Plaszow: The Concentration Camp of Schindler's List | History Traveler Episode 211
Concentration camp. Just the words alone conjure up the most haunting mental images of the depths of human depravity and evil. One of the most chilling depictions of life in the concentration camps in WWII came through the lens of Steven Spielberg in the move "Schindler's List". In it, we seeing the story of the Jews who lived in Krakow during the Holocaust and found themselves under the brutal watch of a man named Amon Goeth. In this episode, we're exploring the grounds of the Plaszow concentration camp to get a glimpse at what life might have looked like during this horrible time.
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Other episodes that you might enjoy:
- Oskar Schindler's Factory & The Krakow Ghetto | History Traveler Episode 210: • Oskar Schindler's Fact...
- The Verdun of the EASTERN FRONT at Przemysl Fortress in WWI | History Traveler Episode 207: • The Verdun of the EAST...
- The 12th SS Massacre of the Canadians in Normandy | History Traveler Episode 195: • The 12th SS Massacre o...
- Holdy Battery: The Sister Gun Battery of Brecourt Manor | History Traveler Episode 187: • Holdy Battery: The Sis...
- German Bunkers of UTAH BEACH (D-Day!!!) | History Traveler Episode 190: • German Bunkers of UTAH...
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You’ve more than earned it my friend. All your videos are informative, interesting, and touch the heart. Having already subbed I’d like to do more to help if you have a link to Patreon or the like. Keep up the outstanding content my friend, thank you for all of it. 👍
@@dtmjax5612 - Thank you. I have a Patreon link in the description of the video. I appreciate that.
@@TheHistoryUnderground I just discovered your channel and am loving your content so far. But please tell me you made the trip to Oświęcim to visit Auschwitz-Birkenau? Kraków is located about 30 miles east give or take. I visited both Memorials at Auschwitz and Płaszów about 4 years ago with my Aunt and her partner. It was a very emotional and spiritual experience for all of us, especially my Aunt's partner, as her father lost his entire family to the gas. He only passed the selection because one of the Sonderkommando told him to lie about his age to get on the work details.
The Gettysburg Museum of History is awesome!!
I don't know what song the kids were singing while they were getting into the trucks, but in the movie it was "Mamatschi" (shenke mir ein Pferdshen) which translates (roughly) to "Mommy" (give me a pony) and while the ending is sad it becomes quite chilling in the context that it's being sung while the children are cheerfully and obliviously waving goodbye. And many years passed The small boy became a man Then one day before the gate Stopped a glorious team of horses In front of a colorful carriage there stood Four horses, decorated and beautiful They took away his beloved mother And he was reminded of his youth "Mommy, give me a little pony A little pony would be my dream Mommy, I didn't want these kind of horses."
"The Nazis knew what they were doing" sums up the entire Holocaust. Thank you, again, JD, for doing these important videos.
I couldn’t have said it better Jeff. Thank you sir.
Germans
Exactly, why else towards the end of the war when Allies started to move on them did they try and burn and destroy what they did.
Even the "average" German knew what was going on.
@@DavidBrown-bp4iq I knew a German woman who emigrated to the US after the war. She was a child during the war and told me there were Jews living in her town. One day, they weren't there any longer. As a child, she knew what was happening. Of course, most Germans in general knew what was happening.
As a descendant of a survivor of one of these hell camps I generally steer away from stuff like this just because it's incredibly difficult, but thank you for presenting the information with respect.
I too, am a descendant of a survivor and agree with your comment. This was presented well with respect. I had family members at Dachau and Aushwitz .
💜
These programs must continue to be shown now and into the future so we must Never forget lest it would happen. Putin has already for one year following genocide
So glad your loved ones made it through.
@@cindylee8776 yes the holocost religion must continue to be used to guilt Germans & other Whites who had nothing to do with it to extract more wealth from them -- imagine being professional victims
How there can be people who deny this ever happened is beyond comprehension. Thanks JD.
Unreal.
I don't understand that. My uncle was from Poland maybe those people could explain why he had numbers on his forearm. Maybe those people should go to Auschwitz.
They are just a small minority of nutjobs that like to claim everything is fake or a made up conspiracy, it makes them feel special to pretend that they know the "real truth" they should be completely ignored and dismissed as the nutjobs that they are.
I knew a guy in middle school who used to believe that the holocaust was faked, by high school i think he came around and accepted the facts, still though its sad to see people who live in that kind of fantasy
@@jacobv6505 That is sad.. where did he think 6 million people went? A few years back I was in Washington and visited the News museum I was looking at the 9/11 memorial. I had two middle school students ask me what that was. The museum had some of the tower buildings, one student told me they had no idea. Teachers don't teach history.
My family were holocaust victims and my grandfather was the only survivor. the story he told me will forever taunt me. his brother got shot in the head right in front of him and he couldn’t show emotion to it but he told me the utter heart break and horror he was feeling and how on the inside he was screaming. he said it felt like his heart was ripped out of his chest. the memorial was how i would imagine he felt. how you explained it was beautiful. Thank you J.D. i really appreciate your work. you shed light to what others try and deny.
Oh my god.... I can't even imagine seeing that
😞
rest in peace so sorry ops
Oh lord that's awful😢
I’m so sorry. My heart breaks for you and everyone one else that suffered this absolute horror.
What terrifies me the most about the Holocaust is: 1) That there are people all over the world who think that the Holocaust "never happened - it was just a lot of propaganda that was made up after the war" and 2) "Those who forget the past are doomed to repeat it" and it looks like man/womankind are not heeding those words.......take a look at all of the things occurring all over the world - it seems that it is only a matter of time before those words will become a reality. 😢 Thank you so very much for showing the world that YES it did occur and can happen again. Bless you, and keep doing your videos.
I was horrified to discover there are many younger people that think these camps should be plowed under and turned into housing or commercial property. This was in some large forum a few years ago. It is particularly concerning when you think of the atrocities that still take place and the camps that exist today in NK and China.
It's illegal in Germany to say the holocaust didn't happen
That's not scary. THATS 11-DIMENTIONAL. Limiting ONES OWN ability to thrive & prosper.
@@esieffer last time I check the news only highlights the worse of people's behavior. You won't see people getting along and thriving without hate. I personally don't know why apparently people only want the bad news. It's a business of attention grabbing titles for views. Don't let that be your source of how most live and let live.
Couldn't have said it better👏 It is absolutely horrific to me, as someone who has suffered from chronic pain/illness almost all of my life, and at only 29 years old. I truly do not understand the pure hate that people hold in their hearts to accomplish such evil acts!😔
When you mentioned the 300 hundred children being taken away reminded me of one the horrific scenes in schindlers list. The mother's watching in horror and chasing after those trucks. Knowing they probably won't see them again.
Awful.
I keep thinking of the scene from "The Couple" where the mom holds her baby in her arms while they were loading a train and on if the officers snatches the baby and throws it in a box car and slams the door before the mom could get in. It was so sad, they're all going to the same place on that train and the mom could have fit but they didn't let her just out of pure evil..
I think I will find that movie tomorrow and watch it. I didn't want to before but now I feel it's a subject I should be educated on.
@@macwyllit's a heartbreaking, wonderfully made movie. Stock up on them tissues.
😢 😞😭😭😭
"Their hearts have just been ripped out." My God, what a sobering and haunting comment. Thank you for this episode. I am 72 years old and I am not ashamed to say this video brought me to tears.
Thank you. Pretty moving place.
I am sevety years old and have long since ceased to have any sympathy towards the Jews who died in these horrible camps . The day Israel stps murdering and humiliating the six Million Palestinians living inside the worlds largest outdoor prison, Gaza. And stops stealing even more land than they have since 1946 . Then only then, will my sympathy return for those poor victims of the second world war. Every Jew in the world who keeps silent on the such attrocities as "cast lead" and many like it. Is effectively placing their support behind it, and are equally as guilty as the vile IDF who perpetrated it.
We need to realize that polish catholics also suffered at these nazi education centers.
@@robertgronowski6341 Can you point me to a documentary about Polish Catholics during WWII? I'm from Brazil, I'm a historian and I study the Holocaust!
@streaming1950 Wise and sober words at age 72! Congratulations on the unique text! For me, the holocaust was the worst episode of humanity due to its insanity, brutality, base motive... I'm from Brazil, I'm a historian!
Wish I had known you’d be in the area. I’m an American living and working in Poland. In fact I live about 100m from the Schindler factory and drive past plaszow every day going to work. I’m glad you were able to bring some of these stories to a broader audience.
Yes " the Nazis knew what they were doing ", but so did most civilian populations, or at least they could guess. My step-dad (born 1920) was in the European theater of war from May 1942 to the end in 1945. He said he never went into a concentration camp , but got within 4 to 5 miles of several and he said you could smell the horror of these places even at that distance. Claiming they didn't know just doesn't get it, there's NO way they couldn't have known. My step-dad talked to me about his experiences this one time and would never do so again. I can only imagine the horror he saw
You are lucky to live in such a beautiful country, wish I could, I come over once a month.
@@marshamolden3865 yes...my dad served as a medic, sent to Germany. They knew...
Hello, I do not mean to bother you, but I am curious about a few things about the camp and the Polish people's views about WWll. May I ask you?
@@nataliemorton6150 it’s still pretty conservative…not sure if it’s beautiful…physically maybe.
As a parent, I can't even begin to imagine the feelings of the mums and dads of those 300 children; our job is to protect our young and being powerless to do so would have been worse than death.
It’s heartbreaking and only happened around 80 years ago. We all had parents or grandparents who were alive during this time, it was so recent. It can never be forgotten and never happen again.
Unfortunately genocides are still happening today. The Han Chinese have run out of room and want to move the Uigurs off their own land. The Rohingyas have been victims of ethnic cleansing etc. The Darfuri genocide has been going on for 20 years
I have a friend who's grandfather liberated One of the Concentration camps. He was only 24 years old it bothered him the rest of his life thank you for doing this video
ops
SCHINDLER'S LIST should be required watching by all people
Agreed.
It's fiction.
@@danfrancis2707 no fuckin way you think that
This, together with the previous video you posted, is exceptional. Understated, calm, thoughtful and informative but bringing the horror of the place to the forefront. One phrase which stood out for me was, 'the weight of memory' that you used to describe your feelings when exploring the quarry. It describes, perfectly, how I felt when I visited Oradour sur Glane near Limoges in France where, in one afternoon, the SS murdered many of the villagers and destroyed the buildings. Nobody has ever been able to give a satisfactory explanation of the massacre and the village has been left as it was. And that is how it should be, for memory can fade and not serve as a warning to subsequent generations. Thank you.
Much appreciated. Thank you.
Thank u for that wonderfully presented video-as a child of holocaust survivors it really hits home.
That incident you recount in France was blowback for the four German officers who were Captured by the marquis. The French then forced the four Germans inside a staff car chained the locks then set the car on fire. Thus emulating all four men. When the Germans discovered this they enacted the payback attrocitie on the poor village people. Yes war can be a horrible thing.
Thanks for sharing. I had not heard of this village or it's story of the families that lived there and died at the hands of the nazi regime.
We, the people with conscience, applaud the work you have done here and in all your historic travels and presentations so they will not be forgotten. Thank you JD.
Appreciate that. Thank you.
Very, very well said!!
Yes, thank you for all your work……. What is sad and true even those whom have a conscience still stood by and watched their neighbors, childhood friends, or families that they knew a family of Jews. Stood by, and watched the Jews being marched out of these cities into these camps. And surely out of fear, did nothing but watch. Sadly, horribly, unfathomably, may have been killed themselves if they helped the Jews. To see what was the rubble to us, was life in the midst of it………
You can't blame everyone. Only top echelons. I would have stood by too if it meant keeping my family on the outside of the barb wire. Or from being shot on sight. Even if it meant being a guard. They were going to die anyways. People who believe they could stand up to the SS, or done anything to stop the death, would without a doubt join the rest of the dead. Never doubt that. The Germans would raze an entire town for retribution of one ss . They stood by because they had no choice
@@ericjones7380 If the comment was meant for me, I agree totally with your stance as well……. My point was that even those with a conscience HAD to just stand by and watch even if it meant to see loved ones have to go. And to have your hands tied, fearfully and tearfully done. War does that to all those involved in it……..
I'm in contact with a survivor of this place, he has confirmed to me that Amon did shoot people from his balcony, in Schindlers list, the little boy who hides in the latrine, that's him. He's a lovely man, his suffering is truly heartbreaking.
Liar
Please give him our best wishes and 💜
Oleg
Is he still alive?
I can not imagine living across the road from a Concentration Camp. Everyday when walking out the front door and looking across to what once was. The horror, sadness, sorrow, death and the negativity. RIP to everyone who knew horror before their deaths.
This was the saddest thing I’ve watched. Being Polish and my family is from Krakow this really hit me hard.
@John Bernarz I dream of visiting Poland. I live and am from Brazil! This year I'm going to Germany... I want and need to say my prayers in Krakow and Auschwitz
@@adaltonoliveira1971 My brother has been to Auschwitz. He came out bawling. He said it's the only place he's cried. I have the book he bought, it's called Auschwitz Nazi Death Camp.
I found this one to be very moving. The whole place had such a dark, sad, silent, and eery vibe to it. To know that such horrible atrocities were committed there just leaves behind a permanent “stain” that simply cannot be removed, even with the passage of time. That sad memorial at the end summed it all up perfectly. Thanks JD.
My grandfather was from Poland, where his first wife and child were murdered. I don’t think people realize the second and third generation trauma that happens to survivors families.
Total respeito aqui do Brasil pelo seu avô!
I would like to know how this trauma has affected future generations. I can’t even imagine. 😢
@@lab4389 Trauma??? Super trauma... The holocaust was the worst moment in human history... Hitler and Stalin were the most perverse "animals" of humanity in my humble opinion!
@@lab4389 Look... kzhead.info/sun/pbqOdJhrmKVtbJs/bejne.html
I wanna know what your thoughts are about all these many Holocaust deniers everywhere! (Guy I work with is one of them too! WTF do these people get this BS from?)😔
I am so thankful for historians like you... These days these kind of things are being erased from the history books and there are many illiterate people out there saying "this never happened". Thank you for doing what you do.
If they aren’t erasing history they are trying to change it ..
So much I didn't know. Heartbreaking. Cruel, heartless excuses for human beings. Thank you for shining a light on this camp.
Not to be disrespectful but how could you not know?🙄
@@galemiller7422 because this particular camp and Nazi was not dicussed in our history books.
@@galemiller7422 I bet I know lots you don't know! Not to be disrespectful!
It is worth noting that one of the the survivors of this camp was Simon Wiesenthal. I believe he spent a short time there. Looking at those apartment buildings overlooking the site, I'm not sure I would want to live there, with that view as a constant reminder of just how vile the human race can be, it must be unsettling.
i was thinking the same thing, no way i would want to live there knowing what went on there
Boy you ain't never lied, I can't believe you cannot smell the evil that went on there.
Who'd wish to live in the rot haus, if ever... 💦
I have to agree with you. As a bit of a history fan I look at historical sites and imagine life there in the past. I'd imagine there's every possibility you'd unearth human bones or concetration camp artifacts while your digging your flower beds. I wouldn't want to live there!!
I thought the same thing. I couldn't live where such evil existed.
The building of apartments over such a site strikes me as disrespectful at the least. I can’t imagine living there without thoughts of the past invading my days. The Japanese and German camps seemed to have a prerequisite for the commanders to be sociopaths. Thank you for reminding us of the evil among us in hopes that we can stop such cycles from reoccurring.
I think it’s more from necessity than insensitivity. I’m sure they don’t have large plots of land they can just block off. They preserve what they can, and move on. Even in the Normandy area in France where thousands died, people live and work and life goes on. In Gettysburg; mass graves have been found under parking lots. I remember seeing signs in a Central Park in Phillidelphia saying that you are walking on the graves of soldiers. That’s why museums, books, historians, and videos like this are important.
@@jimmyhorton8297 One thing that is amazing, and DW made a video of this, in Warsaw around where the ghetto was, houses today seem haunted. We know that in Germany and Poland there has been a remarkable number of people who have converted to Judaism, because "their souls demanded it," as I was told once as I did some research. So, at least there is a strong belief that remaining houses in Warsaw, are haunted.
I live in Płaszów. No one here disrespects the victims, we need roofs above our heads so we build new buildings. Many people want to live in Krakow so all possible spaces are used. And no house here is hounted, it's silly childish bielieves. If it wasn't for the education this land would be no different than any other. It is only the knowledge and human imagination that allows for memory to be passed to next generations.
I hope the ghosts of that place find the new apartment to their liking.
Dude, so many artrocities happened in all of Poland, on the streets, market squares etc. In my small hometown there's a street where dozens of Jews and Poles were executed during the Death March. There's an apartment building right next to a memorial statue. No one disrespects this place, people just have to live somewhere.
My mother had a friend that was in one of those camps still had her Id number on her arm. I can't even imagine what she suffered especially being a young woman. She was very nice but suffered from the memories and she abused alcohol, it's just crazy what people do to others.
Did she ever explain how she survived a death camp?
@@drobert1741 no not to me that I can remember it was over 60 years ago and I was probably around 7 to 8 years old, I just remember her and of course having her identity number tatoe on her arm iam sure she was very fortunate to just survive.
As a young kid at my grandparents most of their friends were in the camps…no one talked about it and no one asked
If she had a tattoo number then she was in Aushwitz.
@@drobert1741 She would have passed inspections that they used to get rid of the people who no longer looked healthy. And, by the grace of God.
We visited Poland a few years back and went to plaszow. The sheer size of the place and like you said there's a weight, a bearing on you that is uncomfortable. It truly was a terrible place.
His Jewish housemate (girl at the time, Helen Jonas-Rosenzweig ) survived the war, came back to the villa, and saw first hand him standing on the balcony... taking aim at the area below.
I so vividly remember that scene from Schindlers list where they're putting the children on the trucks and I remember pausing the movie and just sobbing, things like this make my heart hurt but they're so important to talk about and remember
I have watched the haunting "Schindler's List" several times and now your episodes on Krakow and Plaszow. Currently, I am reading "The Krakow Ghetto Pharmacy," a true first hand report by Tadeusz Pankiewicz, a non-Jew resident of Krakow, and a witness who gave testimony at the Nuremberg trials. All together these presentations add depth and dimension to a horrible time in our still relative current history. Thanks to The History Underground for your work.
I can't find Schindlers List ANYWHERE! I been looking for it for years
@@aliciacoble7854 I have found several Schindler DVDs at a Goodwill Store warehouse. I give them away to people who may not know the story A lot of older, out of print DVDs, etc., can be special ordered at music and movie stores usually found in retail malls. Even the movie does not describe the horror of that period.
@@aliciacoble7854 it's on KZhead. I watched it there for the second time. The first one I watched on Canal 11, AA cultural channel in Mexico City, where I was born.
@@aliciacoble7854 amazon
You do AMAZING work! I just wish every young person would pay attention to history. Good or bad. it is the story of our existence here on Earth. Thank you for all you do.
Thanks! Hopefully people are sharing these videos with the younger crowds.
Young people are taught less and less history and more propaganda as the years pass by .
One of the great stories of courage during the Holocaust was when several young girls were condemned to die I cannot remember which camp, but as the truck drove off survivors recounted how you could hear them singing the Hatikvah......such courage in the face of certain death. That story stays with me. I'll never forget it.
Thank you for your information. You help keep the history of the Holocaust alive so it is never forgotten. Blessings on you.
Thank you for posting this informative video. I was just in Krakow last month and visited the grounds where the former Plaszow camp stood. The location is now mostly used as a park, and people can often be seen riding their bikes or walking their dogs along the paths. In certain sections where no one else is around, you can hear an eerie silence in the air. I also heard the sounds of these birds making noises that sounded like people crying out in pain, which made the experience even more sobering.
ive been intrigued by wwii for a while now, once i think there are no more videos left to watch, one like this pops up... glad there are so many historians out there sharing what had happened
They couldn’t pay me to live in that building where Evil once dwelled. Absolutely inconceivable to me 😢 On a side note and with utmost respect, but there should be a big Star of David instead of a Cross. Just my humble opinion
‘The weight of memory’ A Powerful and epigrammatic statement. As a frequent visitor to Gettysburg, we often feel that same weight. A very different sorrow- the suffering of the unfortunates condemned to those camps is, I believe, beyond our comprehension. But clearly human Tragedy on that scale echoes through time and is inescapable.
I had that exact feeling going through anne frank's house in holland. Seeing the kids height measurements still on the wall... Makes you feel sick.
@@2kanchoo never been, but I can only imagine tho. It’s as if terror has torn a hole in time and remains in that place.
@@2kanchoo the pictures of movie stars she taped up are still there,..the only witnesses to the raid by the Dutch police who cooperated with the SS to drag the inhabitants of the secret annex away
By making this video, you have helped educate and remind many of us who are not aware of the savagery of the Nazis. Although I am well aware of the Holocaust, I am deeply concerned this part of our history will soon be forgotten as the survivors pass.
But their families will never forget it and hopefully will tell people in the future ..if not it will happen again as history does repeat itself sadly .
As long as I am alive and the rest of my family and hopefully our descendants, we will keep their memory alive, and not let other forget the atrocities that they victims endured. My grandfather fought in the Marines in the Pacific, he enlisted in June 1941 before Pearl Harbor, his brothers fought in Europe.
What about the atrocities of the West under slavery, feudalism, and colonialism? Do you just conveniently point the fingers everywhere but toward yourself? Ignorance is bliss.
Using headstones from jewish cemeteries to pave roads and sidewalks was sadly more common than you might think. Communists did the very same thing in certain areas of Prague. I think its been removed and replaced by normal paving materials some years ago, but not so long ago, when sun shined in a certain angle, you could see the pavements glimmer here and there as there were some bits and pieces of what used to be golden letters on the headstones.
Excellently prepared episodes concerning the concentration camp in Plaszów. You have provided all the necessary and important information. No need to add anything. I am glad that many people on this channel can learn from you what the prisoners of this camp had to go through. I just want to add one thing, the prisoners in this camp were not only Jews but also people of many other nationalities. The fact of the balcony in the villa where Amon Goeth lived is real. He was shooting people in the camp from that balcony. The terrain looked a little different at that time, a lot of earthworks had been done which changed the layout of the terrain. Again, the excellent and comprehensive job JD...well done my friend...well done.
@Peter Wronski Beautiful contextualization! Schindler's 1993 film portrays in essence... But only those who suffered during WWII can tell! God bless everyone here in Brazil! You are from which country?
@@adaltonoliveira1971 I am from Poland, was born there but I live in USA.
@@grin1972 How nice my friend... I dream of visiting Poland... I have admiration and respect for the Polish people! Fraternal hug to you and family! In May/23 I will visit Germany.
That Memorial Statue..hollow chest, meaning.. "Hearts are ripped apart".. made me burst into tears..! Still cant believe that all these happened just 65 to 70 years back..! As humans, do we we still have any moral values left..!! Thank you JD..your videos are so impactful and makes our heart so weighted..!! Love from India.!!
Many thanks. That statue was something else. I could have stared at it for hours. Hope to visit your country someday!
Yes I was thinking about how close in time that was. Both my brothers were born about then.
Very moving video! I've often thought about the fact that ONE man alone, CAN be evil to his core but to think that SO many German soldiers went from normal every day citizens/humans to become soldiers and serve their country but then to go on and become an extension of Hitler's EVIL plan, is just incomprehensible. Inhuman monsters.
This is want war does is an evil thing being dictated to serve a country
Jordan Peterson has a video where he explains to his students that if they had been there in WW2 they would have probably been death camp guards. Its challenging stuff.
@@lewisnerHitler youth school's. Indoctrination. Pure evil.
"...the weight of memory..." Your comment speaks volumes. You are doing a wonderful job presenting sides of history not shared enough. Well done sir...well done.
Was going to make a similar statement. I agree with you entirely. As a frequent visitor to Gettysburg, we often feel that same weight. A very different sorrow. The suffering of those condemned to those camps is, I believe, beyond our comprehension. But clearly human Tragedy on that scale echoes through time
This is why what you (and others) do is so important. There are too many history deniers and those who would erase history. We must ALWAYS remember the evil that was done in places like this, so we can recognize it and stop it from ever happening again.
The history deniers are important too because they remind us to recheck the told story's.
@@thomasm.7058 I beg to differ. What us important us the evidence. And there is tons if it. Deniers don't look for the evidence.
@@deadbunnyking I grew up there, and my mother had a friend whose husband was Jewish and the only survivor of his family. I know that still does not mean that the whole story told is correct.
@@thomasm.7058 then you certainly cannot deny all of the evidence in front of you. It was as horrible as it is told. Not just from the Jewish community. One thing to remember is that the Jews (although the largest community hit) were not the only victims of Hitler and the nazis.
This type of evil is happening today in Palestina but this time ww2 victims change roles and became bigger evil than nazis were in their era and The World is quiet about that! #FreePalestine🇵🇸🇵🇸🇵🇸
Thank you: just returned from Krakow, you answered some of my outstanding questions. Mans inhumanity to man rarely so clearly evident.
I had never learned of the road being paved with headstones. There was just no end to this horror.
Well-made honest documentation! I grew up at the Westwall with thousand bunker's around my town, near a subcamp (quarry) of "Natzweiler-Strutthoff" and have always felt the gravity of the injustice and all the lies. Even as a child, I wanted to know how this was even possible, and I did a lot of research, talked to people who grew up in that time. Today, I could explain it. And yes, the time today is not that much different, and this scares me the most, a manipulated world full of lies.
I hate to say this but this is going to happen again only it won't be just Jews and the unfit, this time it will be humans who do not conform period, Jews and Gentiles. There's a horrific time coming for this world and I'm "lucky" enough to be old and won't live to see it but I am concerned about my grandkids. amen.
It's truly sad what these people with through during WW2... I got the chance to meet Elie Wiesel awhile back when he spoke at my college. This video reminds me a lot of what he said, which is..."Evil isn't even close to a strong enough word to use for what the Nazi's did". I'll never forget that. Great video, JD!
Wow.
I'm part German and I hate it I hate hate hate what this man and his men have done it make me cry and so upset I was told as a kids this never happened and now as I get older I believe it happened and it hurts to know people had to suffer like this
I have been watching your videos for a long time now! I am an amateur historian! I know a lot about the American Civil War, World War Two, and other historical events! You have always done an excellent job whether talking about the Civil War or World War Two! As an Orthodox Jew, I lost much of my family in the Holocaust! My uncle served in Patton's Third army and was a decorated infantryman! He fought in the Battle of the Bulge! I congratulate you in the very sensitive and compassionate way you presented this material! I am sure that you did justice to the memory of those who perished in this camp! When I was young I met many Holocaust survivors in my Synagogue who all had tattooed numbers on their arms! Some even were able to tell me about their terrible experiences! Again, I want to thank you in the very respectful and sensitive way you presented this material! Good luck on your future endeavors!
I am also Jewish and knew survivors as I was growing up, some with numbers on their arms. Some of the stories I heard are as fresh in my mind now as they were when I heard them as they are so horrific. My parents were good friends with a couple who survived the Holocaust by being members of the partisans and they were guests in our home quite often. One evening, as they were visiting us, there was a very strong thunderstorm with very loud thunder right above our house. This brought back memories of artillery to the wife and she had a meltdown in front of us as she was remembering her terrible experiences.
@@jeffe9842 Thank you for your great comments and relating your story! Good luck to you!
Amnon was insane. Literally, and he did many sick, sadistic things that were not in the movie, because they were so beyond human comprehension.
Awful human.
@@TheHistoryUndergroundEvil personified.
I read a book written by his Granddaughter titled "My Grandfather would have shot me".
Towards the very end of the war, Goeth was assessed as having psychological problems and consigned to a sanatorium. There he was found, arrested and handed over to the Polish authorities for trial and execution. So yes, he really was mentally disturbed.
Thank you for sharing the history of such a volatile time. The passion you share regarding these horrible times need to live on forever. So often I have heard younger generations say the holocaust never existed… I don’t know how one could ever say that with all of the evidence. Please keep posting all of these mini history lessons. You are doing a wonderful job, thank you and God bless
JD, although I already knew most of what you described, you're such a good storyteller you make it so much more deeply moving and meaningful. Thank you.
I am 56 years old and no matter how many times I see the images and read about the horrors committed by the Nazis I still shake my head in astonishment at their depraved evil deeds. Demonic.
What has always struck me is how the German people claimed not to know what was going on. Mass murder on a mind boggling scale by leaders who openly bragged about wiping out Jews... what did the common folk think was going on? What did they think as they saw their Jewish neighbors hauled away and their possessions confiscated? "First they came for the socialists, and I did not speak out-because I was not a socialist. Then they came for the trade unionists, and I did not speak out-because I was not a trade unionist. Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out-because I was not a Jew. Then they came for me-and there was no one left to speak for me.+---Martin Niemoller
Having been to Poland in the 80s while it was still communist, we visited Krakow and I must say, it is a beautiful city. Poland is a beautiful country. As an aside: There's a fascinating documentary about Monica Hertig, who is Göth's daughter. She meets Helen Hirsch and Helen's daughter at the red house. It's fascinating.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inheritance_(2006_film)
@thinghammer I'm glad you mentioned that as it's an important part of Plaszow history. The documentary is called "Inheritance", an American production so maybe the uploader of this YT clip about Plaszow knows about it. I'm from UK and for some odd reason it's not available here.....or for that matter anywhere in Europe which seems very odd. Monika and Helens meeting at Plaszow is heartwrenching, just as when she tells of how she first learned who her father really was and how he died. I've been to both Auschwitz-Birkenau and Plaszow. Also visited Schindlers factory but the exhibition as it now is hadn't been built then. Auschwitz gets rammed with cars and coach tours arriving where at Plaszow there was just three other vehicles besides mine. A lot of people don't know about it's existence despite having seen Schindlers List.
Monika Hertwig has a daughter whose name is Jennifer Teege, who wrote a book that I highly recommend: "My Grandfather Would Have Shot Me." BTW it's my understanding that in reality there were two Jewish slaves/maids at Goth's villa. The movie "Schindler's List condensed them into one character.
It was actually HelenJonas-Rosenzweig who met with Gőths daughter. She was a maid alongside Hersch in the villa.
kzhead.info/sun/hrWroZikoZRqa58/bejne.html
You show much respect compassion and integrity.
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JD, Thank you for taking the time to explore while you were in Poland to make this series. This has been a very interesting and thought provoking series. Your descriptions are amazing and what's more, you can actually see the emotional toll it took while you were walking the grounds of the camp. You can even hear it in your voice from time to time. I couldn't begin to imagine what it was like to actually be right there on those grounds and think of all the atrocities committed. Heartbreaking. Again,, thank you for sharing and I do pray that this is never forgotten and is never again repeated.
Very well done. You don’t over-narrate your videos and thereby allow us to experience this and other sites you’ve filmed and visited for ourselves. You echoed my thoughts perfectly regarding the extremely moving monument at the end of the video. I immediately observed the hands and difference in the position of the hands. The vacant eyes of the victims, as well. Lastly, your phrase “weight of memory” will stay with me forever. Man’s inhumanity to man never ceases to amaze me. Thank you for another outstanding video that is so terribly moving. May those who perished in these horrible places forever Rest In Peace.
Well done! There's very little info/videos out there on Plaszow, and yours is easily one of the best. I was there many years ago and you were able to see some things I did not, so it was nice to be able to revisit the pieces I missed.
These are heart breaking videos. The thought of this happening to young children is horrifying. As you stated " pure evil ".
Dark times.
Unimaginable horror. Thank you JD for being brave enough to do these films and putting them out there. Devon uk
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Maybe the most impressing and at the same time the most depressing video you ever made. Thank for all the detailed information you put together about this place. Made me speechless.
Two great videos. This is why history can not be erased.
Thank you. I appreciate that.
Thank you for showing this. It’s important we never forget what happened. Please keep up the important work you’re doing with these videos.
The worst way a human can be treated and still have people today believe that this all never happened. I for one will always remember. May they all be blessed.
I remember when I was about 6 or 7, my mom and dad had friends over to visit. I noticed numbers on my Dad's friend wrist and asked him about it. My dad told me I shouldn't have asked him that. My dad's friend said it was perfectly okay. He explained about being in a concentration camp. What life was like before, while he was in the camp. He also shared his faith and rebuilding his life. I will never forget his lessons. He told me we should never forget and continue to share, so it doesn't happen again. His kids and I grew up together. They loved coming to our house and learning about our holidays, and I loved sharing their holidays and their faith.
This was the most sobering video you have ever produced, I am sitting here in shock. I have read and researched a lot of history on the Holocaust and this was an excellent piece of work.
I am a high school history teacher in Rochester NY and I just want to say I absolutely LOVE your channel and your skill for making historical documentaries is excellent in the way you use the camera and more importantly how you narrate and speak about these extremely important points in world history that must be talked about and discussed forever in order to keep it from happening again god willing. Thank you for all that you and your team do for the historical community!!
Hi. We were always told in History that the Soviet Union army liberated Auschwitz. My mother tells me that her cousin's husband helped liberate Auschwitz. He was Australian and only 17. He drove a tank. I spoke to her again and she said that was where he said he was. 🤷♀️
Thank you and thank you for showing us a part of history that is slowly being erased from our memory and from sadly history books. We must never forget our history for much can be repeated if we forget. God Bless and Shalom.
The last few videos have been excellent! Thank you. The great work of Schindler and the evil of Amon Goeth. I'm heartbroken and speechless.
Well done!!! The memory of those who lost their lives at this despicable place are the ones we need to keep remembering. As long as we remember they live on. Remembering the atrocities that occurred can aid us from repeating the same mistakes. Again very well done. Excellent story telling
It is amazing (in a negative way) how cruel, wanton and murderous some of us humans can be to innocent people, similar to the horrendous conditions that civilians in the Nazi concentration camps had to suffer. We must not only remember those innocent victims, but we also ensure that these injustices do not happen any more, and if they do arise, we must confront them and stop them from taking root. Thank you, History Underground, for this video, and for bringing these events to light.
This was my first time watching this site. Thank you for sharing another side of this horrible place. It still never becomes less emotional.
Haya. I have watched this a few times now & I was there last Saturday & there are no words, it all comes from the emotion of that time long since past, to walk where they all once did & may we all never forget them. We are all here from all those that were lost during the 1940s, each day is a blessing. I also went to Auschwitz I & II, Oskar Schindlers factory, all incredibly moving, I am now not the same person as I knew I would be even more humbled than before I went. Thanku so much for sharing. Ana.
JD, I just watched your 1st video of Krakow about Oscar Schindler and was so impressed on how well you put it together. It was very impactful and I am going to forward this movie on.😀.
Thank you.
This is a very sobering reminder of what evil men will do for control & power & then to try to destroy the evidence. Thanks JD for another excellent episode from history. We have to continue to teach history both the good & bad so it isn’t repeated.
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Thus, they KNOW, fully, to their own foul doings AS they act.
Loved this one and the previous one. Probably some of the best and most informative I’ve seen on this channel. Thank you.
Thank you sir for keeping the memories of those who suffered horrifically, alive! Always remembered, never forgotten. 💐
I visited Plazow in 2017, and Amon Goeth's villa had just been sold and was being renovated. Nice to see it all finished and looking nice,when I went it looked very run down and neglected.
I would love to do a ghost hunt in there
Does the person who bought it even know what went on there in 1944? Somehow, I doubt it! The very thought of living in the very residence where the perpetrator of such sadistic evil lived gives me the heebie-geebies! To think they cremated Goeth and cast his ashes in the Vistula is unbelievable; they should have stuck the scumbag on a spit and left him to the crows!
@@RonniE-wl1vt There would be to many angry spirits there it wouldn’t be peaceful enuff. I would love to do one at aushwitz that would be interesting aswell but saying that you might learn stuff that would be fuel for nightmares it would be heartbreaking to find out what really happened to them that we don’t know of 😭🥺😭🥺😭
This was so respectfully and thoughtfully presented. Your work is among my favorite subscriptions and I just want to thank you for sharing.
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Thank you for sharing. I have been praying for my lost family members that I was told died in prison. Now I understand more. Thank you again.
Thank you for all your work in keeping their story alive. These installments are so powerful and moving and very educational.
Although I love history , I have only just come across this channel . This was factually , respectfully and emotively done . The pauses , the visuals, the music chosen - it made one TOTALLY reflect. I have visited Bergen-Belson myself and there is little left there also - yet, it is heart wrenching. Upon liberation, it was eventually destroyed by the British, to rid the area from diseases . The museum, photos and actual artefacts there .… it is truly nigh on impossible to wrap your head around . It is quite an expanse of land YET , not one bird can be seen or heard . Safe to say however , that I am hooked to the channel and have now subscribed ! Thankyou .
There is a good documentary about Amon's daughter Monika Hertwig called, " Inheritance ". It shows how she feels guilt for her father's sins.
Very moving. I so appreciate your sensitivity to all the videos you create, but especially this one.
Your videos are so respectfully done, I appreciate that completely. Thank you for your time and effort put into them.
When my sister went to Auschwitz, she spoke of a heaviness, and a overwhelming sadness. She said you could feel the death. But also the life of the ones that made it out alive.
I have been there and your sister is right. You can feel what happened there in the very air. I was chilled to my bones and could not get warm for several days after my visit.
@@auntkaz815 It's sad what human can do to other humans.
My brother went to Auschwitz, he came out bawling. He said it was the only place where he cried.
the quality videos you put out,never cease to amaze me.thank you for the time,effort,and money you sink into making these amazing videos.
Thank you so much for taking the time to do these documentaries. Very important and informative from Coventry, England x
I can't stop watching your show you say everything so well so easy to understand and you feel the emotion and what you're saying you are a good speaker and thank you for telling us these stories
Yes, you pronounced Diana Reiter's name correctly... I did not know the Jewish architect's name before this video, thank you for sharing that information....
But I was told that she was Italian born...
Amazing. So heavy on the heart and soul. Thank you for sharing. My family and I walked the camp in Holland. You can still feel the suffering when you walk the grounds.
Thank you so much for such a high quality presentation. I've been to Plaszow with a tour guide and can say I learnt so much more from your video!
Thank you for showing this. It is a reminder of what happened and how horrible things were.
My favorite quote from the film- He who saves one life saves the world entire.
WOW! This is such a powerful video. You brought the pain of that horrific place to life. Thank you so much for this moving video.
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I've spent years researching the Holocaust. It's impossible to do justice to the many millions of stories out there...but, good job on presenting this. Never forget.
Fantastic episode as usual ! thank you for dedicating your time to cover these very historic and sombre locations. keep up the great work !
Just finished watching this at 9pm at night. The content is so well put together I can deal with the 3 commercials that KZhead had to air. You do such an exceptional job of story telling, heartfelt empathy and vocal tone. The backing tracks just add to the emotional experience. Every location you covered just flat out takes you back in time. I get emotional and angry at what took place back then. The pain and suffering those people suffered through just trying to get past another day not knowing when it would be your last. JD you get better each time. Don't ever think for a moment that you are not in the "A" class of documentaries. Cause you are! Keep making us more aware of what to never ever let happen again. And to keep us supporting those who are fighting for survival right now.
Thank you. I appreciate the kind words.
Highly debatable
Highly not.
Thankyou for showing me this … We must never forget 😢