The gates leading into Auschwitz. "Labour makes you free"
The 11 block. Where prisoners were lined up to be shot by a firing squad.
Birkenau Extermination Camp
What remains of the massive gas chambers at Birkenau. They were destroyed by the Nazis when they heard that the Russians were getting close to the camp.
Each chimney represents a cabin where over 300 people were forced to sleep, awaiting death.
The toilets, where some pregnant prisoners were forced to hide their babies if they were lucky to hide their bellies up to that point. The prisoners were known to band together in order to help protect the baby and would instill fear in the Nazis of the disease in the bathrooms, so that the soldiers wouldn't step foot inside the door. A few of those babies were fortunate enough to survive hell - and live.
What can I say?
What words can I formulate in an attempt to describe the horrors of the Holocaust? People often ask me what it was like - why I visited - why I took pictures - why I went to more than just one.
My answer is this: Europe is about culture.
Culture can be found within the walls of an old medieval castle. It can be found on the walls of the Louvre. It can be found in the hustle of the markets, the hum of the train tracks, the cacophany of the pubs. It can be found in the mountains, in the city squares, in the tiny space of an airplane cabin. Europe is the center of culture. We all have this romantic ideal of a fairytale land of expensive coffee and rich chocolate - where people sit and talk about art and listen to classical music. At least, I know that's what I thought before travelling to Europe for the first time at eighteen.
But, Europe's culture is also it's history. And it's history lies within the barbed wire fences of its concentration camps, as well as its heroic battle fields. If I intend to make myself a "cultured" person, then I would find myself an extreme hypocrite if I did not acknowledge the horros of the Holocaust that occurred in Europe during World War II. I think it's important for us to learn about it. I think it's vital for us to see the gas chambers, to walk into the cramped showers and to see the desolate expanse of fog that stretches out from Birkenau's gates. We have to acknowledge humankind's faults, as well as our victories. If we cannot learn to acknowledge our past, how can we expect to reach a future? We need to know that this sort of horror is something that we are capable. This is what hate and anger can lead to, if we let it. I do not enjoy visiting these camps. I do not like editing these photos. I hate reading the names on the memorials. But it's important. It's my job to educate those who cannot travel to see these place for themselves. It's my job to show you what it's like. That's why I do it. To remind you that hate needs to be replaces with humility and acceptance. To remind you to love.
That's what being "cultured" is all about. Realizing that you are not better than anyone else.
