Auschwitz-birkenau.

[Dave Spencer]

I have recently arrived back in the UK after a long weekend stop in the old town of Krakow, Poland. All I can say is what a beautiful, historic city for those wishing to step off the beaten track.

Anyway, with Auschwitz-Birkenau barely an hour away, I felt compelled to visit. Fortunately, my partner agreed as well, and felt very motivated to take a visit.

I had travelled the length and breadth of the Great War battlefields of France and Belgium many years ago, whilst serving in Germany with the RAF, but found Auschwitz-Birkenau to be a very different place. Whilst the Somme, Flanders etc. are awash with human tragedy, they also emanate countless tales of human bravery, courage, endurance and compassion. Many Commonwealth nations have preserved certain areas of the battlefield with great sadness, but also with great national pride.

At Auschwitz-Birkenau, I found a part of the world devoid of any noble human qualities......mercy in particular. During our visit, the snow started to come down in torrents and just made the whole scene appear more melacholy. Ghosts, spirits and all that are not my "thing" at all, but I can honestly say the icy blast of cold wind Alison and I experienced the moment we stepped off the bus was the coldest either of us had ever felt.

I have reproduced some pictures here, in black and white, with a little work on Photoshop to make some of the images appear more atmospheric. Hopefully, I have been abe in some small way to give an insight in to what a truly depressing, hate filled place this must have been.

The basic toilet facilities of a wooden barrack at Birkenau:

Inside one of the wooden barracks at Birkenau. The brickwork is part of the heating, intended to channel hot air the length of the barrack room. You can see the chimney pointing up through the roof:

This is one of the original brick built Birkenau barracks, a lot of which survived the retreating Nazi attempts to destroy any evidence. Women were kept in here. It was the women that suffered especially, due to the fact that they had to do exactly the same type of physical work as the men, plus they had greater sanitary requirements:

Part of the Birkenau electrified perimeter fence.

This view is looking from the memorial built in the area of the Birkenau crematoriums. On the horizon to the left is a striped chimney. This was the site of IG-Farben, where the inmates were forced to march daily to carry out their work. The small brick tower in the centre of the picture is the rail entrance in to Birkenau, possibly one of the most iconic symbols of evil. The flat, light coloured area in front of the building is the unloading point for the human cargo:

This is the entrance to Crematorium 1 at Auschwitz. Inside are the infamous showers, with the openings in the roof for introducing Zyklon B:

The snow really started to come down during the tour of auschwitz:

Some of the electrified fencing at Auschwitz:

This is Block 11, the "Block of Death". The wall just visible to the left is were people faced the SS firing squads.

This is the execution wall of Block 11. The memorial covers all the marks in the wall where the bullets hit:

Thanks for taking the time to read this, Dave.

 

[Naughtygirlrlw]

Amazing pics.
My sister went there almost 10 years ago and she experienced the same thing. She said it felt like pure evil there.
I think when you go to something like that knowing what took place there, it's going to be hard emotionally. At least we can remember the atrocities that happened and hopefully move on into bettering our humanity.
Thanks for sharing.

 

[Underwurlde]

Amazingly atmospheric and can I say, harrowing photos Dave.

We shall NOT forget......

Andy

 

[Emms]

Amazing photos, I was given the opportunity to visit but the trip cost too much I hope to visit one day though.

 

[STD]

Very moving

My parents took me to visit the Dachau memorial site when I was a child and the images have stayed with me ever since

Most of my brother in laws family died in Auschwitz

 

[arvlyn]

Wow...great photos, they certainly capture a bit of the feeling one has to feel experiencing that in person. Thank you for sharing those photos.

 

[Gill]

Amazing Shots, Really capture the eerieness of the place and the despair within those walls.

 

[BigC]

What can I say Dave, yes they are very poinent pictures which serve to remind us of the atrocities which occured there amongst other nazi death camps.
You have really captured the entire feel of the place. Sometimes a picture will conjure up a song or piece of music in your mind but your excellent pictures leave me with only silence.
Thanks for sharing
Regards
BigC

 

[RadaR]

Good pics Dave.
Although, that place is terrifying.

 

[PlecMama]

My father was left hundreds of photo's that were taken by the Germans serving there during the war. It's astounding what people will do to other people when they have been given permission to do so.

It's disturbingly fascinating to look at the concentration camps, you almost feel like you are doing something wrong to spectate here. So hard to believe it was only a few years ago in the grand scheme of things, not the 12th or 13th century, but right here, right now, in the lifetime of our parents.

 

[Sunny_Cait]

Amazing pictures... I am pretty speechless right now. Just... astounding.

 

[boozybears]

Thanks so much for sharing these pictures! When I was in Austria a few years back I visited a small concentration camp...the memories of it haunt me to this day. I was left with such an empty feeling in my stomach witnessing the results of pure evil... but I must say that hope from the pure strength and courage the prisoners showed to survive such an ordeal. They are the true heros.

 

[chishnfips]

amazing photos, pretty speachless at the moment............dont know what else to say. BIg C said it perfectly, it just leaves you silent

Thanks for sharing them

 

[Thirdfloor]

Left silent here as well. Thanks for sharing.