Visit to Auschwitz concentration camp in Poland!!
Hello everyone.
I’m Naoya Takahashi, a member of NET-GTAS who is studying abroad at a graduate school in Spain.
I went to Auschwitz concentration camp in Poland a few months ago.
It’s different from the Atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, but the inmates there were damaged by the same World War II.
While the number of victims of the atomic bombs in Hiroshima and Nagasaki was estimated to be about 500,000, the number of victims in Auschwitz was more than double and about 1.1 million.
Those detained here were severely tortured and some died.
I felt so sad and cruel that I couldn’t take photos of the museum decently.
There is no photo, but a pile of the hair of the contained women and the blankets made from it were on display.
Especially when I saw it, I was shocked and I couldn’t speak.
In addition, many people think that this tragedy should be inherited, and it has been made into movies as well.
I’m sorry for telling a negative story, but Poland that I visited this time has wonderful things, too.
For example, Krakow, second largest city of Poland, was once the capital of the country and it’s a historic and beautiful city.
Warsaw, current capital, is a related place to Chopin and Marie Curie and there are lots of attractions.
Also, Poland is said to be the most pro-Japanese country in Europe, and the Department of Japanese Studies at the University of Warsaw has 20 to 30 times as many applicants as the quota for admission, making it the most popular major in the country.
As I knew later, the students of this Department of Japanese Studies are also good at Japanese, and some of them are familiar with Kanjis and Japanese proverbs.
While the sad fact of Auschwitz concentration camp exists, Poland has fascinating things, too.
There is currently a war between Russia and Ukraine, but the wars and the nuclear weapons themselves should be gone.
I pray that world peace will be realized as soon as possible.
And I hope there will be more nice places like Poland.
Naoya Takahashi
Entrance of Auschwitz concentration camp |
Gatehouse |
Buildings inside the concentration camp |
Wawel Castle in Krakow |
Royal Castle in Warsaw |
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