So, I went to go start this post, assuming I had finished London, which in deed I have not but, the pictures are already uploaded for this post so, we're skipping ahead.
The Sunday after we got back from London we went to a Concentration Camp that is close to us. I have really been wanting to go to one ever since we moved here and this was our first opportunity to see one. I am pretty sure Flossenburg is a "toned down" version of the average concentration camp but, that didn't keep it from have a very somber and reverent feel.
This was the headquarters for the camp:
When you walk in you see barrack-style buildings and off to the left is the "roll call" field. Each morning the prisoners would have to report here and listen for their number to be called. This was also the central spot for hangings, right out in the open so everyone could see.
When prisoners were brought to the camp, they would be sent down this hall. This is where their name was taken away and they were given a number to be known by, their heads were shaved (usually by fellow prisoners), they were given their prison attire and eventually they were all sent into a washing room. Sometimes the water was freezing cold and other times it was scalding hot; the prisoners weren't given a choice about getting washed. It was so humiliating for them to stand in a huge open room, completely naked, being washed clean of their "filth".
The washing room:
Outside it was hard to believe that such a pretty area was home to so much horrific history. I could only imagine the prisoners holding on to the beauty that surrounded them allowing it lift their spirits, since not much else could.
There were watch towers surrounding the entire perimeter of the camp.
This was known as the "Valley of the Dead", for good reason. It was home to the killing grounds and the crematorium. Again, how can such a beautiful place has such a wicked past?
This reads: "These are the ashes and bones from mass-burnings"
And ... "Prisoners were shot in mass here"
The crematorium had such a sick feeling to it, I couldn't stay in there for long.
These fence posts were the original posts that were there during WWII. I would imagine with a lot more barbed wire.
Now, there are memorials all over the concentration camp. Memorials for Army, Marines, Air Force, the specific units that helped free the Jews and here is a Jewish memorial for all the 30,000 some Jews who were killed at Flossenburg.
The Nazi's decided that they had so many Jews/Homosexuals/Criminals that they were having to cremate that they built a little track for a cart to transport the prisoners down to the crematorium. This was the opening:
They had "sick bunks" that would be filled to the brim with those who were too sick to work but, they wouldn't ever give them medical attention. It was pretty much a cesspool for germs and disease. You knew if you ended up in the sick bunk, you wouldn't be coming out alive. If you wanted to stay alive it was important for you to keep working, the minute you were deemed to sick to work, it was off to the sick bunk with you. These are the remaining foundations of the sick hall.
They had solitary confinement for anyone who acted out or spoke their mind or stood up for someone else. They were removed completely from the group.
This view has changed a lot since WWII. You can see in the picture that the hill used to be covered with barracks for the prisoners.
It was a very humbling experience to be able to visit a concentration camp. I was disgusted at the ways the prisoners were treated, with absolutely zero respect. The scary part is Flossenburg is a pretty low-key concentration camp in comparsion to Dachau or Auschwitz.
To lighten our moods, we visited some castle ruins that are near by, before heading home ...
