Day 11 – Travel from Wroclaw to Zakopane – Auschwitz-Birkenau Visit

Wroclaw is a lovely city, and like Gdansk, I would love to have a return visit. Our next destination was the mountain resort of Zakopane, located south of Krakow, in the Tatra Mountains and adjacent to the Slovakian border. On the way, our one stop for the day was a visit to the infamous Nazi concentration/death camps, Auschwitz-Birkenau. I had visited there in the year 2000 with two of my children and knew that what was to be seen is a necessary reminder of the cruelty of man against other human beings; a reminder that we have not heeded.

Auschwitz Concentration/Death Camp 

Auschwitz Concentration Camp was established by Nazi Germany in early 1940 at an old Polish Army facility located outside the small town of Oswiecim, 30 miles west of Krakow. The camp initially housed Polish political prisoners, captured Russian soldiers, gypsies and other Nazi deemed undesirables. Most were tortured and executed. In 1942, Auschwitz became the primary site for Hitler’s grand plan for exterminating all European Jews.

Collection Process 

Gypsies, Jews, Poles, Priests.....being collected for transport to Auschwitz.

The Facility 

The famous entrance gate that that states "Arbeit Macht Frei”; “Work Will Set You Free” welcomes you. One sees pictures of the Jewish band playing for prisoners as they enter/exit the Camp on their way to their work details. Pictures show Jews arriving by train from various European locations, their belongings collected for use by the Third Reich. Notice the picture with the yellow hand imposed on the picture. As a prisoner approached this officer, his hand with index finger and thumb extended, would rotate his thumb to the left indicating that a prisoner was to go to a work detail. If not, his pointed index finger led to the gas chambers and death.

One walks through the camps surrounded by, once, electrified fences, dormitory buildings used to house the SS torturers and prisoners. One sees the wall where prisoners were executed by a firing squad, a 2 foot by 2 foot basement enclosure used to torture prisoners, the starvation cell where martyred Father Maximillan Kolbe died.

 

One walks through room after room where one sees displayed in rooms each filled with a specific item; eye glasses, shoes, shaving brushes, dishes, prosthetic devices, etc. During my first visit in 2000, I remember the suitcase room where I saw a suitcase marked with a name and birth date close to my own birth date. The suitcase had belonged to a child no more than 5 to 6 years of age. The Nazis collected these items from their victims and recycled them to make weaponry or sent them to Germany to be used by their citizens. What is shown is the room filled with human hair that was shaved from prisoners; taking photographs of certain items is not permitted.

Auschwitz was the main Camp where the Nazi Germans honed their techniques to murder large number of people at one time. The technique was simple. Build a large closed room, no ventilation, install fake shower heads and convince prisoners that they would shower before being transported to their barracks. After the room was filled with prisoners, the only entrance/exit steel door was closed and canisters of poisonous cyanide “Zyklon B” were dropped into the sealed chamber; death occurred within a period of 15 minutes

Auschwitz was the laboratory of death; Birkinau was the factory of death!!

Birkinau

Birkinau is located approximately 2 miles from Auschwitz. In 1942, the Germans completed building the camp that handled 1,000s of prisoners a day; a factory of death. The barracks housed the prisoners until they were led to the gas chambers. Four crematory furnaces processed the remains; these furnaces were destroyed by the retreating Nazi guards. We were able to view the front of Birkinau, tour reconstructed barracks/latrine buildings and climb into the main guard tower; it is a huge facility. 1.3 million people died at Auschwitz-Birkinau; 1.1 million were Jews. Latrines – prisoners had thirty seconds to discharge their bodily functions; not a second longer! Three level bunks where up to four people occupied a single bunk facility. The highest level was the best; furthest from the rats!

After spending four hours walking through the horrors of Nazi atrocities, we resumed the day’s journey to Zakopane.

Zakopane 

We arrived in Zakopane about an hour later than planned due to heavy traffic. The mountain resort city is a favorite retreat for tourist, who come to enjoy a multitude of outdoor activities. The hotel is lovely and offered a unique attraction; a humongous indoor swimming complex with multiple swimming pools, water slides, simulated rivers, hot tubs and steam rooms. I took advantage of the water complex the next day.

After unloading our luggage, we traveled to a fantastic restaurant, Bakowa Zohylina Niznio. Besides a buffet of delicious Polish food, an energetic band played Polish music. Lovely Polish maidens selected members of our group as their dance partners. I firmly believe that I was chosen first because of my perceived dancing skills and gray hair; I looked the least threatening! It was a fabulous night of enjoyment.

 










After a night of frivolity, it was off to bed.