"Whoever Saves One Life, Saves The World Entire"

Today, we took Krakow by storm and spent a well needed entire day being tourists in our city. Alex, Megan and I ventured to Kazimierz and Podgórze because we were focusing in on Schindler's Factory today. First adventure of the day was to find an American-run bagel shop, Bagel Mama. I was the leader this morning and using my guidebook we ended up going to the shop's old location. A little back-tracking and questioning of nice-friendly street-goers and a very helpful internet cafe man we eventually find its new location on ul. Dajwor, and it was totally worth the struggle.

Delicious bagel shop which serves up a wide range of food. 

Warming up with some goraca czekolada

The Classic: smoked salmon slices (lox), cream cheese, tomato, and red onions. (Bring some gum or breathe mints for after, but smelly breath is so worth it)

 

After we satisfied our bellies, we walked across the bridge and entered into Podgórze. Podgórze is the place where in WWII, the Nazis herded some 15,000 Jews into a ghetto and then liquidated it by way of deportation to concentration camps. There are numerous sites recalling these events-the eerie Plac Bohaterow Getta, which was the center of the Jewish ghetto, now named after the 'heroes of the ghetto;" the famed factory of Oskar Schindler; and the site of the former Plaszow concentration camp, a short distance to the southwest. 

This was the point of departure for thousands of Jews who boarded the waiting trains to various camps. This memorial consists of 70 eerily empty chairs, which represent furniture and other remnants discarded by the deportees. 

 Walking through the endless rows of empty chairs, one is overcome with a sense of emptiness. My first thought as to what the empty chairs represents, is that of the people who are not here today to seat in them. I got the sense that they were representing the loss of so many innocent victims.  It was a very eery feeling indeed seeing this memorial. I loved the simplicity and boldness of it. The information plaque below is the only source of information as to what this memorial is. This makes it even more suspicious and thought-provoking, making people investigate further into what this memorial represents. Today, when we went, it was filled with tour groups and people milling around. You could get a sense of the close proximity of living quarters one must have felt living in the ghetto. 

Our next stop is Schindler's Factory, ladies and gentlemen. The factory is in a depressed industrial area and is a five-minute walk from Ghetto Heroe's Square (Plac Bohaterow Getta). I was very aware, that the workers who worked in the factory could have very well walked the same path that we were walking to get there. For me, this entire experience of actually seeing and experiencing what I have been reading about for so long, is so overwhelming. It is an entirely new feeling, that I have not gotten used to yet. Being here, is eye-opening, and I love what it means. 

Deutsche Emailwarenfabrik - German Enamelware Factory

The permanent exhibit titled Krakow under Nazi Occupation 1939-1945 offers visitors a time travel through the city's history. It presents the history of Krakow's inhabitants, both Polish and Jewish, of the Krakow' factory of enamelled vessels, of Oskar Schindler, and of the prisoners of Plaszow Concentration Camp he managed to save. The museum features exhibits on the Nazi invasion of Poland, daily life in the ghetto and Plaszow Camp, as well as a re-creation of Schindler's office. This museum, is a three hour history lesson of Krakow's experience under Nazi-Occupation. I highly recommend going to this permanent exhibit museum and take as long as you can (there is 28 different sections to this place). I know that I will be returning to it again. 

I am going to explain this museum through pictures. Here it goes:

Hans Frank takes up residence in Wawel Royal Castle

The first acts of Nazi terror - the arrest of Jagiellonian University professors and other Krakow-based academics by the Gestapo on 6 November 1939.

The establishment of the Krakow Ghetto and the extermination of sixty thousand of Krakow Jews

Re-creation of Oskar Schindler's office

Oskar Schindler's Enamel Factory at ul. Lipowa 4 in Krakow 

Ghetto Walls

Plaszow Concentration Camp

"The Survivor"

After finishing the museum, I could honestly say that I was exhausted. The facts presented at the exhibit helped me rediscover that period of Poland's history, commemorate the wartime victims and heroes, reflect upon the criminal nature of the Nazi regime, and, finally consider the impact of WWII and the Nazi occupation on the shape of contemporary Krakow. Walking through this museum, is like sitting through a history class of Poland but being able to witness first hand, an interact and detailed textbook through your senses. The entire atmosphere of the exhibit is teeming with history. 

I will sign off with saying that I will be returning to this factory. I still have more to learn. And of course my motto here is Live & Learn. I don't want anything thing to slip by with wasted time spent. Krakow is filled with amazing tidbits of history, and it is bursting at the seams just waiting to be explored. Luckily I have 4 months to explore this beautiful city. Until next time, thanks for viewing my experiences :)