On Friday 17 October, 31 pupils from Years 11-13 left Bede’s to start their journey to Krakow, Poland. It was an early start: we left at 03:15, arriving in Krakow by 09:30.
That afternoon we left for a tour around Krakow. We saw some amazing and historical places, such as the Jewish ghetto, and Wawel Hill, which is the park separating the original two towns that were merged to form Krakow in the early 1900s. During this tour, our guide, Jimmy, told us about famous Polish people and quizzed us on our knowledge.
The next day was our visit to Auschwitz. On the journey there, Jimmy explained the background to Auschwitz and some specific aspects of its history. Our first tour was around Auschwitz I. This was the site of the original camp, which was established in 1940, and served as the concentration camp for prisoners, where they would ‘work’ as forced labourers. It also served as the administrative site, where the commandant's office and most of the SS offices were located. This section of the tour was particularly important in helping us understand the conditions for people held there. But it was also difficult to take in, as it was where many belongings from inmates were presented and where we learned more about what inmates were forced to do.
After a short lunch break, we traveled to Auschwitz II-Birkenau. This was the death camp in which approximately 1 million people were murdered, with the large majority (more than nine out of 10) being Jews. Auschwitz II-Birkenau is vast, covering nearly 200 hectares that still contain the ruins of the original prisoner barracks. Due to all of the buildings being built using wood and also the efforts of the Nazi’s to destroy evidence, only the chimneys of the buildings are visible, giving a sweeping panoramic view of the camp that emphasised the scale of the operation. An aspect of Auschwitz II-Birkenau that particularly struck me was the quietness, despite other tours occurring around me.
Throughout the day, it was important to not only remember the immensity of the holocaust, but to also remember the individual people who lost their lives, each of whom had different stories, families and lives. The next part of our trip enabled this. Oświęcim is a town with a rich history; it dates back to the 13th century and was a royal city of the Kingdom of Poland, and the town which the camps are located in and around. An app gave us an online city tour, which guided us to buildings and places around the town where notable people lived and explained their stories throughout the holocaust. On this tour we visited places such as the town square, where Jewish people were gathered before deportations to ghettos, the synagogue, which is the only Jewish house of prayer to have survived to this day, and many other family houses.
That evening we had dinner at the Miód i Wino Restaurant, where we were entertained by traditional Polish folk dances. The dancers pulled up some of the Bede's pupils and teachers to join them dancing, which was extremely entertaining!
On Sunday, we had a tour around Schindler’s Factory, which is now a poignant museum. Our tour guide took us on a journey of what it was like to live in Krakow throughout the war. Each room of the Factory is designed to recreate an aspect of life in Krakow during the holocaust, such as a specific street or a part of a labour camp. This created an immersive opportunity to learn more about what different people faced during this time. We also visited Podgorze, which is the site of the former Jewish Ghetto. During this time, the visit to the Old Synagogue in Krakow was an opportunity to learn more about the Jewish faith. It operates as a museum currently, with a focus on Krakow’s Jews.
Later that day, we met with a Holocaust survivor, Anna Janowska-Ciońćka, who described her story of what it was like to grow up throughout the holocaust, and talked about her family and their role in the war. We were able to ask questions about her experience, which was extremely valuable and interesting, but also moving. We were incredibly grateful and privileged to have had the opportunity to meet with a holocaust survivor.
After this we returned to the hotel to retrieve our bags and headed off to the airport. By the early hours of Monday Morning, we were back at Bede’s.
This trip was invaluable as an educational experience, but essential as an opportunity for personal growth. It enabled a different understanding of the events of the holocaust than can be found from simply reading about these events from afar. It allowed us to reflect, not only on the vast scale of the Holocaust, but also to think of those individual people who lost their lives and suffered through such a horrific time.
All the pupils would like to thank Mr McIntosh, Mr Whitaker, Miss Webster and Miss Getty for all their hard work in giving us this opportunity, and making it a thoroughly worthwhile, challenging, yet enjoyable trip.
