October 1, 2014: Day 4 in Krakow

October 1, 2014

We gathered this morning at 9:30 to take the bus to Schindler' Enamelware factory to visit the museum that depicts the history of the Nazi occupation of Kraków during the period 1939 - 1945 and the role Oscar Schindler played in the rescue of over 1,000 Jews.  The museum is a very moving experience that utilizes film footage of events during that time period in Kraków.  We spent over 2 hours in the museum with an excellent guide.  

Survivor Metal Sculpture

End of War Crech (Death, Hitler, Himmel)

Crech (Churchill, Roosevelt, Stalin)

Room of Choice

An hour and one-half after returning to the hotel, we boarded the bus for our 1-1/4 hour trip to Auschwitz-Birkenau, the site of the notorious Nazi concentration/death camps.  On the way we saw a video show photos with narration of what a Russian photographer captured on film when Auschwitz was liberated in January 1945.  That set the stage for the afternoon visits.  For both sites we had an excellent guide.  Entering Auschwitz, we passed through the often-depicted wrought iron gate "Arbeit macht frei". 

We visited several of the barracks where there were numerous exhibits of items taken from the prisoners -- hair, glasses, shoes, personal items, suitcases, etc.  We saw cells where punishment was given and the shooting wall and gallows where prisoners were killed for rule infractions.  Auschwitz originally did not have a crematorium, but did after they perfected the delivery of the HCN laced-diatomaceous earth pellets to use in the gas chambers.  We visited that gas chamber facility with its 3 ovens for handling about 3,000 bodies per day.  
 After a 2 hour guided tour here, we transferred to Birkenau, which was death camp of wooden and brick barracks and processing site for forced labor and extermination of over 1.3 million Jews, Poles, Gypsies, political prisoners, and undesirables by the Nazi regime.  It contained 4 very large gas chamber facilities located at the terminus of the rail line leading into the center of the camp.  These were completely destroyed by the Nazis as they fled near the end of the war.  People were off loaded from the "cattle" cars and a doctor made the immediate decision whether or not each person was capable of work.  If so, they went into one line and if not ( case of all disabled, children, elderly, and many women) they went into another line for immediate extermination.  Those who were fit for work went in forced labor with deplorable conditions and inhumane treatment.  

Entrance to Birkenau

Transport Railroad Car

Destroyed Gas Chambers

Memorial

 The entire site has been left basically as it was found at the end of the war -- much of it burned with only brick barracks and the chimneys standing for the burned wooden barracks.  A memorial has been erected at the rail line terminus in the languages of all those processed.  What a moving and powerful afternoon!!

After an hour drive, we were dropped off for a short walk to our restaurant - Corleone.  I had the appetizer of aubergine stuffed with provolone, tomato-pea-cream soup, veal scaloppini with rosemary potatoes, and tiramisu.  As always, we had plenty of wine and a very good time.