Oswiecim Off The Beaten Path

The small museum of the Jewish Center in Oswiecim takes visitors back to the world of the shtetl in prewar Poland. Old family fotos and video testimonies from survivors bring back a time when Oswiecim was not another word for genocide. And only in this context you can understand the words of an old woman reflecting on her youth in this town and chosen as the motto of the exhbition: Looking back, I realize it was a dignified life

I put this to "off the beaten track" for two reasons - many visitors don´t visit Oswiecim itself, and those who do often have no idea that the town once had a thriving Jewish community. It seems bizarre that in a place that became a synonym for the holocaust a synagogue survived, but it was consecrated again some years ago, after a US based foundation made efforts to restore it. It is now both a synagogue without a community - the last Jew in Oswiecim died some months before it was consecrated - yet a place of prayer and contemplation for all who come here. It also holds a cultural centre informing about the Jewish history of Oswiecim and offers research possibilities to trace Jewish heritage

The Wieliczka Salt Mines are located right outside Krakow. This mine has been in operation since medieval times (over 700 years). Thus, it is the oldest industry in Poland. The mine is made up of hundreds of tunnels covering over 300 km and descending to 327 meters underground. The tour itself covers a museum route of sorts. It made it to the UNESCO World Heritage List. You basically walk for 2 km across this labyrinth with exhibits ranging from a statue of Copernicus (who was Polish), to the various exhibits showing the history of the mining techniques (first was men powered, then animal powered, it was followed by water/gravity power, then steam, and finally electricity and petrol). It even has a few altars and chapels. All the rooms and exhibits were made out of Salt (though some wood is used from time to time). The best exhibit is the Chapel of the Blessed Kinga, which is more like a church with beautiful religious carvings depicting scenes from the bible. Even the chandeliers are made out of salt! It took them over 30 years to built this room, from 1895-1927. A new addition is the statue of Polish Pope John Paul II.

Krakow was the capital city of Poland for hundreds of years before it was moved to Warsaw. My first stop was at St Mary's Church, which stands overlooking the main square. At the hour, a guard of sorts will plat the famous Mariacki Tune, which was a warning against intruders that attacked the city. Afterwards, I went to the Florian Gate, which to my dismay was being restored (thus it was covered). It's the last surviving gate of the old city. At least I was able to admire the walls around it. From the inside the old city wall was actually covered buy beautiful local artwork. The nearby Barbican, which lies right outside the gate, is definitely worth seeing. Funny thing is that I haven't seen many intact barbicans elsewhere in Europe. After admiring the architecture of the Teatr im Slowackiego and finding that the Church of the Holy Cross was closed, I walked to the Collegium Maus, which is one of the most historic bldgs of Krakow Academy, in turn one of Poland's most famous Universities. Right next door is the refined Baroque styled St. Anne's Church, which has serves as the University Church. Afterwards, I walked back to the main square, Rynek Glowny. The Town Hall Tower stood straight ahead, overlooking the square. Right besides it lies the Cloth Hall, which as the name implies used to be the place were cloth was sold. Today, it serves as a tourist market, a place where souvenirs can be bought. On the other side lies the Statue of Adam Mickiewicz, a local poet who is buried in the Wavel Cathedral. A bit further, at the NE corner, lays the St. Mary Church I discussed earlier. Walking south of the town square, you pass the Franciscan Church and the Dominican Church, each lying within 200 meters of each other in perpendicular angle to the Grodicka Street. A few hundred meters south, on the same street, you come across the beautiful Church of SS Peter and Paul. A few minutes further south lays the crown of Poland and Krakow, the incredible Wavel Castle (pronounced Vah-vel).

That afternoon, I met my friend Maciek and his wife Urszula from Tychy, Poland. We were later joined by Mischka. We spend a wonderful weekend touring that region of Poland and beyond. It involved tons of drinking at night of course :). Nevertheless we covered quite a bit. The town of Tychy is an industrial creation of the Soviet era. Except the old town, you can see hundreds of Soviet buildings surrounding this free-tax zone industrial city. One of the largest Fiat plants lies in this city. The other famous factory is the Tyskie brewery.

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A memorial has also been set up in Auschwitz 2.
The monument is called The International Monument to the Victims of Auschwitz.
It is a commemoration to the prisoners who perished here.
This monument is situated at the end of Auschwitz 2.

IF YOU WANT TO SEE THE REST OF THE PHOTOS IN AUSCHWITZ 2, PLEASE GO TO MY BRZEZINKA PAGE.

Also in Auschwitz 2, you can see the prisoners' barracks.
Look with your own eyes the conditions of the places/barracks as they were called then.
Toilets sit side by side with their beds.
No sanitary whatsoever for the prisoners in here...

Also in Birkenau, you can see the railway tracks which transport the prisoners to the camp.
Walk on the tracks, as most people love to do. Say a prayer, get a solemn feeling...
It was on these tracks that the train came in & once the train stopped, the prisoners were thrown out of their wagons & the selections began.
Those who were able to work, stayed as hard labour workers & those who were unable, especially old folks & young kids were immediately transported to the death chambers.