The Final Days In Poland

    

Jan Karski monument

      I can’t believe that today was our final day in Poland! It has been such an amazing trip and the week flew by way too fast. There is still so much more that I want to see and learn about.

The past couple of days have been focused on tying up loose ends. On Wednesday, we participated in an interactive multimedia learning experience at Auschwitz 1 and traveled to Kraków to learn about the remaining Jewish area as well as some Polish history. Thursday was spent finishing our studies in Auschwitz where we learned about the clergy at Auschwitz and today was our last day. We spent it in Kraków learning about Polish history and visiting Shoah memorials.    

     On Wednesday, we participated in an interactive multimedia learning experience. We were posed with multiple challenging ethical, moral and religious questions that do not have one straight forward answer. We discussed the questions as a group but also listened to the responses of those in an appropriate position to respond to the question.  We then headed over to Kraków to experience the remaining Jewish area of the city. We visited synagogues, a Jewish cemetery and multiple other locations dedicated to the Jews who were subjugated by the Nazis. We also stopped at Wawel Hill to see the castle. We learned about one of Poland’s kings and that one his daughter became king when she was 14 and married the Duke of Lithuania who was also 14. The other daughter married royalty of the Austro-Hungarian Empire and both regions became intertwined.

Castle at Wawel Hill

     Thursday was a lighter day, physically, not mentally. We finished our studies at Auschwitz with a lecture on the clergy who were imprisoned at Auschwitz. We were given estimated numbers as to the diversity at Auschwitz. They were astonishing! The number of innocent people who were subjected to the harsh treatment of the Nazis for doing nothing wrong was outrageous. We learned that approximately 70% of the clergy at Auschwitz perished. Then we had some free time to continue exploring the rest of Auschwitz and visit the exhibits that we were unable to see as a group. I went to the Polish and Russian national exhibits. I could only produce a one word response: wow! The vast difference in perspectives of the war from the two countries was unbelievable. Poland knew that it was struggling to defend its homeland but still managed to push on and ultimately were able to claim victories. However, the Russians believed that what they were doing was not only right, but that through their victories they laid claim to a great feat.

Communist Poland plaque

      Friday was spent in Kraków learning more about Polish history and visiting historical structures as well as learning more about resistance in Poland. We saw a memorial to Jan Karski who smuggled himself into Nazi camps to save Jews and passed Oskar Schindler’s factory.   We also had the opportunity to do some shopping in the main market square and eat real Polish pierogi. We also passed a remaining part of the Kraków ghetto wall and a plaque commemorating the poles from 1978 when Poland was under Communist control.