The photographer visited Auschwitz and found out what it feels like to live here today.

Today, Auschwitz is familiar to every adult. The most famous of the Nazi death camps, it lasted from 1941 to 1945. A total of 1.4 million prisoners were killed here. This camp has become one of the worst places of the twentieth century and a symbol of the Holocaust.

In the fascist documents another name appeared - Auschwitz. The SS factory created the death factory near the town of Auschwitz, it was he who gave the name to the camp. The city is located forty minutes from Krakow, and it is over 800 years old: the settlement is mentioned in the chronicles of the XII century. Today, Auschwitz is a completely modern city with 40 thousand inhabitants, which is annually visited by about two million tourists. Three years ago, German photographer Felix Adler spent several months here. He talked with the residents and found out how it feels to live next to a place from which the blood runs cold today.

Leszek: “I didn’t decide to live in Auschwitz, I was born here. And I also have to work somewhere.” Now Leszek works at a coal plant, which once produced weapons for the Nazis.

Beata: “At first glance, it sounds a little strange that I live in Auschwitz. But life here is really ordinary. So, recently we have launched a new shopping center, and I'm extremely happy about that.”

Natalia: "I'm from Krakow, in Auschwitz we are visiting my boyfriend’s grandmother. I definitely think life here is very strange."

Maria: “I really like it here, especially in the summer. I moved here, although I was born not far from Lviv, which today is part of Ukraine.”

Jan: "My nephew James Anthony Pavelczyk, the first Polish cosmonaut." Jan is fishing and says this with pride.

Peter and Martin: “It is strange to say that you are from Auschwitz. Once we went on vacation to Poznan and told us where we were from. They asked us which barracks we lived in.”

Krzysztof: "If you do not take into account that many people were killed nearby, Auschwitz is like any other city." Krzysztof is a representative of one of the religious denominations.

Darek: "Not everything is so bad here, Auschwitz is very beautiful, and travelers always give me money."

Tomasz: He regularly comes to the banks of the Sola River to sunbathe and swim. The commandant of Auschwitz Rudolf Höss brought his children here. Also on the river bank, the Germans got rid of the ashes of the crematorium.

Watch the video: A Warning to Those Visiting Auschwitz (May 2024).