Stutthof

Yesterday P, Natalie and I went to go see Stutthof. Abbie was invited but she declined. She was with us when we went to Auschwitz and does not want any further education on concentration camps at this point. I am fine with that. This is heavy stuff. This camp museum forbids kids under 13 so Myles stayed home with Trey. Myles and Ben are going on their own in the next couple of weeks. Sztutowo is the name of the town and Stutthof is the German version of that. Sztutowo (Shtu-toe-vo) is about 40 kilometers--25 miles--outside of Gdansk. A friend of ours had been there and gave me instructions how to get there by bus. We arrived at the bus station downtown and waited for our 9:15 bus to arrive.

We got on the bus and started on our way. It takes about an hour to get to Sztutowo. About halfway there our bus driver stops along the side of the road and gets out to have a smoke. Then about 15 mintues later he stops and gets out to make a cell phone call.

About 15 minutes later we arrive at our destination. It is out in the middle of nowhere and our bus stop was simply a sign on the side of the road.

In this picture you can see railroad tracks by Natalie's feet. These were the tracks that brought more than 100,000 people to the Stutthof concentration camp. The entrance to the concentration camp is across the street and down a block or so. This sign is original and visible from the street.

This camp was set up at the very beginning of WWII, and the first people to be brought here were people from Gdansk and the area. Jews were not brought to this camp until 1944. The people brought here were normal citizens, mostly men, who were seen as opposing the goals of the Germans. This camp was cruel and similar to Auschwitz and Birkeneau in several ways. People were treated badly. People worked in harsh conditions. All children brought to Stutthof were immediately killed. Little food and inadequate clothing were provided. There were gas chambers and crematoriums. We did not see inside the gas chamber but the guide told us that there are obvious marks on the walls inside where desperate people tried to claw their way out when the poisonous Cyclone B was dropped in. Horrific. 65,000 people were exterminated here and 20,000 more died from disease.

People who survived the camp return on occasion for ceremonies and meetings. There are boards telling some of their stories.

This is a memorial to all the Catholics who died at the camp. In the background is a cattle car like the ones that brought thousands of humans to this place.

This is a memorial to the Jews who were brought here and perished.

This monument is huge and honors all of the people who suffered deplorable conditions and lost their lives at Stutthof.

The parish that we attend here in Gdansk is Saint Stanislaus. We walk there every Sunday, so it is close. On September 2, 1939, the pastor of this parish, Bronisław Komorowski,was abducted and taken to Stutthof along with others. He was murdered there on Good Friday of 1940. There are several pictures of him displayed at Stutthof. One was taken before this trouble and Saint Stanislaus church is in the background. The church looks the same now. This really brings the horror of what happened to life for us. There is a cemetery about two blocks from our house where many of the victims of Stutthof are buried, or at least are recognized.

After our tour we walked a few blocks to the bus stop to head back to Gdansk. We had to wait for about an hour for the bus, but the roosters by the stop kept us entertained.

The bus finally came and we made it home in the late afternoon and relaxed for a while. Then we all went out for pizza for dinner.