This morning I was asked my opinion on whether or not I would recommend a day trip to Auschwitz.  These are my thoughts.

 

Auschwitz is a sombre and reflective place of pilgrimage. But is it a tourist attraction?  Several guided tours are organized from Krakow to visit the camp of Auschwitz - Birkenau. Because of its size, Auschwitz is considered as one of the symbols of the mass slaughters during Nazi times. It is a major cultural and historical monument which was designated as World Heritage Legacy by the UNESCO in 1979 and thus contributing to the duty of remembrance towards the victims. It is also the occasion to deepen your historical knowledge, defeat prejudices and misconceptions. A visit to this site is also a good reminder of the atrocities the human mind is capable of when it is misused.

 

This tragically famous monument often results in different strong emotions. While a visit might be upsetting and sombre, it is an important exercise for us all to recognise the horror of what has happened in our recent past. By seeing first hand the haunting site, hearing the horrific stories and reliving the experience, we walk away, privileged and more enlightened than we were before and determined to recognise the injustices of our contemporary world.  

 

Tourism is not always uplifting.  A visit to Auschwitz in 2017 is as important as one made in 1950; the lessons to be learned can be applied to our current world in flux; genocide is a frequent feature in our world; remember, for example, what happened in Rwanda and Bosnia in the 1990s. The purpose of visiting Auschwitz is not to scare its visitors or to blame the German people as a whole for what a minority is responsible for, but more to invite to an objective and positive reflection. 

 

My advice is to go, experience it, allow yourselves to be upset.  You should be upset by a place like this.  

 

Responsible travel is not all about eco hotels, bicycles, paraben-free amenities and sustainably produced coconut water.  

 

Responsible travel to me at least, means encouraging thought, learning, recognising (in this case at least) how mankind's impact can be horrific, and learning from this experience to ensure we do our part never to allow a repeat.  If we get upset along the way then all the better - it reminds us that we are human, we all have the same basic needs; and that nobody should ever be denied of those needs.  While a visit here might not be uplifting in the traditional sense it might very well prove to be one of the most inspirational visits of your life.  

 

- Padraic.