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Thread: Auschwitz/Birkenau

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    I Am A Princess! shelley bda's Avatar
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    Auschwitz/Birkenau

    Has anyone visited? my Son is going in February with the School and I think it will be an amazing experience for them... would love to visit the place myself. Apparently they are are being given counselling before the visit and after it, whilst I commend the School for preparing them mentally I wanted to know if anyone who visited thought counselling necessary? I know the atrocities that went on there, and heard about the oppresion that surrounds the place, and if it's that bad should they be going there anyway? but it seems to be a once in a lifetime thing, so I feel he should go. They are also going to visit the Berlin Wall, and Checkpoint Charlie Museums which are interesting places in their own right.

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    Senior Member watforddude's Avatar
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    Re: Auschwitz/Birkenau

    I think its a good idea them taking it, it gives them a real feel for what its like instead of reading it out of school book. i wish when i was at school they took me there, to shut up some of the idoits who found it funny.
    Quote Originally Posted by snootyjim View Post

    with 29 minutes to go the watford dude saved the day!


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    Re: Auschwitz/Birkenau

    I've not visited. The holocaust museum in Israel was harrowing enough, I can imagine visiting the actual camps would be even more so. Yes, worth going.

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    Re: Auschwitz/Birkenau

    http://www.halifaxcourier.co.uk/feat...ars.3821820.jp

    it will be quick an impact on him, how old is he?
    Quote Originally Posted by snootyjim View Post

    with 29 minutes to go the watford dude saved the day!


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    Re: Auschwitz/Birkenau

    I found the Holocaust exhibition at the Imperial War Museum quite disturbing when I went last month. If it's still on, might be worth visiting that first to get an idea of how he reacts. There was a lot of text in it, but there should be enough to keep children's attention. There's also all the other exhibitions (WWI, WWII etc.) as well, with tanks and planes and so on.

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    Re: Auschwitz/Birkenau

    Thanks for all your input Guys... I want him to go as like Watforddude said, he'll experience so much more from visiting than any book or internet research. Plus it will benefit him for his History GCSE.

    He'll be 16 when he goes btw, and a sensitive soul at the best of times so yes, it will impact heavily on him, that's an interesting article you posted, good to read first hand experiences other People have had from visits. I've bookmarked that for him so thanks

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    Re: Auschwitz/Birkenau

    I've never been, but I will go sometime in my life. My wife, a longterm History student (just finishing her masters now), went a few years ago. I think the point is to wake people up to what happens when unthinking blind hatred runs rampant.

    It's very easy to be misled into thinking that some people are scum and need to be dealt with. You see it in this country with calls for the death penalty to be reintroduced. But- the logical conclusion of that line of thinking is manifested at Auschwitch- people being murdered on an industrial scale.

    I hope that the reality of it will persuade anyone against the idea of state-sponsored killing- because the reality of organised death is so utterly ghastly, frightening, and disgusting.

    A visit to Auschwitz will upset any right thinking person. That's no reason not to go.

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    Re: Auschwitz/Birkenau

    I went to Bergen Belsen when I was about 14

    Probably handled it better then than I would now - I wouldn't worry too much

    I would recommend that everyone should visit one of the sites

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bergen-...entration_camp

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    Re: Auschwitz/Birkenau

    Here's a post from another forum I use from someone who recently visited.

    I've just come back from a holiday in Poland. Visited Wroclaw, Kracow, Zakopane and have to say they are beautiful places, not what I expected how an ex communist country could be now.

    But have to say, eye opener (not highlight) of the tour was visiting Auschwitz - Birkenau. We had a tourguide who said enough to just open your eyes to what went on there, sher didn'y say too much to cause distress or offence, just stated the facts. She did open up and say she has been giving tours for 25 years and every day at the start it is difficult. Going into the Block 11 prison block and seeing the standing cells, suffocation cells, starvation cells was shocking enough.

    Block 10 where Josef Mengele did his experiments along with others, what went on there was appalling.

    I think the worst was seeing the museum block where they had a room full of human hair, shaved off the heads of pretty much everyone that entered the place. A room full of childrens shoes and clothing was really shocking and realising those children never got into the camp.

    But then realisng the numbers. At it's peak, over 10,000 people a day were being put into the gas chambers!

    In 8 weeks in 1944, nearly half a million people were murdered.

    It wasn't just jews, the figures speak for themselves

    960,000 Jews
    150,000 Ethnic Poles
    23,000 Gypsies

    The numbers are unbelievable, perhaps that is why there are so many Holocaust deniers, but whilst I was in Poland, I read the book Auschwitz by Laurence Rees. I don't know whether the book had it's own agenda, but what I found sickening, wasn't the persecution, the selections etc, but how humans could continue a persuit of work to make a more efficient extermination factory, which is what the death camps were.

    I had my eyes opened and truly hope the world never has to experience the likes of that era again. Only time will tell though.

    I sincerely hope this post doesn't cause offence. I for one will never go back again. It's not somewhere I think anyone would want to go, but perhaps should go, especially the deniers. It is their rhetoric that I find quite offensive - perhaps if they opened their eyes and mind, they would acknowledge the horror of what went on, but I think they are probably too narrow minded to do so.
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    Re: Auschwitz/Birkenau

    I visited Auschwitz in my youth, in the early 80's when it was difficult to get into the country and there wasn't a museum or whatever. It left a permanent mark on my soul, but that's not a bad thing. As Rave said 'A visit to Auschwitz will upset any right thinking person.'

    I can't see your son coming away untouched, but it's not going to harm him.

    Last year I took my parents and some elderly relatives around the war cemeteries in Northern France, Belgium and Luxembourg, to say goodbye to their relatives. Some of the memorials, in places like Verdun and Ypres, are horrific. Countless thousands of people whose bodies were never recovered, just pulped and destroyed. There are still teeth and bones in the soil. But after my parents came back from Auschwitz you could see that they had been much more affected by the 3 million or so who died there.

    There's a huge difference between the casual slaughter of tens of thousands of troops in a battle, even one as pointless as Verdun, and the deliberate massacre of millions of civilians in the most efficient way possible, and I think everyone should learn that.

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    Re: Auschwitz/Birkenau

    I took a trip to Dachau, whilst in Munich. Very eerie place and if you wanted to see and read everything, it'd take a whole day. Definitely worth doing and a learning experience.

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    Re: Auschwitz/Birkenau

    There's a gallery here of some of the SS guards and auxilliaries. I don't know what I was expecting, but their demeanour is not what you might expect.
    Last edited by santa claus; 26-06-2009 at 09:58 PM.

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    Re: Auschwitz/Birkenau

    Thanks for the input, the info everyone has given will help immensely, nothing I can say can ever prepare him, he needs to be able to see the thoughts and feelings of People who have experienced a visit, so everything posted will be logged for him to read

    Maybe he should join the community so he can read and thank everyone himself

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    Re: Auschwitz/Birkenau

    not a problem buddy, glad i could help.
    Quote Originally Posted by snootyjim View Post

    with 29 minutes to go the watford dude saved the day!


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    Re: Auschwitz/Birkenau

    Both my parents have been there recently. Much of my family was there a long time ago. None of them left though. It wasn't just jews they murdered. Particularily sad considering they had escaped Stalin and went through Poland. I have no doubt that the reason that I even exist is due to my grandfather's character alone!
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    I Am A Princess! shelley bda's Avatar
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    Re: Auschwitz/Birkenau

    Quote Originally Posted by badass View Post
    Both my parents have been there recently. Much of my family was there a long time ago. None of them left though. It wasn't just jews they murdered. Particularily sad considering they had escaped Stalin and went through Poland. I have no doubt that the reason that I even exist is due to my grandfather's character alone!
    That must of been very emotional for your Parents sounds like an incredible journey your family made all those years ago. Ever thought of visiting there yourself?

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