Escape From Sobibor

Take a break on your journey and view the exteriors of the Big Synagogue in Łęczna. This temple from the mid-seventeenth century was used by the Nazis as a grain warehouse and by the end of the war, it was in ruins.
Thankfully, the Synagogue was renovated and for a time hosted a museum, which included Jewish exhibits, along with general local history. The museum is now closed and the exhibits moved to Lublin Castle.
Take note of the small collection of tombstones at the side of the Synagogue.

I found the visit to the Sobibor extermination camp, unsurprisingly, a sobering experience. Located within a forest, the site is eerily quiet and peaceful, which is a far cry from its time of operation.
Over the course of a year and a half, from Spring 1942 to the Autumn of 1943, an estimated 170,000 to 250,000 captives, mainly Jews, were massacred here. Gassed by exhaust fumes, similar to the set up in Bełżec, there were very few survivors at the wars end. Those lucky enough to remain alive, had been transferred to a Lublin labor camp when Sobibor was closed down.
The reason for the closure of Sobibor is a tragic, but also inspirational story. On the 14th of October, 1943, the inmates at the camp, following a detailed plan, killed a number of on-duty SS officers, before breaking out. Approximately 300 captives managed to escape, but most were subsequently rounded up and killed. Following the breakout, the head of the SS, Heinrich Himmler, gave the order to close the camp and raise it to the ground.
Today, there is almost nothing to see of the original camp. I found the on-site museum, however, highly informative. The stone covered ground, a memorial to those who died, is also very impactful.