Visting: Auschwitz, Saschenhausen and Dachau
This entry is mainly for juliannajoyful who said she wouldn't mind seeing pictures of part of my trip in Poland and Germany.
Basically this is going to be a rather picture heavy entry. I'll post pictures and add captions and stories where I can remember them.
Auschwitz I + II
I'm sure many people have heard of the Auschwitz extermination camp near the Polish town of Oświęcim. They heard of the gas chambers, the selection and of Dr. Mengele and his infamous experiments. Not many people who have merely heard of it realize that Auschwitz was split into 3 main camps. There was camp 1 where the SS guards and medical staff lived and where the camp originally began. These were converted Polish military barracks. This area served as the administrative offices.
Auschwitz II (Auschwitz-Birkenau) was constructed in the nearby village of Brzezinka. This is the camp most people thing of when they think of Auschwitz. This is where the gas chambers were.
There was a third camp was Auschwitz III (Auschwitz-Monowice) which was a work camp. Beyond these three camps there were also many sub camps which could range from 1 person to 100+. These "camps" were work details mainly.
This is the entrance to Auschwitz I. The words "ARBEIT MACHT FREI" were very common words in the Work and Exterminations camps. Quite literally it translates into "Work Make Free" or "Work Will Make You Free."
Some of the grounds and buildings at Auschwitz I.
Auschwitz I. The execution wall. Prisoners were lined up and shot.
Auschwitz I. Watchtower and sign on perimeter.
Auszhwitz I. The perimeter and fence.
Auschwitz 1. Watchtower and sign.
Auschwitz I. Another shot of the sign and perimeter.
Auschwitz I. The hanging post in the main square of Auschwitz I. This is where roll call happened in the camp.
Auschwitz II. Taken from outside the camp.
Auschwitz II. Also taken from outside the camp.
Auschwitz II. From the main memorial in the camp.
Auschwitz II. Some of the remaining barracks left in the camp.
Auschwitz II. A lone barrack in the distance. And the remains of barracks dismantled by the Nazi's before they fled.
Auschwitz II. A memorial where a pond stands. The pond is where human ashes were thrown.
Auschwitz II. The remains of gas chamber II after the Nazi's blew it up.
Auschwitz II. Rail tracks and main entrance in the distance.
Auschwitz II. Grounds from the main office. You can see the selection ramp.
Auschwitz II. Grounds from the main entrance. You can see how vast the camp was.
Auschwitz II. Grounds from the main entrance. You can see how vast the camp was.
Berlin and Saschenhausen
Memorial For The Murdered Jews of Europe. It takes up several blocks in the middle of Berlin. It also is coated with this special substance so you can't vandalize them. The substance is made by the same company who produced Zyclon-B.
This is where Hitler's bunker was. No plaque and no memorial. It's where he died. It's now a parking lot.
The Old Luftwaffe building. Once a place of evil. Still a place of evil. It is now the Tax building. It was even a building for the socialists during the cold war.
The old Luftwaffe building. Tom Cruise spent millions on permits to film here and drape the Nazi flag everywhere again for Valkyrie.
The remains of the Berlin wall behind the Luftwaffe building.
The book burning memorial in Berlin.
A soviet memorial. I loved loved loved it.
There is a law that states that when you occupy territory you have to care for its memorials. So when the Soviets liberated Berlin they knew this area would soon be handed over to the Brits. So they built this huge memorial to themselves. And then Berlin was divided up into sectors the Brits had to care for this memorial. And be reminded that the Soviets made it to Berlin first.
A close of up the memorial.
Sachsenhausen Concentration Camp was the role model for all other camps at first. The camp comprised mainly of Political prisoners. It was an interesting experience to get there. We were walked along the same route prisoners were forced to walk- throughout the whole town to shame them. The houses and suburbs still around the memorial are mainly old houses the SS built for themselves to live in.
Sachsenhausen. The main watch tower and entrance. The clock has been painted to the time of the Soviet liberation. It should also be kept in mind that while the Soviets liberated this camp it was quickly turned against the Nazi's and remained a Concentration camp run by the Soviets also for political prisoners. There is a book called Under Two Dictators: Prisoner of Stalin and Hitler by Margarete Buber-Neumann who was a prisoner under both regimes.
Those words again. Work Will Make You Free.
The main area of camp where roll call was performed. A work detail performed here was to put prisoners in too small shoes to test out their durability. The ground at the back the roll call area has different textures (grass, gravel, wood, packed dirt, etc) and the prisoners were told to run. And keep running until they were told to stop and report on the shoes. They could be at this task for 12+ hours.
The fence at the camp.
The Soviet memorial erected at the camp. It was redone 3 times because the Soviets did not want the prisoner to look weak.
The grounds at Sachsenhausen. Herschel Grynszpan was murdered here. The boy whose actions inadvertently caused Reichspogromnacht (Kristallnacht).
The gas chambers. Not used often they mainly shot people here.
The infirmary where experiments were performed. We were asked if it was right to use the knowledge gathered in these rooms.
The most disturbing experience to happen to me in any of the camps I visited happened in this room. It still smelled of disinfectant.
Where the bodies were kept under the infirmary.
The ramp that led up from the room.
Sachsenhausen was also where a counterfeit operation was under way. The German thought if they would make the perfect British pounds and drop them in Britain it would flood the markets and cause the economy to collapse. The men who worked in this operation were prisoners who were formers bankers and they did everything they could to make sure they operation went awry.
Stalin's eldest son, Yakov Dzhugashvili, was murdered here as well. When told of the boys capture he said replied he had no son. When offered a trade for a captured German General the reply was "I do not [ex]change the soldier for the marshal."
The Wansee Villa at night in the fog. This was where the Final Solution was discussed and drawn up. The meeting didn't originally start with the intention but ended as such.
The Wansee Villa was gorgeous building and had a beautiful garden.
Munich and Dachau
Munich I went to on my own because I still wanted to see the history. Munich unlike Berlin is more subtle in it memorials. Unless you know what you're looking for you are more then likely going to miss it.
The Hofbräuhaus. Most famous beer garden in the world. Also where Hitler beat up a bunch of socialists.
Where the swastikas used to be in Hofbräuhaus on the ceiling. You can see the dull areas. They have to repaint it every year.
A pretty building in the heart of Munich-
-that Hitler has also like and painted.
Near the Golckenspiel during the Christmas Market. See that building with the tallest tower and the set of three windows? That is where Hitler ordered Kristallnacht. It's a teddy bear museum now.
A memorial for fighting. Hitler made many speeches here. It stands between a Church and the Royal grounds. There are two statues of Lions that Hitler used to like to stand between to make his speeches but it is suggested he didn't know what they stood for. The Lion closest to the Church on the left has it mouth closed as it gazes at the building. The Lion closest to the Royal grounds has it mouth open with a fierce look on it's face as it watches over. The two lions were supposed to represent the ideals that you should never speak against ones religion but you should always be able to speak against the Government.
Dachau was the first "extermination" camp. It was the first "real" camp and was the prototype. It was what all camps classified as such were modelled after.
The entrance to Dachau and the main offices.
Partial map of all main camps and the satellite camps.
A hall of solitary rooms.
The grounds of Dachau. A memorial can be seen in the distance.
The slot outside the gas chamber where the tabs of Zyclon-B were dropped.
The entrance to the gas chamber. It was a hard room to enter and it was disturbing to me to see how eagerly people walked in. These chambers were proven to not have been used on people. The reason they were built at the camp was because Dachau was the "number 1" camp and was to show the others how it was done. The chambers were only used on clothes.
The crematoria.
The crematoria.
A memorial outside the crematoria. A guide pointed out the significance of the statute. The man is breaking several rules of the camp in it. He has his head high, his hands are in his pockets, he has a coat on and well as shoes. All these things he would have been persecuted for in the camp and yet all we see is a man standing there.
I didn't quite expect it to come out that long. I've been working on it for a few hours now.
In related news I just watched Forgiving Doctor Mengele which I highly recommend.
Basically this is going to be a rather picture heavy entry. I'll post pictures and add captions and stories where I can remember them.
Auschwitz I + II
I'm sure many people have heard of the Auschwitz extermination camp near the Polish town of Oświęcim. They heard of the gas chambers, the selection and of Dr. Mengele and his infamous experiments. Not many people who have merely heard of it realize that Auschwitz was split into 3 main camps. There was camp 1 where the SS guards and medical staff lived and where the camp originally began. These were converted Polish military barracks. This area served as the administrative offices.
Auschwitz II (Auschwitz-Birkenau) was constructed in the nearby village of Brzezinka. This is the camp most people thing of when they think of Auschwitz. This is where the gas chambers were.
There was a third camp was Auschwitz III (Auschwitz-Monowice) which was a work camp. Beyond these three camps there were also many sub camps which could range from 1 person to 100+. These "camps" were work details mainly.
This is the entrance to Auschwitz I. The words "ARBEIT MACHT FREI" were very common words in the Work and Exterminations camps. Quite literally it translates into "Work Make Free" or "Work Will Make You Free."
Some of the grounds and buildings at Auschwitz I.
Auschwitz I. The execution wall. Prisoners were lined up and shot.
Auschwitz I. Watchtower and sign on perimeter.
Auszhwitz I. The perimeter and fence.
Auschwitz 1. Watchtower and sign.
Auschwitz I. Another shot of the sign and perimeter.
Auschwitz I. The hanging post in the main square of Auschwitz I. This is where roll call happened in the camp.
Auschwitz II. Taken from outside the camp.
Auschwitz II. Also taken from outside the camp.
Auschwitz II. From the main memorial in the camp.
Auschwitz II. Some of the remaining barracks left in the camp.
Auschwitz II. A lone barrack in the distance. And the remains of barracks dismantled by the Nazi's before they fled.
Auschwitz II. A memorial where a pond stands. The pond is where human ashes were thrown.
Auschwitz II. The remains of gas chamber II after the Nazi's blew it up.
Auschwitz II. Rail tracks and main entrance in the distance.
Auschwitz II. Grounds from the main office. You can see the selection ramp.
Auschwitz II. Grounds from the main entrance. You can see how vast the camp was.
Auschwitz II. Grounds from the main entrance. You can see how vast the camp was.
Berlin and Saschenhausen
Memorial For The Murdered Jews of Europe. It takes up several blocks in the middle of Berlin. It also is coated with this special substance so you can't vandalize them. The substance is made by the same company who produced Zyclon-B.
This is where Hitler's bunker was. No plaque and no memorial. It's where he died. It's now a parking lot.
The Old Luftwaffe building. Once a place of evil. Still a place of evil. It is now the Tax building. It was even a building for the socialists during the cold war.
The old Luftwaffe building. Tom Cruise spent millions on permits to film here and drape the Nazi flag everywhere again for Valkyrie.
The remains of the Berlin wall behind the Luftwaffe building.
The book burning memorial in Berlin.
A soviet memorial. I loved loved loved it.
There is a law that states that when you occupy territory you have to care for its memorials. So when the Soviets liberated Berlin they knew this area would soon be handed over to the Brits. So they built this huge memorial to themselves. And then Berlin was divided up into sectors the Brits had to care for this memorial. And be reminded that the Soviets made it to Berlin first.
A close of up the memorial.
Sachsenhausen Concentration Camp was the role model for all other camps at first. The camp comprised mainly of Political prisoners. It was an interesting experience to get there. We were walked along the same route prisoners were forced to walk- throughout the whole town to shame them. The houses and suburbs still around the memorial are mainly old houses the SS built for themselves to live in.
Sachsenhausen. The main watch tower and entrance. The clock has been painted to the time of the Soviet liberation. It should also be kept in mind that while the Soviets liberated this camp it was quickly turned against the Nazi's and remained a Concentration camp run by the Soviets also for political prisoners. There is a book called Under Two Dictators: Prisoner of Stalin and Hitler by Margarete Buber-Neumann who was a prisoner under both regimes.
Those words again. Work Will Make You Free.
The main area of camp where roll call was performed. A work detail performed here was to put prisoners in too small shoes to test out their durability. The ground at the back the roll call area has different textures (grass, gravel, wood, packed dirt, etc) and the prisoners were told to run. And keep running until they were told to stop and report on the shoes. They could be at this task for 12+ hours.
The fence at the camp.
The Soviet memorial erected at the camp. It was redone 3 times because the Soviets did not want the prisoner to look weak.
The grounds at Sachsenhausen. Herschel Grynszpan was murdered here. The boy whose actions inadvertently caused Reichspogromnacht (Kristallnacht).
The gas chambers. Not used often they mainly shot people here.
The infirmary where experiments were performed. We were asked if it was right to use the knowledge gathered in these rooms.
The most disturbing experience to happen to me in any of the camps I visited happened in this room. It still smelled of disinfectant.
Where the bodies were kept under the infirmary.
The ramp that led up from the room.
Sachsenhausen was also where a counterfeit operation was under way. The German thought if they would make the perfect British pounds and drop them in Britain it would flood the markets and cause the economy to collapse. The men who worked in this operation were prisoners who were formers bankers and they did everything they could to make sure they operation went awry.
Stalin's eldest son, Yakov Dzhugashvili, was murdered here as well. When told of the boys capture he said replied he had no son. When offered a trade for a captured German General the reply was "I do not [ex]change the soldier for the marshal."
The Wansee Villa at night in the fog. This was where the Final Solution was discussed and drawn up. The meeting didn't originally start with the intention but ended as such.
The Wansee Villa was gorgeous building and had a beautiful garden.
Munich and Dachau
Munich I went to on my own because I still wanted to see the history. Munich unlike Berlin is more subtle in it memorials. Unless you know what you're looking for you are more then likely going to miss it.
The Hofbräuhaus. Most famous beer garden in the world. Also where Hitler beat up a bunch of socialists.
Where the swastikas used to be in Hofbräuhaus on the ceiling. You can see the dull areas. They have to repaint it every year.
A pretty building in the heart of Munich-
-that Hitler has also like and painted.
Near the Golckenspiel during the Christmas Market. See that building with the tallest tower and the set of three windows? That is where Hitler ordered Kristallnacht. It's a teddy bear museum now.
A memorial for fighting. Hitler made many speeches here. It stands between a Church and the Royal grounds. There are two statues of Lions that Hitler used to like to stand between to make his speeches but it is suggested he didn't know what they stood for. The Lion closest to the Church on the left has it mouth closed as it gazes at the building. The Lion closest to the Royal grounds has it mouth open with a fierce look on it's face as it watches over. The two lions were supposed to represent the ideals that you should never speak against ones religion but you should always be able to speak against the Government.
Dachau was the first "extermination" camp. It was the first "real" camp and was the prototype. It was what all camps classified as such were modelled after.
The entrance to Dachau and the main offices.
Partial map of all main camps and the satellite camps.
A hall of solitary rooms.
The grounds of Dachau. A memorial can be seen in the distance.
The slot outside the gas chamber where the tabs of Zyclon-B were dropped.
The entrance to the gas chamber. It was a hard room to enter and it was disturbing to me to see how eagerly people walked in. These chambers were proven to not have been used on people. The reason they were built at the camp was because Dachau was the "number 1" camp and was to show the others how it was done. The chambers were only used on clothes.
The crematoria.
The crematoria.
A memorial outside the crematoria. A guide pointed out the significance of the statute. The man is breaking several rules of the camp in it. He has his head high, his hands are in his pockets, he has a coat on and well as shoes. All these things he would have been persecuted for in the camp and yet all we see is a man standing there.
I didn't quite expect it to come out that long. I've been working on it for a few hours now.
In related news I just watched Forgiving Doctor Mengele which I highly recommend.