It is strange to read a website promoting a tour of Auschwitz, one of the true hells on earth. Even more disquieting is the “click here for a price quote!” button. Could the inmates have imagined this as they endured their fates. But even the tour company asks the question:
Should one visit Auschwitz? It is a difficult question, and a deeply personal one. For many people, be they pilgrims on a private journey, backpackers exploring eastern Europe, historians, travellers or native Poles, it is a must. The proximity to Cracow makes a visit to the museums a very real option – the town of Oswiecim (Auschwitz) is an hour and a half journey by car from Cracow. And certainly, having seen the camps (regardless of how many other groups are also filing through) few will regret the experience. The camps and their legacy are an indelible part of today’s world, and visiting them is both sobering and edifying.
The need to remember this horror must be balanced with the means of promoting the experience. Judge this means for yourself.