passing through its notorious “work makes you free” gate. As part of the Lessons from Auschwitz Project, we were given the opportunity to visit Auschwitz-Birkanu and learn about not only the events of the holocaust but also the lessons society has learned from the atrocity.
Arriving at the camp was a somewhat bizarre experience. Expectations of a site hidden from the rest of the world quickly vanished as we were greeted by a large car park and visitors centre fully equipped with café and gift shop. However signs of progression quickly vanished as we came to the main camp entrance. Our surrounding had been deprived of any modernisation and the camp itself appeared almost untouched since its liberation.
The military history of the camp was immediately apparent from the uniformity of the well structured buildings. Before Nazi occupation the site was used as Polish army Barracks. While the exterior remained unchanged the Nazis had utilised all space inside. 3 storey high bunk beds were installed where people would sleep side by side with the ill and the dying. Underfoot was no more than stones and dirt. This terrain would be endured each day by prisoners who would walk an average of 6km a day barefoot and wearing only their striped pyjamas.
Many of the blocks interiors have been redesigned to create the Auschwitz museum. The museum exposes not only the horrific events that took place at the camp but also the equally tragic naivety of its inmates. Display cases show the luggage of prisoners who had boarded trains across Europe and made the journey to the camp. Some had been summoned by Nazis onto the trains, others followed loved ones voluntarily. Prisoners arrived at the camp bringing essentials they believed they would need, kitchen utensils, spare clothes, shoes. Many felt the need to write their names on their luggage to ensure it wouldn’t be lost. However upon arrival they were stripped of all their belongings, separated from their loved ones, and divided into two groups; the fit and the unfit. The fit would be put to work in the camp; however this group included only a minority of arrivals. Most arrivals at Auschwitz were deemed unfit to work and went straight to the gas chambers.
The Nazis appeared to have put a lot of effort into keeping track of everyone who passed through Auschwitz. In the beginning, all inmates were photographed upon arrival and they had made efforts to ensure that different groups within the camp could be easily distinguished whether it be jews, homosexuals, political prisoners. Every prisoners’ head was shaved and the Nazis used the hair to make cloth. The walls of the museum are covered floor to ceiling with these records. This unimaginable reality occurred daily as new arrivals entered the camp. In the weeks prior to the camps liberation, attempts were made to destroy all evidence of what had occurred inside its fence. However at the time of liberation, 2 tonnes of human hair remained in Auschwitz and is now displayed at the museum along with an entire wall filled with pairs of glasses which were taken from prisoners. It is hard to imagine that the same people who felt they needed to write their name on their luggage in case it got lost would be stripped of everything including their hair.
Block 27 differed from the rest of the camp. Unlike the other blocks which have been altered to create the museum, block 27 has remained almost untouched. This building was used as a camp prison for inmates who didn’t conform. Nazi punishments were unorthodox to say the least with each cell holding a different punishment. Within the building we saw the starvation cell, the darkness cell and the standing cells. While all are unimaginable forms of torture the standing cells were a particularly shocking sight. Cells were no bigger than a toilet cubicle and prisoners would be expected to stand for a week or until they collapsed. Metres away from the standing cell is a small cell with bars on the window which holds within it a memorial. While this may seem out of place, the memorial serves as a reminder that even throughout the holocaust faith and goodness still existed. After 3 men escaped the Nazis randomly picked 12 prisoners to serve 30 days in the starvation cell. Maxamillian Kolbe volunteered in the place of a man who had a family. Of the 12 who went in he was the only one to survive. While he died shortly before the liberation of the camp his story lived on and in his cell now has a papal candle, placed there by the pope. Each new pope has visited Auschwitz and added his own candle.
During the war Auschwitz became so over populated that the Nazis commissioned Birkanu. Birkanu was built as the train line prevented any more expansions of Auschwitz. While the Auschwitz museum explores life in the camp, Birkanu emphasises the enormous scale on which the holocaust took place. The camp was built by the prisoners at Auschwitz and while many of the huts have been destroyed, an endless landscape of chimneys shows enormity of the torture. One of the remaining huts contained the toilets and showering facilities which included two rows of 20 holes and a single tap running cold water. Prisoners would be put in groups of over 100 and given a short period of time where they would receive no privacy. The hut looked like a farm shed which really emphasised the Nazis goal to dehumanise the prisoners.
Our 1 day trip the Auschwitz-Birkanu proved exhausting both mentally and physically, however the experience is one that we will always remember. Auschwitz-Birkanu is a poignant landmark which allows the Holocaust to be viewed in a way that cannot be duplicated by textbooks or websites. During the programme we also considered the modern day relevance of the Holocaust. Persecution and discrimination, while not on the scale of the holocaust, are still very much a part of society. In today’s world we all have a responsibility to ensure everyone in given the freedom the express themselves. The holocaust showed us the scale of tragedy that can occur when discrimination goes unchecked. The visit allowed us to appreciate the past and reflect on how it has shaped our present and we would highly recommend anyone who has the opportunity to, to visit Auschwitz-Birkanu.
