Forum Views ()
Forum Replies ()
Read more with google mobile :
Auschwitz blueprints go on display in Israel
Yahoo!
My Yahoo!
Mail
More Yahoo! Services
Account Options
New User? Sign Up
Sign In
Help
Yahoo! Search
web search
Home
Singapore
Asia Pacific
World
Business
Entertainment
Sports
Technology
Africa
Europe
Latin America
Middle East
North America
Auschwitz blueprints go on display in Israel
By ARON HELLER,Associated Press Writer -
2 hours 58 minutes ago
Send
IM Story
Print
JERUSALEM – The neat lines and red rectangular sketches look like any typical architectural design. But the handwritten initials H.H. _ belonging to the infamous Nazi SS chief Heinrich Himmler _ indicate what the drawings represent: wooden barracks, gas chambers and crematoria.
Just ahead of the 65th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz, Israel's Holocaust memorial Yad Vashem is displaying the blueprints of the notorious camp in Nazi-occupied Poland that has become a symbol of the Nazi genocide of European Jewry. It is the first time the plans will be on display for a wide audience.
Auschwitz was the largest of the Nazi camps where millions of Jews and other minorities were forced to work as slaves. Many died of starvation or exposure. Also, many Jews were herded on arrival into gas chambers, the bodies burned in crematoria and their ashes buried in pits. In all, about six million Jews were killed by the Nazis and their collaborators.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was expected to attend the exhibition's opening Monday shortly before flying to Poland to participate in the official commemorations at Auschwitz, where 1.1 million Jews were murdered in just over three years.
The Associated Press was allowed to see the collection ahead of the opening.
The camp's name has become synonymous with the Holocaust because it reflected the meticulous German effort to rid Europe of its Jews _ a plan dubbed the "Final Solution."
The blueprints illustrate the cold planning behind the plot. They include designs of the iconic watchtower entrance to the adjacent Birkenau camp, where trains transported Jews to their deaths, as well as pathway where the "Arbeit Macht Frei" sign was placed.
The sign, whose cynical Nazi slogan means "Work Sets You Free," was stolen last month and returned last week. The offices of Auschwitz commander Rudolf Hess and doctor Josef Mengele are seen in the blueprints.
"It is one thing to kill someone when you are angry, but to sit down and make plans for the biggest extermination camp that the world has ever known and to plan it as if they were planning a parliament or a school or something is just mind-boggling," said Martha Weiss, a 77-year-old Auschwitz survivor who was among a small group of survivors invited to see the display ahead of its opening.
"Sometimes when I listen to myself I think, 'My God, this couldn't have happened. I must have dreamt it.' But unfortunately, it is all true and I lived though it and I was lucky to survive."
The administrative documents at Auschwitz were kept in an archive next to the main camp. The Nazis burned the archive shortly before the camp's liberation in an attempt to cover up their crimes. But some documents, kept in a separate building, survived and fell into Soviet hands, where they remained until the fall of the Berlin Wall.
In 2008, a set of documents, including 15 original plans of the camp, were found in an abandoned Berlin apartment. It is unclear how they arrived there. The German newspaper Bild obtained the blueprints and published them last year after authenticating them with Germany's federal archive.
Bild presented the blueprints to Netanyahu in Berlin last August and they were to go on display at Yad Vashem Monday.
"The original plans detailing the construction of Auschwitz, constitute a graphic illustration of the Germans' systematic effort to carry out the Final Solution," said Yad Vashem Chairman Avner Shalev.
Shalev said the publication of the blueprints would help combat Holocaust denial and make sure that the lessons of the Holocaust remain fresh.
The blueprints include general plans for the original Auschwitz camp and its expansion to Birkenau camp, where most of the killings took place.
The exhibit also includes aerial photos of Auschwitz taken by the British air force during the war, a report written by two Jews who escaped and quotes from SS men and Jewish prisoners about the facility. Some of the photos captured smoke billowing from the camp's six crematoria.
A traveling version of the exhibition will open at the U.N. headquarters in New York on Tuesday.
Last September, Netanyahu waved the blueprints, sketched on yellowing parchment, at the U.N. General Assembly podium in an emphatic rebuke of Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and his repeated questioning of the Holocaust.
Daniel Uziel, the historical adviser to the exhibition, said the blueprints did not add much to what is already known about the camps but they provide "a great illustration of the process of turning Auschwitz from a small Polish concentration camp to the center of the Holocaust."
An old World War I barrack for the Austro-Hungarian army, Auschwitz opened as a concentration camp in the summer of 1940. It was originally designed as a Soviet POW camp and its first prisoners were Polish. But because of its central location and its close access to natural resources, Himmler deemed it the perfect spot to implement the "Final Solution." In late 1941, it swiftly evolved into a highly efficient death camp.
____
On the Net:
"Architecture of Murder": http://www1.yadvashem.org/yv/en/exhibitions/auschwitz_architecture/index.asp
Recommend
Send
IM Story
Print
Related Articles
UK-World Summary Reuters - 2 hours 22 minutes ago
Bin Laden claims U.S. plane attempt, vows more attacks Reuters - 2 hours 22 minutes ago
Bulldozers move into Haiti capital as victims pray AFP - 2 hours 30 minutes ago
Iraq official warned against anti-bomb device buy Reuters - 2 hours 32 minutes ago
Ex-US Commerce secretary Mosbacher dies in Houston AP - 2 hours 38 minutes ago
News Search
Top Stories
Obama 'confident' of repeat Fed term for Bernanke
Barclays Capital head 'slates Obama bank plan'
Britain sceptical about US banking reform
Glacier alarm 'regrettable error': UN climate head
Bank 'sheriff' Obama hits hard in Europe: analysts
More Top Stories »
ADVERTISEMENT
Most Popular
Most Viewed
Most Recommended
Glacier alarm 'regrettable error': UN climate head
Barclays Capital head 'slates Obama bank plan'
Bank 'sheriff' Obama hits hard in Europe: analysts
Britain sceptical about US banking reform
Last decade warmest ever: NASA
More Most Viewed »
Woman who saved Anne Frank's diary dead at 100
Scientists praise Obama as Doomsday clock reset
More Most Recommended »
Elsewhere on Yahoo!
Financial news on Yahoo! Finance
Stars and latest movies
Best travel destinations
More on Yahoo! News
Home
Singapore
Asia Pacific
World
Business
Entertainment
Sports
Technology
Subscribe to our news feeds
Top StoriesMy Yahoo!RSS
» More news feeds | What are news feeds?
Also on Yahoo
Answers
Groups
Mail
Messenger
Mobile
Travel
Finance
Movies
Sports
Games
» All Yahoo! Services
Site Highlights
Singapore
Full Coverage
Most Popular
Asia Entertainment
Photos
Copyright © 2010 Yahoo! Southeast Asia Pte. Ltd. (Co. Reg. No. 199700735D). All Rights Reserved.
Terms of Service |
Privacy Policy |
Community |
Intellectual Property Rights Policy |
Help
Other News on Monday, 25 January 2010 Vegas-Bound Flight Diverted After Passenger Tries To Open Emergency Exit Door
'Bin Laden' Claims Responsibility For Underwear Bomber
Auschwitz blueprints go on display in Israel
Obama 'confident' of repeat Fed term for Bernanke
Israelis says anti-Semitism peaked in 2009
Ahmadinejad hints Iran resolved to make 20 pct nuclear fuel
Netanyahu reaffirms Israel claim to parts of West Bank
Israel to rebut Gaza war report
U.S. seeks extradition of Guatemalan ex-president
|
Plane catches fire in Iran, injures 42
Ahmadinejad says new budget less dependent on oil
Afghans postpone parliamentary elections
Okinawa vote pressures Japan on US Marine base
Japanese residents elect mayor opposing US base
Ex-US Commerce secretary Mosbacher dies in Houston
Sprucing up the dead is big business in Taiwan
No indication of heightened US alarm from new tape
McCain says campaign finance reform is dead
Thai, Cambodian troops clash near disputed temple
Bin Laden warns of more attacks on US targets
Candidate against US base leads Okinawa mayor vote
Aging bikers taking to the streets on beefy trikes
Sri Lanka's opposition warns of election coup
Coast Guard: Vessels in Texas oil spill separated
White House says no reset button for Obama
Adviser says Obama is pursuing health care changes
Rock attitude unifies diverse Paul Smith show
ER's John Wells looks at layoffs in first film
|
'Avatar' tops box office for sixth-straight week
Luxury label Lanvin goes to the street for fashion
MySpace bids to pay musicians 'lost' royalties
Black Eyed Peas lose out in awards mix-up
Music fans 'ready for anything' to meet idols
UN Climate Scientists Now Say Claims About Himalayan Glaciers Not True
Haitian Man Found Alive 11 Days After Deadly Quake
TSA Worker Plants Bag Of White Powder On Passenger
TSA Worker Plants Bag Of White Powder On Passenger
Lebanon's First Male Stripper Says It's All About the Skin
NYPD Faces $2 Million Suit for Jailing Men Over Candy
Farmer Shoots 51 Cows Dead Then Self
Woman Charged With Setting Husband's Genitals On Fire Stalls Trial With Plea Negotiations
Teen Cop Impersonator In Trouble With Law
Chimpanzee Center Of Florida Custody Battle
Human 'Bed Warmers' Bring The Heat
Washington Town Drafts 'Sexpresso' Guidelines
Specter Scolds Bachmann Live On Airwaves
Ethiopian airliner crashes on takeoff in Lebanon
Ethiopian plane crashes in sea off Beirut, bodies found
|
US-TECH Summary
Greek FM rules out abandoning euro
Ethiopian airliner crashes after takeoff from Beirut
HP to launch music service in Europe
U.S., Brazilian troops hand out aid in Haiti slum
|
Soviet war veterans warn US on Afghan strategy
Haiti police count their losses, prepare for calamity
Religious "Super Police" to Monitor Arab Satellite TV?
Water woes could undermine Yemen's drive against Al-Qaeda
Myanmar says Suu Kyi to be freed in November: witnesses
|
Japan PM vows U.S. base decision by May, scandal weighs
|
Afghanistan delays parliament vote
"We Are the World" Remake In The Works To Benefit Haiti
Traumatised Haitians struggle to comprehend grim fate
London conference on Afghanistan's future
China casts nervous eye at erstwhile ally Myanmar
|
Climate talks threaten Saudi with anti-oil bias: official
Talks with Taliban loom over Pakistani-Afghan summit
|
Obama's debut State of the Union a moment of truth
Bill Gates says innovation can leverage change
Audit hits State on failures to monitor Iraq work
Cape Wind's fate unclear, even in Obama's hands
China steps up defense of Internet controls
|
Rare dinosaur skeleton turned over to researchers
2 jailed, 1 acquited over Malaysian ritual killing
HP to launch music service in Europe
|
Wal-Mart cuts about 11,200 Sam's Club staffers
Guatemala moves to arrest ex-president on US request
After 2008 scare, China finds more toxic milk products
FBI: Man who tried to open airplane door released
Wal-Mart Announces 11,200 Sams Club Job Cuts
Six Iraqis To Undergo High Tech IT Program In US
Australians asked to rethink national holiday
Amtrak train partially derails near Fairfax, Va.
War crimes pressure on new S.Lanka chief: analysts
China denies state role in Google cyberattacks
2 children swept away by Tijuana River
Oh deer! 10-to-12 point buck breaks into Ill. home
S.Korea OKs talks with N.Korea despite threats
Officials: Suspected US drone crashes in Pakistan
Influential Buddhist pleads for religious freedom in Vietnam
Seoul shares shed 0.8 pct; exporters outperform
Taiwan sells 30-year govt bond at 2.294 pct yield
Taiwan set to open key trade talks with China
Taiwan lets chip firms invest in China: report
Taiwan c.bank asks banks to follow FX forward rules
Bank of China shares fall on fund-raising plan
S.Korea to clamp down on banks' non-exec boards
Avatar replaces Titanic in record books
|
PAKISTAN
The Hurt Locker wins Producers Guild award
|
US-ENTERTAINMENT Summary
Chinese economy heats up global crisis debate
Kristen Stewart gets dirty in fishnets, g-string
Iraq drama 'The Hurt Locker' wins Oscars indicator
Taiwan dollar up on exporters, fund inflows
Kristen Stewart gets dirty in fishnets, g-string
|
'Hurt Locker' wins Producers Guild Award
"The Hurt Locker" wins Producers Guild award
'Space Tourists' highlighted in Sundance film
Chavez muzzles TV stations for not airing his speeches
Agent: 'Guys and Dolls' star Jean Simmons dies
Visitor collides with Picasso work at Met in NYC
Car bombs hit 3 Baghdad hotels, kill at least 31
Ericsson cuts 1,500 more jobs, profit plunges
China steps up defense of Internet controls
EU probes Rio Tinto, BHP Billiton iron ore deal
At least 36 dead as car bombs rock Baghdad hotels
|
Ericsson to cut 1,500 more jobs, profit plunges
China denies state role in Google cyberattacks
U.S. commander sees eventual Taliban peace deal
|
FDA: Beware Of Fake Diet Pills
Activists block nuclear shipment in France
U.S., Brazilian troops hand out aid in Haiti slum
|
Coast Guard Searching For Missing Pilot
Iraq executes Saddam henchman Chemical Ali
|
Trial In New Jersey Corruption Sweep Begins Monday
1.2 Million Pounds Of Salami Recalled
Yemen's Shi'ite rebels offer truce to Saudi Arabia
|
President Obama Declares Arizona Emergency
Palestinians study U.S. idea for Mideast talks
|
Karoubi accepts Ahmadinejad as Iran govt head: report
|
Tibet envoys leave for fresh talks with China
|
Stage set for Sri Lanka's historic presidential vote
|
Rocket strike at Afghan base wounds 8 NATO troops
Bill Gates says Internet needs to thrive in China
|
Thousands of vets could get benefits upgrade
Zen master: Vietnam must grant religious freedom
You're number 1: Alaska village up first in census
More tainted milk products found in China shops
Churches torched by Muslim mob in Indonesia
Obama to review work of middle-class task force
Mumbai gunman demands trial by international court
Prosecutors build case in Kan. abortion trial
S.Lanka president urges fair vote on election eve
Neighbor testifies at Peterson's 'hearsay' hearing
Group: Cambodia should shut drug detention centers
Analysis: Marines leave Iraq again _ for good?
Pro-opposition reporter missing in Sri Lanka
UN warns Mongolia's severe weather threatens lives
Owners: $5.4B NY housing complexes go to creditors
Facebook's virtual farm game attracting millions
AP NewsAlert
Pakistani o/n rates flat; rupee firms; stocks down
Tourism to Japan battered by strong yen, recession
Stone says US in denial over JFK assassination
South Korea, India to boost trade, investment
Japan car makers set foreign production records
Toyota global sales slide, cutting lead over VW
Countdown to Shanghai World Expo begins
S.Korea to hold FTA talks with Japan and China
Bank fears send Asian shares lower
World Bank praises China anti-inflation steps
China firm to send 10,000 employees to Taiwan
Casual comfort as designers put men in leggings
Indonesian president releases new pop album
Actor Gary Coleman jailed in Utah
Star-gazers sway Sri Lanka election
"Bridge" a bold Broadway bow for Scarlett Johansson
Stone says US in denial over JFK assassination
Children of Auschwitz recall liberation 65 years on
China's hit TV show on housing sparks controversy
Basterds, Bullock, Bridges big SAG winners
|
Bridge a bold Broadway bow for Scarlett Johansson
|
Greece at new risk of being pushed off euro
Bodies of missing Tenn. mom, Jo Ann Bain, and daughter found
Female Breasts Are Bigger Than Ever
AMD Trinity Accelerated Processing Units Now in Volume Production
The Avengers (2012 film), made the second biggest opening- and single-day gross of all-time
AMD to Start Production of piledriver
Ivy Bridge Quad-Core, Four-Thread Desktop CPUs
Islamists Protest Lady Gaga's Concert in Indonesia
Japan Successfully Broadcasts an 8K Signal Over the Air
ECB boosts loans to 1 trillion Euro to stop credit crunch
Egypt : Mohammed Morsi won with 52 percent
What do you call 100,000 Frenchmen with their hands up
AMD Launches AMD Embedded R-Series APU Platform
Fed Should not Ignore Emerging Market Crisis
Fed casts shadow over India, emerging markets
Why are Chinese tourists so rude? A few insights