REGION » AUSCHWITZ
For most people, Auschwitz is an abstract concept. It is a symbol of the murder of the European Jews. It was a bureaucratic and industrial crime committed as a symbol of racist ideology that took no ethical values whatsoever into account. Oświęcim was a turning point in history; the world, people, philosophy, theology and pedagogy all changed unrecognisably. The real Auschwitz, fenced in by barbed wire with its rows of primitive blocks and barracks, was placed on the UNESCO World Heritage List. Auschwitz is a place of memorial, but at the same time a cemetery, museum, destination for pilgrims and a tourist attraction. It is a meeting of reality with myth, rationality with emotion, a place where the visible and the invisible blend. Some people come here looking for a tourist attraction like the Eiffel Tower and take photographs in front of the gates under the sign "Arbeit macht frei" (Work Makes Free). Many come to satisfy their curiosity. Many come in silence to light a candle in front of the death wall or to add a stone to the ruins of the crematorium. Many expect a cathartic experience and are often disappointed. Then they go to Birkenau, known during the war as Auschwitz II. The area of Birkenau is fifty times as large as that of Oświęcim, for here was the main camp. In 1944, 100 000 prisoners were locked in the barracks and four huge, continuously working crematoriums burned the bodies of the earlier-gassed victims. While trying to understand what happened here, visitors often experience uncomfortable feelings, "Why, it's so idyllic!" they say in surprise, at the huge green meadows, the forest on the horizon and a beautiful sunset. Today's Auschwitz is a test for our imagination. Despite the dozens of surviving buildings, the 1000's of exhibitions and the archive collections, despite the huge expanse of Brzezinski where 100's of chimneys betray the barracks that once stood in their place, despite all of this, we fail the test. We are simply unable to imagine the scale of human suffering. Of hunger, we know only the wait between breakfast and dinner at the hotel. Of cold, we know only the experience of forgetting our coat on the bus on a windy day. After the three-hour tour, we talk of being "exhausted", but Oświęcim is also a challenge for our ability to comprehend. We ask ourselves in fear, "How was this possible?" but despite all the historical, sociological and psychological explanations, we fail to find any satisfying answers. "What should we do so that this crime is never repeated?" we ask helplessly. We know that Santayana's quote, which introduces this exhibition is necessary, but not sufficient. "Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it". It's true, but what next? There are also other questions. Questions to yourself, questions to others, to society and the state, questions to God. It is doubtful that there is another single place that provokes so many existential questions.
Oświęcim is located 70km from Cracow, reachable by bus or train. Buses leave at 8.30, 9.30, 10.30, 12.00 and 13.30 and stop directly in front of the museum (the first stop after the station in Oświęcim). When coming by train, you can go from the station to the museum on local buses no. 2,3,4,5,24,25,26,27,28,29,30 (2 stops). Admission is free and is open in summer from 08.00 - 19.00, in spring and autumn until 17.00, and in winter to 15.00. Information booklets are available in English but a guide is obligatory. Tel: 033 8432133, Fax: 033 8432227.
Individual tourists can also join a tour group for 80 PLN per person. The memorial area is made up of two parts, Auschwitz I - the main concentration camp and Auschwitz II - the real thing. At Auschwitz I is the reception and Brzezinka is 3km away. Before visiting, you can see a 5-min film with archive photographs from the time of liberation of the camp. The cinema room is in the reception building. Children under 13 years of age are advised not to visit the camp.
