Reflections on Visiting Auschwitz

After a great experience in Poland, I have arrived safely back in NYC. Our group was blessed to have the opportunity to visit many wonderful historical sites and a variety of exciting businesses in Krakow and the surrounding area. After visiting Auschwitz on Friday, here are my reflections.

On Friday morning, our group departed the hotel in Old Town Krakow around 8:30 AM for Auschwitz. It was a comfortable bus ride as we drove west through the picturesque hillside of southern Poland. Upon arrival to the Auschwitz-Birkenau Memorial and Museum, we were introduced to our tour guide and given a headset for the tour. Our tour began as we walked under the infamous "Arbeit Macht Frei" sign ("work makes you free") at the entrance of the camp. This cruel piece provided prisoners with a sense of false hope and perpetuated the belief that they could work their way to freedom. Once through the gates, we walked through a few sleeping barracks which have been converted into museum display rooms. Our tour guide did an excellent job explaining the historical significance of the different rooms and objects. We observed confiscated glasses, shoes, and uniforms which were just a few of the articles being displayed. There were also pictures of prisoners on the walls with where they came from and the date they arrived at the camp.

After the sleeping barracks, we moved on to the darker part of the tour where we walked through the underground cells where prisoners were starved to death, the execution wall, the Hangman's Post, Block 10 and the last standing gas chamber at the camp. As our group walked single-file through the silent underground torture cells, a chill ran through my entire body. I have learned and read about the horrendous torture and acts that occurred in these places, but there is no way to be prepared for what you see and experience during this tour. As we walked through the silent gas chamber, it was difficult to understand the reality of these atrocities.

There are so many statistics about Auschwitz-Birkenau, but it defies description. 1.1 million people were murdered. 85% of prisoners died, many just days after arriving to the camp. It is difficult to wrap my mind around how something like this could ever happen. How did people do this to people? Even writing this day's later, I have chills reflecting on my tour. With that said, my visit to the Auschwitz-Birkenau Memorial and Museum is one of the most humbling and touching experiences I have had in my life.