I don't share pics from our tour of Auschwitz for travel Tuesdays. However, in light of the recent protests in Ottawa where nazi symbols were used and the continued false comparison between vaccine mandates and concentration camps I am sharing today. I doubt I will change anyone's mind but it is important that we remember one of the darkest periods in our collective human history. A period were hatred led to the murder of millions of humans.
The Auschwitz concentration/extermination camp complex is, arguably, the twentieth century’s most pervasive symbol of human suffering, and of the depths of human cruelty. Comparing the treatment of humans there to you not being allowed to eat inside at McDonalds or shop at WalMart is offensive.
One of the popular social media activities right now is for people to post pics of places that have made them happy. You know the pics, the ones you look at and you get that feeling of calm and happiness inside. I've decided to do that for this week's edition of Travel Tuesdays.
One of the popular social media activities right now is for people to post pics of places that have made them happy. You know the pics, the ones you look at and you get that feeling of calm and happiness inside. I've decided to do that for this week's edition of Travel Tuesdays.
This is the fourth edition from my self isolation.
Today the world marks Holocaust Remembrance Day, the anniversary of the liberation of the Auschwitz Nazi death camp by the Soviet Red Army in 1945.
Some ten days prior to the liberation of Auschwitz, 58,000 inmates were marched away because the Nazis did not want them to fall alive into the hands of the liberators; instead, they had to go on what has become known as the Death Marches. Over half of them would die as a result. They left behind the ashes and bones of over a million human beings, more than 900,000 of them Jews, most of whom died by gassing, and some 7000 sick and dying inmates, including Jewish and Roma children on whom the German doctors had performed murderous medical experiments.
Having visited Auschwitz in a few years back today is even more poignant for me.
This sign is the first thing you pass when you enter the facility.
The Holocaust, which established the standard for absolute evil, is the universal heritage of all civilized people. The Holocaust profoundly affected countries in which Nazi crimes were perpetrated, but also had universal implications and consequences in many other parts of the world. As genocide and atrocity crimes keep occurring across several regions, this has never been so relevant.
Three years ago we were in Krakow, Poland for an opportunity to retrace Paul's roots. Even though Krakow was not a city I knew much about, we enjoyed our stay so much that I would definitely return.
A year ago Paul and I had arrived in Krakow. We had a great time visit visiting the area of Poland where Paul's family is from. It was a mix of history - good and horrific (we spent a day at Auschwitz), art, and fabulous food.
Today is our last day in this wonderful city. To think that the only reason I came here was because Paul's grandmother was born here. It was never on a list of places I wanted to go, yet through that trick of birth here we are. After a week it is safe to say that Krakow has captured a place on my 'top places I've been to' list.
Today was a day to catch up on a few things I had wanted to do but hadn't got around to doing.
We shopped, we toured, we walked, we are, we drank, and now we are resting.
In the Rynek Główny we were able to hear the famous Krakow bugler one last time:
We toured St Mary's Cathedral. After Tartar raids in the 13th century left the original church in a heap of ruins, St. Mary’s was rebuilt in Gothic style on the existing foundations and consecrated in 1320. In the early 15th century the towers took the iconic form they have today, when the northern tower was raised to 80m high and made into a watchtower for the city. It is from here that the hejnał mariacki - the city's famous bugle call - is played every hour on the hour. One of the city's most enduring traditions, the tune ironically breaks off mid-melody in honour of the mythical trumpeter who was shot in the neck while belatedly warning the city of Mongol invaders; don't miss it.
No matter how many times you see them - the altarpiece, stained glass windows of the nave, and the blue, starred ceiling on St. Mary's will take your breath away. The magnificent wooden altarpiece was the principal work of 15th century German artist Veit Stoss (aka Wit Stwosz) for 12 painstaking years, and depicts the Virgin Mary’s Quietus among the apostles; note, however, that gradual conservation work on the altar is currently underway (projected to last until 2020), and not all elements may be on display during your visit. Surrounding the altar are polychrome paintings by Polish masters Matejko, Mehoffer and Wyspiański done in the late 19th century.
We also visited St Barbara's Church, located in behind the cathedral where the old cemetery used to be. While St. Mary's traditionally served Kraków's wealthy German community during the middle ages, the more low-key St. Barbara's attracted the local Polish population. The highlight is a Gothic 15th century sculpture found just inside the entrance, and a neo-Gothic sculpture depicting the garden of Gethsemane. In fact, St Barbara's church is said to be build from the materials left over after the construction of St Mary's.
St Barbara's church is well know for a small stone pieta from the early 1500s.
We were a bit hungry at this point so we went to a well-known Krakow restaurant U Babci Maliny (translates to raspberry grandmother). You go in, order at the open window kitchen, and when your food is ready they call you up to get it.
The food was amazing! We shared a bowl of chicken soup (perfect for our colds), Paul had pierogies made with broad beans and bacon, and I had a Krakow Kutlet (pork, pounded thin, stuffed with cabbage, mushrooms, sausage, and cheese). All of this, plus two bottles of water, came to about $ 23 Canadian.
YUM
This was just what we needed for the long walk to the Wawel to see the castle. when we were there earlier in the week the castle had closed. I made sure to check the opening times before we headed out and we were successful this time. We toured the state rooms and also took a guided tour of the apartments.
Wawel’s prominence as a centre of political power predates the building of the first Cathedral on the site in 1000AD. Evidence shows that Wawel Hill was being used as a fortified castle before Poland’s first ruler, Mieszko I (circa 962-992) chose Wawel as one of his official residences. The first Polish king crowned in Wawel Cathedral was the teenage Władysław the Short (1306-1333) on January 20, 1319, beginning a tradition that would see a further 35 royal rulers crowned there up until the 17th century. All of these rulers used the Castle as a residence, and all of them added their own architectural details to the building. The moving of the capital to Warsaw in 1596 and Poland’s subsequent decline and partitioning saw the Royal Castle fall into a state of disrepair.
The occupying Austrians used it as a military hospital and even went so far as to demolish several buildings including a number of churches on the site. The 20th century saw the Castle change hands on a number of occasions, with the huge ongoing renovation works that continue to this day being halted for a number of reasons, most famously when the Castle was used as the headquarters of the Nazi Governor General, Hans Frank, during the German occupation of WWII.
Today’s Castle complex is a beguiling muddle of styles including Medieval, Romanesque, Renaissance, Gothic and Baroque. The inner courtyard with its delightful colonnades is a true architectural masterpiece, and the treasures contained within do much to contribute to Kraków’s rightful status as a truly world-class city.
Those tapestries represent the most complete collection of 1500 tapestries in Europe. Interestingly they have a Canadian connection. They, along with many other Polish national treasures, were spirited away to Canada as the Nazis invaded Poland. They spent the war in safety and were returned intact years later.
We left the castle at 4:30 and made our way back to the apartment.
Tonight is an 'eat and drink the stuff from the refrigerator' evening - we head to Berlin tomorrow.