Tuesday, June 26

Krakow is a charming city. For the most part, it was left untouched by World War II and has become one of the tourist hotspots in Eastern Europe. There is very unique Market Square with street musicians, mimes, carriage rides and numerous parks and green areas. The Market Square dates back to the 1200’s and can accommodate a few thousand people. Two sites, the Cloth Hall and St. Mary’s Basilica dominate the landscape on the Square.

One of our primary reasons for visiting Krakow was the close proximity to Auschwitz – perhaps the most famous of the Nazi Concentration Camps. It was at Auschwitz that Hitler instituted his “Final Solution” for the extermination of the Jewish people. Auschwitz is located approximately 50 km from Krakow in an area that was isolated from major population centers. It has become a symbol of terror, genocide, and the Holocaust. It was established by the Nazis in the suburbs of the city of Oswiecim. Over the following years, the camp was expanded and consisted of three main parts: Auschwitz I, Auschwitz II-Birkenau, and Auschwitz III-Monowitz. It also had over 40 sub-camps. At first, Poles were imprisoned and died in the camp. Afterwards, Soviet prisoners of war, Gypsies, and prisoners of other nationalities were also incarcerated there. Beginning in 1942, the camp became the site of the greatest mass murder in the history of humanity, which was committed against the European Jews as part of Hitler's plan for the complete destruction of that people. An estimated 2.5 million people met their death here. It is so hard to picture the brutally that took place here (senseless beatings, medical experiments, random executions, torture). Cells were constructed where prisoners could neither stand nor sit for hours at a time. If one person caused any problems, a dozen or more would be openly beaten or shot. Imagine being under control of sadistic guards who were not held accountable for any of their actions. Families were broken up and in some cases family members were executed in front of other family members. In my earlier teaching career, I taught a unit on the Holocaust. Of all the units that I taught, I really felt this was by far the most important activity that I ever did – it is so hard to believe that such actions could have taken place and yet even today there are those who claim that it did not happen. They obviously have not visited sites such as Auschwitz or Dachau and seen the evidence first hand. Even today, feelings run very deep in Auschwitz and Birkenau in Poland.