My grandmother had already been 'evacuated' in the death marches at this point. She and her sisters bribed a guard with saved food to look the other way when they made a run for it and hid in a barn. Their parents and brothers and grandparents and children were already dead.
Extremely disappointing comments here. If you ever get the chance to visit Auschwitz-Birkenau, near Krakow, Poland, it’s an incredibly moving experience.
Over a million people died there. May their memory be a blessing.
I have been to both camps in December of 2025. You visit camp 1 first (picture above) and after that you go to the second camp and boy the feeling you get at both camps is just horrifying.
Things I remember:
- the pitchdark 1 m² cells where you had to crawl under a space to get in; 4 people would be forced in one cell for the whole night. If you were hurt / tired or slacked the day after when working you would be shot. - Camp 1's execution wall and the gallows. - Prisoners were forced to wear wooden clogs. - the rooms of personal belongings. - Gas chamber at camp 1. - The size of camp 2; it was huge and had more gas chambers (which were destroyed). - The logistics; trains that were on their way sometimes had to be stationed to make way for military logistics. So that means the prisoners/victims could be in the waggon for days.
There's just so much more. If you ever get the chance to visit; do it!
legsjohnson on January 27th, 2026 at 10:47 UTC »
My grandmother had already been 'evacuated' in the death marches at this point. She and her sisters bribed a guard with saved food to look the other way when they made a run for it and hid in a barn. Their parents and brothers and grandparents and children were already dead.
LateralEntry on January 27th, 2026 at 12:02 UTC »
Extremely disappointing comments here. If you ever get the chance to visit Auschwitz-Birkenau, near Krakow, Poland, it’s an incredibly moving experience.
Over a million people died there. May their memory be a blessing.
Stixez on January 27th, 2026 at 13:57 UTC »
I have been to both camps in December of 2025. You visit camp 1 first (picture above) and after that you go to the second camp and boy the feeling you get at both camps is just horrifying.
Things I remember:
- the pitchdark 1 m² cells where you had to crawl under a space to get in; 4 people would be forced in one cell for the whole night. If you were hurt / tired or slacked the day after when working you would be shot. - Camp 1's execution wall and the gallows. - Prisoners were forced to wear wooden clogs. - the rooms of personal belongings. - Gas chamber at camp 1. - The size of camp 2; it was huge and had more gas chambers (which were destroyed). - The logistics; trains that were on their way sometimes had to be stationed to make way for military logistics. So that means the prisoners/victims could be in the waggon for days.
There's just so much more. If you ever get the chance to visit; do it!
I will return for a second tour.