Amy Love, Year 13, The Judd School

Amy Love, Year 13, The Judd School

"Auschwitz was an experience I will never forget and one that I think more students should experience.

"I thought I had quite a clear understanding of this concentration camp, and had painted a vivid image of it in my head before my visit. Was I correct? NO. Being there and studying it are two completely different ways of understanding.

"The first thing that shocked me during my visit was the sheer size of Auschwitz-Birkenau. Standing on top of the famous entrance arch, I was unable to see the perimeter of the camp. Whilst walking around I was incapable of comprehending the experiences inside such a place and could not envisage a typical day all those years ago.

"How anybody survived the horrors of Auschwitz is still a mystery to me. Having seen both camps and stood where people slept in sub-zero temperatures in one layer, I am now more than ever amazed at the survival skills of those people who saw liberation day.

"At the end of our visit we walked out in silence along the famous railway line. It was a poignant moment for me as I tried to bring all my thoughts of the day together. Whilst looking around the snow covered empty camp all I could hear was the bark from a single dog in the distant town.

"I was unable to imagine the chaos and panic that would have been unfolding as train loads of people arrived along that very train line, many of them travelling to their deaths.

"What has made it easier for me to realise the enormity of what happened in Auschwitz is that, if you did a minute's silence as a tribute for each person that perished in Auschwitz alone, you would have to stay silent for almost FOUR YEARS."