Mauthausen

Today we visited the Mauthausen Concentration Camp. It was a frightening, unpleasant experience. This is a photo of just some of the memorials within a vast park of remembrance. The weather was bitterly cold and windy with sleeting rain. It seemed appropriate for this terrible place. It is important that we learn of the attroctities of the past so that we never have to experience this again. Mauthausen seemed an evil fortress of terror.

Dachau

On the outskirts of the city we visted that most unspeakable of places, the Dachau Concentration Camp. We all wandered about and had our own experiences and it is hard to be snapping photos of such incredible violence and misery. This is a memorial to the torture and horror.
Today Liz Summerel had a German family friend join us, they added an intersting perspective. At the end of the day we held a prayer service and noted that this violence is still occuring in so many places on our planet. Matt noted that education is also the key for people to prevent horrors against minorities, women and children.
Many still asked however, how could such a civilised nation like Germany allow this to happen! This is one of those moments on the tour that we pass the banner to our future and say it is also up to the next generation to be aware of how easy it can all happen. Could it happen in Australia? Yes of course it could, education is the key but you don't have to visit, just always be aware of the persuasive arguements of racist ideologues.