2. CONCENTRATION CAMPS

AUSCHWITZ/BIRKENAU

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  • The remains of Krematorium III at Birkenau (Auschwitz II), blown up by the SS as the Russians were approaching. This was done in an effort to hide their crimes. Above the rusted container and stretching to the left is a barbed wire fence running all the way to the front of the camp. It enclosed "The Ramp" where people (Jews, Roma, Sinti and others) were unloaded from freight trains and "selected" by an SS physician to go to the right, or left; to the gas or to slave labor. For interactive map of Birkenau go to http://www.remember.org/camps/birkenau/index.html

    The remains of Krematorium III at Birkenau (Auschwitz II), blown up by the SS as the Russians were approaching. This was done in an effort to hide their crimes. Above the rusted container and stretching to the left is a barbed wire fence running all the way to the front of the camp. It enclosed "The Ramp" where people (Jews, Roma, Sinti and others) were unloaded from freight trains and "selected" by an SS physician to go to the right, or left; to the gas or to slave labor. For interactive map of Birkenau go to http://www.remember.org/camps/birkenau/index.html

  • Prisoners' wooden shoes at the Auschwitz Museum Archives. They were the source of much pain, suffering and death. Ill fitting and rough, they caused blisters and sores, even fatal infection due to prisoner's weakened immune systems. See http://www.remember.org/jacobs/

    Prisoners' wooden shoes at the Auschwitz Museum Archives. They were the source of much pain, suffering and death. Ill fitting and rough, they caused blisters and sores, even fatal infection due to prisoner's weakened immune systems. See http://www.remember.org/jacobs/

  • This was described as a segement of a burning pit near "the little white house" (officially Bunker II), a smaller facility for gassing only, way, way in the back of the camp, beyond the Suana and Kanada. The krematoria were always needing repair and during peak periods they could not handle the number of corpses to be burned. So pits were dug where bodies could be burned much faster. Supervising these burnings was SS-Hauptscharführer Otto Moll who was recalled from a sub-camp to be part of a new group for the "Hungarian Action". "A layer of wood, a layer of bodies, and petrol waste, and another layer of bodies etc. Trenches were dug along the sides to collect the fat run-off which was thrown on the burning bodies to intensify the heat". (personal communication Filip Muller, 1980) For interactive map of Birkenau go to http://www.remember.org/camps/birkenau/index.html

    This was described as a segement of a burning pit near "the little white house" (officially Bunker II), a smaller facility for gassing only, way, way in the back of the camp, beyond the Suana and Kanada. The krematoria were always needing repair and during peak periods they could not handle the number of corpses to be burned. So pits were dug where bodies could be burned much faster. Supervising these burnings was SS-Hauptscharführer Otto Moll who was recalled from a sub-camp to be part of a new group for the "Hungarian Action". "A layer of wood, a layer of bodies, and petrol waste, and another layer of bodies etc. Trenches were dug along the sides to collect the fat run-off which was thrown on the burning bodies to intensify the heat". (personal communication Filip Muller, 1980) For interactive map of Birkenau go to http://www.remember.org/camps/birkenau/index.html

  • Birkenau, 1979 For interactive map of Birkenau go to http://www.remember.org/camps/birkenau/index.html

    Birkenau, 1979 For interactive map of Birkenau go to http://www.remember.org/camps/birkenau/index.html

  • "If I had a real scrap of paper I’d probably trade it for some string. I’d use this to fasten my bowl to my waist because if I lose it I’m a goner. Without this I can’t eat; this my sink, my pillow, my overcoat - indeed, my chamber pot. Sometimes when marching to work I pretend it is my full belly bulging in front of me - taking more space than is allowed here, bouncing in front of me with an inflexible fullness. No matter there is little to eat, it will always retain its shape. It is my closest friend, this bowl of chipped red enamel, more valuable than precious china. It is a magic bowl, changing shape and depth according to circumstance: bottomless when waiting in the soup line and a mere thimble after I’ve vacuumed its contents, licked the surface of every crack and crevice." Jacobs, A. (1984). Conversations with Gratowski. unpublished novel.)

    "If I had a real scrap of paper I’d probably trade it for some string. I’d use this to fasten my bowl to my waist because if I lose it I’m a goner. Without this I can’t eat; this my sink, my pillow, my overcoat - indeed, my chamber pot. Sometimes when marching to work I pretend it is my full belly bulging in front of me - taking more space than is allowed here, bouncing in front of me with an inflexible fullness. No matter there is little to eat, it will always retain its shape. It is my closest friend, this bowl of chipped red enamel, more valuable than precious china. It is a magic bowl, changing shape and depth according to circumstance: bottomless when waiting in the soup line and a mere thimble after I’ve vacuumed its contents, licked the surface of every crack and crevice." Jacobs, A. (1984). Conversations with Gratowski. unpublished novel.)

  • The Krankenbau or camp hospital courtyard. Prisoners came to the hospital seeking, if nothing else, a brief respite from the killing work. Those too ill to work were killed by phenol injection to the heart, or sent to the gas. For a photo and survivor art showing these prisoners being whipped onto a truck for transport to the gas chamber, see http://remember.org/then-and-now/tn05.html

    The Krankenbau or camp hospital courtyard. Prisoners came to the hospital seeking, if nothing else, a brief respite from the killing work. Those too ill to work were killed by phenol injection to the heart, or sent to the gas. For a photo and survivor art showing these prisoners being whipped onto a truck for transport to the gas chamber, see http://remember.org/then-and-now/tn05.html

  • This was the only ventilation for a basement cell in the Auschwitz 1 punishment center, Block 11. As many as twenty prisoners were crammed tighty into a small cell and left to suffocate.

    This was the only ventilation for a basement cell in the Auschwitz 1 punishment center, Block 11. As many as twenty prisoners were crammed tighty into a small cell and left to suffocate.

  • Extracting methane gas from human feces was unsucessfully attempted in cisterns like this located way in the rear of Birkenau. Every last ounce of energy was stolen from the victims. For interactive map of Birkenau go to http://www.remember.org/camps/birkenau/index.html

    Extracting methane gas from human feces was unsucessfully attempted in cisterns like this located way in the rear of Birkenau. Every last ounce of energy was stolen from the victims. For interactive map of Birkenau go to http://www.remember.org/camps/birkenau/index.html

  • It has always amazed, the thoroughness, the meticulous atteention to detail merely to surround the innocent.

    It has always amazed, the thoroughness, the meticulous atteention to detail merely to surround the innocent.

  • A basement door in the SS dynamited Krematorium III, Birkenau, (photo 1980). For interactive map of Birkenau go to http://www.remember.org/camps/birkenau/index.html

    A basement door in the SS dynamited Krematorium III, Birkenau, (photo 1980). For interactive map of Birkenau go to http://www.remember.org/camps/birkenau/index.html

  • Part of the ruins of Krematorium II Birkenau, as photographed in 1980. The Nazi camp personnel, the Totenkopf SS, dismantled the gas chamber and krematorium hardware and blew up the buildings in an effort to avoid discovery in the face of the advancing Russians who liberated the camp in Jan. 1945. Many people mistakenly think Auschwitz, and Birkenau (Auschwitz II) are in Germany; actually they're in Poland. For interactive map of Birkenau go to http://www.remember.org/camps/birkenau/index.html

    Part of the ruins of Krematorium II Birkenau, as photographed in 1980. The Nazi camp personnel, the Totenkopf SS, dismantled the gas chamber and krematorium hardware and blew up the buildings in an effort to avoid discovery in the face of the advancing Russians who liberated the camp in Jan. 1945. Many people mistakenly think Auschwitz, and Birkenau (Auschwitz II) are in Germany; actually they're in Poland. For interactive map of Birkenau go to http://www.remember.org/camps/birkenau/index.html

  • Part of the ruins of Krematorium II Birkenau, as photographed in 1980. For interactive map of Birkenau go to http://www.remember.org/camps/birkenau/index.html

    Part of the ruins of Krematorium II Birkenau, as photographed in 1980. For interactive map of Birkenau go to http://www.remember.org/camps/birkenau/index.html

  • Part of the ruins of Krematorium II Birkenau, as photographed in 1980. The building in the distance is a barrack in BIb, the women's camp. For interactive map of Birkenau go to http://www.remember.org/camps/birkenau/index.html

    Part of the ruins of Krematorium II Birkenau, as photographed in 1980. The building in the distance is a barrack in BIb, the women's camp. For interactive map of Birkenau go to http://www.remember.org/camps/birkenau/index.html

  • Auschwitz I lamp on the electrified barbed wire fence; a lamp with no light.

    Auschwitz I lamp on the electrified barbed wire fence; a lamp with no light.

  • Auschwitz I, 1980.

    Auschwitz I, 1980.

  • Guard tower in Auschwitz I. The barracks in the background are two story brick structures built with prisoner labor.

    Guard tower in Auschwitz I. The barracks in the background are two story brick structures built with prisoner labor.

  • One of the brick barracks in the women's camp at Birkenau. This photo can also be seen at the Cybrary of the Holocaust website , along with the following caption: Barrack consisting of "sixty-two bays each with three 'roosts'. A roost was originally supposed to hold three prisoners, but Bischoff's [chief of the Auschwitz building office] numerology increased the capacity to four. To sleep, to sit, and keep his belongings, each prisoner was now provided with 'private' space that amounted to the surface dimensions of a large coffin or the volume of a shallow grave."* Originally built for Soviet POW'S, it was later to become part of the woman's camp. "Charlotte Delbo in her book "Auschwitz and After", wrote: "A brick has come loose from the low wall separating our cell from the next where other larvae sleep, moan and dream under the blankets that cover them- these are shrouds covering them for they are dead, today or tomorrow what does it matter... We feel that we teeter on the edge of a dark pit, a bottomless void-it is the hole of the night where we struggle furiously, struggle against another nightmare, that of our real death."** *Deborah Dwork & Robert Jan van Pelt. Auschwitz 1270 To The Present (New York: W.W. Norton & Company. p. 265-6. ** (Yale University Press 1995, p.56)

    One of the brick barracks in the women's camp at Birkenau. This photo can also be seen at the Cybrary of the Holocaust website , along with the following caption: Barrack consisting of "sixty-two bays each with three 'roosts'. A roost was originally supposed to hold three prisoners, but Bischoff's [chief of the Auschwitz building office] numerology increased the capacity to four. To sleep, to sit, and keep his belongings, each prisoner was now provided with 'private' space that amounted to the surface dimensions of a large coffin or the volume of a shallow grave."* Originally built for Soviet POW'S, it was later to become part of the woman's camp. "Charlotte Delbo in her book "Auschwitz and After", wrote: "A brick has come loose from the low wall separating our cell from the next where other larvae sleep, moan and dream under the blankets that cover them- these are shrouds covering them for they are dead, today or tomorrow what does it matter... We feel that we teeter on the edge of a dark pit, a bottomless void-it is the hole of the night where we struggle furiously, struggle against another nightmare, that of our real death."** *Deborah Dwork & Robert Jan van Pelt. Auschwitz 1270 To The Present (New York: W.W. Norton & Company. p. 265-6. ** (Yale University Press 1995, p.56)

  • Cell window in Block 11 basement. Little walls were built around these windows so that all the prisoners could see was the top of the building across the courtyard. The was done to prevent them seeing the executions by shooting against the "Black Wall" in this courtyard. Yes, they could hear them.

    Cell window in Block 11 basement. Little walls were built around these windows so that all the prisoners could see was the top of the building across the courtyard. The was done to prevent them seeing the executions by shooting against the "Black Wall" in this courtyard. Yes, they could hear them.

  • Cell window in Block 11 basement. Little walls were built around these windows so that all the prisoners could see was the top of the building across the courtyard. The was done to prevent them seeing the executions by shooting against the "Black Wall" in this courtyard. Yes, they could hear them.

    Cell window in Block 11 basement. Little walls were built around these windows so that all the prisoners could see was the top of the building across the courtyard. The was done to prevent them seeing the executions by shooting against the "Black Wall" in this courtyard. Yes, they could hear them.

  • Into this pond were dumped the ashes of many tens of thousands of people, mostly Jews, who were gassed at Krematorium IV, just behind and to the left. The "little wood" can be seen behind the pond. In those days, a fence of interwoven branches blocked the waiting victims' view of what lay ahead. photo 1979 For interactive map of Birkenau go to http://www.remember.org/camps/birkenau/index.html

    Into this pond were dumped the ashes of many tens of thousands of people, mostly Jews, who were gassed at Krematorium IV, just behind and to the left. The "little wood" can be seen behind the pond. In those days, a fence of interwoven branches blocked the waiting victims' view of what lay ahead. photo 1979 For interactive map of Birkenau go to http://www.remember.org/camps/birkenau/index.html

  • Birkenau 1979. This tree would fall from time to time and was periodically raised by then Birkenau caretaker Urbaniak. It was in "Kanada", the place where all the possessions of those taken off the trains were stored in many barrack/warehouses for shipping to Germany. They were destroyed in advance of Russian liberation of the camp. It was nicknamed thus because it was a place of abundence. See U.S Memorial Museum photo archive: Go to http://www.ushmm.org photo archive and search for Kanada/Birkenau. These are actual photos taken by the SS.

    Birkenau 1979. This tree would fall from time to time and was periodically raised by then Birkenau caretaker Urbaniak. It was in "Kanada", the place where all the possessions of those taken off the trains were stored in many barrack/warehouses for shipping to Germany. They were destroyed in advance of Russian liberation of the camp. It was nicknamed thus because it was a place of abundence. See U.S Memorial Museum photo archive: Go to http://www.ushmm.org photo archive and search for Kanada/Birkenau. These are actual photos taken by the SS.

  • Polish Agency Interpress Interpreter/translator Krystyna Hnatowicz in Auschwitz Museum storeroom. She and Alan Jacobs have been married for 31 years. "Krysia" Jacobs is responsible for much of the technical work presented on the Internet: A Virtual Tour of Auschwiz and Birkenau: http://www.remember.org/auschwitz/ Then and Now: http://remember.org/then-and-now/ Concentration Camps: http://www.remember.org/camps/

    Polish Agency Interpress Interpreter/translator Krystyna Hnatowicz in Auschwitz Museum storeroom. She and Alan Jacobs have been married for 31 years. "Krysia" Jacobs is responsible for much of the technical work presented on the Internet: A Virtual Tour of Auschwiz and Birkenau: http://www.remember.org/auschwitz/ Then and Now: http://remember.org/then-and-now/ Concentration Camps: http://www.remember.org/camps/

  • Jewish prayer shawls (Tallis') stolen from those deported to Auschwiz hanging mutely in an Auschwitz Museum storage room. photo 1979.

    Jewish prayer shawls (Tallis') stolen from those deported to Auschwiz hanging mutely in an Auschwitz Museum storage room. photo 1979.

  • The only remaining intact gas chamber and crematorium: Krematorium I, Auschwitz. photo 1979

    The only remaining intact gas chamber and crematorium: Krematorium I, Auschwitz. photo 1979

  • The Krankenbau or camp hospital courtyard. Prisoners came to the hospital seeking, if nothing else, a brief respite from the killing work. Those too ill to work were killed by phenol injection to the heart, or sent to the gas. For a photo and survivor art showing these prisoners being whipped onto a truck for transport to the gas chamber, see http://remember.org/then-and-now/tn05.html edit

    The Krankenbau or camp hospital courtyard. Prisoners came to the hospital seeking, if nothing else, a brief respite from the killing work. Those too ill to work were killed by phenol injection to the heart, or sent to the gas. For a photo and survivor art showing these prisoners being whipped onto a truck for transport to the gas chamber, see http://remember.org/then-and-now/tn05.html edit

  • Urbaniak, the Birkenau caretaker, 1979.

    Urbaniak, the Birkenau caretaker, 1979.

  • RR track switch handle at entrance to unloading ramp at Birkenau. photo 1979

    RR track switch handle at entrance to unloading ramp at Birkenau. photo 1979

  • Ceiling opening in gas chamber at Krematorium I through which Zylon B crystals were thrown. Zyclon B is the trade name of a cyanide-based insecticide. It was stored in airtight containers; when exposed to air, the substrates evolved gaseous hydrogen cyanide (HCN). Two German firms, Tesch/Stabenow and Degesch, produced Cyclone B gas after they acquired the patent from Farben. Tesch supplied two tons a month, and Degesch three quarters of a ton. The firms that produced the gas already had extensive experience in fumigation. From the statement of Hans Stark registrar of new arrivals, Auschwitz: ".... They then started to cry out terribly for they now knew what was happening to them. I did not look through the opening because it had to be closed as soon as the Zyklon B had been poured in. After a few minutes there was silence. After some time had passed, it may have been ten to fifteen minutes, the gas chamber was opened. The dead lay higgledy-piggedly all over the place. It was a dreadful sight." See http://www.nizkor.org/faqs/auschwitz/auschwitz-faq-06.html

    Ceiling opening in gas chamber at Krematorium I through which Zylon B crystals were thrown. Zyclon B is the trade name of a cyanide-based insecticide. It was stored in airtight containers; when exposed to air, the substrates evolved gaseous hydrogen cyanide (HCN). Two German firms, Tesch/Stabenow and Degesch, produced Cyclone B gas after they acquired the patent from Farben. Tesch supplied two tons a month, and Degesch three quarters of a ton. The firms that produced the gas already had extensive experience in fumigation. From the statement of Hans Stark registrar of new arrivals, Auschwitz: ".... They then started to cry out terribly for they now knew what was happening to them. I did not look through the opening because it had to be closed as soon as the Zyklon B had been poured in. After a few minutes there was silence. After some time had passed, it may have been ten to fifteen minutes, the gas chamber was opened. The dead lay higgledy-piggedly all over the place. It was a dreadful sight." See http://www.nizkor.org/faqs/auschwitz/auschwitz-faq-06.html

  • Ceiling of barrack in the women's camp , Bitkenau (BIb). See: http://www.remember.org/camps/birkenau/index.html and http://www.remember.org/camps/birkenau/bir-womens-barrack-01.html For interactive map of Birkenau go to http://www.remember.org/camps/birkenau/index.html

    Ceiling of barrack in the women's camp , Bitkenau (BIb). See: http://www.remember.org/camps/birkenau/index.html and http://www.remember.org/camps/birkenau/bir-womens-barrack-01.html For interactive map of Birkenau go to http://www.remember.org/camps/birkenau/index.html

  • The Ramp, where over a million people were unloaded off freight trains and sent to their deaths in the gas chambers. photo 1979 For interactive map of Birkenau go to http://www.remember.org/camps/birkenau/index.html For painting of the ramp's daily activity go to: http://remember.org/then-and-now/tn07.html If you click on the painting a photo of the same scene will appear.

    The Ramp, where over a million people were unloaded off freight trains and sent to their deaths in the gas chambers. photo 1979 For interactive map of Birkenau go to http://www.remember.org/camps/birkenau/index.html For painting of the ramp's daily activity go to: http://remember.org/then-and-now/tn07.html If you click on the painting a photo of the same scene will appear.

  • Door latch to Birkenau barrack in the quarantine camp, BIIa, Birkenau. For view of interior go to: http://www.remember.org/camps/birkenau/bir-mens-barrack-01.html For interactive map of Birkenau go to http://www.remember.org/camps/birkenau/index.html

    Door latch to Birkenau barrack in the quarantine camp, BIIa, Birkenau. For view of interior go to: http://www.remember.org/camps/birkenau/bir-mens-barrack-01.html For interactive map of Birkenau go to http://www.remember.org/camps/birkenau/index.html

  • View of the ramp at Birkenau from the back. On each side of these tracks were crematoria and gas chambers, (KII, KIII) For views of them go to interactive map of Birkenau http://www.remember.org/camps/birkenau/index.html

    View of the ramp at Birkenau from the back. On each side of these tracks were crematoria and gas chambers, (KII, KIII) For views of them go to interactive map of Birkenau http://www.remember.org/camps/birkenau/index.html

  • I arrived in Poland in June 1979 just a week after Pope John Paul II had conducted a mass at Birkenau. There were many places where people left flowers, many on the wires. The flower is as I found it.

    I arrived in Poland in June 1979 just a week after Pope John Paul II had conducted a mass at Birkenau. There were many places where people left flowers, many on the wires. The flower is as I found it.

  • Auschwitz I, 2004

    Auschwitz I, 2004

  • Auschwitz I, 2004

    Auschwitz I, 2004

  • Auschwitz I, 2004

    Auschwitz I, 2004

  • Krematorium I. Auschwitz I, 2004

    Krematorium I. Auschwitz I, 2004

  • Men's quarantine camp BIIa, Birkenau, 2004 For orientation see hot map at http://www.remember.org/camps/birkenau/index.html Just click on a red rectangle and it will take you to that spot.

    Men's quarantine camp BIIa, Birkenau, 2004 For orientation see hot map at http://www.remember.org/camps/birkenau/index.html Just click on a red rectangle and it will take you to that spot.

  • Ruins of Krematorium V, 2004, destroyed by the SS in Jan. 1945 in order to avoid discovery by the advancing Russians.

    Ruins of Krematorium V, 2004, destroyed by the SS in Jan. 1945 in order to avoid discovery by the advancing Russians.

  • Kanada, Birkenau, 2004. These foundations are all that is left of the barrack/warehouses, used by the Nazis to sort and store the possessions stolen from victims arriving in cattle cars. Go to http://www.ushmm.org photo archive and search for Kanada/ Birkenau. These are actual photos taken by the SS.

    Kanada, Birkenau, 2004. These foundations are all that is left of the barrack/warehouses, used by the Nazis to sort and store the possessions stolen from victims arriving in cattle cars. Go to http://www.ushmm.org photo archive and search for Kanada/ Birkenau. These are actual photos taken by the SS.

  • Krematorium I. Auschwitz I, 2004

    Krematorium I. Auschwitz I, 2004

  • Jake shooting virtual tour 2004. See http://www.remember.org/auschwitz/

    Jake shooting virtual tour 2004. See http://www.remember.org/auschwitz/

  • Bars down to the punishment cells in the basement of Block 11. Most modern prisons have an isolation unit, colloquially known as "the hole". Block ii was a place of torture, murder by shooting, suffocation and starvation. For a virtual look at some of the cells in this basement see http://www.remember.org/auschwitz/ and then go to #12.

    Bars down to the punishment cells in the basement of Block 11. Most modern prisons have an isolation unit, colloquially known as "the hole". Block ii was a place of torture, murder by shooting, suffocation and starvation. For a virtual look at some of the cells in this basement see http://www.remember.org/auschwitz/ and then go to #12.

  • Krystyna Jacobs at Birkenau ramp, 2004. She is responsible for doing the technical work on the virtual tour. She also assisted in the shoot.

    Krystyna Jacobs at Birkenau ramp, 2004. She is responsible for doing the technical work on the virtual tour. She also assisted in the shoot.

  • Birkenau ramp, 2004.

    Birkenau ramp, 2004.

  • Entrance to Auschwitz I. "Work Makes Freedom". 2004

    Entrance to Auschwitz I. "Work Makes Freedom". 2004

  • Auschwitz I, stairs to model of the gassing process in Birkenau's Krematorium II. See http://www.remember.org/auschwitz/bir.php?id=12

    Auschwitz I, stairs to model of the gassing process in Birkenau's Krematorium II. See http://www.remember.org/auschwitz/bir.php?id=12

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    Jewish prayer shawls (Tallis') stolen from those deported to Auschwiz hanging mutely in an Auschwitz Museum storage room. photo 1979.
    The only remaining intact gas chamber and crematorium: Krematorium I, Auschwitz. photo 1979
    The Krankenbau or camp hospital courtyard. Prisoners came to the hospital seeking, if nothing else, a brief respite from the killing work. Those too ill to work were killed by phenol injection to the heart, or sent to the gas. For a photo and survivor art showing these prisoners being whipped onto a truck for transport to the gas chamber, see http://remember.org/then-and-now/tn05.html edit