Sticks and Stones

This morning I returned from Poland. I had left on Wednesday in search of the infamous death camps - Auschwitz I and Auschwitz II.
At the risk of sounding insensative I must say that I did not expect to be all that shocked at the nature of the camps. I have read hundreds of stories describing conditions and seen thousands of photographs displaying the horror of these places. After visiting the first of these two camps my expectations were confirmed. It was eary and strange to walk amongst such buildings, but that was really all I can say about that.

It was not till the second camp, 2 kms to the east that emotions started stirring. Auschwitz II, sitting to the side of the little Polish town of Oswiecuim is absolutely huge! There is no doubt on arrival that this was the largest and most effective´ camp for the Nazi policy of ´racial cleansing´. I estimate you could fit about 100 - 150 rugby fields within the fences and as far as you could see there were lines and lines of dormitory's.
This camp at the height of its use, killed 24,000 people per day! And in its life as a death camp was responsible for around one and a half million lives.

I know the classic quote from George Santanyan that encourages us to remember the past so we don't repeat it. Its the cry of any high school history teacher and is used to justify any number of boring history lessons in the name of personal growth. But this is one history teacher who rebels! These camps in Oswicuim do not need to be kept in order for us to remember the atrocity which Hitler and his crew inflicted upon the European population. I felt guilty as I walked the grounds, camera in hand resting on an ever growing belly of burgers and donuts. What would those who were here say of this 'excursion' of mine?
I tell you what they would say. They would tell us to burn the whole place to the ground, to get rid of every brick, every beam, every inch of wire fence and not give the Nazi regime one more inch of glory through its existence. (I say glory because as you walk the site it is impossible to not think how amazing this whole set up was. How deviant, how cruel and how sadistically effective)

It was quite an interesting day and one I´m glad is not to be repeated.

Craig

"I know not with what weapons World War III will be fought, but World War IV will be fought with sticks and stones."
Albert Einstein