I visited Auschwitz in March 2007 on a school history trip that also took us to Berlin and Krakow. It’s impossible to describe the eerie and chilling quiet of that place. The collections of baby clothing in particular stay etched in my brain and, having two younger brothers, it was hard to avoid picturing their own clothing there in the display cabinets. Eyeglasses more than you could ever estimate the number of, the carpets made from human hair and the smallness and haunting finality of the gas chambers themselves. I slept poorly that night, not appreciating then quite how transformational this experience had been, the realisation of the smallness of self, the ingenuity of evil and the fleetingness of life.
Thank you for reading, Pete. It’s powerful how some images - like the children’s clothing - stay with us, impossible to shake. I felt a similar heaviness, thinking of my own children, as you did with your brothers.
Experiences like that are a stark reminder that the evil in this world always has a face. It’s unsettling, but it also brings a strange kind of clarity about what really matters.
Hope your family is well, Pete, and thank you for sharing how this place impacted you.
I remember vividly as well how, having burst into tears in that room when I saw the baby clothing, later that same day one of the other pupils had asked me in not a pleasant way why I had been crying. I knew at that age as I would know now not to dignify such a statement with a response. But I remember a churning feeling inside, realising that the deaths of a million ppl had washed over them and had had no effect whatsoever on their soul
This was so touching, Mark and I can really feel through your words the impact the experience had on you. I love what you said about building resilience not only through you but through others, through the past, through humankind.
The detail of the shoes and the personal objects gives horror a face, doesn't it?
It was a beautiful article in spite of the horror behind it.
Thank you, Veronica! I’m so glad the piece resonated with you. Writing it was an emotional journey, and I hoped to convey that shared resilience we all hold, even in the face of such unimaginable horror.
I agree - the personal objects, those small details, truly bring the human story to the forefront.
Wow , what an incredibly moving account of your journey Mark ! How harrowing, I can’t even begin to imagine what it was like for the victims that faced extreme cruelty, dehumanization, suffering, violence and barbarity that was inflicted upon them.
To be fair, I found writing it brought all of those feelings flooding back - sometimes you have to just go where the writing takes you!
I left Auschwitz feeling oddly optimistic, despite everything we’d seen. Even in that hell on earth, people had pulled together to support each other - remarkable x
An incredibly powerful and touching memoir, especially your words about Berkenau. I've still not been brave enough to go.
Many thanks Gail … we owe it to ourselves as humans to sometimes stare into the abyss
I visited Auschwitz in March 2007 on a school history trip that also took us to Berlin and Krakow. It’s impossible to describe the eerie and chilling quiet of that place. The collections of baby clothing in particular stay etched in my brain and, having two younger brothers, it was hard to avoid picturing their own clothing there in the display cabinets. Eyeglasses more than you could ever estimate the number of, the carpets made from human hair and the smallness and haunting finality of the gas chambers themselves. I slept poorly that night, not appreciating then quite how transformational this experience had been, the realisation of the smallness of self, the ingenuity of evil and the fleetingness of life.
Thank you for reading, Pete. It’s powerful how some images - like the children’s clothing - stay with us, impossible to shake. I felt a similar heaviness, thinking of my own children, as you did with your brothers.
Experiences like that are a stark reminder that the evil in this world always has a face. It’s unsettling, but it also brings a strange kind of clarity about what really matters.
Hope your family is well, Pete, and thank you for sharing how this place impacted you.
I remember vividly as well how, having burst into tears in that room when I saw the baby clothing, later that same day one of the other pupils had asked me in not a pleasant way why I had been crying. I knew at that age as I would know now not to dignify such a statement with a response. But I remember a churning feeling inside, realising that the deaths of a million ppl had washed over them and had had no effect whatsoever on their soul
I’ve been there Pete - sadly that doesn’t make him unique! All we can do is challenge one person at a time, time after time.
Wow , so powerful I felt very emotional through you and your writing .
That’s so kind Anna … thank you so much ❤️
This was so touching, Mark and I can really feel through your words the impact the experience had on you. I love what you said about building resilience not only through you but through others, through the past, through humankind.
The detail of the shoes and the personal objects gives horror a face, doesn't it?
It was a beautiful article in spite of the horror behind it.
Thank you, Veronica! I’m so glad the piece resonated with you. Writing it was an emotional journey, and I hoped to convey that shared resilience we all hold, even in the face of such unimaginable horror.
I agree - the personal objects, those small details, truly bring the human story to the forefront.
Thank you again.
Wow , what an incredibly moving account of your journey Mark ! How harrowing, I can’t even begin to imagine what it was like for the victims that faced extreme cruelty, dehumanization, suffering, violence and barbarity that was inflicted upon them.
Thank you Francis.
To be fair, I found writing it brought all of those feelings flooding back - sometimes you have to just go where the writing takes you!
I left Auschwitz feeling oddly optimistic, despite everything we’d seen. Even in that hell on earth, people had pulled together to support each other - remarkable x