To a glamorous present from a murderous past

The Old Town, Krakow

Krakow turned out to be as great a mix of opposites as we had seen at any point on our trip.  Istanbul had provided a meeting of religions, Bulgaria had highlighted opposing ideology and in Albania we saw the huge divide in wealth capitalism had bought to the minority.  Krakow provided a contrast of emotions.  On the surface Krakow is a beautiful city with leafy parks, grand plazas and a burgeoning social life supported by boutique bars and restaurants.   The everyday enjoyment for locals and tourists alike in the city however is in stark contrast to the history of the area. With the infamous Nazi death camp, Auschwitz, on its outskirts and the desperate tales of those who having survived the Nazi genocide encountered the Soviet repression cast a shadow over Krakow through its memorials and monuments.  We met some close friends who had flown out to meet us from the UK for half term to help us with our journey (and Hannah’s sanity) and got to experience both sides to the city, enjoying the great bars and restaurants whilst spending time on harrowing visits to Auschwitz and Schindler’s Factory.

Medieval Square

Mulled wine in Singers Bar 

A lot of our time in Krakow was spent strolling the city and visiting the vast array of bars soaking up the relaxed atmosphere of the city centre.  The old town unbelievably escaped destruction in WW2 and the main square was packed with people enjoying the crisp day in Europe’s largest medieval town square.  The old town is ringed by the wonderfully named Planty, a large leafy path on the site of the former moat that protected the town walls.  We were lucky that the trees had turned golden brown and many of our memories of Poland will be of the beautiful parks and tree lined avenues that displayed a spectacular mix of autumnal colours. As its centre piece Krakow also boasts the magnificent Wawel Castle which overlooks the Vistula River, connecting the city with Warsaw. Similar to Budapest, we embarked on a series of cultural bar crawls around the old town and old Jewish quarter enjoying some of the excellent hot wine, flavoured vodka and Polish beer with our friends.   Unfortunately the city is also frqeunted by knuckle draggers from across the continent in search of cheap beer (mainly Brits) but despite a few half naked buffoons grappling in the street and communicating through loud grunts the bars were very relaxed and enjoyable.  The Jewish quarter had a mix of fantastic modern cocktail bars, traditional taverns and boutique establishments and we had a few good nights paying cards and dominoes whilst sampling Poland’s finest beers (none of which I could pronounce despite repeated instruction from my friends and bar staff). Our favourite bar was Singers Club, a small, dim and gloomy bar lit by an all-day candle vigil serving strong mulled wine and vodka which warmed us up after walking around the city.

Auschwitz

On our third day in the city we took a tour to Auschwitz – Birkenau, a name that is scorched into the mind of most Europeans as the centre of the Nazis attempt to eradicate Jews from Europe.  I had been once before but it is a place that is difficult to comprehend and remember and I wanted to go back as an adult.  The most striking thing about the museum and exhibition is the industrial nature of the genocide.  Reading about the holocaust in a History book it is sometimes hard to gain an emotional understanding as the numbers involved are overwhelming.  Nearly 1.5 million people died at Auschwitz but seeing the photos and belongings of some of the individuals murdered is far more real than an incomprehensible number.  For me the most moving element of the museum was the first half of the tour which takes in Auschwitz I and displays the rooms full of hair, glasses, suitcases and clothes turning the huge numbers into more personal stories.  3 kilometres from Auschwitz I is Birkenau, the area that housed the gas chambers built to speed up the genocide.  It struck me on both visits that the area is eerily quiet and there are still no animals or birds around the vast site.  The only sound was of the Israeli School children singing which added to the harrowing atmosphere of the area.  Despite the depressing nature of our day I think that everybody should have to experience the true horror of the Nazi holocaust as it would help stop a similar event ever from ever happening again in the future.  The following day we visited Schindler’s Factory in Krakow.  It was a fantastic museum about the impact of the Nazis on Krakow, the ghetto in the city and a tribute to Oscar Schindler who saved nearly 1200 Jewish employees in his factory.  The museum has hundreds of quotes around the wall from survivors and diaries of the time and helped to show the impact of the Nazis on ordinary Polish citizens as well as the treatment of the Jewish population during the occupation. 

'For ever let this place be a cry of despair and a warning to humanity
where the Nazis murdered about one and a half million men, women and children,
mainly Jews, from various countries of Europe.'

Krakow was definitely one of the most interesting and beautiful cities we have visited on our trip so far and getting to spend it with friends helped us to make the most of the city.  We left Krakow sadly parting company with our friends and heading off north to Warsaw, unfortunately with a lot of planning and job application forms to complete but excited as neither of us are entirely sure what to expect as we head further north.

Below is a link to a copy of a book my friend Richard who met us in Krakow has had published called Minstrels Bargain. Please support a local author and buy his fantastic horror book!