|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
For ever let this place be a cry of despair and a warning to humanity, where the Nazis murdered about one-and-a-half million men, women and children, mainly Jews from various countries of Europe. — International monument at Auschwitz-Birkenau
In 1937, there was cheering when addressing a Nazi Party convention Hitler roared: “We will educate our young so the entire world will shake in front of them. I want the young to be capable of violence and cruelty.” Auschwitz is a testimony to this cruelty unleashed by the SS (German force Schutzstaffel); a cruelty that demonises humanity.
The former Polish garrison at Oswiecim (rechristened Auschwitz) was taken over by the Germans after Poland’s defeat in 1939. Birkenau, or Auschwitz-II, was established since being on the riverbank, Auschwitz could not be expanded. Located at a distance of 3 km from the main camp, Birekenau is spread across a massive 191 hectares — its flat expanse overpowering with rows and rows of aligned barracks interspersed with imposing security towers. As the wagons rolled in at the camp, the families were quickly pulled apart without even a final goodbye. Once they were assembled in groups, a sordid selection process was carried out by a medical team led by the barbarous Dr Mengele. The seemingly healthy ones were marked for hard labour while the elderly, indisposed men, women and small children were herded towards the gas chambers. What followed was ruthless. Behind the trees, the crematoriums were hidden from view. The victims were told they were being taken for a shower for disinfection. Dummy shower heads were fixed on the ceilings of gas chambers. They were asked to undress (any resistance was met with brute force) and containers with Zyklon B were rolled in. Those nearest to the vents would die immediately; those farther would die a slow, painful death. After 15-20 minutes, the doors would be opened and the bodies stripped of gold teeth, hair (two tonnes of hair have been preserved) and jewellery before being transported to the crematorium — no dignity even in death. As one walks on the wide gravelled path towards the sinister grove, the only green patch on the expanse, there is a feeling of acute numbness. Visitors (about a million people visit the camps each year) go quiet, lost in thoughts as they try to grasp the unimaginable horror of it. There is something about the air, or perhaps the mind — it feels heavy; laden with throttled cries of tormented people. For all the openness around, it is a stifling place. Nothing, not even bad karma, explains this madness. It feels unreal, this hell on earth. In his book, The Man Who Broke Into Auschwitz, Denis Avey says it was rare to spot a butterfly or birds at the camp. Such was its morbid stillness. The first killings took place in 1941, when 600 PoW and about 250 Polish prisoners perished. Those who died were fortunate. The others had much torture in wait. Many would die of starvation, rampant epidemics, gruelling work (entrance to Auschwitz says: Arbeit macht frei (work sets you free) and sadistic punishments. These were followed by arbitrary executions and insane medical experiments, where humans were guinea pigs. Those who revolted were forced out naked in the freezing cold (temperatures would dip to -20° C) and doused with water. Many found liberation, perhaps even welcomed it, as they froze to death. To break them down psychologically, the prisoners were told the only way they could escape was through the chimney of the crematorium. Those who tried to escape were hanged. But this number was small. The electrified fence outside constrained any thought of freedom. The barracks at Birkenau were adapted from army stables. About 400-600 prisoners were housed in a barrack meant for 50 horses. Another torment was the daily roll-call. Thousands of prisoners were made to stand for hours, even in inclement weather; many would collapse of fatigue.
The prisoners were tattooed. The logic is chilling. The sheer number of murders made it difficult to identify the corpses; tattoos helped. Novel levels of monstrosity were devised. Starvation, isolation and standing cells (prisoners were packed into a small cell with no ventilation; they would get crushed under each other’s weight and some would suffocate) were set up as terror tools. As the Soviet army advanced, the SS dismantled mass murder facilities and forced 56,000 prisoners to leave for Germany on foot. Many died in the “death march”. Those who could not walk were left behind. The camp was liberated in 1945, and with it nearly 7,000 prisoners. There was some retribution. Rudolf Hoss, the first commandant of Auschwitz, was hanged at the camp. Many others, including the “beautiful beast” Irma Grese, a warden at the camp, were executed. She was 22. It was in 1947 that the Museum of Auschwitz was set up in memory of the victims. About 70 per cent of the camp — part of the Unesco World Heritage List — is original. The remainder has been rebuilt using original components. A quote by a former prisoner on a plaque sums up: “People know what Auschwitz was, but it is basic we retain in our memory the awareness that it is humans who decide whether such a tragedy will ever take place again.” Indeed. Auschwitz is a symbol of depraved humanity and a world gone horribly wrong; a place where people lived their worst nightmares and endured them, or found sweet release in death; a place one leaves not being the same; a place one leaves with a prayer on the lips.
How to reach: New Delhi-Warsaw flight (11 hours-one stop); from Warsaw to Auschwitz by cab (minivan costs 1,300 zl for return trip), or by train till Krakow (300 km from Warsaw). From Krakow, the camp is under an hour. What to do: Take guided tour; 4-hour duration (can stay longer for documentaries); specialised tours last for two days. Ticket: 40 zl (30 zl for students). Best time to visit: June-August
|
|||||
|
|
|||||
Nothing
