2015 May 3 Auschwitz and Birkenau

Last night we visited the Podgorze, the Jewish ghetto in the city. Kazimierz had 70,000 Jews when the Soviets invaded in September 1939. Most quickly relocated and the remaining 20,000 settled in the Nazi established Podgorze. It is beautifully situated down by the Vistula river. 

Until liberation in 1989, it was a very dangerous area but in subsequent years, the Jews have  returned and reclaimed their properties. Cheap property (do we Irish ever again envisage that ??) caused Jews  and young Polish entrepreneurs to invest in the area and students located because of cheap rents! The area  appears in the film Schlinder's  List. We ate an excellent dinner at a local bistro. 

This morning, we set out for Birkenau by train.

 

 We arrived at Krakow train station. The old station is of spectacular architectural specimen  

and the new is also quite impressive architecturally, akin to the new Landsdowne Road stadium in Dublin. 

We travelled from Krakov to Oswiecim in an old, soviet type train with hard seats. It was very dilapidated. 

On arrival at Oswiecim at 1400 hrs, the town adjacent to both camps, Birkenau was c 3 km away, so it necessitated a taxi or a walk. 

We decided to have lunch before embarking for Birkenau. 

Later a young lady , on hearing that we were trying to get to Birkenau offered us a lift, which we gratefully received. She told us that her husband was from the town but that they were no longer living there. Understanding the frustration of the independent traveller, she said that if she lived here, she would organise the  attractions more  efficiently.!! She had studied  and worked in Western Europe. Her mother- in -law is the librarian at Auschwitz. 

Birkenau is much easier to negotiate than    Auschwitz. No queueing - unlike Auschwitz, one can walk in at any time during opening hours, without being part of a group. It is more authentic than Auschwitz. it is a much larger site and not 'restored'.  The Nazis blew it up it before the Allies arrived in order to cover up their heinous crimes. 

Above is the entrance gate in the distance and the track used by trains bringing the prisoners to the camp, where they were divided into those who were fit for work and those who were not  were sent to the gas chambers. Looking at contemporary photographs there was no fear to be seen in the prisoners' faces but rather stoicism. 

The Gas Chamber is a large mound, as is the crematorium 

Only  the chimney brests remain of the inmates wooden houses, all blown up by the Germans. 

 

One or two have been rebuilt to show visitors - the latrine, the wash room and the sleeping quarters. However, walking down the railway tracks from the main gate, one felt a chill as one surveyed the vastness of the site. 

A shuttle bus  links the two sites so we took it to Auschwitz, where, because we were what they call  'individual  tourists', we could not enter before 1500hrs. The other option is to enter before 1000hrs; however that would necessitate an early train or bus from Krakow. The journey takes 1hr 40 to reach Oswiecim or Auschwitz. 1000 hrs - 1500 hrs is reserved for group tours - many complained that on tour they were rushed around - better to enjoy it at your own pace.

If you intend visiting, try booking online before you visit. There is no entrance fee.  To avoid queueing at 1500hrs,  I tried to book online the day before but I didn't receive an acceptance email. However, it may be  necessary to email a number of days prior to your visit. 

We had to wait an hour. Queues are the order of the day here !! 

On entering the site, above is the entry point with the words ' Work makes you Free', one is struck by how small the site is in comparison to Birkenau - very confined with rows of numbered blocks now exhibiting facets of the war- children's shoes and toys, details of prisoners living conditions. and blocks dedicated to countries whose citizens were imprisoned or were murdered here. 

There was a daily roll call area,  where a band plays while prisoners are accounted for 

There was a wall of death where prisoners were shot and most chilling of all was the gas chamber; 

the experience made all the more poignant by a group of Orthodox Jewish visitors chanting therein. 

       Man's inhumanity to man. 

We returned to Krakow by public bus located just inside the exit. 

A brief respite and we went to Market Square. It was alive with people, sitting outside cafes, enjoying the pleasant, if a little chilly evening - but blankets were provided. As I sat outside,  I found a new companion.  

He appears to have been there for sometime but was pleased to pose for a photograph!!

We then adjourned to Restaurant Szara; one of Krakow's top restaurants.  Most of the restaurants in the Square are located in Renaissance houses, still resplendent in all their opulence. Szara's cuisine is Michelin recommended. 

Aperitifs were a martini mixed with chocolate and chilli and a beer. It was the best cocktail I have ever tasted and there was a real kick from the chilli! 

The starter  of red caviar on rosti with a creme fresh type sauce, was followed by Tournedo  Rossini and Duck, followed by a wicked chocolate cake for dessert and good coffee. A fine Uruguayan wine completed an excellent meal. 

We walked the 5 minute route back to the hotel.