Auschwitz concentration camp is a place, which creates very special and rather serious impressions and gives a lot of information. If you want to obtain more information about the Holocaust and to get acquainted with the victims’ stories, obtaining an Auschwitz Birkenau Memorial and Museum guided tour is a prerequisite. This article will bring you an accurate overview of what visitors should knowingly be prepared for and important details that might help to make the sightseeing tour as valuable as possible.

Understanding Auschwitz: A Brief Background

Auschwitz concentration camp was in the occupied Poland during World War II being one of the most infamous Nazi camps. The holocaust camps: Auschwitz is reported to have taken more than 1.1 million lives; the greater part of them being Jews.

The camp consists of two main sections: Auschwitz I and

 AuschwitzII-Birkenau. Auschwitz I was initially designed as the headquarters of the camp and murder operational center, while Auschwitz II-Birkenau was designed as the kileriam which means extermination centre. It’s opened today for tourists The two sections are available for public access today.

Preparing for Your Tour

• Booking: It is advised that you pre-book your Auschwitz tour particularly during the summer because only a limited number of people is allowed due to the respect paid to the victims. Currently, there are tickets available for purchase online through the website of the Auschwitz Birkenau Memorial and Museum.
• Dress code: The visit to Auschwitz requires a serious attitude and so people should dress properly. Do not wear any clothes with distasteful pictures or sayings written on them. Bring layers of clothing since it takes an extensive amount of time to complete the walk; also, proper footwear for walking should be worn.
• Gearing up: Small backpack is recommended along with some water, some kind of snack, sunscreen and a hat. However, more ideas can be oganized in a formal notebook or an informal journal where participants can write after the tour.

During the Tour

Guided or Self-Guided:

There are two options for visiting Auschwitz: envisaged as a guided tour or an autonomous tour. A guided tour offer a guide who will take you around the camp and give descriptions of the camp and Holocaust. On the other hand self guided tour involves moving around the camp which is self driven with the help of information boards fitted around the camp.

However, on a self-drive you get more freedom while on a guided tour you may get more in-depth information and even the life history of the places you are visiting.

Exploring Auschwitz I:

Auschwitz I was a part of the first camp developed in 1940. Here are displayed various pieces of collections that illustrate the history of Auschwitz and the holocaust. Go through the prisoner’s area and get to know the reconstructed gas chamber and the crematorium which being today’s versions remind about the suffering in the past.

Visiting Auschwitz II-Birkenau:

Auschwitz II Birkenau situated a little away from Auschwitz I, was the main concentration camp where extermination took place. This segment of the camp is large with lines of barracks and traces of gas chambers and crematoria. While walking towards the gatehouse crossing the railway tracks you will be able to grasp the horror of the holocaust in full measure.

Time for Reflection:

It is most upsetting to see Auschwitz. Make sure that you are spending time reading the information on the victims and thinking about the circumstances. Some of the visitors may benefit from visiting the memorial ceremony or coming to the Memorial Wall. Do not take selfies and do not talk too loud because it is forbidden by the site significance to those people.

Conclusion

A visit to an Auschwitz concentration camp is admittedly a serious and a must go adventure. When you tour Aushwitz, you pay tribute to the souls that perished and learn about one of the worst periods in mankind’s history. Going to the Memorial, people should be mentally prepared and use the chance to think about the past, and make sure such things do not happen again. Therefore, let me remind everyone gentle reader inclusive that as people of this world it is this good virtue that makes us to learn from our past and uphold the virtues of tolerance and togetherness.