Flossenburg

Recently (what am I saying? We went like two weeks ago and I am just now getting around to posting. Ug.) we took an impromptu trip with our Elders to the city of Flossenburg, about 30 minutes from our house. Years ago, the city housed one of the many concentration camps found over here. We read so much and saw so many pictures, and I was amazed at everything. We learned a little about these camps in school, but nothing like this. We happened to have someone with us from Germany, and he was able to fill in a lot of holes, and explain some of the things that I didn't understand.

This picture FLOORED me.

Each one of these dots is a concentration camp, be it a main camp or a sub-camp.

The book of names.

This book recorded almost all of the people who came through this camp; In the last four months of the camp, records were barely kept. This was also the time of the most deaths in the camp. Over 100,000 prisoners were held here. Over 30,000 of them died.

This church on the camp site was made entirely of bricks taken from the buildings on site.

Looking out over part of the camp.

This is called The Pyramid Of Ashes, and it is exactly what it sounds like. Notice how green it is?

The tower, and the "ramp" leading down to the Crematorium, which I am standing on.

These houses now stand in place of the barracks that were once there.

These steps, and the levels on which the barracks were housed were all dug out by hand.

And now on to the happier part of the trip: the castle.

There are castle ruins here, not far from the camp. We hiked up a hill, not very far and ran into this wall.

I though, "hmm....., this looks nothing like a castle."

Elder Willard being triumphant.

... Then I climbed up the wall and saw this:

Very cool.

We climbed the walls and doors.

Pete played Hide And Seek....

The view of the city of Flossenburg from the top.

Looking down on the ruins.

On the way back down from the top of the castle, I noticed this little lookout window. I'm positive the shape wasn't an accident.