Apr 21 2008
Day 6 - Krakow
Today our group visited the concentration camp Auschwitz. Auschwitz was the largest concentration camp, consisting of three camps: Auschwitz, Auschwitz II – Birkenau, and Auschwitz III – Buna Monowitz. Auschwitz was also unique in that it was the concentration camp where the most killings were conducted. Auschwitz served two certain functions; one, to act as a concentration camp for Poles and other “undesirables,” and two, to serve as an extermination camp for the Jewish people. Throughout the tour we viewed exhibits that provided us with a tremendous emotional impact. For instance, we saw a display of human hair which prompted Jason to say, “I couldn’t believe what I saw; that the hair actually belonged to people. It made me feel nauseous.” Another display presented the clothes and belongings of the babies and children that were killed during the Holocaust. Because they were so young, babies and children were deemed unfit to work and were immediately sent to the gas chambers. The brick building in Birkenau was so raw; there weren’t any appropriate sanitations, heating, or baths. All we could see were rows and rows of bunkers. Sights like these make us appreciate everything in life, even the little things. Chandler describes the feeling as “Someone ripping the ground from under you; that moment of suspension, like right before going down a roller coaster, or falling.” After an emotional morning at Auschwitz, a group of us went on a bike tour throughout the city of Krakow. Our tour guide, John, was very informative and made the tour interesting and fun. We visited the Ghetto where the Jews were sent from their homes. One day while they were in the Ghetto after about two years, they were asked to be packed and out of their homes in a couple of hours. Many people followed these directions while some stayed behind and hid. Later that night, the SS came to the Ghetto with dogs and stethoscopes to listen through the walls to hear if there were any people talking inside the buildings. Everyone who hid (about 1000 people) was found and was shot on the spot. We also peddled over the bridge that the Jews had to walk across to get to the ghetto from their homes. We even biked by a Jewish cemetery that is overgrown with grass and trees because there were no more families of the Jewish people to take care of the cemetery. The tour also included stops at Oscar Schindler’s Factory, three look-out hills in Krakow, and the former gates to the city. Learning about the rival soccer teams in the city was also interesting. My favorite part of the ride was biking past the fire-breathing dragon that actually blows fire. This tour was my favorite tour of all because the tour guide was awesome and the bikes just made it more fun.
3 responses so far
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Thank you for your very descriptive essay on Auschwitz. My wife and I were there in 1981. That was so long ago I had forgotten the emotions I felt at the time. You brought all of that back to me.
Beckett is pitching tonight against the Angels. Celts don’t play until tomorrow.
Mr. Snyder
Seeing Aushwitz and the old section of Krakow was for me the most powerful part of the trip when I went. I think Chandler captured my feeling too - you are there during Passover - before the war that square would have been filled with people celebrating their exodus from slavery. Today it is empty. You are the witnesses to that loss.
As I spent Passover with my family, I pointed out that my students were there - and related your remarks from Dachau. While we are here now, we were also reminded that these terrible things continue to haunt humanity in Darfur and other places around the globe.
I’m glad you got to really explore the city - bike sounds like a great way to do it.
I expect you’re keeping Mr. Love on his toes : )
Ms. Turin
This post captures the heart wrenching emotion that many of us, as part of past Facing History trips, experienced while at Auschwitz. For me, I’ll never forget seeing the railroad tracks that brought so many to their merciless deaths. It reminded me of a scene in the movie, Sophie’s Choice ─ when the lead character of the film had to decide in a split second, as soon as she got off the train, which of her two children to give up to an SS officer. I also remember, like Ms. Turin, that it was the most powerful part of the trip. Being able to together experience Auschwitz, after together having read Night and visited the Holocaust Memorial in Boston as part of the IP, the experience was a life-changing one for us all.