Show Navigation

Search Results

Refine Search
Match all words
Match any word
Prints
Personal Use
Royalty-Free
Rights-Managed
(leave unchecked to
search all images)
{ 477 images found }

Loading ()...

  • Polling stations in the town of Oswiecim, Poland during the first round of presidential elections on Sunday, June 20, 2010.
    Ghitis_PolishPrezElections_006.jpg
  • Thousands of people danced to klezmer music in the center of Kazimerz during the 20th Krakow Jewish Festival...Before the fall of communism in Poland, the former Jewish neighborhood of Kazimerz in Krakow was run down and dangerous to visit at night. Today, the area draws thousdands of tourists a year from around the world. The neighborhood was once a bustling center of Jewish life before it was wiped out during WWII. Jewish-themed restaurants and cafes serve traditional Jewish and Polish cuisine and restored synagogues contain exhibits detailing pre-war Jewish life in Poland. Some controversy exists over anti-Semitic paintings and woodwork in some gift shops and restaurants. Kazimerz is also the center of Krakow's night life, where tourists and students visit a variety of bars and night clubs. Klezmer music has seen a comeback as well, and musicians play concerts weekly. A short walk across the river to the south takes you to the former wartime ghetto and Oscar Schindler's factory, famously depicted in Steven Spielberg's film Schindler's List. The film was one of the determining factors in bringing attention to the Kazimerz district, resulting in massive restoration efforts.
    Krakow_Travel_007.JPG
  • Before the fall of communism in Poland, the former Jewish neighborhood of Kazimerz in Krakow was run down and dangerous to visit at night. Today, the area draws thousdands of tourists a year from around the world. The neighborhood was once a bustling center of Jewish life before it was wiped out during WWII. Jewish-themed restaurants and cafes serve traditional Jewish and Polish cuisine and restored synagogues contain exhibits detailing pre-war Jewish life in Poland. Some controversy exists over anti-Semitic paintings and woodwork in some gift shops and restaurants. Kazimerz is also the center of Krakow's night life, where tourists and students visit a variety of bars and night clubs. Klezmer music has seen a comeback as well, and musicians play concerts weekly. A short walk across the river to the south takes you to the former wartime ghetto and Oscar Schindler's factory, famously depicted in Steven Spielberg's film Schindler's List. The film was one of the determining factors in bringing attention to the Kazimerz district, resulting in massive restoration efforts.
    _MG_1528.jpg
  • Before the fall of communism in Poland, the former Jewish neighborhood of Kazimerz in Krakow was run down and dangerous to visit at night. Today, the area draws thousdands of tourists a year from around the world. The neighborhood was once a bustling center of Jewish life before it was wiped out during WWII. Jewish-themed restaurants and cafes serve traditional Jewish and Polish cuisine and restored synagogues contain exhibits detailing pre-war Jewish life in Poland. Some controversy exists over anti-Semitic paintings and woodwork in some gift shops and restaurants. Kazimerz is also the center of Krakow's night life, where tourists and students visit a variety of bars and night clubs. Klezmer music has seen a comeback as well, and musicians play concerts weekly. A short walk across the river to the south takes you to the former wartime ghetto and Oscar Schindler's factory, famously depicted in Steven Spielberg's film Schindler's List. The film was one of the determining factors in bringing attention to the Kazimerz district, resulting in massive restoration efforts.
    _MG_1525.jpg
  • A tour guide waits for customers in front of the Old Synagogue in Kazimerz. Built in 1407, it is the oldest standing synagogue in Poland. It has been renovated and its interior converted into a museum.<br />
<br />
Before the fall of communism in Poland, the former Jewish neighborhood of Kazimerz in Krakow was run down and dangerous to visit at night. Today, the area draws thousdands of tourists a year from around the world. The neighborhood was once a bustling center of Jewish life before it was wiped out during WWII. Jewish-themed restaurants and cafes serve traditional Jewish and Polish cuisine and restored synagogues contain exhibits detailing pre-war Jewish life in Poland. Some controversy exists over anti-Semitic paintings and woodwork in some gift shops and restaurants. Kazimerz is also the center of Krakow's night life, where tourists and students visit a variety of bars and night clubs. Klezmer music has seen a comeback as well, and musicians play concerts weekly. A short walk across the river to the south takes you to the former wartime ghetto and Oscar Schindler's factory, famously depicted in Steven Spielberg's film Schindler's List. The film was one of the determining factors in bringing attention to the Kazimerz district, resulting in massive restoration efforts.
    Krakow_Jewish_Travel005.jpg
  • A group of cantors belt harmonies during a reception at the Galicja Jewish Museum in Kazimerz. <br />
<br />
Before the fall of communism in Poland, the former Jewish neighborhood of Kazimerz in Krakow was run down and dangerous to visit at night. Today, the area draws thousdands of tourists a year from around the world. The neighborhood was once a bustling center of Jewish life before it was wiped out during WWII. Jewish-themed restaurants and cafes serve traditional Jewish and Polish cuisine and restored synagogues contain exhibits detailing pre-war Jewish life in Poland. Some controversy exists over anti-Semitic paintings and woodwork in some gift shops and restaurants. Kazimerz is also the center of Krakow's night life, where tourists and students visit a variety of bars and night clubs. Klezmer music has seen a comeback as well, and musicians play concerts weekly. A short walk across the river to the south takes you to the former wartime ghetto and Oscar Schindler's factory, famously depicted in Steven Spielberg's film Schindler's List. The film was one of the determining factors in bringing attention to the Kazimerz district, resulting in massive restoration efforts.
    Krakow_Jewish_Travel024.jpg
  • Polling stations in the town of Oswiecim, Poland during the first round of presidential elections on Sunday, June 20, 2010.
    Ghitis_PolishPrezElections_023.jpg
  • Polling stations in the town of Oswiecim, Poland during the first round of presidential elections on Sunday, June 20, 2010.
    Ghitis_PolishPrezElections_019.jpg
  • Polling stations in the town of Oswiecim, Poland during the first round of presidential elections on Sunday, June 20, 2010.
    Ghitis_PolishPrezElections_004.jpg
  • Polling stations in the town of Oswiecim, Poland during the first round of presidential elections on Sunday, June 20, 2010.
    Ghitis_PolishPrezElections_003.jpg
  • Polling stations in the town of Oswiecim, Poland during the first round of presidential elections on Sunday, June 20, 2010.
    Ghitis_PolishPrezElections_002.jpg
  • Polling stations in the town of Oswiecim, Poland during the first round of presidential elections on Sunday, June 20, 2010.
    Ghitis_PolishPrezElections_001.jpg
  • Before the fall of communism in Poland, the former Jewish neighborhood of Kazimerz in Krakow was run down and dangerous to visit at night. Today, the area draws thousdands of tourists a year from around the world. The neighborhood was once a bustling center of Jewish life before it was wiped out during WWII. Jewish-themed restaurants and cafes serve traditional Jewish and Polish cuisine and restored synagogues contain exhibits detailing pre-war Jewish life in Poland. Some controversy exists over anti-Semitic paintings and woodwork in some gift shops and restaurants. Kazimerz is also the center of Krakow's night life, where tourists and students visit a variety of bars and night clubs. Klezmer music has seen a comeback as well, and musicians play concerts weekly. A short walk across the river to the south takes you to the former wartime ghetto and Oscar Schindler's factory, famously depicted in Steven Spielberg's film Schindler's List. The film was one of the determining factors in bringing attention to the Kazimerz district, resulting in massive restoration efforts.
    _MG_1566.jpg
  • Before the fall of communism in Poland, the former Jewish neighborhood of Kazimerz in Krakow was run down and dangerous to visit at night. Today, the area draws thousdands of tourists a year from around the world. The neighborhood was once a bustling center of Jewish life before it was wiped out during WWII. Jewish-themed restaurants and cafes serve traditional Jewish and Polish cuisine and restored synagogues contain exhibits detailing pre-war Jewish life in Poland. Some controversy exists over anti-Semitic paintings and woodwork in some gift shops and restaurants. Kazimerz is also the center of Krakow's night life, where tourists and students visit a variety of bars and night clubs. Klezmer music has seen a comeback as well, and musicians play concerts weekly. A short walk across the river to the south takes you to the former wartime ghetto and Oscar Schindler's factory, famously depicted in Steven Spielberg's film Schindler's List. The film was one of the determining factors in bringing attention to the Kazimerz district, resulting in massive restoration efforts.
    Krakow_Jewish_Travel006.jpg
  • Polling stations in the town of Oswiecim, Poland during the first round of presidential elections on Sunday, June 20, 2010.
    Ghitis_PolishPrezElections_005.jpg
  • The fountain at Wolnica Plaza in Kazimerz...Before the fall of communism in Poland, the former Jewish neighborhood of Kazimerz in Krakow was run down and dangerous to visit at night. Today, the area draws thousdands of tourists a year from around the world. The neighborhood was once a bustling center of Jewish life before it was wiped out during WWII. Jewish-themed restaurants and cafes serve traditional Jewish and Polish cuisine and restored synagogues contain exhibits detailing pre-war Jewish life in Poland. Some controversy exists over anti-Semitic paintings and woodwork in some gift shops and restaurants. Kazimerz is also the center of Krakow's night life, where tourists and students visit a variety of bars and night clubs. Klezmer music has seen a comeback as well, and musicians play concerts weekly. A short walk across the river to the south takes you to the former wartime ghetto and Oscar Schindler's factory, famously depicted in Steven Spielberg's film Schindler's List. The film was one of the determining factors in bringing attention to the Kazimerz district, resulting in massive restoration efforts.
    Krakow_Jewish_Travel008.jpg
  • Polling stations in the town of Oswiecim, Poland during the first round of presidential elections on Sunday, June 20, 2010.
    Ghitis_PolishPrezElections_020.jpg
  • Polling stations in the town of Oswiecim, Poland during the first round of presidential elections on Sunday, June 20, 2010.
    Ghitis_PolishPrezElections_017.jpg
  • Polling stations in the town of Oswiecim, Poland during the first round of presidential elections on Sunday, June 20, 2010.
    Ghitis_PolishPrezElections_015.jpg
  • Polling stations in the town of Oswiecim, Poland during the first round of presidential elections on Sunday, June 20, 2010.
    Ghitis_PolishPrezElections_014.jpg
  • Polling stations in the town of Oswiecim, Poland during the first round of presidential elections on Sunday, June 20, 2010.
    Ghitis_PolishPrezElections_011.jpg
  • Polling stations in the town of Oswiecim, Poland during the first round of presidential elections on Sunday, June 20, 2010.
    Ghitis_PolishPrezElections_010.jpg
  • Polling stations in the town of Oswiecim, Poland during the first round of presidential elections on Sunday, June 20, 2010.
    Ghitis_PolishPrezElections_008.jpg
  • Polling stations in the town of Oswiecim, Poland during the first round of presidential elections on Sunday, June 20, 2010.
    Ghitis_PolishPrezElections_007.jpg
  • Before the fall of communism in Poland, the former Jewish neighborhood of Kazimerz in Krakow was run down and dangerous to visit at night. Today, the area draws thousdands of tourists a year from around the world. The neighborhood was once a bustling center of Jewish life before it was wiped out during WWII. Jewish-themed restaurants and cafes serve traditional Jewish and Polish cuisine and restored synagogues contain exhibits detailing pre-war Jewish life in Poland. Some controversy exists over anti-Semitic paintings and woodwork in some gift shops and restaurants. Kazimerz is also the center of Krakow's night life, where tourists and students visit a variety of bars and night clubs. Klezmer music has seen a comeback as well, and musicians play concerts weekly. A short walk across the river to the south takes you to the former wartime ghetto and Oscar Schindler's factory, famously depicted in Steven Spielberg's film Schindler's List. The film was one of the determining factors in bringing attention to the Kazimerz district, resulting in massive restoration efforts.
    Krakow_Jewish_Travel191.jpg
  • Before the fall of communism in Poland, the former Jewish neighborhood of Kazimerz in Krakow was run down and dangerous to visit at night. Today, the area draws thousdands of tourists a year from around the world. The neighborhood was once a bustling center of Jewish life before it was wiped out during WWII. Jewish-themed restaurants and cafes serve traditional Jewish and Polish cuisine and restored synagogues contain exhibits detailing pre-war Jewish life in Poland. Some controversy exists over anti-Semitic paintings and woodwork in some gift shops and restaurants. Kazimerz is also the center of Krakow's night life, where tourists and students visit a variety of bars and night clubs. Klezmer music has seen a comeback as well, and musicians play concerts weekly. A short walk across the river to the south takes you to the former wartime ghetto and Oscar Schindler's factory, famously depicted in Steven Spielberg's film Schindler's List. The film was one of the determining factors in bringing attention to the Kazimerz district, resulting in massive restoration efforts.
    Krakow_Jewish_Travel007.jpg
  • Polling stations in the town of Oswiecim, Poland during the first round of presidential elections on Sunday, June 20, 2010.
    Ghitis_PolishPrezElections_013.jpg
  • Polling stations in the town of Oswiecim, Poland during the first round of presidential elections on Sunday, June 20, 2010.
    Ghitis_PolishPrezElections_009.jpg
  • Before the fall of communism in Poland, the former Jewish neighborhood of Kazimerz in Krakow was run down and dangerous to visit at night. Today, the area draws thousdands of tourists a year from around the world. The neighborhood was once a bustling center of Jewish life before it was wiped out during WWII. Jewish-themed restaurants and cafes serve traditional Jewish and Polish cuisine and restored synagogues contain exhibits detailing pre-war Jewish life in Poland. Some controversy exists over anti-Semitic paintings and woodwork in some gift shops and restaurants. Kazimerz is also the center of Krakow's night life, where tourists and students visit a variety of bars and night clubs. Klezmer music has seen a comeback as well, and musicians play concerts weekly. A short walk across the river to the south takes you to the former wartime ghetto and Oscar Schindler's factory, famously depicted in Steven Spielberg's film Schindler's List. The film was one of the determining factors in bringing attention to the Kazimerz district, resulting in massive restoration efforts.
    Krakow_Jewish_Travel002.jpg
  • A dance theatre piece inspierd by the classical Jewish play The Dybbuk by S. Ansky. "Ov" is an instrument by which the living can communicate with the spirits of the dead. This creation, which takes place in the twilight of the souls,<br />
brings to life the mythical lovers Hanan and Leah, from the play. The lovers, their souls connected together for all eternity, pursue and seek after each other between the worlds. <br />
<br />
Before the fall of communism in Poland, the former Jewish neighborhood of Kazimerz in Krakow was run down and dangerous to visit at night. Today, the area draws thousdands of tourists a year from around the world. The neighborhood was once a bustling center of Jewish life before it was wiped out during WWII. Jewish-themed restaurants and cafes serve traditional Jewish and Polish cuisine and restored synagogues contain exhibits detailing pre-war Jewish life in Poland. Some controversy exists over anti-Semitic paintings and woodwork in some gift shops and restaurants. Kazimerz is also the center of Krakow's night life, where tourists and students visit a variety of bars and night clubs. Klezmer music has seen a comeback as well, and musicians play concerts weekly. A short walk across the river to the south takes you to the former wartime ghetto and Oscar Schindler's factory, famously depicted in Steven Spielberg's film Schindler's List. The film was one of the determining factors in bringing attention to the Kazimerz district, resulting in massive restoration efforts.
    Krakow_Jewish_Travel003.jpg
  • Before the fall of communism in Poland, the former Jewish neighborhood of Kazimerz in Krakow was run down and dangerous to visit at night. Today, the area draws thousdands of tourists a year from around the world. The neighborhood was once a bustling center of Jewish life before it was wiped out during WWII. Jewish-themed restaurants and cafes serve traditional Jewish and Polish cuisine and restored synagogues contain exhibits detailing pre-war Jewish life in Poland. Some controversy exists over anti-Semitic paintings and woodwork in some gift shops and restaurants. Kazimerz is also the center of Krakow's night life, where tourists and students visit a variety of bars and night clubs. Klezmer music has seen a comeback as well, and musicians play concerts weekly. A short walk across the river to the south takes you to the former wartime ghetto and Oscar Schindler's factory, famously depicted in Steven Spielberg's film Schindler's List. The film was one of the determining factors in bringing attention to the Kazimerz district, resulting in massive restoration efforts.
    Krakow_Jewish_Travel004.jpg
  • Before the fall of communism in Poland, the former Jewish neighborhood of Kazimerz in Krakow was run down and dangerous to visit at night. Today, the area draws thousdands of tourists a year from around the world. The neighborhood was once a bustling center of Jewish life before it was wiped out during WWII. Jewish-themed restaurants and cafes serve traditional Jewish and Polish cuisine and restored synagogues contain exhibits detailing pre-war Jewish life in Poland. Some controversy exists over anti-Semitic paintings and woodwork in some gift shops and restaurants. Kazimerz is also the center of Krakow's night life, where tourists and students visit a variety of bars and night clubs. Klezmer music has seen a comeback as well, and musicians play concerts weekly. A short walk across the river to the south takes you to the former wartime ghetto and Oscar Schindler's factory, famously depicted in Steven Spielberg's film Schindler's List. The film was one of the determining factors in bringing attention to the Kazimerz district, resulting in massive restoration efforts.
    _MG_1708.jpg
  • Before the fall of communism in Poland, the former Jewish neighborhood of Kazimerz in Krakow was run down and dangerous to visit at night. Today, the area draws thousdands of tourists a year from around the world. The neighborhood was once a bustling center of Jewish life before it was wiped out during WWII. Jewish-themed restaurants and cafes serve traditional Jewish and Polish cuisine and restored synagogues contain exhibits detailing pre-war Jewish life in Poland. Some controversy exists over anti-Semitic paintings and woodwork in some gift shops and restaurants. Kazimerz is also the center of Krakow's night life, where tourists and students visit a variety of bars and night clubs. Klezmer music has seen a comeback as well, and musicians play concerts weekly. A short walk across the river to the south takes you to the former wartime ghetto and Oscar Schindler's factory, famously depicted in Steven Spielberg's film Schindler's List. The film was one of the determining factors in bringing attention to the Kazimerz district, resulting in massive restoration efforts.
    _MG_1638.jpg
  • Before the fall of communism in Poland, the former Jewish neighborhood of Kazimerz in Krakow was run down and dangerous to visit at night. Today, the area draws thousdands of tourists a year from around the world. The neighborhood was once a bustling center of Jewish life before it was wiped out during WWII. Jewish-themed restaurants and cafes serve traditional Jewish and Polish cuisine and restored synagogues contain exhibits detailing pre-war Jewish life in Poland. Some controversy exists over anti-Semitic paintings and woodwork in some gift shops and restaurants. Kazimerz is also the center of Krakow's night life, where tourists and students visit a variety of bars and night clubs. Klezmer music has seen a comeback as well, and musicians play concerts weekly. A short walk across the river to the south takes you to the former wartime ghetto and Oscar Schindler's factory, famously depicted in Steven Spielberg's film Schindler's List. The film was one of the determining factors in bringing attention to the Kazimerz district, resulting in massive restoration efforts.
    _MG_1434.jpg
  • The Stajnia Pub in Kazimerz is in a former Jewish courtyard and horse stable. A scene from Schindler's List was also filmed here because of it's authentic old-Krakow look. <br />
<br />
Before the fall of communism in Poland, the former Jewish neighborhood of Kazimerz in Krakow was run down and dangerous to visit at night. Today, the area draws thousdands of tourists a year from around the world. The neighborhood was once a bustling center of Jewish life before it was wiped out during WWII. Jewish-themed restaurants and cafes serve traditional Jewish and Polish cuisine and restored synagogues contain exhibits detailing pre-war Jewish life in Poland. Some controversy exists over anti-Semitic paintings and woodwork in some gift shops and restaurants. Kazimerz is also the center of Krakow's night life, where tourists and students visit a variety of bars and night clubs. Klezmer music has seen a comeback as well, and musicians play concerts weekly. A short walk across the river to the south takes you to the former wartime ghetto and Oscar Schindler's factory, famously depicted in Steven Spielberg's film Schindler's List. The film was one of the determining factors in bringing attention to the Kazimerz district, resulting in massive restoration efforts.
    Krakow_Jewish_Travel001.jpg
  • Rabbi Edgar Gluck, chief rabbi of Galicia, Poland
    Rabbi Edgar Gluck
  • Before the fall of communism in Poland, the former Jewish neighborhood of Kazimerz in Krakow was run down and dangerous to visit at night. Today, the area draws thousdands of tourists a year from around the world. The neighborhood was once a bustling center of Jewish life before it was wiped out during WWII. Jewish-themed restaurants and cafes serve traditional Jewish and Polish cuisine and restored synagogues contain exhibits detailing pre-war Jewish life in Poland. Some controversy exists over anti-Semitic paintings and woodwork in some gift shops and restaurants. Kazimerz is also the center of Krakow's night life, where tourists and students visit a variety of bars and night clubs. Klezmer music has seen a comeback as well, and musicians play concerts weekly. A short walk across the river to the south takes you to the former wartime ghetto and Oscar Schindler's factory, famously depicted in Steven Spielberg's film Schindler's List. The film was one of the determining factors in bringing attention to the Kazimerz district, resulting in massive restoration efforts.
    _MG_1680.jpg
  • A modern cemetery in the town of Oswiecim with smokestacks from the town's chemical factory looming in the distance. The factory was built by Nazi Germany during the war and used prisoners from Auschwitz to run it. After the war the new communist government expanded the industrial complex, which employed about 12,000 employees. After the fall of communism in Poland the factory became privatized and now only employs about 1,500 people.
    Auschwitz_014.JPG
  • At the end of the infamous railroad tracks is a city of red brick and barbed wire fencing. To see it is to gaze into the face of death. The human mind can't comprehend what more than 1,000,000 murders looks or feels like. Nevertheless, the same number of living people pay homage to the lost souls at Auschwitz-Birkenau every year. Very few venture into the adjacent Polish town.<br />
<br />
O?wi?cim's history has enormous proportions compared to its physical size. It's been overrun by invading armies for centuries, it's had times of peace and prosperity, it was home to the worst incidence of genocide that humanity has ever known, and it is a former industrial center now struggling with Poland's 21st century economy. Most people settled after WWII, when the communist government attracted thousands of families by expanding the Nazi I.G. Farben factory (Auschwitz III - Monowitz) into an enormous complex. The number of residents jumped from about 15,000 before the war to about 50,000 afterward.<br />
<br />
The word Os in Polish means axis. It titles the Auschwitz Museum's monthly publication to represent cooperation among local institutions for Holocaust-related dialogue. But residents of Oswiecim live within a paradoxical axis. The psychological scars on the land can be as difficult to look past as those on a burn victim's face. Getting to know the town reveals a more complex reality, but there is a constant reminder of its traumatic past. Is the town's identity forever intertwined with the Nazi's xenophobic monstrosity, or will there ever be two separate entities?
    Oswiecim047.JPG
  • About 10,000 people, mainly young Jews, Marched Monday from Auschwitz to Birkenau during the annual March of the Living. They commemorated the approximate 1.1 million victims of the Nazi death camp. Many carried black ribbons in memory of Poland's President Lech Kaczynski who was killed in a plane crash Saturday along with 94 others en route to the site of a Soviet massacre of Polish officers during WWII.
    25ghitis_March_4102012.jpg
  • About 10,000 people, mainly young Jews, Marched Monday from Auschwitz to Birkenau during the annual March of the Living. They commemorated the approximate 1.1 million victims of the Nazi death camp. Many carried black ribbons in memory of Poland's President Lech Kaczynski who was killed in a plane crash Saturday along with 94 others en route to the site of a Soviet massacre of Polish officers during WWII.
    14ghitis_March_4102012.jpg
  • About 10,000 people, mainly young Jews, Marched Monday from Auschwitz to Birkenau during the annual March of the Living. They commemorated the approximate 1.1 million victims of the Nazi death camp. Many carried black ribbons in memory of Poland's President Lech Kaczynski who was killed in a plane crash Saturday along with 94 others en route to the site of a Soviet massacre of Polish officers during WWII.
    13ghitis_March_4102012.jpg
  • About 10,000 people, mainly young Jews, Marched Monday from Auschwitz to Birkenau during the annual March of the Living. They commemorated the approximate 1.1 million victims of the Nazi death camp. Many carried black ribbons in memory of Poland's President Lech Kaczynski who was killed in a plane crash Saturday along with 94 others en route to the site of a Soviet massacre of Polish officers during WWII.
    05ghitis_March_4102012.JPG
  • A nun plays badminton with school children on the banks of the Sola river in Oswiecim, Poland. About a mile down the river lies the concentration camp Auschwitz.
    Auschwitz_003.JPG
  • At the end of the infamous railroad tracks is a city of red brick and barbed wire fencing. To see it is to gaze into the face of death. The human mind can't comprehend what more than 1,000,000 murders looks or feels like. Nevertheless, the same number of living people pay homage to the lost souls at Auschwitz-Birkenau every year. Very few venture into the adjacent Polish town.<br />
<br />
O?wi?cim's history has enormous proportions compared to its physical size. It's been overrun by invading armies for centuries, it's had times of peace and prosperity, it was home to the worst incidence of genocide that humanity has ever known, and it is a former industrial center now struggling with Poland's 21st century economy. Most people settled after WWII, when the communist government attracted thousands of families by expanding the Nazi I.G. Farben factory (Auschwitz III - Monowitz) into an enormous complex. The number of residents jumped from about 15,000 before the war to about 50,000 afterward.<br />
<br />
The word Os in Polish means axis. It titles the Auschwitz Museum's monthly publication to represent cooperation among local institutions for Holocaust-related dialogue. But residents of Oswiecim live within a paradoxical axis. The psychological scars on the land can be as difficult to look past as those on a burn victim's face. Getting to know the town reveals a more complex reality, but there is a constant reminder of its traumatic past. Is the town's identity forever intertwined with the Nazi's xenophobic monstrosity, or will there ever be two separate entities?
    Oswiecim050.JPG
  • At the end of the infamous railroad tracks is a city of red brick and barbed wire fencing. To see it is to gaze into the face of death. The human mind can't comprehend what more than 1,000,000 murders looks or feels like. Nevertheless, the same number of living people pay homage to the lost souls at Auschwitz-Birkenau every year. Very few venture into the adjacent Polish town.<br />
<br />
O?wi?cim's history has enormous proportions compared to its physical size. It's been overrun by invading armies for centuries, it's had times of peace and prosperity, it was home to the worst incidence of genocide that humanity has ever known, and it is a former industrial center now struggling with Poland's 21st century economy. Most people settled after WWII, when the communist government attracted thousands of families by expanding the Nazi I.G. Farben factory (Auschwitz III - Monowitz) into an enormous complex. The number of residents jumped from about 15,000 before the war to about 50,000 afterward.<br />
<br />
The word Os in Polish means axis. It titles the Auschwitz Museum's monthly publication to represent cooperation among local institutions for Holocaust-related dialogue. But residents of Oswiecim live within a paradoxical axis. The psychological scars on the land can be as difficult to look past as those on a burn victim's face. Getting to know the town reveals a more complex reality, but there is a constant reminder of its traumatic past. Is the town's identity forever intertwined with the Nazi's xenophobic monstrosity, or will there ever be two separate entities?
    Oswiecim057.JPG
  • About 10,000 people, mainly young Jews, Marched Monday from Auschwitz to Birkenau during the annual March of the Living. They commemorated the approximate 1.1 million victims of the Nazi death camp. Many carried black ribbons in memory of Poland's President Lech Kaczynski who was killed in a plane crash Saturday along with 94 others en route to the site of a Soviet massacre of Polish officers during WWII.
    26ghitis_March_4102012.jpg
  • About 10,000 people, mainly young Jews, Marched Monday from Auschwitz to Birkenau during the annual March of the Living. They commemorated the approximate 1.1 million victims of the Nazi death camp. Many carried black ribbons in memory of Poland's President Lech Kaczynski who was killed in a plane crash Saturday along with 94 others en route to the site of a Soviet massacre of Polish officers during WWII.
    19ghitis_March_4102012.jpg
  • About 10,000 people, mainly young Jews, Marched Monday from Auschwitz to Birkenau during the annual March of the Living. They commemorated the approximate 1.1 million victims of the Nazi death camp. Many carried black ribbons in memory of Poland's President Lech Kaczynski who was killed in a plane crash Saturday along with 94 others en route to the site of a Soviet massacre of Polish officers during WWII.
    16ghitis_March_4102012.jpg
  • About 10,000 people, mainly young Jews, Marched Monday from Auschwitz to Birkenau during the annual March of the Living. They commemorated the approximate 1.1 million victims of the Nazi death camp. Many carried black ribbons in memory of Poland's President Lech Kaczynski who was killed in a plane crash Saturday along with 94 others en route to the site of a Soviet massacre of Polish officers during WWII.
    15ghitis_March_4102012.jpg
  • About 10,000 people, mainly young Jews, Marched Monday from Auschwitz to Birkenau during the annual March of the Living. They commemorated the approximate 1.1 million victims of the Nazi death camp. Many carried black ribbons in memory of Poland's President Lech Kaczynski who was killed in a plane crash Saturday along with 94 others en route to the site of a Soviet massacre of Polish officers during WWII.
    12ghitis_March_4102012.jpg
  • About 10,000 people, mainly young Jews, Marched Monday from Auschwitz to Birkenau during the annual March of the Living. They commemorated the approximate 1.1 million victims of the Nazi death camp. Many carried black ribbons in memory of Poland's President Lech Kaczynski who was killed in a plane crash Saturday along with 94 others en route to the site of a Soviet massacre of Polish officers during WWII.
    09ghitis_March_4102012.jpg
  • At the end of the infamous railroad tracks is a city of red brick and barbed wire fencing. To see it is to gaze into the face of death. The human mind can't comprehend what more than 1,000,000 murders looks or feels like. Nevertheless, the same number of living people pay homage to the lost souls at Auschwitz-Birkenau every year. Very few venture into the adjacent Polish town.<br />
<br />
O?wi?cim's history has enormous proportions compared to its physical size. It's been overrun by invading armies for centuries, it's had times of peace and prosperity, it was home to the worst incidence of genocide that humanity has ever known, and it is a former industrial center now struggling with Poland's 21st century economy. Most people settled after WWII, when the communist government attracted thousands of families by expanding the Nazi I.G. Farben factory (Auschwitz III - Monowitz) into an enormous complex. The number of residents jumped from about 15,000 before the war to about 50,000 afterward.<br />
<br />
The word Os in Polish means axis. It titles the Auschwitz Museum's monthly publication to represent cooperation among local institutions for Holocaust-related dialogue. But residents of Oswiecim live within a paradoxical axis. The psychological scars on the land can be as difficult to look past as those on a burn victim's face. Getting to know the town reveals a more complex reality, but there is a constant reminder of its traumatic past. Is the town's identity forever intertwined with the Nazi's xenophobic monstrosity, or will there ever be two separate entities?
    Oswiecim048.JPG
  • At the end of the infamous railroad tracks is a city of red brick and barbed wire fencing. To see it is to gaze into the face of death. The human mind can't comprehend what more than 1,000,000 murders looks or feels like. Nevertheless, the same number of living people pay homage to the lost souls at Auschwitz-Birkenau every year. Very few venture into the adjacent Polish town.<br />
<br />
O?wi?cim's history has enormous proportions compared to its physical size. It's been overrun by invading armies for centuries, it's had times of peace and prosperity, it was home to the worst incidence of genocide that humanity has ever known, and it is a former industrial center now struggling with Poland's 21st century economy. Most people settled after WWII, when the communist government attracted thousands of families by expanding the Nazi I.G. Farben factory (Auschwitz III - Monowitz) into an enormous complex. The number of residents jumped from about 15,000 before the war to about 50,000 afterward.<br />
<br />
The word Os in Polish means axis. It titles the Auschwitz Museum's monthly publication to represent cooperation among local institutions for Holocaust-related dialogue. But residents of Oswiecim live within a paradoxical axis. The psychological scars on the land can be as difficult to look past as those on a burn victim's face. Getting to know the town reveals a more complex reality, but there is a constant reminder of its traumatic past. Is the town's identity forever intertwined with the Nazi's xenophobic monstrosity, or will there ever be two separate entities?
    Oswiecim049.JPG
  • At the end of the infamous railroad tracks is a city of red brick and barbed wire fencing. To see it is to gaze into the face of death. The human mind can't comprehend what more than 1,000,000 murders looks or feels like. Nevertheless, the same number of living people pay homage to the lost souls at Auschwitz-Birkenau every year. Very few venture into the adjacent Polish town.<br />
<br />
O?wi?cim's history has enormous proportions compared to its physical size. It's been overrun by invading armies for centuries, it's had times of peace and prosperity, it was home to the worst incidence of genocide that humanity has ever known, and it is a former industrial center now struggling with Poland's 21st century economy. Most people settled after WWII, when the communist government attracted thousands of families by expanding the Nazi I.G. Farben factory (Auschwitz III - Monowitz) into an enormous complex. The number of residents jumped from about 15,000 before the war to about 50,000 afterward.<br />
<br />
The word Os in Polish means axis. It titles the Auschwitz Museum's monthly publication to represent cooperation among local institutions for Holocaust-related dialogue. But residents of Oswiecim live within a paradoxical axis. The psychological scars on the land can be as difficult to look past as those on a burn victim's face. Getting to know the town reveals a more complex reality, but there is a constant reminder of its traumatic past. Is the town's identity forever intertwined with the Nazi's xenophobic monstrosity, or will there ever be two separate entities?
    Oswiecim051.JPG
  • About 10,000 people, mainly young Jews, Marched Monday from Auschwitz to Birkenau during the annual March of the Living. They commemorated the approximate 1.1 million victims of the Nazi death camp. Many carried black ribbons in memory of Poland's President Lech Kaczynski who was killed in a plane crash Saturday along with 94 others en route to the site of a Soviet massacre of Polish officers during WWII.
    27ghitis_March_4102012.jpg
  • About 10,000 people, mainly young Jews, Marched Monday from Auschwitz to Birkenau during the annual March of the Living. They commemorated the approximate 1.1 million victims of the Nazi death camp. Many carried black ribbons in memory of Poland's President Lech Kaczynski who was killed in a plane crash Saturday along with 94 others en route to the site of a Soviet massacre of Polish officers during WWII.
    23ghitis_March_4102012.jpg
  • About 10,000 people, mainly young Jews, Marched Monday from Auschwitz to Birkenau during the annual March of the Living. They commemorated the approximate 1.1 million victims of the Nazi death camp. Many carried black ribbons in memory of Poland's President Lech Kaczynski who was killed in a plane crash Saturday along with 94 others en route to the site of a Soviet massacre of Polish officers during WWII.
    21ghitis_March_4102012.jpg
  • About 10,000 people, mainly young Jews, Marched Monday from Auschwitz to Birkenau during the annual March of the Living. They commemorated the approximate 1.1 million victims of the Nazi death camp. Many carried black ribbons in memory of Poland's President Lech Kaczynski who was killed in a plane crash Saturday along with 94 others en route to the site of a Soviet massacre of Polish officers during WWII.
    20ghitis_March_4102012.jpg
  • About 10,000 people, mainly young Jews, Marched Monday from Auschwitz to Birkenau during the annual March of the Living. They commemorated the approximate 1.1 million victims of the Nazi death camp. Many carried black ribbons in memory of Poland's President Lech Kaczynski who was killed in a plane crash Saturday along with 94 others en route to the site of a Soviet massacre of Polish officers during WWII.
    11ghitis_March_4102012.jpg
  • About 10,000 people, mainly young Jews, Marched Monday from Auschwitz to Birkenau during the annual March of the Living. They commemorated the approximate 1.1 million victims of the Nazi death camp. Many carried black ribbons in memory of Poland's President Lech Kaczynski who was killed in a plane crash Saturday along with 94 others en route to the site of a Soviet massacre of Polish officers during WWII.
    08ghitis_March_4102012.jpg
  • About 10,000 people, mainly young Jews, Marched Monday from Auschwitz to Birkenau during the annual March of the Living. They commemorated the approximate 1.1 million victims of the Nazi death camp. Many carried black ribbons in memory of Poland's President Lech Kaczynski who was killed in a plane crash Saturday along with 94 others en route to the site of a Soviet massacre of Polish officers during WWII.
    07ghitis_March_4102012.jpg
  • About 10,000 people, mainly young Jews, Marched Monday from Auschwitz to Birkenau during the annual March of the Living. They commemorated the approximate 1.1 million victims of the Nazi death camp. Many carried black ribbons in memory of Poland's President Lech Kaczynski who was killed in a plane crash Saturday along with 94 others en route to the site of a Soviet massacre of Polish officers during WWII.
    06ghitis_March_4102012.jpg
  • About 10,000 people, mainly young Jews, Marched Monday from Auschwitz to Birkenau during the annual March of the Living. They commemorated the approximate 1.1 million victims of the Nazi death camp. Many carried black ribbons in memory of Poland's President Lech Kaczynski who was killed in a plane crash Saturday along with 94 others en route to the site of a Soviet massacre of Polish officers during WWII.
    04ghitis_March_4102012.JPG
  • At the end of the infamous railroad tracks is a city of red brick and barbed wire fencing. To see it is to gaze into the face of death. The human mind can't comprehend what more than 1,000,000 murders looks or feels like. Nevertheless, the same number of living people pay homage to the lost souls at Auschwitz-Birkenau every year. Very few venture into the adjacent Polish town.<br />
<br />
O?wi?cim's history has enormous proportions compared to its physical size. It's been overrun by invading armies for centuries, it's had times of peace and prosperity, it was home to the worst incidence of genocide that humanity has ever known, and it is a former industrial center now struggling with Poland's 21st century economy. Most people settled after WWII, when the communist government attracted thousands of families by expanding the Nazi I.G. Farben factory (Auschwitz III - Monowitz) into an enormous complex. The number of residents jumped from about 15,000 before the war to about 50,000 afterward.<br />
<br />
The word Os in Polish means axis. It titles the Auschwitz Museum's monthly publication to represent cooperation among local institutions for Holocaust-related dialogue. But residents of Oswiecim live within a paradoxical axis. The psychological scars on the land can be as difficult to look past as those on a burn victim's face. Getting to know the town reveals a more complex reality, but there is a constant reminder of its traumatic past. Is the town's identity forever intertwined with the Nazi's xenophobic monstrosity, or will there ever be two separate entities?
    Oswiecim012.jpg
  • At the end of the infamous railroad tracks is a city of red brick and barbed wire fencing. To see it is to gaze into the face of death. The human mind can't comprehend what more than 1,000,000 murders looks or feels like. Nevertheless, the same number of living people pay homage to the lost souls at Auschwitz-Birkenau every year. Very few venture into the adjacent Polish town.<br />
<br />
O?wi?cim's history has enormous proportions compared to its physical size. It's been overrun by invading armies for centuries, it's had times of peace and prosperity, it was home to the worst incidence of genocide that humanity has ever known, and it is a former industrial center now struggling with Poland's 21st century economy. Most people settled after WWII, when the communist government attracted thousands of families by expanding the Nazi I.G. Farben factory (Auschwitz III - Monowitz) into an enormous complex. The number of residents jumped from about 15,000 before the war to about 50,000 afterward.<br />
<br />
The word Os in Polish means axis. It titles the Auschwitz Museum's monthly publication to represent cooperation among local institutions for Holocaust-related dialogue. But residents of Oswiecim live within a paradoxical axis. The psychological scars on the land can be as difficult to look past as those on a burn victim's face. Getting to know the town reveals a more complex reality, but there is a constant reminder of its traumatic past. Is the town's identity forever intertwined with the Nazi's xenophobic monstrosity, or will there ever be two separate entities?
    Oswiecim036.JPG
  • About 10,000 people, mainly young Jews, Marched Monday from Auschwitz to Birkenau during the annual March of the Living. They commemorated the approximate 1.1 million victims of the Nazi death camp. Many carried black ribbons in memory of Poland's President Lech Kaczynski who was killed in a plane crash Saturday along with 94 others en route to the site of a Soviet massacre of Polish officers during WWII.
    24ghitis_March_4102012.jpg
  • About 10,000 people, mainly young Jews, Marched Monday from Auschwitz to Birkenau during the annual March of the Living. They commemorated the approximate 1.1 million victims of the Nazi death camp. Many carried black ribbons in memory of Poland's President Lech Kaczynski who was killed in a plane crash Saturday along with 94 others en route to the site of a Soviet massacre of Polish officers during WWII.
    22ghitis_March_4102012.jpg
  • About 10,000 people, mainly young Jews, Marched Monday from Auschwitz to Birkenau during the annual March of the Living. They commemorated the approximate 1.1 million victims of the Nazi death camp. Many carried black ribbons in memory of Poland's President Lech Kaczynski who was killed in a plane crash Saturday along with 94 others en route to the site of a Soviet massacre of Polish officers during WWII.
    18ghitis_March_4102012.jpg
  • About 10,000 people, mainly young Jews, Marched Monday from Auschwitz to Birkenau during the annual March of the Living. They commemorated the approximate 1.1 million victims of the Nazi death camp. Many carried black ribbons in memory of Poland's President Lech Kaczynski who was killed in a plane crash Saturday along with 94 others en route to the site of a Soviet massacre of Polish officers during WWII.
    17ghitis_March_4102012.jpg
  • About 10,000 people, mainly young Jews, Marched Monday from Auschwitz to Birkenau during the annual March of the Living. They commemorated the approximate 1.1 million victims of the Nazi death camp. Many carried black ribbons in memory of Poland's President Lech Kaczynski who was killed in a plane crash Saturday along with 94 others en route to the site of a Soviet massacre of Polish officers during WWII.
    10ghitis_March_4102012.jpg
  • About 10,000 people, mainly young Jews, Marched Monday from Auschwitz to Birkenau during the annual March of the Living. They commemorated the approximate 1.1 million victims of the Nazi death camp. Many carried black ribbons in memory of Poland's President Lech Kaczynski who was killed in a plane crash Saturday along with 94 others en route to the site of a Soviet massacre of Polish officers during WWII.
    03ghitis_March_4102012.JPG
  • About 10,000 people, mainly young Jews, Marched Monday from Auschwitz to Birkenau during the annual March of the Living. They commemorated the approximate 1.1 million victims of the Nazi death camp. Many carried black ribbons in memory of Poland's President Lech Kaczynski who was killed in a plane crash Saturday along with 94 others en route to the site of a Soviet massacre of Polish officers during WWII.
    02ghitis_March_4102012.JPG
  • About 10,000 people, mainly young Jews, Marched Monday from Auschwitz to Birkenau during the annual March of the Living. They commemorated the approximate 1.1 million victims of the Nazi death camp. Many carried black ribbons in memory of Poland's President Lech Kaczynski who was killed in a plane crash Saturday along with 94 others en route to the site of a Soviet massacre of Polish officers during WWII.
    01ghitis_March_4102012.JPG
  • At the end of the infamous railroad tracks is a city of red brick and barbed wire fencing. To see it is to gaze into the face of death. The human mind can't comprehend what more than 1,000,000 murders looks or feels like. Nevertheless, the same number of living people pay homage to the lost souls at Auschwitz-Birkenau every year. Very few venture into the adjacent Polish town.<br />
<br />
O?wi?cim's history has enormous proportions compared to its physical size. It's been overrun by invading armies for centuries, it's had times of peace and prosperity, it was home to the worst incidence of genocide that humanity has ever known, and it is a former industrial center now struggling with Poland's 21st century economy. Most people settled after WWII, when the communist government attracted thousands of families by expanding the Nazi I.G. Farben factory (Auschwitz III - Monowitz) into an enormous complex. The number of residents jumped from about 15,000 before the war to about 50,000 afterward.<br />
<br />
The word Os in Polish means axis. It titles the Auschwitz Museum's monthly publication to represent cooperation among local institutions for Holocaust-related dialogue. But residents of Oswiecim live within a paradoxical axis. The psychological scars on the land can be as difficult to look past as those on a burn victim's face. Getting to know the town reveals a more complex reality, but there is a constant reminder of its traumatic past. Is the town's identity forever intertwined with the Nazi's xenophobic monstrosity, or will there ever be two separate entities?
    Oswiecim096.JPG
  • At the end of the infamous railroad tracks is a city of red brick and barbed wire fencing. To see it is to gaze into the face of death. The human mind can't comprehend what more than 1,000,000 murders looks or feels like. Nevertheless, the same number of living people pay homage to the lost souls at Auschwitz-Birkenau every year. Very few venture into the adjacent Polish town.<br />
<br />
O?wi?cim's history has enormous proportions compared to its physical size. It's been overrun by invading armies for centuries, it's had times of peace and prosperity, it was home to the worst incidence of genocide that humanity has ever known, and it is a former industrial center now struggling with Poland's 21st century economy. Most people settled after WWII, when the communist government attracted thousands of families by expanding the Nazi I.G. Farben factory (Auschwitz III - Monowitz) into an enormous complex. The number of residents jumped from about 15,000 before the war to about 50,000 afterward.<br />
<br />
The word Os in Polish means axis. It titles the Auschwitz Museum's monthly publication to represent cooperation among local institutions for Holocaust-related dialogue. But residents of Oswiecim live within a paradoxical axis. The psychological scars on the land can be as difficult to look past as those on a burn victim's face. Getting to know the town reveals a more complex reality, but there is a constant reminder of its traumatic past. Is the town's identity forever intertwined with the Nazi's xenophobic monstrosity, or will there ever be two separate entities?
    Oswiecim009.jpg
  • At the end of the infamous railroad tracks is a city of red brick and barbed wire fencing. To see it is to gaze into the face of death. The human mind can't comprehend what more than 1,000,000 murders looks or feels like. Nevertheless, the same number of living people pay homage to the lost souls at Auschwitz-Birkenau every year. Very few venture into the adjacent Polish town.<br />
<br />
O?wi?cim's history has enormous proportions compared to its physical size. It's been overrun by invading armies for centuries, it's had times of peace and prosperity, it was home to the worst incidence of genocide that humanity has ever known, and it is a former industrial center now struggling with Poland's 21st century economy. Most people settled after WWII, when the communist government attracted thousands of families by expanding the Nazi I.G. Farben factory (Auschwitz III - Monowitz) into an enormous complex. The number of residents jumped from about 15,000 before the war to about 50,000 afterward.<br />
<br />
The word Os in Polish means axis. It titles the Auschwitz Museum's monthly publication to represent cooperation among local institutions for Holocaust-related dialogue. But residents of Oswiecim live within a paradoxical axis. The psychological scars on the land can be as difficult to look past as those on a burn victim's face. Getting to know the town reveals a more complex reality, but there is a constant reminder of its traumatic past. Is the town's identity forever intertwined with the Nazi's xenophobic monstrosity, or will there ever be two separate entities?
    Oswiecim040.JPG
  • At the end of the infamous railroad tracks is a city of red brick and barbed wire fencing. To see it is to gaze into the face of death. The human mind can't comprehend what more than 1,000,000 murders looks or feels like. Nevertheless, the same number of living people pay homage to the lost souls at Auschwitz-Birkenau every year. Very few venture into the adjacent Polish town.<br />
<br />
O?wi?cim's history has enormous proportions compared to its physical size. It's been overrun by invading armies for centuries, it's had times of peace and prosperity, it was home to the worst incidence of genocide that humanity has ever known, and it is a former industrial center now struggling with Poland's 21st century economy. Most people settled after WWII, when the communist government attracted thousands of families by expanding the Nazi I.G. Farben factory (Auschwitz III - Monowitz) into an enormous complex. The number of residents jumped from about 15,000 before the war to about 50,000 afterward.<br />
<br />
The word Os in Polish means axis. It titles the Auschwitz Museum's monthly publication to represent cooperation among local institutions for Holocaust-related dialogue. But residents of Oswiecim live within a paradoxical axis. The psychological scars on the land can be as difficult to look past as those on a burn victim's face. Getting to know the town reveals a more complex reality, but there is a constant reminder of its traumatic past. Is the town's identity forever intertwined with the Nazi's xenophobic monstrosity, or will there ever be two separate entities?
    Oswiecim045.JPG
  • At the end of the infamous railroad tracks is a city of red brick and barbed wire fencing. To see it is to gaze into the face of death. The human mind can't comprehend what more than 1,000,000 murders looks or feels like. Nevertheless, the same number of living people pay homage to the lost souls at Auschwitz-Birkenau every year. Very few venture into the adjacent Polish town.<br />
<br />
O?wi?cim's history has enormous proportions compared to its physical size. It's been overrun by invading armies for centuries, it's had times of peace and prosperity, it was home to the worst incidence of genocide that humanity has ever known, and it is a former industrial center now struggling with Poland's 21st century economy. Most people settled after WWII, when the communist government attracted thousands of families by expanding the Nazi I.G. Farben factory (Auschwitz III - Monowitz) into an enormous complex. The number of residents jumped from about 15,000 before the war to about 50,000 afterward.<br />
<br />
The word Os in Polish means axis. It titles the Auschwitz Museum's monthly publication to represent cooperation among local institutions for Holocaust-related dialogue. But residents of Oswiecim live within a paradoxical axis. The psychological scars on the land can be as difficult to look past as those on a burn victim's face. Getting to know the town reveals a more complex reality, but there is a constant reminder of its traumatic past. Is the town's identity forever intertwined with the Nazi's xenophobic monstrosity, or will there ever be two separate entities?
    Oswiecim068.JPG
  • At the end of the infamous railroad tracks is a city of red brick and barbed wire fencing. To see it is to gaze into the face of death. The human mind can't comprehend what more than 1,000,000 murders looks or feels like. Nevertheless, the same number of living people pay homage to the lost souls at Auschwitz-Birkenau every year. Very few venture into the adjacent Polish town.<br />
<br />
O?wi?cim's history has enormous proportions compared to its physical size. It's been overrun by invading armies for centuries, it's had times of peace and prosperity, it was home to the worst incidence of genocide that humanity has ever known, and it is a former industrial center now struggling with Poland's 21st century economy. Most people settled after WWII, when the communist government attracted thousands of families by expanding the Nazi I.G. Farben factory (Auschwitz III - Monowitz) into an enormous complex. The number of residents jumped from about 15,000 before the war to about 50,000 afterward.<br />
<br />
The word Os in Polish means axis. It titles the Auschwitz Museum's monthly publication to represent cooperation among local institutions for Holocaust-related dialogue. But residents of Oswiecim live within a paradoxical axis. The psychological scars on the land can be as difficult to look past as those on a burn victim's face. Getting to know the town reveals a more complex reality, but there is a constant reminder of its traumatic past. Is the town's identity forever intertwined with the Nazi's xenophobic monstrosity, or will there ever be two separate entities?
    Oswiecim023.jpg
  • At the end of the infamous railroad tracks is a city of red brick and barbed wire fencing. To see it is to gaze into the face of death. The human mind can't comprehend what more than 1,000,000 murders looks or feels like. Nevertheless, the same number of living people pay homage to the lost souls at Auschwitz-Birkenau every year. Very few venture into the adjacent Polish town.<br />
<br />
O?wi?cim's history has enormous proportions compared to its physical size. It's been overrun by invading armies for centuries, it's had times of peace and prosperity, it was home to the worst incidence of genocide that humanity has ever known, and it is a former industrial center now struggling with Poland's 21st century economy. Most people settled after WWII, when the communist government attracted thousands of families by expanding the Nazi I.G. Farben factory (Auschwitz III - Monowitz) into an enormous complex. The number of residents jumped from about 15,000 before the war to about 50,000 afterward.<br />
<br />
The word Os in Polish means axis. It titles the Auschwitz Museum's monthly publication to represent cooperation among local institutions for Holocaust-related dialogue. But residents of Oswiecim live within a paradoxical axis. The psychological scars on the land can be as difficult to look past as those on a burn victim's face. Getting to know the town reveals a more complex reality, but there is a constant reminder of its traumatic past. Is the town's identity forever intertwined with the Nazi's xenophobic monstrosity, or will there ever be two separate entities?
    Oswiecim002.jpg
  • At the end of the infamous railroad tracks is a city of red brick and barbed wire fencing. To see it is to gaze into the face of death. The human mind can't comprehend what more than 1,000,000 murders looks or feels like. Nevertheless, the same number of living people pay homage to the lost souls at Auschwitz-Birkenau every year. Very few venture into the adjacent Polish town.<br />
<br />
O?wi?cim's history has enormous proportions compared to its physical size. It's been overrun by invading armies for centuries, it's had times of peace and prosperity, it was home to the worst incidence of genocide that humanity has ever known, and it is a former industrial center now struggling with Poland's 21st century economy. Most people settled after WWII, when the communist government attracted thousands of families by expanding the Nazi I.G. Farben factory (Auschwitz III - Monowitz) into an enormous complex. The number of residents jumped from about 15,000 before the war to about 50,000 afterward.<br />
<br />
The word Os in Polish means axis. It titles the Auschwitz Museum's monthly publication to represent cooperation among local institutions for Holocaust-related dialogue. But residents of Oswiecim live within a paradoxical axis. The psychological scars on the land can be as difficult to look past as those on a burn victim's face. Getting to know the town reveals a more complex reality, but there is a constant reminder of its traumatic past. Is the town's identity forever intertwined with the Nazi's xenophobic monstrosity, or will there ever be two separate entities?
    Oswiecim003.jpg
  • At the end of the infamous railroad tracks is a city of red brick and barbed wire fencing. To see it is to gaze into the face of death. The human mind can't comprehend what more than 1,000,000 murders looks or feels like. Nevertheless, the same number of living people pay homage to the lost souls at Auschwitz-Birkenau every year. Very few venture into the adjacent Polish town.<br />
<br />
O?wi?cim's history has enormous proportions compared to its physical size. It's been overrun by invading armies for centuries, it's had times of peace and prosperity, it was home to the worst incidence of genocide that humanity has ever known, and it is a former industrial center now struggling with Poland's 21st century economy. Most people settled after WWII, when the communist government attracted thousands of families by expanding the Nazi I.G. Farben factory (Auschwitz III - Monowitz) into an enormous complex. The number of residents jumped from about 15,000 before the war to about 50,000 afterward.<br />
<br />
The word Os in Polish means axis. It titles the Auschwitz Museum's monthly publication to represent cooperation among local institutions for Holocaust-related dialogue. But residents of Oswiecim live within a paradoxical axis. The psychological scars on the land can be as difficult to look past as those on a burn victim's face. Getting to know the town reveals a more complex reality, but there is a constant reminder of its traumatic past. Is the town's identity forever intertwined with the Nazi's xenophobic monstrosity, or will there ever be two separate entities?
    Oswiecim005.jpg
  • At the end of the infamous railroad tracks is a city of red brick and barbed wire fencing. To see it is to gaze into the face of death. The human mind can't comprehend what more than 1,000,000 murders looks or feels like. Nevertheless, the same number of living people pay homage to the lost souls at Auschwitz-Birkenau every year. Very few venture into the adjacent Polish town.<br />
<br />
O?wi?cim's history has enormous proportions compared to its physical size. It's been overrun by invading armies for centuries, it's had times of peace and prosperity, it was home to the worst incidence of genocide that humanity has ever known, and it is a former industrial center now struggling with Poland's 21st century economy. Most people settled after WWII, when the communist government attracted thousands of families by expanding the Nazi I.G. Farben factory (Auschwitz III - Monowitz) into an enormous complex. The number of residents jumped from about 15,000 before the war to about 50,000 afterward.<br />
<br />
The word Os in Polish means axis. It titles the Auschwitz Museum's monthly publication to represent cooperation among local institutions for Holocaust-related dialogue. But residents of Oswiecim live within a paradoxical axis. The psychological scars on the land can be as difficult to look past as those on a burn victim's face. Getting to know the town reveals a more complex reality, but there is a constant reminder of its traumatic past. Is the town's identity forever intertwined with the Nazi's xenophobic monstrosity, or will there ever be two separate entities?
    Oswiecim007.jpg
  • At the end of the infamous railroad tracks is a city of red brick and barbed wire fencing. To see it is to gaze into the face of death. The human mind can't comprehend what more than 1,000,000 murders looks or feels like. Nevertheless, the same number of living people pay homage to the lost souls at Auschwitz-Birkenau every year. Very few venture into the adjacent Polish town.<br />
<br />
O?wi?cim's history has enormous proportions compared to its physical size. It's been overrun by invading armies for centuries, it's had times of peace and prosperity, it was home to the worst incidence of genocide that humanity has ever known, and it is a former industrial center now struggling with Poland's 21st century economy. Most people settled after WWII, when the communist government attracted thousands of families by expanding the Nazi I.G. Farben factory (Auschwitz III - Monowitz) into an enormous complex. The number of residents jumped from about 15,000 before the war to about 50,000 afterward.<br />
<br />
The word Os in Polish means axis. It titles the Auschwitz Museum's monthly publication to represent cooperation among local institutions for Holocaust-related dialogue. But residents of Oswiecim live within a paradoxical axis. The psychological scars on the land can be as difficult to look past as those on a burn victim's face. Getting to know the town reveals a more complex reality, but there is a constant reminder of its traumatic past. Is the town's identity forever intertwined with the Nazi's xenophobic monstrosity, or will there ever be two separate entities?
    Oswiecim008.jpg
  • At the end of the infamous railroad tracks is a city of red brick and barbed wire fencing. To see it is to gaze into the face of death. The human mind can't comprehend what more than 1,000,000 murders looks or feels like. Nevertheless, the same number of living people pay homage to the lost souls at Auschwitz-Birkenau every year. Very few venture into the adjacent Polish town.<br />
<br />
O?wi?cim's history has enormous proportions compared to its physical size. It's been overrun by invading armies for centuries, it's had times of peace and prosperity, it was home to the worst incidence of genocide that humanity has ever known, and it is a former industrial center now struggling with Poland's 21st century economy. Most people settled after WWII, when the communist government attracted thousands of families by expanding the Nazi I.G. Farben factory (Auschwitz III - Monowitz) into an enormous complex. The number of residents jumped from about 15,000 before the war to about 50,000 afterward.<br />
<br />
The word Os in Polish means axis. It titles the Auschwitz Museum's monthly publication to represent cooperation among local institutions for Holocaust-related dialogue. But residents of Oswiecim live within a paradoxical axis. The psychological scars on the land can be as difficult to look past as those on a burn victim's face. Getting to know the town reveals a more complex reality, but there is a constant reminder of its traumatic past. Is the town's identity forever intertwined with the Nazi's xenophobic monstrosity, or will there ever be two separate entities?
    Oswiecim010.jpg
  • At the end of the infamous railroad tracks is a city of red brick and barbed wire fencing. To see it is to gaze into the face of death. The human mind can't comprehend what more than 1,000,000 murders looks or feels like. Nevertheless, the same number of living people pay homage to the lost souls at Auschwitz-Birkenau every year. Very few venture into the adjacent Polish town.<br />
<br />
O?wi?cim's history has enormous proportions compared to its physical size. It's been overrun by invading armies for centuries, it's had times of peace and prosperity, it was home to the worst incidence of genocide that humanity has ever known, and it is a former industrial center now struggling with Poland's 21st century economy. Most people settled after WWII, when the communist government attracted thousands of families by expanding the Nazi I.G. Farben factory (Auschwitz III - Monowitz) into an enormous complex. The number of residents jumped from about 15,000 before the war to about 50,000 afterward.<br />
<br />
The word Os in Polish means axis. It titles the Auschwitz Museum's monthly publication to represent cooperation among local institutions for Holocaust-related dialogue. But residents of Oswiecim live within a paradoxical axis. The psychological scars on the land can be as difficult to look past as those on a burn victim's face. Getting to know the town reveals a more complex reality, but there is a constant reminder of its traumatic past. Is the town's identity forever intertwined with the Nazi's xenophobic monstrosity, or will there ever be two separate entities?
    Oswiecim019.jpg
  • At the end of the infamous railroad tracks is a city of red brick and barbed wire fencing. To see it is to gaze into the face of death. The human mind can't comprehend what more than 1,000,000 murders looks or feels like. Nevertheless, the same number of living people pay homage to the lost souls at Auschwitz-Birkenau every year. Very few venture into the adjacent Polish town.<br />
<br />
O?wi?cim's history has enormous proportions compared to its physical size. It's been overrun by invading armies for centuries, it's had times of peace and prosperity, it was home to the worst incidence of genocide that humanity has ever known, and it is a former industrial center now struggling with Poland's 21st century economy. Most people settled after WWII, when the communist government attracted thousands of families by expanding the Nazi I.G. Farben factory (Auschwitz III - Monowitz) into an enormous complex. The number of residents jumped from about 15,000 before the war to about 50,000 afterward.<br />
<br />
The word Os in Polish means axis. It titles the Auschwitz Museum's monthly publication to represent cooperation among local institutions for Holocaust-related dialogue. But residents of Oswiecim live within a paradoxical axis. The psychological scars on the land can be as difficult to look past as those on a burn victim's face. Getting to know the town reveals a more complex reality, but there is a constant reminder of its traumatic past. Is the town's identity forever intertwined with the Nazi's xenophobic monstrosity, or will there ever be two separate entities?
    Oswiecim022.jpg
  • At the end of the infamous railroad tracks is a city of red brick and barbed wire fencing. To see it is to gaze into the face of death. The human mind can't comprehend what more than 1,000,000 murders looks or feels like. Nevertheless, the same number of living people pay homage to the lost souls at Auschwitz-Birkenau every year. Very few venture into the adjacent Polish town.<br />
<br />
O?wi?cim's history has enormous proportions compared to its physical size. It's been overrun by invading armies for centuries, it's had times of peace and prosperity, it was home to the worst incidence of genocide that humanity has ever known, and it is a former industrial center now struggling with Poland's 21st century economy. Most people settled after WWII, when the communist government attracted thousands of families by expanding the Nazi I.G. Farben factory (Auschwitz III - Monowitz) into an enormous complex. The number of residents jumped from about 15,000 before the war to about 50,000 afterward.<br />
<br />
The word Os in Polish means axis. It titles the Auschwitz Museum's monthly publication to represent cooperation among local institutions for Holocaust-related dialogue. But residents of Oswiecim live within a paradoxical axis. The psychological scars on the land can be as difficult to look past as those on a burn victim's face. Getting to know the town reveals a more complex reality, but there is a constant reminder of its traumatic past. Is the town's identity forever intertwined with the Nazi's xenophobic monstrosity, or will there ever be two separate entities?
    Oswiecim025.jpg
  • At the end of the infamous railroad tracks is a city of red brick and barbed wire fencing. To see it is to gaze into the face of death. The human mind can't comprehend what more than 1,000,000 murders looks or feels like. Nevertheless, the same number of living people pay homage to the lost souls at Auschwitz-Birkenau every year. Very few venture into the adjacent Polish town.<br />
<br />
O?wi?cim's history has enormous proportions compared to its physical size. It's been overrun by invading armies for centuries, it's had times of peace and prosperity, it was home to the worst incidence of genocide that humanity has ever known, and it is a former industrial center now struggling with Poland's 21st century economy. Most people settled after WWII, when the communist government attracted thousands of families by expanding the Nazi I.G. Farben factory (Auschwitz III - Monowitz) into an enormous complex. The number of residents jumped from about 15,000 before the war to about 50,000 afterward.<br />
<br />
The word Os in Polish means axis. It titles the Auschwitz Museum's monthly publication to represent cooperation among local institutions for Holocaust-related dialogue. But residents of Oswiecim live within a paradoxical axis. The psychological scars on the land can be as difficult to look past as those on a burn victim's face. Getting to know the town reveals a more complex reality, but there is a constant reminder of its traumatic past. Is the town's identity forever intertwined with the Nazi's xenophobic monstrosity, or will there ever be two separate entities?
    Oswiecim030.JPG
  • At the end of the infamous railroad tracks is a city of red brick and barbed wire fencing. To see it is to gaze into the face of death. The human mind can't comprehend what more than 1,000,000 murders looks or feels like. Nevertheless, the same number of living people pay homage to the lost souls at Auschwitz-Birkenau every year. Very few venture into the adjacent Polish town.<br />
<br />
O?wi?cim's history has enormous proportions compared to its physical size. It's been overrun by invading armies for centuries, it's had times of peace and prosperity, it was home to the worst incidence of genocide that humanity has ever known, and it is a former industrial center now struggling with Poland's 21st century economy. Most people settled after WWII, when the communist government attracted thousands of families by expanding the Nazi I.G. Farben factory (Auschwitz III - Monowitz) into an enormous complex. The number of residents jumped from about 15,000 before the war to about 50,000 afterward.<br />
<br />
The word Os in Polish means axis. It titles the Auschwitz Museum's monthly publication to represent cooperation among local institutions for Holocaust-related dialogue. But residents of Oswiecim live within a paradoxical axis. The psychological scars on the land can be as difficult to look past as those on a burn victim's face. Getting to know the town reveals a more complex reality, but there is a constant reminder of its traumatic past. Is the town's identity forever intertwined with the Nazi's xenophobic monstrosity, or will there ever be two separate entities?
    Oswiecim037.JPG
  • At the end of the infamous railroad tracks is a city of red brick and barbed wire fencing. To see it is to gaze into the face of death. The human mind can't comprehend what more than 1,000,000 murders looks or feels like. Nevertheless, the same number of living people pay homage to the lost souls at Auschwitz-Birkenau every year. Very few venture into the adjacent Polish town.<br />
<br />
O?wi?cim's history has enormous proportions compared to its physical size. It's been overrun by invading armies for centuries, it's had times of peace and prosperity, it was home to the worst incidence of genocide that humanity has ever known, and it is a former industrial center now struggling with Poland's 21st century economy. Most people settled after WWII, when the communist government attracted thousands of families by expanding the Nazi I.G. Farben factory (Auschwitz III - Monowitz) into an enormous complex. The number of residents jumped from about 15,000 before the war to about 50,000 afterward.<br />
<br />
The word Os in Polish means axis. It titles the Auschwitz Museum's monthly publication to represent cooperation among local institutions for Holocaust-related dialogue. But residents of Oswiecim live within a paradoxical axis. The psychological scars on the land can be as difficult to look past as those on a burn victim's face. Getting to know the town reveals a more complex reality, but there is a constant reminder of its traumatic past. Is the town's identity forever intertwined with the Nazi's xenophobic monstrosity, or will there ever be two separate entities?
    Oswiecim055.JPG
  • At the end of the infamous railroad tracks is a city of red brick and barbed wire fencing. To see it is to gaze into the face of death. The human mind can't comprehend what more than 1,000,000 murders looks or feels like. Nevertheless, the same number of living people pay homage to the lost souls at Auschwitz-Birkenau every year. Very few venture into the adjacent Polish town.<br />
<br />
O?wi?cim's history has enormous proportions compared to its physical size. It's been overrun by invading armies for centuries, it's had times of peace and prosperity, it was home to the worst incidence of genocide that humanity has ever known, and it is a former industrial center now struggling with Poland's 21st century economy. Most people settled after WWII, when the communist government attracted thousands of families by expanding the Nazi I.G. Farben factory (Auschwitz III - Monowitz) into an enormous complex. The number of residents jumped from about 15,000 before the war to about 50,000 afterward.<br />
<br />
The word Os in Polish means axis. It titles the Auschwitz Museum's monthly publication to represent cooperation among local institutions for Holocaust-related dialogue. But residents of Oswiecim live within a paradoxical axis. The psychological scars on the land can be as difficult to look past as those on a burn victim's face. Getting to know the town reveals a more complex reality, but there is a constant reminder of its traumatic past. Is the town's identity forever intertwined with the Nazi's xenophobic monstrosity, or will there ever be two separate entities?
    Oswiecim072.JPG
  • At the end of the infamous railroad tracks is a city of red brick and barbed wire fencing. To see it is to gaze into the face of death. The human mind can't comprehend what more than 1,000,000 murders looks or feels like. Nevertheless, the same number of living people pay homage to the lost souls at Auschwitz-Birkenau every year. Very few venture into the adjacent Polish town.<br />
<br />
O?wi?cim's history has enormous proportions compared to its physical size. It's been overrun by invading armies for centuries, it's had times of peace and prosperity, it was home to the worst incidence of genocide that humanity has ever known, and it is a former industrial center now struggling with Poland's 21st century economy. Most people settled after WWII, when the communist government attracted thousands of families by expanding the Nazi I.G. Farben factory (Auschwitz III - Monowitz) into an enormous complex. The number of residents jumped from about 15,000 before the war to about 50,000 afterward.<br />
<br />
The word Os in Polish means axis. It titles the Auschwitz Museum's monthly publication to represent cooperation among local institutions for Holocaust-related dialogue. But residents of Oswiecim live within a paradoxical axis. The psychological scars on the land can be as difficult to look past as those on a burn victim's face. Getting to know the town reveals a more complex reality, but there is a constant reminder of its traumatic past. Is the town's identity forever intertwined with the Nazi's xenophobic monstrosity, or will there ever be two separate entities?
    Oswiecim074.JPG
  • At the end of the infamous railroad tracks is a city of red brick and barbed wire fencing. To see it is to gaze into the face of death. The human mind can't comprehend what more than 1,000,000 murders looks or feels like. Nevertheless, the same number of living people pay homage to the lost souls at Auschwitz-Birkenau every year. Very few venture into the adjacent Polish town.<br />
<br />
O?wi?cim's history has enormous proportions compared to its physical size. It's been overrun by invading armies for centuries, it's had times of peace and prosperity, it was home to the worst incidence of genocide that humanity has ever known, and it is a former industrial center now struggling with Poland's 21st century economy. Most people settled after WWII, when the communist government attracted thousands of families by expanding the Nazi I.G. Farben factory (Auschwitz III - Monowitz) into an enormous complex. The number of residents jumped from about 15,000 before the war to about 50,000 afterward.<br />
<br />
The word Os in Polish means axis. It titles the Auschwitz Museum's monthly publication to represent cooperation among local institutions for Holocaust-related dialogue. But residents of Oswiecim live within a paradoxical axis. The psychological scars on the land can be as difficult to look past as those on a burn victim's face. Getting to know the town reveals a more complex reality, but there is a constant reminder of its traumatic past. Is the town's identity forever intertwined with the Nazi's xenophobic monstrosity, or will there ever be two separate entities?
    Oswiecim077.JPG
  • At the end of the infamous railroad tracks is a city of red brick and barbed wire fencing. To see it is to gaze into the face of death. The human mind can't comprehend what more than 1,000,000 murders looks or feels like. Nevertheless, the same number of living people pay homage to the lost souls at Auschwitz-Birkenau every year. Very few venture into the adjacent Polish town.<br />
<br />
O?wi?cim's history has enormous proportions compared to its physical size. It's been overrun by invading armies for centuries, it's had times of peace and prosperity, it was home to the worst incidence of genocide that humanity has ever known, and it is a former industrial center now struggling with Poland's 21st century economy. Most people settled after WWII, when the communist government attracted thousands of families by expanding the Nazi I.G. Farben factory (Auschwitz III - Monowitz) into an enormous complex. The number of residents jumped from about 15,000 before the war to about 50,000 afterward.<br />
<br />
The word Os in Polish means axis. It titles the Auschwitz Museum's monthly publication to represent cooperation among local institutions for Holocaust-related dialogue. But residents of Oswiecim live within a paradoxical axis. The psychological scars on the land can be as difficult to look past as those on a burn victim's face. Getting to know the town reveals a more complex reality, but there is a constant reminder of its traumatic past. Is the town's identity forever intertwined with the Nazi's xenophobic monstrosity, or will there ever be two separate entities?
    Oswiecim080.JPG
  • At the end of the infamous railroad tracks is a city of red brick and barbed wire fencing. To see it is to gaze into the face of death. The human mind can't comprehend what more than 1,000,000 murders looks or feels like. Nevertheless, the same number of living people pay homage to the lost souls at Auschwitz-Birkenau every year. Very few venture into the adjacent Polish town.<br />
<br />
O?wi?cim's history has enormous proportions compared to its physical size. It's been overrun by invading armies for centuries, it's had times of peace and prosperity, it was home to the worst incidence of genocide that humanity has ever known, and it is a former industrial center now struggling with Poland's 21st century economy. Most people settled after WWII, when the communist government attracted thousands of families by expanding the Nazi I.G. Farben factory (Auschwitz III - Monowitz) into an enormous complex. The number of residents jumped from about 15,000 before the war to about 50,000 afterward.<br />
<br />
The word Os in Polish means axis. It titles the Auschwitz Museum's monthly publication to represent cooperation among local institutions for Holocaust-related dialogue. But residents of Oswiecim live within a paradoxical axis. The psychological scars on the land can be as difficult to look past as those on a burn victim's face. Getting to know the town reveals a more complex reality, but there is a constant reminder of its traumatic past. Is the town's identity forever intertwined with the Nazi's xenophobic monstrosity, or will there ever be two separate entities?
    Oswiecim081.JPG
  • At the end of the infamous railroad tracks is a city of red brick and barbed wire fencing. To see it is to gaze into the face of death. The human mind can't comprehend what more than 1,000,000 murders looks or feels like. Nevertheless, the same number of living people pay homage to the lost souls at Auschwitz-Birkenau every year. Very few venture into the adjacent Polish town.<br />
<br />
O?wi?cim's history has enormous proportions compared to its physical size. It's been overrun by invading armies for centuries, it's had times of peace and prosperity, it was home to the worst incidence of genocide that humanity has ever known, and it is a former industrial center now struggling with Poland's 21st century economy. Most people settled after WWII, when the communist government attracted thousands of families by expanding the Nazi I.G. Farben factory (Auschwitz III - Monowitz) into an enormous complex. The number of residents jumped from about 15,000 before the war to about 50,000 afterward.<br />
<br />
The word Os in Polish means axis. It titles the Auschwitz Museum's monthly publication to represent cooperation among local institutions for Holocaust-related dialogue. But residents of Oswiecim live within a paradoxical axis. The psychological scars on the land can be as difficult to look past as those on a burn victim's face. Getting to know the town reveals a more complex reality, but there is a constant reminder of its traumatic past. Is the town's identity forever intertwined with the Nazi's xenophobic monstrosity, or will there ever be two separate entities?
    Oswiecim082.JPG
  • At the end of the infamous railroad tracks is a city of red brick and barbed wire fencing. To see it is to gaze into the face of death. The human mind can't comprehend what more than 1,000,000 murders looks or feels like. Nevertheless, the same number of living people pay homage to the lost souls at Auschwitz-Birkenau every year. Very few venture into the adjacent Polish town.<br />
<br />
O?wi?cim's history has enormous proportions compared to its physical size. It's been overrun by invading armies for centuries, it's had times of peace and prosperity, it was home to the worst incidence of genocide that humanity has ever known, and it is a former industrial center now struggling with Poland's 21st century economy. Most people settled after WWII, when the communist government attracted thousands of families by expanding the Nazi I.G. Farben factory (Auschwitz III - Monowitz) into an enormous complex. The number of residents jumped from about 15,000 before the war to about 50,000 afterward.<br />
<br />
The word Os in Polish means axis. It titles the Auschwitz Museum's monthly publication to represent cooperation among local institutions for Holocaust-related dialogue. But residents of Oswiecim live within a paradoxical axis. The psychological scars on the land can be as difficult to look past as those on a burn victim's face. Getting to know the town reveals a more complex reality, but there is a constant reminder of its traumatic past. Is the town's identity forever intertwined with the Nazi's xenophobic monstrosity, or will there ever be two separate entities?
    Oswiecim089.JPG
  • At the end of the infamous railroad tracks is a city of red brick and barbed wire fencing. To see it is to gaze into the face of death. The human mind can't comprehend what more than 1,000,000 murders looks or feels like. Nevertheless, the same number of living people pay homage to the lost souls at Auschwitz-Birkenau every year. Very few venture into the adjacent Polish town.<br />
<br />
O?wi?cim's history has enormous proportions compared to its physical size. It's been overrun by invading armies for centuries, it's had times of peace and prosperity, it was home to the worst incidence of genocide that humanity has ever known, and it is a former industrial center now struggling with Poland's 21st century economy. Most people settled after WWII, when the communist government attracted thousands of families by expanding the Nazi I.G. Farben factory (Auschwitz III - Monowitz) into an enormous complex. The number of residents jumped from about 15,000 before the war to about 50,000 afterward.<br />
<br />
The word Os in Polish means axis. It titles the Auschwitz Museum's monthly publication to represent cooperation among local institutions for Holocaust-related dialogue. But residents of Oswiecim live within a paradoxical axis. The psychological scars on the land can be as difficult to look past as those on a burn victim's face. Getting to know the town reveals a more complex reality, but there is a constant reminder of its traumatic past. Is the town's identity forever intertwined with the Nazi's xenophobic monstrosity, or will there ever be two separate entities?
    Oswiecim091.JPG
Next
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
x

DANNY GHITIS

  • Portfolio
  • About
  • Contact
  • Archive
    • All Galleries
    • Search
    • Cart
    • Lightbox
    • Client Area