Auschwitz-Birkenaeu

 The day I (brian) had been looking forward to for many years finally came. In school, I read a book called "Beyond the Wire" by Ellie Wiesel in which he wrote about what happened at the death camp Auschwitz. Ever since this book, this place has been on the top of my "to see" list. I was actually super nervous when we were standing in line waiting for tickets, yet all of my heart pounding, nervousness for what was about to come could never compare to how those who actually came here to live must have felt. This experience was one in a lifetime. The things that took place here must live on so that people will always remember what is possible for men to do and stand up against it.

 The entrance to the main camp which says in German "Work will make you free." which was an absolute lie because no one really ever made it out of the camp alive.

 One thing you see immediately is that escape wasn't really an option. They had two barbed wire fences that were electrified as well as guard towers. Plus prisoners worked 12-16 hour days, so there was no time to plan an escape.

 Roll call was performed on these gravel roads two times a day. If anyone came up missing, the remaining prisoners were punished as a deterrent.

 When prisoners arrived they were sorted into two categories: 1. Those who could be worked to death in time. 2. Those who would be sent to the gas chamber. These are walking sticks, crutches, and artificial limbs of elderly and unfit prisoners. Truly difficult to look at.

 The firing squad wall. This was where prisoners who tried to rebel were executed in front of the others as examples.

 Here is the gallows where Rudolf Hirsch was hanged. This was the first in command for the Nazi army. He was caught after the war, tried, and sentenced to be hanged here in Auschwitz (50 meters from his house). He never regretted or apologized for any of his acts.

 This is the second camp called Birkenau, which means "the place of Birch". It was 4 times larger than Auschwitz and was still in construction when the Allied powers defeated the Nazi army. These are the one and  only set of tracks that prisoners came in on. Over 1.5 million Jews came in on these tracks and were put to death. Standing here is one of the most powerful experiences of my life.

Over 422 acres, this camp was the main site of all Nazi death camps. There is no way that a photo can even show the size of this place. I am the small spec halfway down the road when Wendy snapped this picture. Walking 1/3 of this camp took over 8 minutes to walk. At it's largest point 60,000 prisoners were held here. When the Russians reached the camp only 7,000 were left.