Auschwitz In The Snow

You are not allowed to take photos of the hair on displaty for religous reasons though I saw someone do so.
There were a few places I did not photograph other than the hair also.
 
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MartynK said:
I've also heard the story about the lack of bird life, but it was in the context of Belsen and, I think, Dachau. Other people have said it's nonsense and they did see and hear birds at the sites. Who knows? Perhaps there is something in it, or a simple explanation, or it's just coincidental.
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The American cemetery in Normandy is the same, not a single sound of birdlife, completely still.
 
As always the photos of Auschwitz are emotional.
Excellent shots of a truly horrific time in history
 
pic number 9 should not be on display as a respect to those people who died
you willl have been told by the tour guide to respect the dead and not to take pictures in that room
thats the only place on the tour they ask for some respect
so just wonder why you still took pics in that room maybe you dont respect there requests
bad taste in my opinion
 
holty said:
pic number 9 should not be on display as a respect to those people who died
you willl have been told by the tour guide to respect the dead and not to take pictures in that room
thats the only place on the tour they ask for some respect
so just wonder why you still took pics in that room maybe you dont respect there requests
bad taste in my opinion
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I'll take that as a compliment as you must think the rest of the images are respectful which is obviously what I was trying to do with the set.

This was a corridor in one of the buildings we walked through and at no point was I told not to take photographs. If I felt it was disrespectful it wouldn't be there. The reason for that photo was to show the flower that had been left by someone who knew the person or could have been a relation of the person, to let people know that the victims are never forgotten about. I suppose one of the joys of photography is that it is very subjective.

Thanks everyone! :)
 
Powerful set of images shot at the right time of year, the gloomy winter sky and snow on the ground really set the images off. A bright sunny day with blue sky just wouldn't seem right, have to wonder if there is ever a blue sky above that place. Ive not been there but i have visited Yad Vashem Holocaust museum in Israel which is a harrowing reminder of the past....
 
Very nice Brian, really well documented. We visited there ourselves about five years ago, very haunting place. We stayed a few miles outside of Krakow city and really enjoyed our time there, we'll be back to visit again at some stage, a beautiful city, plenty see and do there. We where there in early March and most days it was -15, hat/gloves/scarf needed.

We enjoyed the tram system in/around the city.

Regards;
Peter
 
Bazza said:
I'll take that as a compliment as you must think the rest of the images are respectful which is obviously what I was trying to do with the set.

This was a corridor in one of the buildings we walked through and at no point was I told not to take photographs. If I felt it was disrespectful it wouldn't be there. The reason for that photo was to show the flower that had been left by someone who knew the person or could have been a relation of the person, to let people know that the victims are never forgotten about. I suppose one of the joys of photography is that it is very subjective.

Thanks everyone! :)
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Picture 9 is from the corridor of the ground floor of the building. You walk around the rooms, upstairs and back out through that corridor. We weren't asked not to take photos there, but in other rooms in that building, at least three weeks ago when I went.
 
I will echo what has been said already, a fabulous set of photos

I have never visited but imagine it would be utterly harrowed, yet fascinating
 
I find the image #14 and your observation interesting.

In that the phrasing does to me seem 'modern' i.e. someone for whatever motivation wrote that on what should not have been written on! It could be seen, because where & what happened there, as a desecration of a grave site......................writing a Christian message on the tombstone of a Jew. Just think, how wrong that can be even if the writer did not appreciate and/or understand such an interpretation of their scraffiti.

In common with many areas that require just quiet contemplation & respect the taking of photographs should only record for generations to come what the place(s) represent and in the case of Auschwitz the most damning indictment of mans' inhumanity to their fellow man.

PS talking of how quite such places are and can be..................I am minded to recall when we were in Venice (last time?) we walked through the Jewish Ghetto quarter and compared to the many other parts of Venice there were only a few people walking through. And unlike any other part of the city there was a chalet/cabin and this was as far as I could tell a permanent police presence there. As for contemplative, there are a series of intensely thought provoking bronze friezes depicting the events in the Ghetto during the war with the last in the series effectively a shrine with flowers and if I recall candles such as those of Jewish faith light to remember the dead.
 
Very evocative set of images that I feel capture the dreadful atmosphere of the place.

Shocked that anyone should of desecrated Auschwitz as shown in picture 14, especially with that phrase, disgusting.
 
In regard to the bronze friezes I mention

I did take photographs, as in one sense they are public artworks, and the last one I spoke of shows the Venetian Jews being forced to board the cattle trucks train. Another pays respect and tribute to those that were transported in three languages.

We were there in January 2013 and I have yet to process any of that group of images and it was this thread that prompted me to even look at them again to check in part that I recalled that last one correctly.......yes it has flowers and candles :sad:
 
ukaskew said:
Thanks, my primary aim wouldn't be photography and I'm not sure if I would be comfortable taking any at all, but I would take the camera to at least have the option to do so depending on how I feel.

Is it full of the usual tourists with iPhones/iPads snapping away? I find it hard to imagine what it must be like.
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Chris, I'm Polish - if you are thinking about visiting Poland - please do not hesitate PM me - I can give you nice tips where to go. For sure for someone who weren't in Poland since 2005 (loads of changes while we are in EU) is worth visiting places such as Krakow, Wroclaw, Gdansk and its surroundings.
Auschwitz is a place 'must see' for everyone who hasn't experienced WWII in person or in the family. But once you are in Krakow (or it is your main place where are you trying to go) and you are interested in WWII history - worth visiting is Schindler's Factory in Krakow.
 
Bazza, what a darkly beautiful, emotional and evocative set. I think you've really managed to capture the stark sadness of this place and your images really moved me.
I don't believe image no 9 is offensive in any way - in fact, I think it is very important to your set as it actually shows a person - it makes those poor wretched souls individuals, and emphasises that those unspeakable atrocities happened to normal people like you and me.
Beautiful and haunting work
x
 
TomStoff said:
Chris, I'm Polish - if you are thinking about visiting Poland - please do not hesitate PM me - I can give you nice tips where to go. For sure for someone who weren't in Poland since 2005 (loads of changes while we are in EU) is worth visiting places such as Krakow, Wroclaw, Gdansk and its surroundings.
Auschwitz is a place 'must see' for everyone who hasn't experienced WWII in person or in the family. But once you are in Krakow (or it is your main place where are you trying to go) and you are interested in WWII history - worth visiting is Schindler's Factory in Krakow.
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Schindlers factory was very cheap to get into, turned into a museum of the history of Krakow at the turn of the war and during. I would say a must to visit, and walking past the jewish square with the chairs...
 
A thought invoking set. Thank you for showing them!

I especially liked Image 2, beautiful work!
 
Orangecroc said:
Fantastic set, and very tasteful. Obviously the history of the location itself is unsettling, but something about #3 hit me at the pit of my stomach. I have absolutely no idea what did it, but something there really hit me.
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Yes, I think it symbolises the entire ethos of Auschwitz (and other such places). It is a road to nowhere.

Super pictures (all of them). Overwhelming emotional impact.
 
Very powerful imagery from a place of such unimaginable atrociousness. The snow adds so much more to the environment.
Your image. #8, of the single red shoe amongst the black, really reminds me of Oliwia Dabrowska or 'red coat girl' in the movie Schindler's List, which is such a fitting coincidence.
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