29 AUGUST 2004
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Subject: Poland. Date: 29 Aug 2004 From: James Clark WarsawI didn't know much about Warsaw before I arrived. I knew that there was some sort of convention to do with baggage, which must have been exciting, and that it was devastated by the Nazis in World War II. Indeed my first sight of Warsaw was exactly what I thought it would be - lots of grim Soviet style concrete buildings. A city with a self heralding moniker - Warsaw: sore from war. To their credit though the historic old town has been authentically rebuilt. I wandered into the old town thinking that I must be in some part of town that somehow survived intact, such is the quality of the restoration. So with this unexpected bonus of an attractive part of town to wander, I found the reconstructed town square as pleasant a place to spend some time as many other town squares I have visited in Europe. The week I was there happened to be the 60th anniversary of the Warsaw uprising. The uprising symbol was everywhere, there were exhibitions around the city and Germany's Chancellor Schroeder was in town for a commemoration, where he made a very gracious mea culpa on behalf of his fatherland. A variation of a speech he must be all too familiar with. If your interested, an excellent movie that portrays Warsaw during the war is The Pianist by Roman Polanski. 
KrakowKrakow has Europe's largest Medieval town square (Rynek Glowny), a castle, lots of parks and funky old Eastern European trams. Krakow rocks! Unlike unfortunate Warsaw, Krakow was left relatively physically unscathed by the war, though its people were affected with Jewish ghettos and mass deportations. The basement at the hostel I stayed at was used as a torture chamber by the Gestapo. You can buzz the building attendant, and they will take you down there, as well as show you a museum room of collected pieces from that time. Poland joined the EU in May this year, but it still uses the Polish Zloty as its currency for now, and it still remains a bargain for travellers. Any budget traveller wouldn't normally contemplate having a coffee in a Western European town square let alone dining there (I'm still hurting from a 10 Australian Dollar cup, or should I say thimble, of coffee I had in Paris recently). I checked a menu at a cafe on the town square, just out of interest to see what kind of usurious rates they charge here for a meal in such a prime touristy position, and I found myself double checking the exchange rates to make sure I hadn't miscalculated. With glee I sat down and sampled the dumplings that the Polish are famous for while watching yet another summer festival parade past. 
AuschwitzAbout 60km from Krakow is Auschwitz. It is open to the public as a memorial to the 1.5 to 2 million people who were killed there. There were only 4 people on the bus when I went and I was wondering if there would be many other people interested in seeing such a grim place on a fine August day. These thoughts disappeared when we arrived at the crowded visitor centre. The centre receives over half a million people every year. Auschwitz survivor groups and custodians of Auschwitz Museum encourage visitors "to promote awareness of the Nazi crime of genocide and to honor the memory of the victims of Auschwitz-Birkenau". The Auschwitz complex was made up of around 40 separate camps. The two main ones remain open. The first is the original smaller camp, with the infamous inscription above the gate, "Arbeit macht frei" (Work brings freedom). The second camp is Auschwitz II - Birkenau. The entrance is all too familiar, seen from many movies and newsreels, a building with a single railway line through an archway. This camp is over 400 acres and truly brings home the enormity of the genocide. For further information: Auschwitz Museum 
James |
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