Arriving in Poland, I was not prepared for the sites I was
going to face. After visiting the first
camp, Auschwitz I, I was sure that I could not feel a deeper connection to this
place and its history than I had while walking through exhibition blocks. The next day, however, I found I was wrong.
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| Auschwitz II - Birkenau Front Gate |
Our group visited Auschwitz II, Birkenau the next morning. While driving up to the camp, I saw the
iconic railroad tracks which led to the large brick building and gate. I knew that this camp was much larger than Auschwitz
I, but I had no idea how much larger. Reaching
the top of the front guard tower, I looked out over the 25 acres of land,
unable to see the far borders of the camp.
Although not all of the buildings are still standing, the outlines of
these barracks can be seen, reminding visitors of the camp’s size and its capacity;
the view was truly humbling.
As our group was guided through the camp, I saw so many
images that I had previously seen only in books and on websites. Even while visiting this historic site and
having the infamous structures before me, it was hard to truly comprehend the
atrocities that had taken place there not even a century ago. Aside from our small group and a few other
visiting tour groups, the camp was empty, creating a desolate and solemn
feeling. The barracks in Birkenau did
not contain exhibits like the blocks in Auschwitz I. Instead, these barracks were either empty, or
contained some of the original wooden bunks from the time of the camp’s
operation. Even though I understood the
events that took place in Birkenau, without the displays or other depictions of
life at the camps, it was much more difficult for me to imagine human life
there. I was unable to put faces among
the sites I was seeing, which is of great importance to me in dealing with this
harsh topic of the Holocaust.
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| 2014 Poland Group with Professor Długobroski |
Later that day, when we returned to the Center for Dialogue
and Prayer, we were blessed to have an audience with a survivor of Auschwitz
II, Birkenau. The survivor, Professor Długobroski,
was a young member of the Polish Resistance Army in 1942, receiving military
training through the underground organization.
With the help of a translator, the Professor shared his story with our
group.
Unfortunately, because of his involvement with the Hope Army,
the Professor was arrested in May of 1943.
Professor Długobroski and his comrades sent to a flat of the Gestapo in
Warsaw where they were able to hear shootings from the Warsaw Uprising. On August 28, Professor Długobroski was
transported to Auschwitz Birkenau along with approximately 1,500 other
men. He told us of his experience in the
camp as a non-Jewish Pole.
As I listened to the Porfessor’s story, I thought back to my
trip to Birkenau earlier in the day.
Having visited the site, I was able to visualize the places he was
referred to and imagine the scenarios he spoke about. Unlike with the other survivors I had met, I
was easily able to follow the events of his story. As the Professor recalled his sleeping
quarters, I could vividly picture the long rows of wooden bunk beds that I had
seen that morning. I was also able to mentally
follow his path from Birkenau to Auschwitz I, as he struggled to carry heavy
stones and gravel with his commando. Although
it was sad, it was extremely helpful to me to add this human perspective to the
Birkenau camp since I had a hard time connecting to the site earlier.
Personally, I think that Professor Długobroski’s account of
his time in the camp allowed me to connect in a different way than I had previously
done in Auschwitz I. Without this
personal description, it would have been much more difficult for me to feel as
though I understood the human experience in the camp. Furthermore, having a personal interaction
with a survivor of the camp just after having experienced the camp for the
first time added a whole other remarkable dimension to me, allowing me to associate
with the history in a very deep and meaningful way.
-Joanna Ziegelbauer
Class of 2014
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