Scars from The Second World War

The city which most left an impression on me was Krakow and in particular my visit to the small town of Oświęcim, one hour away. There I visited the former Nazi concentration camp Auschwitz Birkenau. This was truly an important experience for me to be there, it is unimaginable the number of things that happened in that place, a nameless genocide committed without any explainable justification.

I joined a tour in Spanish around the concentration camp. The guide was Polish and spoke excellent Spanish, for each place we passed she offered us a detailed history of the unimaginable horrors which happened there. First, we began at Auschwitz 1, a complex of different camp buildings known as blocks. In each block the Nazis carried out atrocities. Being explained to what function each block had really made me understand what the war meant for the people trapped here. I have read a lot about The Second World War but no reading can compare with being at the physical site and getting to know where one of the most important outcomes of that conflict took place.

We then went to Birkenau, the second part of the camp. This is where the prisoners were held as well as where destroyed gas canisters were discovered. My visit was in winter, I felt such an intense cold that I could only imagine how much the prisoners here suffered as well as from the physical and mental abuse. The tour lasted 4 hours. The sheer immensity of the camp and the explanations of each part of it, helps you to comprehend the massive organisation and planning which went behind it with the sole aim of wiping out the Jewish race, to make them lose all dignity and hope before dying. After all, it wasn’t just a case of quick executions, it was the stripping away of their possessions like money and watches, of every feature which made them human. Without doubt a visit I will never forget.

This experience changed my way of thinking about violence in general as well as the stupid wars currently raging, caused by such banal reasons like money or power. Such conflicts should not still be allowed to continue. For that reason I wholeheartedly recommend visiting Auschwitz Birkenau, a must if you are in Poland. The history which permeates around this place is without doubt a great opportunity for learning.

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