Auschwitz, 75 years on

[CARL]

Later this month, on 27th January, the 75th anniversary of the liberation of the Auschwitz concentration camps will be marked globally on what has become known as Holocaust Remembrance Day. This event, recognised annually, commemorates the millions of Jews and non-Jews alike, who were murdered during the period of the Nazi regime.

As a site of memorial, the Auschwitz museum has changed over the years, nowadays accommodating some 2 million or so visitors annually. Gone are the days when the site(s) could be visited in quiet reflection yet the museum manages to respect the dead in a manner they deserve. With the rise of hatred and ignorance once again blighting this world, the time for remembrance has never been more germane.

The year 2020 will see a grander event than other years. Work began over twelve months ago and again, a number of survivors - around 120 will arrive from outside of Poland to join a number of Polish former prisoners, are expected to attend, along with heads of state and various figures from related international institutions. A live TV broadcast will also be provided by Polish TV.

Remember.

[Woolgar]

I visited 2 years ago and the experience has stayed with me ever since

Very moving

Nick

[CARL]

(i) Below, the courtyard area located between Block X and Block XI at Auschwitz-I, the main camp. This is the site were many thousands, including women and children, were killed by the SS simply because they did not fit into their twisted vision of the future. The image was captured during a recent visit to the site, shortly after dawn and before the vast crowds descended upon the memorial site.

(ii) At the end of the day as darkness fell, the main entrance to Auschwitz-II Birkenau, location of the Krematoria complex and site of the mass murder.

[CARL]

I visited 2 years ago and the experience has stayed with me ever since

Very moving

Nick

Thank you Nick, for your contribution. This thread will be used to record the thoughts and reflections of members who have visited the site, or plan to do so later this year.

Please also note, it is important to remember that although the date, i.e. 27th January, marks the anniversary of the liberation of the Auschwitz camps, the actual event of the Holocaust Remembrance Day remembers those who suffered in all of the locations used by the Nazis and not just Auschwitz alone.

Carl

[CARL]

The images below feature sections of a fold-out panoramic view of Birkenau (Auschwitz-II), taken from photographs captured following the liberation of the camp in early 1945. The vast majority of the wooden prisoner barracks evident in the images no longer remain yet the museum does manage to maintain several barracks of the former Quarantine-Camp known as Birkenau sector BIIa. Another barrack, formerly of Birkenau sector BIIb, the Theresienstadt Familienlager (Terezín family camp), remains extant and spent decades in the US as part of the USHMM (United States Holocaust Memorial Museum) display in Washington D.C. The thread linked below includes more information related to the barrack:

Auschwitz-II, Birkenau Barracks returned to site

[CARL]

Below, a private photograph showing a section of Auschwitz-II Birkenau. This was also taken following the liberation of the camp.

[greatwhite]

During my school years i did a history project of the camps, then there were text books, photos and black and white clips, after school as technology grew i was able to see videos, movies and actual accounts, 3 years ago we visited, nothing of what i typed earlier can prepare you for actually being there, very moving, very humble but very true, god bless all those that perished there and elsewhere across Europe, and thank you so much to the Allies that put an end to it.

[CARL]

75 years ago, the Auschwitz camps were liberated by Soviet forces. The greatest site of mass murder probably ever known to man, finally ceased to operate.