My Time Capsule: Poland: A heartbreaking story about Nazi Death Camp

24.5.12

Poland: A heartbreaking story about Nazi Death Camp

Poland, September 2011

Visiting Auschwitz Birkenau is definitely the most heartbreaking experience I've ever had during my trips around the world. Even now after 8 months, I still feel deeply sad when I review my shots from Auschwitz. It took so long for me to finish this post because the facts that I've learnt there was too cruel, I often lack of words to re-tell the story.

Auschwitz has become a symbol of terror, genocide, and the Holocaust. It was established by Germans in 1940, in the suburbs of Oswiecim, a Polish city then its name was changed to Auschwitz.
More than 1 million people were tortured and killed in this Nazi camp from 1940 to 1945.

entrance to the camp

row of barracks buildings



feeling devastated while listening to the audio guide

 the sickening facts !
9 out of 10 prisoners were Jews who were deported to Auschwitz in 148 trains. Upon arrival, the Nazi divided the mass into 2 groups. The SS were conducting the infamous "selections," in which incoming Jews were divided into those deemed able to work, who were sent to the "right" and admitted into the camp, and those who were sent to the "left" (children, babies, women, elderly and handicapped) will be immediately gassed.
SS officers would told the victims that they have to take a shower. The victims would undress in an outer chamber and walk into the gas chamber, which was disguised as a shower facility, complete with dummy shower heads. After the doors were shut, SS men would dump in the cyanide pellets via holes in the roof or windows on the side. When it was done, they would shave the victim's hair off and sent the corpses to be burnt in crematorium. In Auschwitz, more than 20 thousand people could be gassed and cremated each day.

Besides forced to work, some of those prisoners from the "right" group were put into pressure chambers, tested with drugs, went through some experimental surgeries without anaesthesia, frozen to death and exposed to various traumas.

this is how they deported the prisoners

some of the victims :(

model of the gas chamber & crematorium

During the tour, I entered some of the barracks which have been transformed into museum with glass display cases. In Block 5, there are displays devoted to the "Material Evidence of Crime". There were piles of shoes, clothes, suitcases, eyeglasses, and a lot more - belonged to the prisoners.

pile of more than 40 thousands pairs of shoes

 the prisoner's artificial limbs and crutches 

In Block 4, there was 1 room which is named "Exploiting The Corpse". Really.....I've got goosebumps all over my body when I was inside this room. Specially when I looked at an enormous glass display case filled with mounting pile of....

do you know what are those inside ?

Still no idea yet ???
OK, I'll show you a picture with closer look to explain what the huge pile about....









HUMAN HAIRS !!!

Those are more than 7 tons of human hairs, mostly from female prisoners. And mind you, those are not all the hairs that have discovered in this camp, just the left over. Because most of the hairs had been sent to another area to be processed into felt and thread. Hair was also used to make socks for submarine crews, ignition mechanisms in bombs, ropes and cords for ships, cloth and stuffing for mattresses.
It was even discovered that the Nazis had experimented using human skin for lampshades. Isn't that crazy ? :(


map of Auschwitz Birkenau

there's no way out....please release me

It was really an eye opener experience for me. I feel very grateful that I don't have to go through their desperate situation. My life is not perfectly happy but at least I still have the chance to live it and experience a lot of things. Unlike them........they were not given any options to live. They were forced to give up their life and were punished just because they were born as someone they didn't choose to be born as.
It makes me tear up every time I think about those cute and innocent kids queued in front of the gas chamber.
They had no idea that their life would be turned into nightmare soon. If only it was just a nightmare, and everything will be fine when they wake up in the morning. Unfortunately they will never wake up again......

46 comments:

  1. Anonymous27/5/12 14:17

    Very powerful post. I went to Krakow and spent a day in Auschwitz a few years ago. It was a very powerful experience; it's incredible to think what one human can do to another. Your day was sunnier than mine - my photos were all overcast. I really like the picture through the fence.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks for stopping by and for your comment :)
      It was indeed a powerful experience for me. I felt overwhelmed there, I just can't believe that human could be that cruel :(

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  2. Replies
    1. It was a truly heartbreaking experience :(

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  3. Yup. Very sad story indeed :(

    ReplyDelete
  4. keren2 potonya kk debbzz,,,,,,

    ReplyDelete
  5. poto yg lg dengerin musik keren pewarnaannya di tambahin sedikit warna sephia bagus sepertinya heheheh ^__^

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. iyah, aku suka foto itu soalnya dapet flare dari sunset juga. Nanti coba aku utak atik lagi tone nya. Thanks sarannya ya :)

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  6. iya sama2 kk, ak jg suka sama yg itu warna dari mataharinya bikin bagus top markotop xixixixi
    ^__^

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  7. Anonymous15/7/12 17:20

    melihat foto2 diatas jadi teringat salah 1 episode dalam film Bound of Brother.. sedih.. :(

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. iyah, suasana di sana suram dan sedih banget. Ga bisa bayangin perasaan para korban :(

      Delete
  8. Anonymous3/9/12 06:37

    Wow...

    I'll be going to wroclaw for a few days and im hoping to visit the camps - i feel a bit apprehensive now... I know it will be devastating

    enjoyed your post though!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks for stopping by.
      Yes, it was an overwhelming experience for me :(

      Delete
  9. the tears of humanity.... very sad...
    hope that never happen again

    ReplyDelete
  10. Hai.. nemu blog ini karena habis lihat postingannya naked traveler. Ahh fotonya bagus bagus tapi cerita dibaliknya menyedihkan sekali :(

    ReplyDelete
  11. serem ngeliatnya. btw postingannya informatif mbak, bagus.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. iyah, aura di sana bener2 bikin merinding, serem dech. Thanks udah mampir ya :)

      Delete
  12. Balik lagi ke sini gegara cerita Trinity. Berkaca-kaca gini deh baca tulisan Trinity dan liat foto-fotonya DebbZie. Kalo aku kayanya ga berani liat langsung Deb :(

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Aku aja kalau liat foto2 ini masih suka pengen nangis. Kayak ga percaya kalo manusia bisa sangat sadis terhadap sesamanya :(

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  13. Dari Blog Mba Trinity, kemudian sampai di mari(DebbZie Laksono).
    Terimakasih sudah share informasi "Nazi Death Camp"...sungguhlah Biadab&Kejam...
    ...jadi masihkah ada bagian itu dari manusia sekarang ???

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Memang sangat kejam sampai saya ga percaya kalau ada manusia seperti itu :(

      Delete
  14. Anonymous25/1/13 10:53

    merinding liat foto2nya mba.... :(

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. iyah, aura disana memang serem n sedih :(

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  15. Truly great posting ini mah. One of my fave. Keren-keren merinding gimana gitu (beneran itu human hairs..hiii)Spt ikut traveling kesana sama.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. iyah, bener2 pengalaman yang menguras emosi. Sedih banget dengar cerita disana. Rambut segunung itu cuma sisa2 aja lho, aslinya jauh lebih banyak. Dan harusnya dilarang motret disana. Tapi aku makin ada larangan makin ngerasa harus motret, kakaka :p

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  16. Aku merinding baca postingan ini Mba Deb. Aku awalnya baca aja tentang Nazi,ku pikir, rambut wanita yang dibotakin itu ga bener. Agak kaget, langsung shock aja liat 7 ton rambut itu. Yang menyedihkannya bakal diolah jadi baju, tali,, goni dan lain-lain. Ckckckck, ga berperasaan banget. Juga ngebayangin film The boy with stripped pyjamas. Ternyata Gas Chamber bener-bener ada ya. dan mereka bener-bener dibakar setelah dilumpuhkan dengan gas beracun. thanks informasinya ya Mba Deb

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Pas disana aku nangis denger cerita dari guide. Aura disana benar2 masih terasa sangat sedih dan suram :(

      Delete
  17. Anonymous23/4/13 01:13

    can you enlarge to words on the bottom of the map of the camp

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I can email you that picture if you want :)

      Delete
  18. Thanks for sharing. Sudah terharu duluan..

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. sedih ya kalo denger cerita tentang camp ini :(

      Delete
  19. Anonymous30/5/13 12:06

    walau foto2nya keren tapi auranya sedih banget.....mudah2an gak ada lagi kekejaman kayak gini....

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. bener tuh.....aura disana memang sedihhh banget. Aku selama disana feelingnya jadi sedih pengen nangis gitu :(

      Delete
  20. merinding baca postingannyaa :( :(
    serem amat itu yang ruangan kaca isinya rambut kyaaaaa :(

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. serem ya Mei, suasana disana juga bikin merinding :(

      Delete
  21. oalah,..serem bvanget mbak DebbZie,..aku hanya nonton filmya aja ,...pingin banget liat aslinya tapi belum punya rejeki,...yah tapi lihat photo2 anda,...bagus2 banget picnya,..semoga aja suatu saat aku bisa kesana,... makasih dah bebagi :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. makasih udah mampir sini. Aku malah belum lihat filmnya, karena aku pasti ga tega lihat adegan2 sadis :(

      Delete
  22. Lihat artikel kakak sehabis nonton film schiender list sama the pianis, merinding banget...
    makasih postingannya kak
    nambah pengetahuan ;)

    ReplyDelete
  23. sedih bgt kak ngeliatnya sumpahhh:')

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. apalagi dateng sendiri kesana, super super sedihhh :((

      Delete
  24. Wow! It was sure a disturbing trip to such a place but because of histories like this, it reminds us not to put ourselves in such situations again... it was indeed eye opening. I would want to visit the place when I get to Poland someday...

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. yes, Pamela. You should visit this place one day. It made me realise how lucky I am and be grateful for my life :)

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  25. Ngebayangin masuk ledalem. Merinding..... terus sedih kali ya :( pasti keluarnya berkaca-kaca. ngga habis pikir ama perbuatan kejam seperti itu. Hati dan perasaannya diisi apa ya sama pimpinannya. Salut....

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. sedihhhh banget banget. Gak percaya manusia bisa kejam kayak gitu :'(

      Delete

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