Ben dreta com a advertencia / If that's not a warning sign...
IN ENGLISH BELOW THE LINE
Foto presa amb una Rolleiflex Old Standard fabricada el 1936; objectiu Carl Zeiss Tessar f3.5 / 75mm; filtre groc; pelicula Ilford HP5+ 400, revelada amb Atomal 49 sense diluir. Aquesta càmera és contemporania a aquests fets.
Com un dit que acusa, la xemeneia dels forns crematoris de Majdanek s'aixeca tal com quan no parava de cremar. Construits a inicis de 1943 per substituir uns de provisionals (2 cambres) del 1942, aquests grans forns crematoris tenien 5 cambres alhora. El 22 de juliol de 1944 els nazis inciendaren l'edifici, de fusta, però no varen estar a temps de volar els forns, que obviament resistiren l'incendi sense problemes. El comandant del crematori era l'infame Erich Mustfehlt, qui també va dirigir l'operació dels grans crematoris de Birkenau (fou executat a Varsòvia el 1948). A nivell personal he de comentar que quan ho vaig visitar, completament sol, només se sentia el vent xiulant pels forats de l'estructura. Molt inquietant.
Al sudoest de la ciutat de Lublin hi ha el inmens camp de concentració de Majdanek (tot i que el seu nom oficial alemany era KZ Lublin). La seva inmensitat i construcció completament en fusta recorda molt a Auschwitz II (Birkenau), probablement perquè ambdós tenien un objectiu teoric inicial semblant (camp per presoners de guerra-esclaus d'origen sovietic). Però evolucionaren de manera molt diferent. Majdanek és, encara que costi de creure, més gran que Birkenau (el vaig recorrer de punta a punta i ho vaig poder comprovar); i a sobre només representa 1/5 part de la seva superficie teorica original.
El seu paper fou ambivalent. Començà, el juliol de 1941, com a camp de concentració com a reserva de ma d'obra esclava, principalment jueus, així com centre de classificació i distribució de tot el material robat a les victimes de la Aktion Reinhard. La duresa del treball i les malalties incrementaren la mortaldat i es construiren cambres de gas i més tard, un forn crematori. Les cambres de gas son una mena d'hibrid entre els models de monoxid de carboni de la Aktion Reinhard, que logicament tenien com a referent, però també agafaren elements ja provats a Auschwitz, pel que podien fer servir, també Zyklon-B.
Un dels fets essencials per donar importancia a Majdanek es que va caure en mans sovietiques bastant per sorpresa, el 23 de juliol de 1944, i els nazis no varen poder destruir ni les cambres de gas ni els forns crematoris (tot i que incendiaren l'edifici de fusta d'aquests). Això exposà a ulls del món per primer cop un camp de concentració "gros". Unes 80.000 persones moriren a Majdanek, tot i que algunes fonts citen el doble.
Aquesta foto forma part de tot un viatge pel centre de Polònia, enfocat especialment en els més tragics moments del Holocaust i la II Guerra Mundial, que esclafà Polonia com pocs llocs, però que alhora contrasta amb l'increible renaixement del país fins al moment actual.
ca.wikipedia.org/wiki/Majdanek
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Reinhard
=============================================
Picture taken with my Rolleiflex Old Standard made in 1936; Carl Zeiss Tessar f3.5 75mm lens with yellow filter; Ilford HP5+ 400 film, developed in stock Atomal 49. This camera is contemporary with this events.
Like an accusing finger, the chimney of the Majdanek crematoria stands tall as it did when it was in use. Built in early 1943 to replace temporary ones (2 chambers) from 1942, these large hovens had 5 chambers. On July 22, 1944, the Nazis set fire to the wooden building, but they did not have time to blow up the ovens, which obviously withstood the fire without any problems. The timber structure was rebuilt after the war. The commander of the crematorium was the infamous Erich Erich Muhsfeldt, who also later directed the operation of the large crematoriums of Birkenau (he was executed in Warsaw in 1948). On a personal level, I must say that when I visited this haunting place, completely alone, all I could hear was the wind whistling through the holes in the structure. Very disturbing.
Southwest of the city of Lublin is the immense concentration camp of Majdanek (although its official German name was KZ Lublin). Its immensity and entirely wooden construction are very reminiscent of Auschwitz II (Birkenau), probably because both had a similar initial theoretical objective (camp for prisoners of war-slaves of Soviet origin). But they evolved in very different ways. Majdanek is, although it is hard to believe, larger than Birkenau (I walked it from end to end and was able to verify this); and on top of that it only represents 1/5 of its original theoretical area.
Its role was ambivalent. It began, in July 1941, as a concentration camp as a reserve of slave labor, mainly Jews, as well as a center for sorting and distributing all the material stolen from the victims of Aktion Reinhard. The harshness of the work and diseases increased the mortality rate and gas chambers were built and later, a crematorium. The gas chambers are a kind of hybrid between the carbon monoxide models of Aktion Reinhard, which they logically had as a reference, but they also took elements already tested in Auschwitz, so they could use, also Zyklon-B.
One of the essential facts to give importance to Majdanek is that it fell into Soviet hands quite by surprise, on July 23, 1944, and the Nazis were unable to destroy either the gas chambers or the crematoriums (although they burned down the wooden building of these). This exposed a "large" concentration camp to the world's eyes for the first time. About 80,000 people died in Majdanek, although some sources cite twice as many.
This photo is part of a trip through central Poland, focused especially on the most tragic moments of the Holocaust and World War II, which devastated Poland like few places, but which at the same time contrasts with the incredible rebirth of the country up to the present day.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Reinhard
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Majdanek_concentration_camp
Ben dreta com a advertencia / If that's not a warning sign...
IN ENGLISH BELOW THE LINE
Foto presa amb una Rolleiflex Old Standard fabricada el 1936; objectiu Carl Zeiss Tessar f3.5 / 75mm; filtre groc; pelicula Ilford HP5+ 400, revelada amb Atomal 49 sense diluir. Aquesta càmera és contemporania a aquests fets.
Com un dit que acusa, la xemeneia dels forns crematoris de Majdanek s'aixeca tal com quan no parava de cremar. Construits a inicis de 1943 per substituir uns de provisionals (2 cambres) del 1942, aquests grans forns crematoris tenien 5 cambres alhora. El 22 de juliol de 1944 els nazis inciendaren l'edifici, de fusta, però no varen estar a temps de volar els forns, que obviament resistiren l'incendi sense problemes. El comandant del crematori era l'infame Erich Mustfehlt, qui també va dirigir l'operació dels grans crematoris de Birkenau (fou executat a Varsòvia el 1948). A nivell personal he de comentar que quan ho vaig visitar, completament sol, només se sentia el vent xiulant pels forats de l'estructura. Molt inquietant.
Al sudoest de la ciutat de Lublin hi ha el inmens camp de concentració de Majdanek (tot i que el seu nom oficial alemany era KZ Lublin). La seva inmensitat i construcció completament en fusta recorda molt a Auschwitz II (Birkenau), probablement perquè ambdós tenien un objectiu teoric inicial semblant (camp per presoners de guerra-esclaus d'origen sovietic). Però evolucionaren de manera molt diferent. Majdanek és, encara que costi de creure, més gran que Birkenau (el vaig recorrer de punta a punta i ho vaig poder comprovar); i a sobre només representa 1/5 part de la seva superficie teorica original.
El seu paper fou ambivalent. Començà, el juliol de 1941, com a camp de concentració com a reserva de ma d'obra esclava, principalment jueus, així com centre de classificació i distribució de tot el material robat a les victimes de la Aktion Reinhard. La duresa del treball i les malalties incrementaren la mortaldat i es construiren cambres de gas i més tard, un forn crematori. Les cambres de gas son una mena d'hibrid entre els models de monoxid de carboni de la Aktion Reinhard, que logicament tenien com a referent, però també agafaren elements ja provats a Auschwitz, pel que podien fer servir, també Zyklon-B.
Un dels fets essencials per donar importancia a Majdanek es que va caure en mans sovietiques bastant per sorpresa, el 23 de juliol de 1944, i els nazis no varen poder destruir ni les cambres de gas ni els forns crematoris (tot i que incendiaren l'edifici de fusta d'aquests). Això exposà a ulls del món per primer cop un camp de concentració "gros". Unes 80.000 persones moriren a Majdanek, tot i que algunes fonts citen el doble.
Aquesta foto forma part de tot un viatge pel centre de Polònia, enfocat especialment en els més tragics moments del Holocaust i la II Guerra Mundial, que esclafà Polonia com pocs llocs, però que alhora contrasta amb l'increible renaixement del país fins al moment actual.
ca.wikipedia.org/wiki/Majdanek
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Reinhard
=============================================
Picture taken with my Rolleiflex Old Standard made in 1936; Carl Zeiss Tessar f3.5 75mm lens with yellow filter; Ilford HP5+ 400 film, developed in stock Atomal 49. This camera is contemporary with this events.
Like an accusing finger, the chimney of the Majdanek crematoria stands tall as it did when it was in use. Built in early 1943 to replace temporary ones (2 chambers) from 1942, these large hovens had 5 chambers. On July 22, 1944, the Nazis set fire to the wooden building, but they did not have time to blow up the ovens, which obviously withstood the fire without any problems. The timber structure was rebuilt after the war. The commander of the crematorium was the infamous Erich Erich Muhsfeldt, who also later directed the operation of the large crematoriums of Birkenau (he was executed in Warsaw in 1948). On a personal level, I must say that when I visited this haunting place, completely alone, all I could hear was the wind whistling through the holes in the structure. Very disturbing.
Southwest of the city of Lublin is the immense concentration camp of Majdanek (although its official German name was KZ Lublin). Its immensity and entirely wooden construction are very reminiscent of Auschwitz II (Birkenau), probably because both had a similar initial theoretical objective (camp for prisoners of war-slaves of Soviet origin). But they evolved in very different ways. Majdanek is, although it is hard to believe, larger than Birkenau (I walked it from end to end and was able to verify this); and on top of that it only represents 1/5 of its original theoretical area.
Its role was ambivalent. It began, in July 1941, as a concentration camp as a reserve of slave labor, mainly Jews, as well as a center for sorting and distributing all the material stolen from the victims of Aktion Reinhard. The harshness of the work and diseases increased the mortality rate and gas chambers were built and later, a crematorium. The gas chambers are a kind of hybrid between the carbon monoxide models of Aktion Reinhard, which they logically had as a reference, but they also took elements already tested in Auschwitz, so they could use, also Zyklon-B.
One of the essential facts to give importance to Majdanek is that it fell into Soviet hands quite by surprise, on July 23, 1944, and the Nazis were unable to destroy either the gas chambers or the crematoriums (although they burned down the wooden building of these). This exposed a "large" concentration camp to the world's eyes for the first time. About 80,000 people died in Majdanek, although some sources cite twice as many.
This photo is part of a trip through central Poland, focused especially on the most tragic moments of the Holocaust and World War II, which devastated Poland like few places, but which at the same time contrasts with the incredible rebirth of the country up to the present day.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Reinhard
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Majdanek_concentration_camp