Submitted by Victoria Kaminski on the 2014 winter session program in Budapest, Hungary sponsored by the School of Education…
On our third day in Vienna, Austria we traveled to Upper Austria to visit the historic concentration camp of Mauthausen. I had always been interested in studying the Holocaust and was both excited and nervous to be in a place where such horrors transpired. There was a thick fog enveloping the camp which gave the bunkers and cemeteries an eerie, but mystical feel. As we moved through the saddening historical site, it was both unnerving and awe-inspiring to remember that where I stood, people had suffered. I was told by family members that my great-aunt from Slovenia suffered through the Holocaust in this very area; and within the hall of records, I was able to find one of my ancestor’s last names. Seeing my family name in this book was truly humbling and I was met with a rush of gratitude for the luxury of the beautiful life I lead, full of love, happiness, and opportunity.
At the conclusion of our trip, we were each presented with a small candle to light and place anywhere within the camp to commemorate all those who had suffered and perished in the Holocaust.
My candle rests above a memorial stone in remembrance of all Slovenians who perished and suffered at the camps.
