Auschwitz

Definitely worth visiting. I went last year with a group and we had a brilliant tour guide who showed us everything including Birkenau. Its such an experience being there in person, much better than what you'd see on television or in pictures.

I agree with other posters. Have been there, Auschwitz 1 is where the famous 'Arbeit macht frei' sign is. This site mainly has brick buildings and was the original camp, there is a good tour around the camp and you are shown the execution wall. It was a strange experience to be honest, they have pictures on the walls of prisoners, and with their shaved heads and sullen expressions you would nearly think they were guilty of something, this was of course the psychology of the oppressors to de-humanise the inmates and make it easier to kill them without any mercy or empathy.

They say seeing Birkenau now is nothing like it would have been back then. There was no green grass and of course the smoke would have belched incessantly back then. There is a good tour around the site and they still have all the rooms displaying the personal possessions of the victims, shoes, suitcases, a mountain of hair, and of course the opened cans of zyklon B, I remember looking at all these things and thinking of the individuals who owned them, many of the suitcases had chalked names on them because they were told when then put them down that they would get them back again.

I would say that the enormity of the numbers killed there does numb your senses, it was just too much for my little brain, I found that Ann Franks house had a bigger impact on me because I could process the individual story better. It still amazes and shocks me that there are so many Holocaust deniers out there, these places should always be visited to make sure this never happens again.

I would get a good book on Krakow as well, we didn't and we missed out on a lot. For instance, outside our hotel beside the tram stop was a collection of sculptures showing various chairs, ie kitchen chairs, arm chairs etc. It was a strange place for a sculpture as it was out in the 'burbs and we thought it nice but slightly odd. It was only when my mother visited a second time and was on a tour that she was told the story behind it. This was the place the Jews were told to assemble one night for deportation to the 'East', they brought all their valuables with them including their furniture, when the Poles got up the following morning all that remained there were the chairs......

Apart from Auschwitz if ever in Berlin make sure to visit Sachenhausen Camp out in East Berlin. It was the first camp set up after the Nazis took power. Within hours they had rounded up a number of trade unionists etc. It was at this camp that the Arbeit Macht Frei sign was first erected. There was a slight mistake in the lettering but it became the norm for all the camps. It was here that Camp Commanders received their training before being allocate the other camps. It was also the camp where V.I.P. prisoners were held e.g relatives of prominent international politicians, leading clergymen, trade union leaders etc. It is nearly impossible to believe that these places existed just 70 years ago.

definitely worth doing but it's a long day and not for kids.

schindlers factory. get a guide. we tagged onto a group and it was fascinating what they were told.