Auschwitz: A Dark Past Enlightens the Present

   

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.

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.  

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).

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.

One of the Offices in the compound. (Photo by Gregg Manalo)

Pictures of Jews who were publicly executed in 1943. (Photo by Gregg Manalo)

Where Jews were publicly hanged. (Photo by Gregg Manalo)

      

    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. 

Some pictures of Jews who died in the camp. (Photo by Gregg Manalo)

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.

Gate to the execution alley. (Photo by Gregg Manalo)

Room where women were stripped before execution. (Photo by Gregg Manalo)

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.

The entrance to the gas chamber. (Photo by Gregg Manalo)

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.

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. 

For the future generation to remember the past. (Photo by Gregg Manalo)

Dachau Concentration Camp: A Remnant of a Savage Past

Perhaps Dachau Concentration Camp is one of the most meaningful places I have ever visited. This Camp was a silent witness to the horrendous Nazi regime. I have known about the Holocaust because the famous movie, Schindler’s List. However, seeing the real thing is incomparable to the one you just see on TV.

Quarters Used to Stand Here

I can’t remember exactly why I placed this historic site on my list to visit, but I think it was influenced by a film. We arrived late so all the museums and the tourist center were closed; however, the park itself was open. From the parking area, we had to walk some meters to reach the camp.

One area that initially struck my attention was the ruin of the loading area where the Jews were unloaded from the trains to be detained as slaves. From that area, they were taken to the gated quarters. On the gate, a misleading phrase – “Arbeit Macht Frei” (Work makes you free) was written.

False Promise

What Remains of the Former Unloading Dock

So I opened the same gate leading to the quarters where they were once built and upon seeing the totality of the place I could not help but imagine the terror the Jews – young and old, men and women – had experienced from the ruthless Nazis. Tears fell from my eyes – I couldn’t help it. You will just feel it. I couldn’t imagine how much they had suffered and how desperately they hoped, day and night, that the cruelty would end.

The Gate to the Quarters

It was a huge camp so we only stayed in the barracks. The nearby crematorium was also closed, but I could see a glimpse of it from the gate.

I left the place with the same conviction as the phrase written on the memorial wall – NEVER AGAIN.