Krakow
On Thursday 28th March, 41 Year 10 students accompanied Mr Bretherton, Miss Lee, Miss Parker, Mr Bowles and I on a trip to Krakow in Poland. Contrary to my gloomy predictions, the weather was glorious throughout our stay, which made sightseeing in the city a real joy. That said, our main purpose was to visit places associated with the Holocaust, in which approximately 6 million Jewish people lost their lives.
Our students can tell you more about our visit:
Day 1
The flight was good with no disruptions. The Hotel Wyspianski was superb, well-appointed and centrally located. The breakfast was delicious.
The food at Invito restaurant was delicious and it was amazing how well they catered for people with allergies and intolerances. The staff were polite and welcoming. It was a perfect start to the trip.
Day 2
Visiting Auschwitz was a truly educational and eye-opening experience – it’s unfathomable the amount of destruction which was caused during that period, and it was important to see and learn about the atrocities caused. As the saying goes, “Those who do not learn history are doomed to repeat it.” One exhibition in the camp which stood out to me was a room which contained shaved hair from those who were imprisoned in Auschwitz during the Second World War. The sheer volume of hair really puts into perspective the scale of violence which occurred in the camp. The tour was led by a guide who was very knowledgeable about the history of Auschwitz and Birkenau, and she happily answered all our questions.
The sheer size of the concentration camp was unbelievable and the number of deaths were hard to get your head round. The living conditions of the victims were extremely poor; they were cramped and incredibly unhygienic. We saw the remains of the gas chambers/crematoriums and a memorial dedicated to the victims of the Holocaust. I think everyone was very respectful and appreciated the history behind the camp.
As part of the trip, we took a trip to Schindler’s factory and I have to say, it was fascinating. All the rooms were coordinated to real life places during the war e.g. Schindler’s office, a remake of the walls surrounding the ghetto and we even saw some of the pots and pans which were made for soldiers during the war in Schindler’s factory. The tour guide was incredibly informative and we even found out some details about her life during the period after WW2. It was a fantastic experience and definitely something I would like to do again in the future.
That evening, we went to a new restaurant and had a tomato soup with pasta pieces in it which was delicious. For the main course, we had mash, breaded chicken and coleslaw which was lovely (Mr Bowles ate three platefuls of the coleslaw)! For dessert, we had ice cream cake, which was also gorgeous.
Day 3
On Saturday morning, we visited the Galicia Jewish Museum. There were lots of photos of Jews who had lost their families. It was interesting to read about what happened and it brought home how sad it was. I can’t imagine being discriminated against for who you are. It was so unfair to be judged because of your race or religion.
On Saturday afternoon, we visited Kraków’s old town. In the main square there were a variety of markets selling souvenirs, magnets, Easter baskets and food. The buildings in the square were impressively tall and they housed many restaurants and shops. We had fun buying souvenirs at the market stalls and looking around at the traditional Polish items.
The old castle in the centre of Krakow had beautiful scenery and a lovely walk up to it. There were plenty of things to discover and it was a gorgeous historic building.
Some of the students took the opportunity to take a buggy ride tour around the Kazimierz district with Mr Bretherton. After some impressive haggling by Mr Bretherton, (he manged to knock 200 zloty of the price!) we visited lots of historic landmarks, educating us on the history behind the town. We were able to see the Christian and Jewish areas to see the differences between their lifestyles.
Afterwards, our group headed to the flea market where we were able to enjoy delicious traditional Polish Zapiekanki (baguettes with hot, savoury toppings). This was absolutely delicious. Finally, while we were walking back to the old town we were able to walk past the iconic street that was used as a backdrop for a scene from Schindler’s List, where a mum and a daughter ran down some stairs to escape the Nazis.
The Galicia restaurant was one of my highlights of the trip. The atmosphere in the restaurant was comforting and warm. The roast potatoes were crispy and the pork was perfectly cooked. The staff were very friendly. I loved this restaurant.
Overall it was an amazing trip, where we made memories that will last us a lifetime.
Mr Ramsdale
Senior Assistant Headteacher
