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| The Gate to the Camp. (Photo by Gregg Manalo) |
We
left Warsaw with a whole new perspective about Poland and went back to that
autobahn which we arduously searched after our jaunt in Berlin. After missing
the right exit, we finally hit the right road leading to our destination. It
was an amalgamation of asphalted and semi-asphalted series of roads which was
undergoing total repair and rehabilitation. After getting lost several times
due to the inaccuracy of the navigation system, we decided to ask someone for
directions. Then we finally reached the biggest concentration camp during the
Nazi regime, The Auschwitz.
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| Barbwires and live wires are prominent features of the entire compound. (Photo by Gregg Manalo) |
Parking
was not a problem when we arrived, but had we arrived a little later, it would
have been tough. Several tourist buses were already parked across the ticket
hall and a multitude of tourists – both young and old – were queuing up at the
entrance gate. I was thinking that possibly, the reason why these people come
here is the very same reason why I travelled half across the globe to see with
my own eyes what is left of the reality that history books and documentaries tell
about the Holocaust. My two-day stay in Krakow furthered my background
knowledge of the unfortunate and injustice Jews all across Europe had suffered
from the hands of the Nazis.
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| The receiving area for the Jews. (Photo by Gregg Manalo) |
We
wasted no time and proceeded immediately to the ticket booths. There was a
celebration that day, so the entrance was for free; however guided tours were
not. We opted to explore the museum on our own and headed towards the memorable
entrance gate which bears the infamous sentence: “Arbeit macht frei" (Work sets you free).
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| Well-preserved quarters which housed hundreds of Jews. (Photo by Gregg Manalo) |
The
whole compound is a UNESCO World Heritage and therefore, well-preserved. It
means the camp’s appearance during the Holocaust has been well-maintained. The
surrounding fence is bedecked with barbwire and live wire to prevent Jews from
escaping. Right after the infamous gate is an area where Jews are received and
sorted. When you enter this gate, you will feel the despondency of the place.
It creeps to your bones and it will just hit you. It is normal to witness men and women
sobbing by merely stepping inside the camp. There is pure sadness in the air. Tear
drops of sadness will fall from your eyes voluntarily.
The
brick-walled buildings serve as offices for the Nazi officers and as sleeping
quarters for the thousands of Jews. Each building has a story to tell – story
of grief, brutality, hostility, and perhaps of hope that one day when enough labor
has been done, they will be freed. One building tells the story of children,
men, women, and twins who were used as medical guinea pigs by Nazi doctors.
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| Some pictures of Jews who died in the camp. (Photo by Gregg Manalo) |
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| Hundreds of luggage from captured Jews. (Photo by Gregg Manalo) |
The
other tells about the origins of the prisoners through tagged and named pieces
of luggage which piled across the room. One tells how Jews were robbed and stripped
of each belonging that they had. Still, some tell of how everyday life was for
the Jews that time. And one tells of the agony and fear while waiting to be
brutally executed at the execution square.
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| Gate to the execution alley. (Photo by Gregg Manalo) |
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| Room where women were stripped before execution. (Photo by Gregg Manalo) |
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| What's left from those who were executed. (Photo by Gregg Manalo) |
Near
the exit of the camp is the abominable gas chamber where thousands of Jews were
mercilessly killed through suffocation. Tourists can enter this facility. It is
creepy and at the same truly heart-breaking thinking that once hundreds of
innocent men, women, and children were standing and hugging one another in the
same room you’re standing waiting for their harrowing death. The pain is simply
unfathomable.
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| The entrance to the gas chamber. (Photo by Gregg Manalo) |
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| Inside the gas chamber. (Photo by Gregg Manalo) |
Auschwitz
was freed when the Allied Forces defeated the Nazi regime. Trials for the
perpetrators began and many were sentenced to death. There is a place showing
where the Nazi officers were executed for crimes against humanity.
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| The first Commandant of Auschwitz was hanged here on 16 April 1947. (Photo by Gregg Manalo) |
The Jews who managed to survive this dreadful
place told inspiring stories to the world. And those who died are never
forgotten. Their stories will continue to live as long as we live.
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| For the future generation to remember the past. (Photo by Gregg Manalo) |
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