The touching buildings of Auschwitz

If you are traveling in Eastern Europe, a visit to Auschwitz should be on your itinerary. The German-built concentration camp, probably one of the most famous after the Second World War, was opened in May 1940 and operated until January 1945. The complex houses three of the largest concentration camps built by the Nazis as they sought to assert fear and dominance across Europe in addition to committing the worst genocide the world has ever seen.

The entrance, with ominous train tracks in the middle, is one of the most recognizable buildings that survived the conflict. If you ever find yourself in Poland, trip to Auschwitz seems almost a must for any visitor to this beautiful Eastern European country. Below are some of the memorable yet touching buildings in one of history’s most famous sites.

red brick entrance

Perhaps the most recognizable part of Auschwitz-Birkenau is the huge red brick building that marks entrance to the camp. The long train tracks leading up and into the camp marked the end of the journey from Germany to the concentration camp for millions of people. Cattle carts and freight trains were used to transport prisoners to the camp, from where most of them were sent directly to the gas chambers. The entrance to the camp and the railway tracks have been preserved and look exactly the same as during the war.

barracks

Not all who arrived at Auschwitz were executed on arrival, and some prisoners were forced to build barracks in which they ended up living. They had no windows, they were not protected from the cold and did not contain sanitation facilities. Some buildings were brick, others were wooden. Conservation work has been carried out on some of the wooden barracks, which symbolize the terror and horror of the camp and are a permanent memorial to those who died or managed to survive in the camp.

gas chambers

Perhaps the worst moments of the camp, and indeed of the entire war, came when the prisoners, mostly Jews, were sent to the gas chambers to be executed. It is estimated that 960,000 Jewish prisoners were executed in the cells, of which approximately 865,000 arrived. In total, about 1.1 million people were sent to the Auschwitz gas chambers, with the victims told they must wash and disinfect themselves before joining the camp. You can still visit the cells of Auschwitz today.

Crematoria

The construction of the first crematoria began in 1941, and by 1943 three furnaces had been installed. In 1942, plans were made to build two more crematoria, and by June 1943 a fourth had been added to the camp. The tour of Auschwitz will take you through the ruins of the crematoria and their associated gas chambers.

A constant reminder of a dark stage in history

People all over the world know the history of Auschwitz and how it was used. But only when you enter the camp, you realize the true scale of the experienced horror, pain and suffering. In 1977, Auschwitz was named UNESCO World Heritage Site and serves as a constant reminder of one of the darkest periods in our history.