Having left Auschwitz only a couple of hours ago I find most of this video all the more powerful than it might otherwise have been. That's not to suggest it doesn't deserve recognition, or that it has no 'real' power upon the viewer, on the contrary, quite the opposite!
Perhaps to make my point clearer , I arrived at Auschwitz II this morning , about 08:30hrs, before anybody else was on the scene, other than the odd security staff here and there.
I had freedom of the site and no distractions whatsoever.
Prior to entering the gate, and after having parked up in the car park opposite, I took the short walk along the rail track to be able to view the entrance head on. As I walked along the track, away from the entrance I felt wave upon of wave of goose bumps crawling across my skin. I felt this occur perhaps a dozen times before it faded and I turned about to take some photo's, before heading into the grounds.
I was alone and had nothing but time to be able to absorb the enormity of this tragedy, the scale of the operation and the silence in the air.
After I had finished here I decided to hire a guide and restart the day at Auschwitz I. As powerful an occasion this is/was , I can't help but feel a guide takes something away from the personal experience of a visitation here.
In Auschwitz II there is nowhere you can't go alone, whereas Auschwitz I requires a guide , or you're not going in! It seemed wrong and, perhaps disrespectful toward history, to not take the guide opportunity of Auschwitz I. Afterall, this is where you will get a modern interpretation of what took place here, an interpretation that is going to be pretty well close to actual events.
On this guide you will also get to see many of the photo's previously mentioned in this thread, as well as the belongings , and more. Reading numbers in a book is one thing, seeing what these numbers represent in terms of solid objects is quite something else!
After this visit I continued with the guide to revisit Auschwitz II.
Being surrounded by so many other people, sharing the guide, and so many guide groups, is without doubt a distraction. I feel, to quite a high degree, it also desensitises (sp?) the individual experience. Being solitary permits 100% focus. This is not to say one way is any better than the other , or any more 'right' , but I feel for such a visit this really is best served as a personal experience , cold!
'Couples', on my tour experience would talk amongst one another, some would pass a 'joke', some would find humour in something that perhaps wasn't even related to this day, some would share mobile text viewing etc etc , but nobody on this tour absorbed this day 100% , it would be close to impossible to do when in company, I would suspect!
My personal experience would encourage me to suggest that if people are going in a group of perhaps 3,4 ,5, 6 bods then take the experience in Auschwitz II first, not Auschwitz I, as recommended. Split yourselves up and tour the site making sure you have nobody next to you, or within ear shot, and absorb this occasion alone , and meet up again after 'your' individual tour at the main entrance/car park.
Whatever you feel inside will only occur the once , and it will be on your very first visitation.
Perhaps then go to Auschwitz I and take the full tour so as to join all the dots.
By the time I left I felt a relief of the punishment upon the senses and at last the sorrow, the shame and disgust of being part of the human species could subside to a level I was more familiar with prior to my experience.
This is one of those experiences that will stay with you for the rest of your life, respect it ... and
feel it!