The sign says it all.
The photograph shows prisoners being off loaded from rail cars on the infamous tracks that lead into Birkenau. Upon arrival the men were separated from the women and children.
A shot of the tracks from the inside looking out to the entrance of Birkenau.
Another view of the tracks with a view of the barracks in the background.
It was at about this point on the tracks that a persons life or death was decided. The doctor would look at the individual for about 2-3 secs and within that time decide that persons fate. You would at this point be moved into the line to become a concentration camp worker or the line that would immediately march to the gas chamber.
Pellets of the gas called Cyclone that was used to kill
Many of the empty pellet canisters used to store the poisonous gas.
There are no gas chambers left in Birkenau as the Germans destroyed them prior to capture to hide the evidence. There is however one still intact in Auschwitz from which the following pictures were taken. As the sign reads thousands of Jews lost there lives here at the hands of the German SS.
The Jews would be placed in this room where they would shed all clothing in preparation for a shower. Which they were told was standard procedure and obviously a lie as the shower heads dispersed the poisonous gas rather than soothing water.
I have never been in a place that had evoked such feelings of sadness for our past as humans. But to see all the visitors of every age, race and nationality here. It tells me that we do want to learn from our mistakes.
The remains of a gas chamber after destruction by the German SS.
As mentioned prior if the victims were chosen for work they would be placed into these barracks.
These were basically horse sheds where up to 400 hundred prisoners would live. The beds were stacked three bunks high with 18-20 people per single bed.
The prisoners were allowed approximately 6 secs to relieve themselves prior to carrying on with there day.
May we learn from our past.
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