Field Trip #3 - Poland (8)

Me licking a wall in the Salt Mine

This past weekend we took a trip Krakow, Poland.  I had heard from others that this was one of their favorite trips from the whole semester so I was excited to see what it had to offer.  Before arriving in Krakow, we stopped in its suburb to visit Wieliczka Salt Mine.  This was a salt mine that was built in the 13^th Century.  The mine is now used as a monument to tour, and is still set up how it was during it’s time of use.   Models and statues of objects or people are displayed to show the process of retrieving the salt or objects they used.  The salt mine was literally made out of salt walls and floors (except for the wood they have had to add for support), even some of the sculptures were made out of salt by the previous minors.  Due to the walls being made out of salt, you could lick the wall and it would taste like salt.  Licking the wall may sound gross but it actually tasted pretty good.

                After the salt mine, we continued to our hostel in Krakow.  We had a lot of free time in Krakow so many of us wondered and explored the main square of Old Town Krakow.  They had the biggest square I have seen so far and had so much going on in it.  If you moving out of the way of horse carriages, then you could be sitting on the edge of it at a restaurant table outdoors, or you could be wondering around the middle listening to street performers or watching break dancers.  The square had so much going on during both the day and night.  One night while sitting at one of the side restaurants, a few of us realized how much people get out and do things in Europe rather than back in America where many times people enjoy spending time at their home or another’s rather than going out in the town.  It makes me want to be more adventurous when I get back and learn to go explore things rather than hanging out at houses.

                The last thing we did while in Poland is visit Auschwitz.  I have learned about the Holocaust, WWII, and Auschwitz many different times in History classes but it does not really hit you what it is until you visit there.  I left Poland with a heavy heart yesterday.  We saw so many different aspects of Auschwitz.  We entered some of the buildings that used to be used as the living quarters between 1940-1945.  While walking through these buildings, our group had to walk in a single final line in order to be able to walk and see everything without bumping into other groups or taking up the whole halls.  What is crazy is that a group of 25 had to walk in a single final line but yet the people who were forced to live in the buildings had to share it with approximately 699 others.  Some of the rooms were still set up how they were originally were with stray laying on the ground for beds, or a couple of rooms with blankets, and a few with bunks that they were packed into.  They also had displays of eye glasses, brushes, shoes luggage and even hair from the prisoners.  We were informed that they used to shave everyone’s head, even the women’s, and then they would sell the hair to other countries for them to use to make blankets, cloths, etc.  The Nazis used as much as they could get from the prisoners.  We were taken into one building that was the first original gas chamber and we were explained that the people who were brought to this building knew that they were going to die.  The chamber could kill over 1000 people in 20 minutes.  After the gas chamber they were moved to the next room where the bodies would be cremated.  They mentioned that since human bones do not burn they would have a certain group designated to smash the bones with hammers.  Another disturbing fact is that to save bullets, the Nazis would smash babies and little kids heads against walls to kill them.  The thought of that almost made me puke.

The first original gas chamber 

The crematorium the bodies were brought to after

Shoes of the prisoners

Luggage of the prisoners

Eye glasses of the prisoners

                So many nasty things went on during this time and at these camps that are unimaginable.  It is hard to picture everything that went on or how they were treated that even we are not told about.  It is a challenge for me to think about how humans could do that and treat other humans in such that way.  Or that they could be brainwashed that well to believe that they were doing a good thing.  I cannot even fully describe my emotions after leaving.  You partly feel horrible for what those people went through, but also partly and guiltily feel thankful for your life and how you have been able to live it.  Along with learning the history of the Holocaust and Auschwitz, I believe that Auschwitz can also teach some life lessons.  I think one thing you can take away from this experience is how you treat people overall.  Many times people just judge and assume things about people because of who they hang out with, how they dress, etc.,  but if you think about it because of those thoughts that is how the whole Holocaust and anti-Jews thing got started.  This camp and experience has left such a toll on my heart.  I hope that people learn from these times so that something like this never happens again and history does not repeat itself.