Auschwitz

About 50 km west of Krakow lies a small town that was destined to be identified with a place where the most horrific pages of modern human history were written, known as Auschwitz. The small town of Oświęcim, unknown outside its narrow province until the outbreak of World War II would come to signify the martyrdom of the Jewish people,  the site of torture and brutal execution of an unthinkable amount of more than 1 million people in the shrine of the Nazi cleansing.

The Auschwitz & Birkenau Concentration & Extermination Camp is surely not an easy place to visit nor is it a decision one takes lightheartedly. To be faced with the still-aching traces of one of humankind’s most atrocious crimes is truly overwhelming. It is however important to acknowledge a common factor in most of the visitors’ impressions following their visit.  Almost all of them feel compelled to emphasize the need for this visit.

Auschwitz was the largest of the German Nazi concentration camps and extermination centers. Over 1.1 million men, women, and children lost their lives here. The post-camp relics are protected by the Museum created in 1947. The Memorial today is i.a. the Archive and Collections as well as the research, conservation, and publishing center. More