Many of the people do not actually know but what Oświęcim is about is Auschwitz. This is actually a town in the Lesser Poland province, 50 kilometers away from Krakow.
This place is something that you will never be prepared to face. Anyhow the feelings you will feel do not even come to compare to those that the people actually having lived them, felt. Auschwitz-Birkenau was the biggest extermination camp. The difference between Dachau and Auschwitz-Birkenau is that in Dachau the main purpose was not to kill.
The gate has written on it “Arbeit macht frei”. This is an irony as freedom means totally something different than what they believed it actually did. It will be hard for one to visit the room of the mother. The mothers that were killed here never abandoned their children, even though they knew what was going to happen and that this will bring them their death. Another impressive room is that of the children. It is dreadful to think how many children did not even begin to know what life is and were condemned to death. Just their small clothes and shoes remained as remembrance. Their way to crematory was nicknamed – the Path of Heaven.
The hair room is actually where people’s hair was cut and from it there were made carpets. It’s better not even to imagine the view. Apart from all these, there are the personal belongings rooms. Here one can find many personal things that belonged to people there, starting from glasses, to boots and shaving brushes.
The killing fence, that one which once touched you die electrocuted, makes you imagine so many dreadful things. Everyone has heard about the Josef Mengele – or the Angel of Death as he was known. He was oen of those that chose who was supposed to die next or who he would use for experiments – therefore, die in the end. He used to search mainly for twins as he thought they were special.
At least once in a lifetime people have to face this reality of the past. It will represent a true movement …
