School trip to Auschwitz - opimnions

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dd has brought a letter home from school re: a visit to Krakow with a view to visiting Auschwitz - Does anyone have experience of this?

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the british didn't know anything about nazi concentration camps.

my father in law was in berlin towards the end of the war. he was in signals.

we have some photos of him posed with german soldiers. they really didn't know what was going on

"the EU has not prohibited Holocaust denial outright, although a maximum term of three years in jail is optionally available to all member nations for "denying or grossly trivializing crimes of genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes."[84][85]" reference from wikipedia search on holocaust denial.

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Cod ISN'T denying the holocaust!! These camps were not set up as a result of the war - these had a different agenda - set up to destroy certain groups of people and had Hitler had the power to do that at any other time he would have. Although they happened at the time of WW2, and Hitler's political position allowed him to set up the camps, they were not as a direct result of the political conflict at the time. If that makes any sense.

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I never suggested that you couldn't 'get' WW2 without visiting places like Auschwitz. But it is part of a more fully rounded understanding of what happened during the war.

And yes, there were different kinds of camps - I do know this.

In my experience (which is all I am qualified to talk about) I gained a much deeper understanding of the ramifications of the war, from a human perspective, and suddenly all my history lessons made much more sense to me.

(which is not to criticise my teachers, either - it suddenly became so much more real to me)

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maisy - cod isn't denying the holocaust. How you get that idea from her posts, I'm not sure, tbh.

Not sure I'd want my 14 year old (he's 13 at the moment) to go to Auschwitz.

I do believe children ought to learn about the horrors of what went on, but I know and understand the horror, and I've never been.

that cod is so big and grown up she wasn't upset by the trenches experience!

I understand what Cod is saying - I remember WW2 history at school, it was not about Auschwitz. Ok, so things may have changed in 10 years, but I don't feel that a trip there at 14 is going to enhance learning for GCSEs which is about the actual battle side of the war, the foreign policies etc. I don't like the idea of them going without parents tbh - it is the kind of place that if you are going to as a child you SHOULD go to with parents.

But then I got choked up going round Pompeii

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There were concentration camps in existence before WW2, IIRC.

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when she writes it's nothing to do with the war and that only people from occupied areas where held there.

Becauseimworthit - I do think they should be taught about the Holocaust. But I think they are too young at 14 to actually visit Auschwitz. That should be a personal decision when they are old enough to make it.

(oh gawd, not IIRC from actual experience...)

Not sure what to say on this one.

Sad that to some Auswitxh is just a museum. To others it is very real. I am somewhat in cold shivers at this thread. Mostly as I am in awe of the people who were there, and survived, like my dh's grandma, whom I have had the pleasure of meeting before she passed away a few years back. It sure shaped her life.

It is not something we should hide from our children. It is history. It happened. We have to deal with it. Without hate, without predudice, but with fact and information.

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there is so much filmed evidence of what went on. i feel that would be more worthwile.

auschwitz should be raised to the ground. we need to move on ...

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