Oswiecim, Southern Poland, Poland
Monday, September 28, 2009
In the afternoon I took a trip to
Auschwitz. (Helen went to various places in Krakow instead). I don't think there is too much to say about it really. I'd imagine you know exactly what the place was. It is now a memorial to those who died. It is also a very interesting museum. They've done it in a very good way too - you'll be shocked, you'll be upset, you'll think, maybe you'll even smile at the stories of those who lived. You'll see the mountains of possessions the Nazi's took off the victims...nothing quite like three tonnes of Children's shoes to wipe the smile off your face...or the masses of Human hair they cut from victims (to be sold to German companies). I won't say much more, except the place pretty much wiped out the Jewish population of Hungary and Poland...not to mention hundreds of thousands of Russians, Romanies and anyone considered a threat. Fact: If the Nazi's had succeeded, I wouldn't be here today (Not Jewish, but descended from one of the groups persecuted).
I'd argue it's a place everyone should visit at some point, especially Europeans.
