What do we all know and like about Poland, and Polish Jews? Poland is the land of the bagel! Brought to London and New York and eventually worldwide, originally by Polish Jews. The Russians expelled the Jews who moved west to Poland; and those Jewish travellers who could afford it travelled on, some via the UK, to the USA.
And warm filling red beetrot soup, called Borsht.
From Ukraine, Russia, Poland, restaurants in London, England, jars in the supermarket. And on menus in the restaurants in Krakow.Bagels and borcht. Filling food to console you, after the horrors of Auschwitz. For years I did not visit Poland, for fear of the compulsion to visit Auschwitz. It was everything I feared. Unforgettable. Is there any light relief?
Yes. We have mostly heard of the music of Chopin, and films such Polanski's The Pianist, and Schindler's List, based in Krakow (pronounced Krakov).
Let's start with the flag of Poland which you might see on brochures and websites and planes even before you reach the country. It has a plain white band above red. The white of the flag is hard to see on a white background, so I have shown you a picture of the flag flying against a blue sky.
The Polish flag is similar to several others. (More for you on flags in next post.)
Now, where is Poland?
Map of Europe showing Poland, from article on Poland in Wikipedia.
In more detail from the Poland Portal in Wikipedia.
Auschwitz is in south Poland, just across the border, outside the pretty, historic small, ancient capital of Krakow.
Krakow was near the border and small, so the Germans were able to quickly surprise, invade and capture it, thus saving the beautiful buildings from destruction. (Unlike larger and more central Warsaw, which resisted invasion and was destroyed by the invaders.)
Krakow
So the quaint, pretty capital of Krakow (pronounced Krakov), perfectly preserved with its cathedral square, and wrought iron signs, is your happy home base, before visiting the horrors of Auschwitz.
Hotel Base
On a side trip from the captal, Warsaw, we visit the former capital, Krakow. We stayed in a small boutique hotel overlooking the main square of Krakow. Larger modern hotels with more amenities are around the outskirts, but it is easy to walk around the whole area including the former Jewish quarter and Jewish museum.
Auschwitz
Huge with masses of coaches including Polish schoolchildren for whom it is a required visit where they learn what was done on their territory, not by Poles but by Nazi Germans to Poles and a greater numbers of Jews, Romanies, homosexuals, political prisoners and others.
Double area. The barracks where people were confined, photographed on arrival and numbered on their arms on arrival because three months later they were so thin and haggard they were no recognizable from the first photos. Stacks of suitcases with names on the sides, children's shoes.
Stories of personal horror. Underground prison cells where a priest offered to replace another prisoner. Quad where roll call was taken to witness hangings.
Birkenau
Must see the second area, Birkenau, half a mile down the road. The killing area where areas the size of football fields, with electrified tennis netting and guard towers. Yes, miles of fields, each area the size of a football field for a different nationality and language group, going on for as far as the eye can see, so you realise the sheer scale of the deaths, and the significance of those railway from all the countries of Europe, crossing Europe, all leading here. America has Jews in every city. But Europe? hardly any. Now you know why so many European cities have a Jewish Synagogue with a list of names, a tiny congregation. Nothing left. Where did the people go? Here.
I had been to Dachau, outside Europe, and seen the map of the railway lines, and shrugged. A map of railway lines. So what, I had thought.
To visit Auschwitz and realise that trains from all over Europe end here, puts the sheer scale of the holocaust in perspective.
Who survived? A person who survived was a translator. Because even with a machine gun, its useless to shout to people to stand, or march out, or lie down, or take your clothes off, if they don't know what you are shouting.
Anne Frank, hidden for most of WW2, was one of the last to arrive at Auschwitz. She survived, put to work, surviving on the rations of food donated by her mother, who died. As the Russians arrived to liverate Auschwitch, and the Americans and Allies were on the brink of invading Poland, the Germans retreated, taking Anne Frank to Bergen-Belsen in Germany where she died.
Schindler's List
Returning to Krakow, on a brighter note, you can visit the museum on the site of the factory featured in the film Schindler's List. Schindler kept them all alive, just a short drive away from Auschwitz. As you may recall from the film, he entertained the German Nazi officials, and saved so many. I spent ages watching the videos, every testimony and praise and thanks to him and stories of incidents involving his kindness and ingenuity you can see on video film.
Useful Websites
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Poland
https://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Search?q=auschwitz
.uk/Attraction_Review-g946539-d284154-Reviews-Treblinka_Memorial-Treblinka_Mazovia_Province_Central_Poland.html#REVIEWS
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bagel
https://www.annefrank.org/en/anne-frank/main-characters/edith-frank/
About the Author
Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer, author and speaker.
I have many more posts, on Treblinka, the film Song of Names, German Language, and destinations around the world. Please share links to your favourite posts.
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