In the October half term, my grandma, grandpa, younger sister Josie and I went to Krakow in Poland because I am learning about the 2nd War and Grandma thought it a good idea to see this lovely city, and learn first hand something of the holocaust.
Kraków is beautiful and on the first night we sat at one of the outside restaurants that had heaters and watched the nightlife around the Medieval Market Hall. There were so many people walking, chatting and even riding in the horse driven carriages that looked like something from Cinderella.
On the next day we went to Schindler’s Factory. Schindler and his wife took over an enamel factory after Nazis Germany conquered Poland in the second world war. It was formerly owned by Itzhak Stern. The Nazis who had occupied Poland took businesses from Jews and offered them to Aryan businessmen. Stern worked as Schindler’s accountant and suggested that Schindler saved Jews by employing them as workers, and is said to have helped draw up Schindler’s List, the list which ensured the safety of the Jews on it.
Schindler’s study and some of the pots the factory produced.
The Schindler’s and Stern were the most courageous of people. It was wonderful to be in his factory, and to look round the museum set up there. Mr and Mrs Schindler made no money but spent all the profits keeping the Jews healthy, and bribing the Germans.
It was upsetting, to actually BE there, but Josie and I are glad we went, because it really made us begin to understand the situation.
To lift ourselves, we went to the shopping mall, which of course I had also researched. On the second day we decided to just have a mooch around. We walked around the square, and then Wawel Castle, and the river with the bridge with loads of padlocks on it, left by lovers. We had lunch at a really nice cafe where you can have soup in a loaf of bread (grandma’s favourite soup in the whole world)
We also had a lovely hot chocolate. Honestly the hot chocolates in Poland are to die for. We also had the most amazing ice creams, even though it was 2 degrees, it’s never to cold for an ice cream.
On the third day we went to Auschwitz, which I don’t really know how to describe, but everyone should go. It is so disgusting that people could work others to death, or make them walk to the gas chambers, after taking everything of value from them.
Krakow Jews were marched from the Krakow ghetto which had been built to imprison them, to a square with their belongings, which they had to leave behind, before being taken by train to Auschwitz to work or die. Now there are sculptures of chairs on this square to commemorate those who collected here.
Our trip to Auschwitz was the start of really imagining what had happened to Jewish men, women and children under Nazi Germany’s rule. Though gypsies, Poles, and just about anyone who didn’t agree with the Nazis also suffered. There are so few Jews left in Europe anymore. It really made me think of how the cities must have changed, so many Jewish quarters now gone, as though they’d never been.
The things that made us so upset was the hair which was collected before the women and children were killed, the false legs and so on which were displayed, to get the message to us. And importantly, also the prayer shawls. It’s so saddening to see that something so sacred was taken away, before their death. The final insult. Nothing was wasted apparently. The hair was used for mattresses and the lining of submarines, their belongings were distributed to Aryans, and so on.
On the last full day we went to the beautiful Jewish Quarter. We looked around the old synagogue and learned about the Jewish history and festivals. Next we went to look in the cemetery. We actually saw some Jews singing the prayer for the dead (we think) at one particular headstone. Perhaps it was for an ancestor? All the headstones had stones on them, much as we would put flowers. Next we went to a nice cafe in the Jewish Quarter, which is really coming to life again, Grandma said, having been coming to Krakow for some years.
At the restaurant my sister thought she had lost her phone and made a massive fuss of it, turns out it was in her bag! The next day was our final day and it was time to say good bye to Kraków. It was the most eye opening trip and I would love to go there again, and learn even more, and have another hot chocolate. Hope you’re reading this, Grandma.