Our guide, Sebastian, has worked there since 1998. He was able to meet survivors and hear their experiences firsthand, which he passed onto us. It was a somber account of humanity (and insanity) at its worst. You walk through the tour dazed as you continue to be confronted with horrific images - either mentally or right in front of your eyes. We saw rooms filled to the brim with suitcases, shoes, personal belongings, children's clothes, and over two tons of human hair that was taken from women who had just been murdered to be recycled or sold.
We learned that twins were kept alive merely for research and experimentation. The Nazis wanted to find a way for Germans to give birth to multiples to expand their "pure" race. Only 46 pairs of twins were part of the liberated 7,500 survivors. The twins that didn't survive were euthanized together, and their bodies opened for more research.
The tour also led us to Birkenau, the main station where the initial "selection process" took place. Here, the four main gas chambers were ready for most women, children under 14, and anybody else deemed unfit for work.
To walk in the footsteps of this tragic piece of history was an experience not to be forgotten.
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