Auschwitz Birkenau

          On our fourth day of this trip we visited Auschwitz II-Birkenau. As we pulled up to the camp, I got an eerie feeling. This was the type of camp I envisioned when I thought of the concentration camps in the Holocaust. When we first arrived, Bart our tour guide took us to the top of the watch tower to look over the entire camp. This view, was one that can only be understood if you were standing there. While standing there, looking out, I felt as though the camp was never ending.
          One of the buildings we saw while we were there was an old barrack. When we stepped into the barrack, I instantly thought of The Holocaust Kingdom. In the book, there is a quote about the barrack; "The barrack was a long wooden shed originally intended as a stable for horses." While reading the book, there was an image in my head of what it would look like, but seeing the barrack for myself was much worse than I imagined.

The barracks and toilets 

          In the middle of the barrack, there was a long rectangle of cement. This was the toilets for the prisoners. There were holes where the prisoners would sit and use the restroom, only twice a day. Bart, informed us that the prisoners who held the job of cleaning the "toilets" were considered lucky. This is because they had constant access to the bathroom. However, this job was extremely unsanitary.
         I had a very different experience in Auschwitz I than I did in Birkenau. Auschwitz I was more personal for me and I was more emotional. There were more personal items there such as the hair of the prisoners, their shoes, luggage, and more pictures of the prisoners. Birkenau was less personal. Which to me symbolizes the two camps during the time of the Holocaust.  Birkenau was a death camp. 80,000 people were transported here to be murdered. Being able to see this camp and see where so many were murdered was extremely eye opening. Until visiting Birkenau, I thought I could visualize what a death camp looked like, but I had no real idea until stepping foot onto that ground.