Travel within Poland

Getting there from Czech was pretty easy. While the country is a member of the European Union (EU) and the Schengen Zone, there is still some passport control. Something that is different from its neighboring countries. If you are traveling by bus or train from another country, be prepared to show your passport after crossing the border (or before if you’re leaving Poland for elsewhere).

We left Olomouc for Krakow via a very comfortable train. Czech’s train system is quite robust, and many of them offer free WiFi and are outfitted with outlets so you can even plug in. All the staff we encountered on the Czech side were very friendly and helpful.

Not always our experience within Poland.

Poland’s trains aren’t quite as fancy, but they’re still pretty good and inexpensive. Fares can be searched and purchased online. As long as you are doing domestic travel, you can keep the confirmation on your smartphone or tablet. The conductors can scan the code from them.

As much a I dislike bus rides, do check out the bus schedules when planning your travel. Often the buses are faster and cheaper than trains. A handy site for looking at overland options is Rome2Rio.com. They’ll show airfares, but don’t trust those. For trains and buses, though, they’re usually spot on.

When buying tickets in person, I highly recommend you write the city name down to show the person at the ticket counter. Polish words are seldom pronounced the way they appear to a non-Polish speaker. For instance, the city named Lodz is pronounced like woj. Train is pronounced like poh-chunk and bus is the easy one—auto-boos.

Be aware that when purchasing a discounted ticket for a child or student, you may be asked for Polish ID. If you can’t provide that (passport won’t count), you may have to pay extra on board to make it a full ticket. We were only asked once, and it was while using an online ticket. It may be that you won’t be asked if issued a regular paper ticket by the company. There wasn’t a fine, though, which was nice.

Lodz

This is a nice, medium-sized city with a small town feel. There really isn’t much to see or do here, but it’s nice to experience a smaller, more rural town as opposed to the big urban ones that get more visits. While all the cities we visited were bicycle friendly, I think Lodz was the best for that. Lots of great paths as well as special setups at traffic signals so that you don’t have to get off your bike to press the button to cross.

It has some great parks and interesting monuments. Lodz is also home to a premier film school in case that’s an interest.

Gdansk

This city in the north is quite beautiful. It’s on the coast of the Baltic Sea, and there are international ferries in case you’re interested in going to some other countries by sea.

The city has a lot of history to it. World War II began not far from here as the Nazi army invaded Poland. The old town by the sea harbor received a lot of damage. The buildings in the old town area all sport practically new facades that are ornate and colorful.

I read someone describe the old town area as “Disneylandish,” and I’ll have to concur. It really distracted from the charm that most historic squares have for me. Plus all the signs from shops and restaurants, and since we were there in low season we also had annoying restaurant touts trying to get us into their place.

If you check out the old area, make sure to go along where the ferries dock so you can see the medieval crane system they used to remove shipments from the boats. It’s really quite cool to see something like it.

We stayed out of the city proper in an area called Oliwa (o-lee-vah). I actually liked this suburb much better than the city proper. It had much more charm and old world feel to it.

Wroclaw

This is another “good luck pronouncing it” city name. Just write it down. But if you want to have some fun, it’s pronounced like vrot-swov.

I think I liked this city the best. It hosted the Euro Cup in 2012, so there is a rather interesting blend of modern and old. You will find these beautiful modern buildings wedged between ones that are hundreds of years old. Many buildings received makeovers as did their transit system.

In spite of feeling like a big city sometimes, it is very walkable, and there are great historic sites, funky areas, and beautiful parks.

In addition, there are lots of dwarves or gnomes (it depends on who you ask) all over the city. There are currently about 250 of them spread out all over, and it’s kind of fun to try to spot them all as you walk around. Even Tigger got into the fun.

Originally we were going to skip this town, but I’m glad we didn’t, and I would add it to any Poland itinerary. It’s a 4-1/2-hour bus ride from Prague, too.

Visiting Poland in general

We had an absolutely incredible, almost indescribable, experience at Auschwitz, and we enjoyed Krakow and Wroclaw, but overall I can’t say Poland is a place you should go out of your way to experience. We much prefer its neighbor, the Czech Republic. I know other people absolutely adored it, but we enjoyed Czech much more. In fact, we didn’t explore more cities in Poland simply because we were ready to return to Czech after a few weeks.

Have you been to Poland? What do you think?

However, lately I have heard good things about the country. Since we were so close geographically, it seemed silly to not at least go check it out. Besides, I did want to visit Auschwitz with Tigger to bear witness.

Krakow is one of the few cities whose name is actually pronounced close to how it appears. Polish is a tricky language, and words often sound nothing like how you would expect. We began our time in Poland here, and it was a good choice.

This is really a great city. It has a good vibe and a great transportation system combined with a ton of history.

The old town area is very interesting, and you can see some of the wall that used to surround the city. This sprawling city has definitely outgrown its original borders!

Poland keeps Christmas alive for much longer than other places. There were still plenty of decorations and lit trees throughout January.

Jewish History

This country suffered a lot under the Nazis, and the Jews suffered even more. We began our look at Holocaust history by visiting the former Jewish ghetto and seeing the chair memorial. During the Holocaust, Jews were gathered in this square where they awaited being transported to Auschwitz I and II. Each of the 30 tall chairs represents 1000 victims from the ghetto. Smaller chairs are installed for people to use to reflect, and the installations have been incorporated into the tram stations leading to a pronounced effect.

A short walking distance from the memorial is the infamous Schindler factory. Thanks to its owner, Oskar Schindler, 1200 Jews were saved from certain death in the concentration camps.

There is a less-known concentration camp not far from these sites. One can only handle so much of those places, though, so we did not visit it.

Jews were moved from into a fortified neighborhood soon after the Nazis invaded Poland. There were minimal entrances, and they were heavily guarded. Their disdain for the Jews was so strong that any window facing outside of the ghetto was bricked over.

Any Jew who was still fit to work had a better chance of survival. Once they no longer appeared fit for work, they were likely going to be sent to Auschwitz, and everyone knew that also meant extermination.

Medieval history

Krakow’s history goes back much farther than this time period. The Wawel (pronounced like vah-vel) complex has evidence of being settled in the 4th century. It is a complex complete with an impressive cathedral, castle, and other buildings.

Below the castle is also the cave of the Wawel dragon, which has a rather interesting set of legends.

Not to be outdone by a legend of dragons, a corner of the Renaissance courtyard of the castle is known as The Chakra, a place of massive spiritual energy that is supposed to be one of the strongest areas of energy on the earth.

The complex is worth a visit and affords some great views of Krakow, too. You can walk around the complex and view many of the buildings for free.

Near the former wall of the old town you’ll find the barbican, a fortified outpost that used to be connected with the city wall. Near here is the Florian gate, a 14th-century structure which now serves as one of the entrances to the historic square.

This whole section has some great architecture and tons of churches, and it’s fun to just walk around among the narrow, cobblestoned streets to see what you might find. While walking around aimlessly one day we came upon a street performer who was one of the most incredible violinists I’ve ever heard.

Food

So, Polish food does not suck after all. It can be quite heavy, much like the cuisine of its neighbor Czech, but it has a lot of flavor. Of course, you just have to have perogies here, and you’ll find those aplenty.

And if you just need a burger, let me recommend Love Krove. These enormous burgers will please the most finicky among you.

Krakow is full of surprises. If you’ve visited, what’s your favorite recommendation?

Located about an hour and a half outside of Krakow in the small city of Oświęcim, there are two parts to the largest and deadliest Nazi concentration camp: Auschwitz I and Auschwitz II, also referred to as Auschwitz-Birkenau or just Birkenau. The second site, which was even deadlier than the original camp, is located about 2 km away. There is a free bus that goes between the two camps.

Personally, after touring the primary site, I didn’t have the heart to go to Birkenau as well.

Getting to Auschwitz

There are many options for traveling to the infamous site, including:

• Get an organized tour through one of the many agencies in Krakow.
• Take the public bus or mini bus from Krakow Glowny (the main bus station) which will drop you off inside the parking lot of Auschwitz I.
• Take the train and walk, take the local bus, or take a taxi. When we visited, the train was actually cheaper than the bus.

If you wish to walk, it takes about 20-25 minutes. As you come out of the train station, go to the sidewalk along the street and turn right. When you get to the roundabout, turn left. Follow that straight down. You really can’t miss it. It will be on your left.

If you take the train and want to go by local bus, the stop is at the train station. There are a number of routes that will take you by the camp. They are listed on a flyer inside the shelter area.

To tour or not to tour

I’m not a real fan of tour groups; however, I’m even less of one at this site. If you visit between the months of April and October, you will be forced into a guided group if you arrive after 10 AM or before 3 PM. We visited during the low season, and the presence of the various tour groups was quite annoying, so I can’t even imagine what it would be like to be in the groups during peak season.

Granted, you will learn more about the site with a guide, but they seemed to be rushed, and the groups were quite large. Without a guide, there are still plenty of signs and markers, so you can certainly experience a lot while doing it on your own.

If you plan on doing a group tour, check the museum’s website for the schedule. This is especially important during low season as English-speaking tours are offered at fewer frequencies.

During the visit

If you are doing a self-guided tour, there is no admission fee. English-speaking tours typically cost 40 PLN ($13 USD) per person. The website states visitors should plan on 1-1/2 hours to visit both camps. I would beg to differ. We did a self-guided tour, and we easily spent 2 hours at Auschwitz I alone. If you’re doing a guided tour, you won’t have a choice, but if you’re going on your own, allow a minimum of 3 hours if you want to do both sites. I would be surprised if even the guided tour is that short.

Guided tours are not necessary at Birkenau.

In addition to the buildings, many of the cell block buildings have a special exhibit inside them that occupy more than 1 floor of the structure. They are haunting, intense, and powerful. We limited the number of exhibits we visited simply because it was too emotionally draining.

When taking photos and walking around, remember that many people consider this whole site to essentially be a massive graveyard. Some people who are visiting lost family members who had been imprisoned here. The whole site and its visitors should be treated with respect.

There are some bathrooms (marked as WC) throughout the site. Be prepared to have to pay anywhere from 2 to 2.5 PLN to use them. There are also a few places serving food and drinks at the museum entrance and in the bookstore.

After the visit

There aren’t a lot of occasions where I would include tips on things to do after visiting a place. However, Tigger and I were greatly affected by our visit. I would say to not plan on doing much afterward, or make sure to plan something that will be a lot of fun and serve as a distraction. This is the kind of place that is really hard to get out of your head.

Why visit Auschwitz? It sounds so awful!

“Lest we forget” is an oft-repeated phrase when it comes to the Holocaust and its atrocities. It is one thing to read about the events in books, see photos, and watch documentaries, and it is quite another to stand in this place and bear witness. As hard and as intense as it was to visit, I’m glad we went. It gave me a perspective I didn’t have before, and it impacted my son much more strongly than if we had simply discussed it.

We need to witness these sites first hand to make sure these events are never allowed to happen again. Genocide and ethnocide are tragedies that are still happening in the modern day. The experiences we have by immersing ourselves in these memorials help solidify our resolve and awareness.

Frankly, I can’t imagine coming to Poland and not visiting this site. It’s just too important.

Visiting with children

Obviously, only you know your children and their maturity level. If you stay away from the exhibits and the film, it’s an appropriate site for any age. The exhibits are quite graphic at times.

I’m not sure I would take a child under 9 through the exhibits, but again that would depend on the individual child.

If you have a chance to visit Auschwitz, I hope you will go and bear witness.

“Work makes you free”

It was unsettling walking behind the sturdy gates with its electrified barbed wires even though I knew I could just as easily walk out. I felt as though my footsteps were tracing tens of thousands of others who had even more reason to feel far more ill at ease and terrified than I did currently.

Being an ethnic Jew and part Roma, I had studied the Holocaust. I had read books, seen the horrible photos, and watched the movies and documentaries. In my role as a healthcare chaplain, I have sat before survivors as they shared their stories of survival. I thought I should’ve felt more prepared than I did, but seeing and hearing those things cannot match the experience of stepping foot on the soil of Auschwitz, one of the largest and deadliest concentration camps under Nazi control.

At least 1.1 million prisoners died here, and 90% of them were Jews. Out of all the Jews exterminated during the Holocaust, 1 in 6 died here and at the nearby Birkenau (Auschwitz II) facility, the main center of “the final solution.”

I was not sure about bringing Tigger to see this. He has a big heart and can be quite sensitive. Would the images and exhibits be too much for him? We discussed what he might see, and he was willing to view it. I have a firm belief that despite the monuments, documentaries, and museums around the world, these places need to be witnessed to more fully understand the evils of genocide.

In the end, I decided it was too important for either of us to miss.

Walking the grounds of the concentration camp was at times surreal. At times while passing between the red brick buildings, the sound of gravel crunching beneath our feet, I could feel a sense of reverent peace. In any other environment, I would be tempted to sit and enjoy the calmness.

Then I would walk by the gallows from which a dozen Poles were hanged in reprisal for the escape of 3 prisoners. The officers at Auschwitz were big on “sending messages.” Public hangings and floggings were common. If a Polish prisoner escaped, their family would be arrested and brought to the camp, and they would remain there until the fugitive returned.

Many of the blocks, the brick buildings which housed prisoners, now house exhibitions. The Roma victims have their own exhibit. I had known the Nazis included the Roma among the ethnic groups, like Poles and Russians, that needed to be eliminated. However, I did not realize that out of the 23,000 Gypsies who had been brought here, only 2000 survived.

Other exhibits are memorials to the various nationalities of prisoners. Some of them are even more painful as you see the living conditions, the articles left behind, and as you read about the “justice” many of the prisoners experienced. While many prisoners died from the gas chambers or other executions, many more died from exhaustion, severe hypothermia, medical experimentation, and starvation.

I’m not sure I will ever forget my experience of walking up to Block 11. This prison building was used to reeducate some of the prisoners and to mete out justice for infractions such as assisting someone’s plans for escape or maintaining contact with the outside world.

I initially walked up to 2 gates to take a photo. I then peered beyond them and saw the wall that I would later learn was called “the death wall.” Its energy drew me in. I could not break eye contact with it as I slowly, almost reverently, approached it. The grey surface of the material of the wall stood out starkly against the red bricks. Small offerings lay at its base. I knew without seeing a plaque or anything else that this had been a wall for shooting people. Tears welled up in my eyes, and I resisted the urge to touch it. Unlike other areas of the camp, this spot had . . . presence.

Its tragedy spoke to me. I asked it “Why?” but only silence answered me. This type of evil just can’t be explained.

I walked away from the wall, but the wall did not leave me.

We continued to explore the grounds and the various buildings. I made sure to engage Tigger in the exhibits so that he would have a deeper understanding of the darkness that once reigned here.

After leaving the camp, I headed to the bus stop for the shuttle to Auschwitz II-Birkenau. However, the prospect of boarding that bus made me freeze. I turned to my son and said, “We have two options. We can take this bus and go to the other camp called Birkenau, or we can take the other bus and head back home.”

I will admit to feeling relieved when he replied, “I can’t take another concentration camp. Not today.” Neither could I.

In my years of working in trauma, intensive care, and of traveling all around the world, I have seen many things. I have witnessed amazing things and horrifying things.

But nothing has left me so thoroughly shaken as Auschwitz. Hours later I keep asking myself “But why? How could any human do such a thing?” I don’t understand it. I don’t think it can be understood.

After about my 3rd time of saying this aloud, Tigger finally said: “I guess humans were just more evil back then.”

But that’s the problem. Despite all the beauty and great kindnesses in the world, there is a blackness in some people’s heart. We see similar things taking place on the African continent today. In the 90s, we saw it happening again in Eastern Europe.

And just like in the time of the Nazis, there are many governments who turn their head away from the plight of these people.

This is why we bear witness. This is why these places, no matter how painful and difficult, must be visited. The ghosts of Auschwitz have left an indelible mark on me. The death wall still speaks to me. “Never forget!”

No, I cannot. And we must not.