Visiting Auschwitz Birkenau

Auschwitz concentration camp was the largest Nazi death camp. It's estimated that about 2 million people (Jews, mostly) perished in it. It was declared World Heritage Site in 1979. It was directed, under Himler's supervision, by Rudolf Hoss until 1943 when it was replaced by Arthur Liebehenschel and Richard Baer .

 

It housed some famous prisioners as the prestigious psychiatrist Viktor Frankl , who survived and wrote his memoirs in the camp in " Man's Search for Meaning "or the beatified St. Maximilian Kolbe , who died after voluntarily changing the position of a condemned man.

The complex is divided into three camps: Auschwitz I, Auschwitz II (Birkenau) and Auschwitz III. Today you can only see the I and II..


HOW TO GET AUSCHWITZ FROM KRAKOW

The best way to get to the camp is to catch a bus at the main bus station in Krakow (location here ). It runs every half hour and the ticket is purchased directly on the bus. The ticket price is 20 zlotys outward / return ($7). The bus direction is Oswiecim (signposted both the bus and on the platform where parking). It takes half an hour to arrive and it leaves us in the parking of Auschwitz I, next to the entrance. If you go by train to Auschwitz, you will have to walk 1.2 miles to the entrance of Auschwitz I.

AUSCHWITZ I

Location here .

Official Website: http://www.auschwitz.org

Open every day except 1 January, 25 December and Easter Sunday.

Opening hours:

• 8:00 a.m. to 3:00 PM from December to February
• 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 PM March, November
• 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 PM April, October
• 8:00 a.m. to 6:00 PM May, September
• 8:00 a.m. to 7:00 PM June, July, August

From November 1 to March 31 admission is free, but guided tours are 40 zlotys ($13).  
Guided tours schedule:

• Polish: 11.00 am, 1.30 pm (except 27/01/2013)

• English: 10.30 am, 11.30 am, 12.30 pm, 1.20 pm (except 01/27/2013)

• French: 12.30 pm (except 13.11.2012, 14.11.2012 and 01.27.2013)

• German: 12.30 pm (except 01/27/2013)

• Italian: 24:30 (except 14.01, 23.01, 27.01, 09.03, 17.03 and 03.18.2013)

• Spanish: 12.30 pm (except 27/01/2013)

From April to October is mandatory ent with tour, 40 zlotys ($13).  
Guided tours schedule:

• Spanish: April, October: 12.00 am from May to September: 10.00 am, 12.00 am, 2 pm

• English: October: every hour between 10.30 am and 3.30 pm from May to September: every 30 minutes between 9.30 am - 3.30 pm

It is estimated that the tour lasts about 4 hours.

It's better to visit the camp during the fall-winter months. In the summer months there are many visitors and the visit is more uncomfortable. Moreover, in summer months it's required to enter with a guided tour and it's not the best way to see it. I would recommend to spend a full day to visit the camp on your own, without a guide. You can cross the entrance with the guided group and once inside go by yourself.

If you want to plan your visit, the official website offers a virtual tour where you can find what is in each barrack. You can click here go there.

Krakow Part I: Visit Plaszow, the Liban Quarry and the house of Amon Goeth

HOW TO GET PLASZOW FROM KRAKOW?

It's located 1.5 km away from the Ghetto Square, but it's a little far from the city center and taking into account that once we get there you'll have to keep walking, the best option is public transport. Several trams reach the camo: the 3, 6, 9, 13, 23 and 24 (depending on where you take it). You'll have to get off at the cemetery Podgórski (cmentarz Podgórski). 

If you take the tram in the square of the ghetto, for example, this is the path that it follows (click here ). You have to to get off at point B. 

PLAN YOUR VISIT

Once there, the best route to choose is this (click here to see the map):

A. Tram stop

B. Amon Goeth House . Walk few meters through Wielicka street from the tram stop (leaving the graveyard behind) until you find Jerozolimska street on the right. Go through this and climbed straight on to the beginning of Wiktora Heltmana where you can find the house on the right side. You can see it in the street view.

C. Plaszow Memorial. Following along the way we found several entries of the camp. The one that I indicate will take you to the memorial.

D. Liban Quarry. Continuing along the marked path to a cliff where you will find yourself in front of the old factory. Skirting the cliff you can reach the entry.

If you have time, just few steps from the factory, you have the mount of Prince Krak or Krakus dating from the seventh century. It is said that there is buried the founder of Krakow.

 Panoramic view with the factory and the mound.

THE CONCENTRATION CAMP OF PLASZOW

Built in 1942 as a camp of work, in 1943 was expanded to become concentration camp where Jews were deported from the Krakow ghetto. It's the camp that appears in the film Schindler's List.

 The field in 1943.

At the present there are just few remains of what it was, as it was totally destroyed. There are still a few posts up.