Auschwitz Concentration Camp

We made a side-trip to Auschwitz Concentration Camp. There were scheduled buses that brought us there from Krakow bus terminal. We paid for an English guided tour so we could have a better understanding of the place. It was well worth the time and price. We left the camp feeling both sadness for the Jewish prisoners and anger at those who did the horrible things to them.

(Top row, left) A sculpture of a man chained to a pillar till his death.

(Top row, right) “Arbeit Macht Frie”, ie. “Work Sets You Free” - where in fact, the only way out was through the crematoriums' chimneys.

(Bottom row, left) Electric fencing that can be seen around the camp.

(Bottom row, right) There were so many captured prisoners that a second storey had to be added to the building.


In "X-Men: First Class" movie, Magneto grew up here.

Auschwitz Concentration Camp

(Top row, left) A wall designed to catch bullets.

(Top row, right) The outside view of a “Dark Cell”, which could hold up to 30 prisoners. There was only a small window near the top of the cell for ventilation. In winter, snow would fill the trench outside the window and the prisoners in the cell would suffocate.

(Bottom row, left) Photos of prisoners who were hung at that spot.

(Bottom row, right) This was where Hitler was hung after the war.

Auschwitz Concentration Camp

(Top row, left): Even though the camp was opened to tourists, there were still some restrictions for visitors of the camp, some were out of respect for those who have perished.

(Top row, right): A signboard showing where "the corpse of prisoners shot while trying to escape were displayed, as a warning to others".

(Bottom row, left): The camp orchestra kept the prisoners in step, so it was easier to count them.

(Bottom row, right): A signboard stating "If a Polish prisoner escaped, the family members were arrested and sent to Auschwitz. They were made to stand under a sign announcing the reason for their arrest and that they will remain in the camp until the fugitive was found. So that other prisoners would be aware of this policy."

Birkenau Concentration Camp

This camp was a short distance from Auschwitz Concentration Camp. A scheduled complimentary shuttle bus brought us to and from this camp. This camp was an expansion after Auschwitz overflowed with Jewish prisoners.

Top Row: Electric Fencing in the Camp, the railroad where trains of prisoners arrived.

Bottom Row: The barracks, as seen from the watch-tower; The famous watch-tower as seen in the movie, "Schindler’s List".

Birkenau Camp Compound

In Barrack 3, prisoners were put in 'standing-cells' big enough to hold 4 standing prisoners standing back to back. The cells were like chimneys, covered from floor to ceiling by bricks, with only a small opening for the prisoners to crawl in at night after their hard-labour work and crawl out the next morning after standing in the cell the entire night. There were times where 4 might crawl in at night but only 2 got out alive the next morning, only to be put back in again at night with another 2 more prisoners.

Out of respect for those who perished, photo-taking was not allowed in that Barrack.

Birkenau Concentration Camp

Top Row (left) - Barrack (outside view). This was where the prisoners of war (POWs) rest at night. In daytime, they were sent out to work. Many were malnourished because they were only given bread (mixed with sawdust and dirt) and rotten-vegetable soup in the morning and evening. There are hundreds squeezed into each barrack.

Top Row (right) - Beds inside barrack. 4 to 5 would share 1 level. The mid-level was the best and were usually taken up by the first batch of POWs, because the roof might leak on the top-level and the floor might be too cold to sleep during winter-time.

Bottom Row (left) - The crematorium was destroyed by the guards when the allies raided the Camp.

Bottom Row (right) - Memorial plaques in various languages were placed to remember those who died in the Camp. In English, the plaque states

"For ever let this place be, a cry of despair, and a warning to humanity, where the Nazis murdered, about one and a half million men, women and children, mainly Jews from various countries of Europe. Auschwitz Birkenau 1940-1945"

More Photos Coming up..

More exclusive photos of Auschwitz Concentration Camp, and some Warsaw/Krakow sights coming up.. In the meantime, below are some recommended books on Poland from Amazon.com.