Day 10 - Auschwitz

Before we left Poland for the Czech Rep we visited Auschwitz. There were three main camps, Auschwitz I, Auschwitz-Birkenhau (Auschwitz II) and Buna (Auschwitz III). If you don't want to get too sad please don't read the next four paragraphs.

We visited and had a tour around Auscwitz I which is set up as a museum. The majority of the buildings are intact, including the original small gas chamber. The museum is within the old barracks and contains photos of those registered as being held at the camp, as well of tonnes of the belongings of those who were murdered. The parts that got me the most were the two tonnes of human hair, and the children's shoes.

Auschwitz I seemed to be mainly for political prisoners (poles), gypsies, prisoners of war, and the early Jews. This was a concentration camp, which means that people who were imprisoned here were registered and there families sent a death certificate when they died of "natural causes". They worked 12hrs a day, spent many hours at roll call and had one piece of bread to eat, with three cups of hot water. They lasted around 3 months.

The first gas chamber and crematorium was at Auschwitz I, and we looked through it. We then moved on to Auschwitz-Bitkenhau. This site has had the majority of the buildings destroyed, including all the gas chambers blown up by the SS before the soviets liberated the camp. A train line runs into the camp, and the rest of the camp is just wooden farm buildings, for sleeping or toilets.

Birkenhau has been left as a memorial and is not a museum like Auschwitz I. Birkenhau was an extermination camp and the majority of the Jews brought here were murdered in the gas chambers. Those who were picked for work probably had it worse. Our guide said that the people held in Birkenhau considered Auschwitz I a holiday.

After this visit our bus trip to Prague was very subdued. Although it was shocking, horrific and depressing to visit, it was the most important place we are going to visit, because we must never forgot the atrocities that occurred there and throughout Nazi occupied Europe.

As our tour went for around 3 hours we dis not arrive in Prague until 6.30. Dinner was at 7.30 and was a big metal pan of food swimming in oil, shared between six of us. At 9.30 we set off on a walking tour of Prague. We had thought it was not possible for there to be a place more beautiful than we had already visited... then we stepped into the old town square! This was magical.

We cannot wait to return to all the places we visited and have a good look around. Our first stop will be the castle, which Guinness says is the largest in Europe.

We were exhausted when we got home at midnight after a long and tiring day.

- Heidi xx

Photos are:

5-7: Auschwitz I
2: Birkenhau (don't be fooled by the grass, there was none in 1940-45)
1: Dinner
4: Tyn Church in old town square
3: Astronomical clock in old town square