Many people think that Auschwitz was just one concentration camp but they are wrong. The camps were three as aforementioned. The first one was created in 1940 a year after the beginning of the second world war and by 1942 the other two camps were built. Approximately 1.3 million Jews and 200.000 Polish, Soviet prisoners of war, Jehovah witnesses, homosexuals, Romani and many other groups of people were killed during Hitler's Final Solution.
Therefore I booked a guided tour of the camps while I was in Krakow. The tour costed 30 euros which sounds expensive when you compare it with the 5-7 euro cost of the public transport in order to get to Auschwitz. However, it was one of the rare occasions that I have paid extra for a guided tour during my traveling but I can assure you that it was worth every single penny and minute that I have spent during my visit to the concentration camps.
During the tour you are able to see where the prisoners lived, ate, showered, worked and died. The first thing I remember while entering the camp was the gate of Auschwitz and funny enough it reminded me of the X-Men's movie scene where Magneto discovered his powers. Except that little moment everything else was a complete tragedy. When you see in person the way those people lived and died, something changes inside of you. The sight of tons of human hair and the gas chambers is something you cannot read in books and that is why I believe everyone should visit a Nazi era concentration camp.
Overall, if you ever decide to visit Auschwitz or another camp I believe it will change you and the way you think about those atrocities that took place during the Nazi era of power. Whether you chose to do it with a tour guide or on your own it will be something that you will never forget.
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