All,
Following on from today’s lesson, for prep I would like you to do the following.
- Explore the three BBC web pages below.
This account of the 70th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz II-Birkenau (here).
The audio slideshow from the Auschwitz Museum explaining the problems of preserving the ageing and crumbling 191-hectare site, with limited funds (here).
Two experts on Auschwitz arguing for and against the idea that the former Nazi death camp should be allowed to crumble away (here)
- Then post which view you agree with more (and why) below. One paragraph please.
Please note, for your post to appear, I will need to approve it – so don’t worry it is does not show up straight away.
You can of course discuss this with people at home.
Mr Kydd.
Hello Mr kydd. I strongly believe that Auschwitz should be kept, and should definitely not be destroyed. The reasons why I think that Auschwitz should be kept is because, firstly, so many people died at Auschwitz, and we want to remember them. However if we destroy Auschwitz, then we won’t be able to remember those who lost their lives. Furthermore, Auschwitz allows us to reflect on how lucky we are nowadays, and how poorly treated prisoners were in World War 2. In conclusion, i think that we should keep Auschwitz because, if we keep it we can remember those that died and also, if we keep it we can reflect on how lucky we are to not be put in any death camps.
I think that the Nazi concentration camp(Auschwitz) should be left to crumble away because even though it is a significant part of History, I think that such a horrific event shouldn’t still be publicised in this way. We still have a number of various books, websites and photos that tell us a huge amount of what happened, in fact we wouldn’t know as much as we do if we didn’t have those things, which shows that living proof isn’t really necessary. Also preservation costs are high and the people who run the ‘museum’ are finding it hard to keep this historical artefact the best maintained, therefore I believe the buildings should be left to die like the issue did many years ago.
I believe that Auschwitz should be preserved because it would be utterly disrespectful to those who lost their lives. Furthermore, these honourable Men and Women lost their lives to evil people and some were experimented on by Joseph Mengele and their limbs torn apart. We should be doing all that we can to preserve Auschwitz, after all it is part of our history and this place of pure horror can be used to show the future people of this planet that this is not the correct way to behave. Finally, imagine if you had lost a relative in the holocaust, how would you feel if the place they had died no longer existed? If Auschwitz didn’t remain then people could not pay their respects to the people who tragically lost their lives.
I believe that Auschwitz should be left to crumble because preserving it is a pointless waste of time and money that could be better spent on necessities such as education or healthcare. The structure of the camp was built to be temporary so it is a miracle it has even lasted this long and eventually maintaining it will be impossible so pouring more money into it is delaying the inevitable. Now in the 21st century most of the holocaust survivors have passed and the remaining ones will likely pass away soon so abandoning the camp wouldn’t affect many people. The argument that upholding the camp will help people’s awareness of the events is ridiculous.
In the hall at Dachau, George Santayana’s quote “Those who do not remember the past are condemned to repeat it” is displayed. Keeping sites like Auschwitz open is vital, as the march of ignorance in 21st Century moves ever forward, and the living testimonies of those who survived the horrors sadly are extinguished. We must remember. And learn.
RT post
I think that we should keep and preserve the concentration camp Auschwitz, because of all the historical value it keeps. I think this because, if you were to let Auschwitz to rot and die out the memories of our past will be forgotten, which could lead to the holocaust happening again or something similar to that. So if the camp where to stay the human race will remember it mistakes from the past and learn to be better. And you may say, why keep a place such as Auschwitz when it was used to kill millions, and feel that it’s right for people to make money out of. Although this is true, this place could be used to educate the future so that it doesn’t happen again, and some holocaust survivors might still come back one in a while to see their past again.
In conclusion, a strong part of me says to preserve it and another part tells me to leave it alone. However, I think that we should try our best to preserve his historical monument until the last holocaust survivor has passed away then we can let time take action on the camp.
I believe that the Nazi concentration camp, Auschwitz, should be preserved, since it was a symbolic and formidable part of History that future generations should be informed about. Reminding others that this level of ‘man’s inhumanity to man’ is unacceptable will prevent an atrocity such as this happening again. The key aspect discussed is the memorial and respect; furthermore, Auschwitz should stand as a testimony to those who suffered. However if the site was left to crumble, how would that be possible?
I personally think that Auschwitz should be left to decay and eventually become ruins. This is because there are different ways of remembering it. The camp doesn’t give as powerful a message as the stories of the survivors and maybe getting rid of the buildings could give people closure that that part of history is over. However I am in no way saying that Auschwitz should be forgotten, it was a horrific part of history that we need to prevent from happening again at any cost. Although education could be more important than leaving the camp standing especially as those funds could possibly be put to better use. Furthermore, some people could be visiting the camp for the wrong reasons such as Neo-Nazis. This is another reason that Auschwitz should not be preserved. However I believe that my opinion is not as important in this debate as the camp’s survivors’. If the survivors believe that the camp should be preserved to keep the link between generations and educate people in future then that is what should happen.
I believe that Auschwitz should be kept and the memory of this horrific event should be remembered even if the people who experienced it have long passed. I believe this because people should know the torture Jews faced during their oppression in Nazi Germany between 1939-45, they should know this because it shows them the terrible potential of mankind when they are given the power of life and death. Furthermore if there is no physical reminder of this atrocity, evil people may think that it can happen again with no reprimand for their actions, this is obviously not the case.
In conclusion i believe Auschwitz should be kept whatever the cost due to it’s historical, political, humanitarian impacts it had and continues to have on the modern world, without this people might start to forget the harsh reality of the Holocaust.
I believe that Auschwitz should be kept and preserved because of all the meaning and historical value it has behind it . Although it brings great distraught to many people, how will be able to remember and dwell upon all the lives that were lost? I believe that if we let Auschwitz crumble not only would we loose the building we would loose the memories too. You are taking the chance of family members to go and visit loved ones away. The building may not be there but the people still we. People can change views upon what has happened and make a difference for the better. In my opinion we need to keep this building standing for the younger generations as well because they wont be able to have the same understanding as we do now the building is standing and understanding how big it actually is.
Finally, how would you feel if you had a loved one die in Auschwitz and they want to knock down their ‘grave’ ?
Auschwitz must be maintained – we have a moral and historical responsibility to do so.
The camp is an essential reminder of how evil man can be and we must never forget that. It will also mean that we as a race will hopefully never commit the same horrifying, industrial scale crimes against humanity. As well as this, the camp will provide proof for future generations that something as horrific as the holocaust really did happen. It is evidence that can be used against those who deny the holocaust took place. We have been maintaining castles and other ancient buildings for millennia so why not Auschwitz? The upkeep of Auschwitz will also result in acting as a guide to prevent anti-Semitism and genocide in future generations.
However, some could disagree and say that we should let Auschwitz decay and rot because it’s bad for Poland’s global image to constantly be remembered as ‘the country that hosts the largest death camp in the world’
Personally, I feel that Auschwitz should be kept up. I believe this because, during the Holocaust, the Nazi’s plan was to initially remove the death camps as they were intended to be temporary but they are still standing to this day. I think it is important to keep it up because by letting the site crumble slowly, it will be finishing what the Nazi’s intended to do and will somehow give them the satisfaction of ‘getting the job done.’ Usually, we are taught lessons from history and are told to remember the past. In the past decade, the last of the holocaust victims have passed away so by letting the building disappear will be like forgetting the atrocity. We shouldn’t erase traces of what happened but yet try to keep it alive in order to educate future generations about the history and how it has shaped our world today. Other great ‘landmarks’ such as the pyramids and Colosseum have been left standing despite some of the awful things that happened. So by keeping the death camp up, it will prove that this really did happen and make what happened seem even more real with a physical connection. I believe that by erasing the past will be like removing a chunk of history which is purely ignorant.
Personally, I strongly feel that by leaving the campsite to decay and fade away, we are trying to remove the horrific past as if we can forget it. That after we and all the remaining holocaust survivors pass away all we will have left to remember and educate future generations about those who were cruelly and wrongly killed are photographs and documents. Auschwitz II-Birkenau is something real, a place where people who want to be educated about this subject can come and experience what happened to connect more. Moreover, we need to prevent the past from becoming fiction-like and Auschwitz is proof of this. I feel tremendous disrespect if we just let this significant piece of history rot not just physically but in our minds too, this is not something just to be forgotten at all.
I personally think that Auschwitz should be kept and preserved because people should always be reminded of what happened to all of those innocent men, women and children. When the next generation is learning about the Holocaust there will be no survivors, just like there are no veterans of the First World War now, which has the possibility of taking away the human connection to the events that occurred. So, in the future when people visit Auschwitz they will be able to connect with the fact that real people were kept in this room or that real people were gassed in this room; this will make sure that no one forgets the damages caused by discrimination, racism and genocide. Also, if we knocked down the remains it would be very disrespectful to the victims of the Holocaust because it is like we are disregarding what happened. Auschwitz needs to remain standing as a monument, a reminder and as a window into what happened to all those people who were killed because of their beliefs and the way they looked.
Dear Mr Kydd
I think that even though it was a terrible place to be, people could see and maybe even feel how they felt. Also if they read about it in text books they can’t see it or feel it but imagine it. Whereas if it stays where it is, people could go and see it and actually feel like one of those Jews and they will be able to know what it was really like. It is an opportunity to experience such a breathtaking, interesting place.
I think we should keep auschwitz
concentration camp. My first reason is because we need a reminder of what us as humans can do and how dangerous one person’s ideas can become and what affect those ideas can have on the rest of the world. My second reason is that we need to educate our future generations about the harm that the ideas of the Nazis can do and how they should never be used again. People who have survived the condition of Auschwitz can visit again and remember what happened and give a first hand account to historians that might want to know more about the conditions of the concentration camp.
Hi Mr. Kydd,
I strong believe that Auschwitz should be saved and preserved because of all the historical features of it and the history of the camp. It would be very disappointing and disrespectful to destroy Auschwitz as so many innocent men ,women and children died needlessly in Poland. Furthermore, it is the only surviving visual evidence of the process leading to mass murder. Just letting it remain there, will be a living memory to our history. Lastly, i would like to say that Auschwitz should be a place where people can witness what happened to the 1.1 million men women and children who last their lives there, Just showing how brutal it was back then.
Thanks
I personally think aushwitgz should be kept as almost a graveyard for all of the 1.3 million people who sadly died during the holocaust. for example there has been many debates and arguments whether the titanic should be brought up and put in a museum or it should stay down as a peace treaty almost, they have kept the titanic down there as a graveyard to all the people who sadly lost there life on board the titanic. also it gets the message out about what the people captured in autschwitz had to go through and I bet is a very moving place to visit; where I would love to visit in the future. I believe that getting rid of auschwitz would be very rude and disrespectful for everyone who died in auschwitz and would remove a piece of history from our minds
My opinion on this is that Auschwitz should be left as a reminder. I think this because whether we want it to be or not it is a historic landmark. We should be reminded of the horrors everyone involved in the Holocaust had to endure and be able to visit and pay our respects. This is especially for the victims of Auschwitz’s family or friends. Actually visiting the place is very different then just reading an article or book about it. You can really experience the atmosphere of a real life landmark. It’s a reminder for all ages of how horrible the human race can be, and to educate them to help stop some of the atrocities that still happen today.
Personally, I believe that Auschwitz should be left… not destroyed, not glorified, not worshiped, just preserved. I believed strongly that this abomination should be destroyed completely. Then, I after thoroughly thinking through it I came to a conclusion that it should be kept. My mind was not just swayed by the many reports of the families of the survivors, telling about how horrific this event was. I thought that this “place” should be kept as a reminder of how cruel, evil, diabolical, what ever you want to say- the human race really can be.
In my opinion, we should allow Auschwitz to decay and crumble. However I agree with Wladyslaw Bartoszewski in so far as, the only people who should have the right to decide its future are those who survived the horrible events that happened there. This is because by deciding what we should do with it ourselves, we are stripping them of their right and choice. Obviously, none of us have experienced the atrocities of a death camp, and though we may be able to educate ourselves, it is dehumanising and wrong for us to pretend we understand what they suffered through. As well as this, many historians argue that we cannot, without first hand accounts, understand what they went through. Some claim the now empty barracks are now just shells, places for tourists to ogle at. Should we allow Auschwitz to remain open, we could be allowing those with anti-Semitic views back into a place built so hatefully 70 years ago.
Personally I think that Auschwitz should be used as a historic building , although the events that happened there were awful , I think that it could help educate further generations , destroying it would make that process harder . In addition to this , it could also be a site for tourism and historical trips .
In my opinion, I feel that Auschwitz should not be preserved or destroyed, I just believe it should be left as it is as it is a massive historical mark left in our lives. The events that took place here are way too dreadful to be preserved, however the events should be remembered so I don’t think Auschwitz should be destroyed, just left as it is for future generations too remember what happened to the harmless Jews.
I think we should leave Auschwitz. It is a part in our history and even though it was a terrible part in our history it is still monumental and is a huge part in history. It is a reminder for all those lives lost at Auschwitz and if it is destroyed, some families may find it disrespectful. People can learn a lot from it and shows how awful it was back then, historic artifacts can be a rare thing to come across and if we keep it, we can find out more about World War II and learn more whilst also showing greater respect
In my opinion I do not think that we should not keep Auschwitz; even though the death camp is an important part of history and it is true that we must not forget the mistakes we. as people, made so they are not repeated, the last few survivors of the holocaust are dying and personally I think that the death camp should go with them. No sort of museum experience could ever depict how horrifying their experiences actually were and we have collected all the information and pictures from it needed to be able to remember the events of the 1940s. To sum up, the last of the holocaust survivors are dying and i think that Auschwitz should go with them.
Hi mr Kydd,
In my own point of view, I think Auschwitz should be maintained for as long as possible. This is because i think that destroying it will just seem as if we are trying to forget our past by letting the memorial decay where millions of Jews were murdered. In addition, we can learn from our mistakes by visiting the memorial; giving further education for generations to come about the horrific event which occurred. Similarly, this is one of the few pieces of evidence left that the Holocaust did take place and by destroying it, personally, is a silly move. It should stay for the hundreds of thousands of families who were affected and want to commemorate their ancestors for going through such pain and suffering.
For JP – I believe that Auschwitz should be preserved as it’s a memorial for the victims and will teach future generations many messages. This building will remind everyone about how we shouldn’t have people gain absolute control since it can lead to catastrophic events like this which should never happen again to a scale this big. Removing Auschwitz would also be similar to removing a memorial ground which could seem disrespectful and will prevent theorists saying that the Holocaust was a lie. Maintaining Auschwitz will benefit the generation to not make the same mistake twice.
I think it should stand. It is such a large part of history which shall not be forgotten, so why take away the being that is there? I fear that once you remove part of the evidence, something people may walk through it becomes less of a human thing that happened and more something that happened long ago and will begin to fade away. As it is such a large part of history i see no reason for it to be knocked down. For it to be forgotten.
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