For our third field trip we spent the weekend in Krakow, Poland. We hopped on our bus Friday morning and made our first stop at the Wieliczka Salt Mines in the suburbs of Krakow. I had never been to any type of mine before so I didn't really know what to expect. It turned out to be very cool! It was built in the 13th century and was used all the way up until 2007. It was huge and had several rooms, chapels, and sculptures all made from salt. Our tour guide was awesome and hilarious. I even got a chunk of salt to take home for answering a question right!
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| My very own chunk of salt |
After our tour at the salt mines we headed into Krakow and to our hostel. Once we got all checked in we were free for the rest of the night. A group of us grabbed a map and headed to the city center for some supper. We found a great little place off the square where we had some fish and chips. I know, fish and chips, not the most polish thing to eat, but they were delicious. After that we did a little more walking around the main square and then headed back to the hostel. Our hostel was located in what used to be the Jewish ghetto so it wasn't very close to the city center. However, it still had a lot of old Jewish synagogues near it. We did a little exploring of the streets around there before stopping at a cafe for some dessert. Next we went back to the hostel and just hung out and played cards.
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| Castle |
The next day we met at 9:00 and headed to the castle. We first saw the treasury and armory. There were many old weapons and suits of armor. It still amazes me that they really fought wearing those suits and carrying around swords or giant guns. I can't even imagine how heavy it would be to fight like that. Next we saw the rooms of the castle. Almost every room was filled with wall tapestries. They were all motifs of religious stories or kings in battle. After that we headed to the square to break for lunch. We went to a burger place that was recommended on one of our maps, and after eating there I can see why. The burgers were practically as big as my head! It was absolutely delicious but we were stuffed. After we ate, a group of us met back up and walked to Schindler's factory. Oskar Schindler was a German that employed Jews at his enamel factory. Although being a Nazi he did not agree with their killing of the Jews and was able to save the lives of his workers. His factory is now turned into a museum. We got a chance to hear about the war from the Polish perspective, which was something new and interesting for me.
After the factory we headed back into the city center. We walked around the square and did some souvenir shopping. One thing I noticed about the city is the clear difference in types of buildings in the center compared to where our hostel was. The square had beautiful, big, architectural buildings, which I thought were all really pretty. However, the farther away from the center, the less magnificent the buildings became. I felt like you could definitely tell our hostel area was in the Jewish ghetto. It had a completely different feel to it. I enjoyed getting to see both types of the city.
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| 'Arbeit Macht Frei' |
Sunday morning we headed to the Auschwitz concentration camp. This was one of the most humbling experiences of my life. We first went to Auschwitz I, the first of the three. As soon as we stepped through the gate with the inscription 'Arbeit Macht Frei', ("Work Makes you Free") I had goosebumps. We saw where prisoners lived, worked, and were murdered. We also got to see the cell where St. Maximilian Kolbe, a Polish priest who volunteered to die in place of a man with a family, was killed. Next we headed to Auschwitz II- Birkenau extermination camp. This camp was huge compared to the first and this is where the mass killing took place. They had 7 different gas chamber and crematoriums where over 1.1 million people died. All of the chambers were destroyed during or after the war so all that is left is the ruins. They also tore down most of the "stables" the prisoners were kept in so all that remains is the chimneys. No matter how many books you've read or movies you've watched, nothing can really prepare you for the feeling of being there. Standing where the prisoners stood and were killed only 75 years ago is a memory I am never going to forget.
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| Auschwitz II- Birkenau death camp |
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