Poland

Though not particularly visible due to the angle, a dam and locks on the Odra (Oder in German) river that runs from the Czech Republic north, forming the Polish/German border before reaching the Baltic.

Львів Краків Вроцлав - Ukranian passenger car from Lviv (Ukraine) to Krakow and Wroclaw.

I had read that there were times during the height of touring season when individuals were not allowed to go through on their own, that they had to go through in a group. I expected mid-April to be early enough to avoid that, but it wasn't. I was told I would be assigned to an English-language group that would be leaving in an hour. Since I was not going to be able to see it at my own pace, I debated leaving. I continue to have mixed feelings about the tour (more in later pictures), but am glad that I did it.

An aerial photo taken by the Allies in 1944 showing rail connections used to bring prisoners to the camps. 'A' is the main rail yard for the city of Auschwitz, which was used early in the process. The 'B' and 'B1' sidings (lower portion) were used for bringing prisoners to Auschwitz (which had been a Polish Army garrison). 'C' and 'D' were sidings specifically built to bring prisoners to the much larger Birkenau section.

Considering the horrendous evil that had happened at Auschwitz, I found it somewhat disconcerting that one side of the road is the buildings of the compound (next picture), and the other side a commercial strip.

Auschwitz, from the main road.

Entrance to Auschwitz.

I was not at all prepared for the fact that the site would be crowded with tourists. I estimated there were at least 40 buses there at the time I got there (there's a parking lot to my left). If they carried an average of 40 passengers each, that's 1600 people going through at about the same time.

The beginning of the tour, which follows the same as the initial path for bringing prisoners into Auschwitz. Note the infamous "Arbeit macht frei" / "Work makes you free" over the entrance gate.

My tour group. Some in the group were not native English speakers, but took the tour because groups in their own languages (e.g., Danish) were not available. We all wore headsets, which made it easier for the guide to speak to everyone without shouting and helped when there were situations of multiple tour groups, of different languages, in the same building at the same time.

Just inside the fence.

The original Auschwitz, at about the point where prisoners first entered the camp. Since it had originally been a Polish Army base, the buildings were much more solid than would be the case later in the development at Birkenau.

The camp orchestra (consisting of prisoners) had to play marches as prisoners walked into the camp, the better to keep them in line and easily countable.

The placards around the site are very good -- this being one describing the very long roll calls that all prisoners had to attend every morning (sometimes lasting all day).

At the time of its use as a prison, all of these buildings would have been overflowing with prisoners and due to the high number of prisoners, the space around the barracks would have been mud and dirt, not the grass seen here.

The tally at Auschwitz, 1.1 million deaths, 90% Jews, most killed in the gas chambers.

A photo of the arriving train of prisoners. Those incarcerated were deceptively told to bring their belongings, that they were being transported to a new home. The possessions were immediately taken and sold back to civilian populations.

Photo of the selection process. Immediately after leaving the train the able-bodied were sent in one direction for slavery, others were immediately sent to the gas chambers. As was noted during the tour, though many of the officers involved are clearly identifiable, few received any form of punishment. Update, 7/16/2015: A news story in multiple sources indicates a German court has found one person guilty as an accessory to murder of Jews and have indicted another; both men are in their 90's.