Saltmines, Schindlers factory, and Auschwitz-Birkenau

       This weekend we went to Poland as a class. We visited the Wieliczka salt mine, Schindler's factory, and Auschwitz-Birkenau. We toured the top 3 layers of the salt mine which when down 135 meters. There were around 800 and something stairs down the shaft and if you looked over the rail, you could see how far down you would have to climb to get to the very top layer. The mine was supported by wood logs because as time went on, the salt petrified the wood making it a very strong material to hold up each room in the mine. Horses even worked in the mine. They lived up to four years longer because the salt added vitamins to the air and there was pollution. However, once they were down in the mine, they stayed there for a couple of years before being

brought back up to the surface as the transport down caused a lot of anxiety. There are two different kinds of salt in the mine. My favorite one was called cauliflower salt (because it looked like cauliflower!). On our tour, we even got to eat some of the salt from the walls, but don't worry, I didn't lick the wall. The biggest danger to the mine was water, and in the 1990's the mine was shut down because of a water leek that flooded part of the mine. There is still quite a lot of salt left in the mine that won't be brought to the surface because it is now only used for tourism. Although 350 people are still employed to maintain it. 

"For even if you had dropped your armband
a hundred times, you would still be yourself.
You would still be a Jew."
-teacher, fighter of the ZOB

       The next day we headed to the Schindler's factory. Oskar Schindler created a list of mostly Jewish people to work in his factory for the war effort. He claimed it was another concentration camp and because he was close to higher ranking SS officers, no one bothered him about his factory. He fed all of his workers lunch and treated them rather well, especially in comparison to other camps. His factory was high in demand as all of the Jews had heard about how nice Schindler was. In the museum there was a lot of information about the Holocaust in general, including the deportations and even personal accounts of experiences. One in particular was really powerful. It was from a teacher and she talked about how there was no escape, even though that's what they were all told, was to try and escape. I really enjoyed learning more about Schindler and the Holocaust, but nothing compared to seeing Auschwitz- Birkenau. The next part of my blog might be difficult to read as I talk about my experience at Auschwitz. 

"Those who do not remember the past are condemned to repeat it."- George Santayana

       Mothers, sisters, daughters, sons, fathers, brothers, families....were all ripped apart from each other on the platform, as they were forced off the train surrounded by barbed wire. 75% of everyone who entered Auschwitz-Birkenau were led directly to the gas chambers, told that they would get to shower, as they were led to their death. 2,000 people were crammed into the gas chamber at a time, and suffocated by the poison Zyklon B. It took up to half an hour to ensure everyone was dead because the gas had to spread to all corners of the chamber. The strongest of the prisoners had to remove the bodies and take them to crematorium. They had to remove all jewelry and cut their hair before they were burned. Try to fathom having to cut your friends or family members hair, remove any heirlooms, and then burn their body. The manipulation and psychological games that were played to lead to the extermination of an entire people's is dumbfounding. 

       When they first arrived they were told to put their name and date on their luggage so that they could find it later, even though they would never see it again. Their heads were shaved, and their arm tattooed, to destroy their identity, all forced to wear striped pajamas. We saw the pajamas that the prisoners wore....we saw all of their belongings....we saw the piles of hair that would have been used to make rugs...and the piles of shoes that once belonged to these very innocent people, including toddlers and babies. These babies did not even know what was going on, but they were drowned because they were part of a Jewish family. I still cannot wrap my head around the actions that were taken towards such innocent people. I couldn't bring myself to take a picture of the baby clothes that were left, there is such innocence in a baby, which was destroyed. 

       As a class, we walked into both camps knowing that we would walk out together. This was only a hope for those who were brought here against their will, most of which would never be given that opportunity. On January 27th, 1945 Auschwitz was liberated, but only 7,000 prisoners were left as the rest had been transported elsewhere. The gas chambers and as much evidence as possible was destroyed to cover up their crimes, but nothing compares to seeing the ruins of what is left from such a horrific part of history. 

"To the memory of the men, women, and children
who fell victim to the Nazi genocide. Here lie
their ashes. May their souls rest in peace." 

       

"For ever let this place be a cry of despair and a warning
to humanity where the Nazis murdered about one and
a half million men, women, and children, mainly
Jews from various countries of Europe."

Rruins from the gas chamber

       

Belongings of the innocent people who had been taken away from their homes and everything that they knew as part of  Hitler's "Final Solution."