This is the main gate of Birkenau camp (Auschwitz-2 camp) and the railway was not built till 1944. This extension to Auschwitz is situated about 5-10 minutes away by car . Often referred to as the ' Vernichtungslager ' or extermination camp or Auschwitz II–Birkenau ; designated by the Reichsführer-SS Heinrich Himmler, Germany's Minister of the Interior, as the place of the "final solution of the Jewish question in Europe
Nothing can be more chilling than a visit to Auschwitz- Birkenau situated in South west Poland about an hours drive from Krakow , the scene of the largest mass murder in history . It seemed quite apt to be a cold , bleak , Winters day in February when i visited , minus five degrees and filled with snow .
It is believed the RAF knew of the existence of the camp and its use due to aerial reconnaissance and evidence smuggled out . One theory is : the Germans used so much manpower and/or transport to run the camps , it was deemed in the Allies interests to allow them to continue .
View from the Gate House overlooking the gas chamber huts .
Closer view of the Gate House
The entrance to Auschwitz - the original camp Auschwitz I serving as the administrative center for the whole complex.
The gate bears the motto “Arbeit Macht Frei” (Work makes one free)
Entrance to Block 11 - he Punishment Block - run by The Gestapo .
The Wall Of Death Prisoners were shot and excecuted after exiting Block 11 and lining up against the wall .
Block 11 of Auschwitz was the "prison within the prison", where violators of the numerous rules were punished. Some prisoners were made to spend the nights in "standing cells". These cells were about 1.5 m2 (16 sq ft), and four men would be placed in them; they could do nothing but stand, and were forced during the day to work with the other prisoners. In the basement were located the "starvation cells "; prisoners incarcerated here were given neither food nor water until they were dead
I didn't take any photos inside Block 11 .
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