Lessons from the Holocaust Project

On Wednesday 3 January, 16 intrepid students with Mrs B and Mr O set off for a 3-day trip to explore the history of the Holocaust in Poland.

Our first afternoon was spent in Krakow where we walked to the old Jewish quarter, Kazimierz, and visited the Galicia museum, where the students learnt about Jewish life in the region of Galicia (South West Poland) before WW2. Following this, the students heard the testimony of a Holocaust Survivor, Monika, who had survived the war hiding with Polish nuns and, later, adoptive Polish parents, who risked their lives to keep her safe until liberation from the Nazis in 1945. It was a very moving experience and left students with knowledge of another thread in the highly complex history of the Holocaust.

The next day the group set out for a tour of Auschwitz Birkenau Memorial and Museum. We first stopped in Oswiecim (the Polish name for Auschwitz and the town which was there before the camp system) and visited the site of the Great Synagogue, which was destroyed by the Nazis in 1940. The tour of Auschwitz I and Birkenau was highly thought-provoking and moving; at times very challenging for both students and staff, but led by a fantastic guide who provided both the facts and the ‘feelings’ to grappling with a site of such historical importance.

In the evening, students enjoyed some free time to explore Krakow Old Town and experienced traditional Polish dancing during dinner, jigging all through the restaurant with vigour!

On their last day, a visit to the Oskar Schindler Factory museum gave a fascinating account of the experience of citizens in Krakow during WW2, and highlighted the loss of the Jewish community; of 68,000 Jewish residents in 1939, only 1000 survived the war.

Flickr album: History Trip to Krakow and Auschwitz, January 2024 | Height: auto | Theme: Default | Skin: Default Skin