Growing up all Americans hear about is stories of the war and old black and white movies of things that seem simply impossible. Seeing something in a movie or tv really disconnects you from the reality of it. To me world war 2 was hardly more real than aliens blowing up the white house, which is why I had to go to Auschwitz while I was in Krakow. I wanted to see this part of history for myself.
What you see when you get there is simply life changing. The original buildings are all still standing because the Nazi’s had to leave in a hurry before they could destory all of the evidence. There are rooms filled with childrens shoes, old luggage, and even hair. The people that entered these concentration camps were treated like cattle. The evidence of this still exists there and is simply disturbing how dark that period of history was.
All visitors to the site are taken on a extremely fast guided tour to get your in and out of rooms as fast as they can. This is because of the sheer number of people the visit the sites and the small rooms they take you through. But it really is also a blessing. With the limited time in each room you don’t have time to really process on what you are really looking at. It really helps to let you experience the site without leaving a total wreck.
Both sites are considered grave sites so photos in most places is not allowed and is disrespectful. So the few photos I have area from the areas where we were allowed to take them.
