2024 • Poland
June 19, 2024 to June 22, 2024 and June 26, 2024
Back in 2018, I visited Poland for the first time and very much enjoyed my time, so I decided to return! This time, however, I would spend most of my time in Warsaw, although I would end up spending a day in Kraków again. While in Warsaw, I was sure to visit the Old Town (Stare Miasto), which is home to the Warsaw Royal Castle, a number of museums, and just a fair amount of neat architecture. It is important to note, however, that a fair amount of Warsaw was razed during the Second World War following the Warsaw Uprising. Much of what is standing today was built to the exact specifications of how it was before the war. Also, walking around the city, I came across the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, the Sejm (Parliament) Building, and the Presidential Palace. I was also sure to spend some time along the Vistula River, which, in many ways, is the most important river because it flows through the country’s two main cities, Warsaw and Kraków. The next day in Warsaw, we went to the Warsaw Uprising Museum, which tells the story of the Uprising and its aftermath. After being occupied by the Nazis for years, many partisans and hidden elements of the Home Army were “activated” to retake the city as the Soviet troops were advancing in the east. The idea was to make sure that the capital (or at least part of it) was in Polish hands when the Soviets reached it so Poland, as an independent state, could negotiate with the Allies on a more even playing field. Unfortunately, the Soviets refused to advance and relieve the Uprising, and it would eventually fail, only for the Soviets to take the ruins of the city mere months later. Needless to say, this, along with being occupied by the Soviets until the 1990s, has led to a lot of bad blood between Poland and Russia that endures to this day. It is also one of the reasons why Poland is one of the biggest supporters of Ukraine on the world stage. Before leaving Warsaw, I was sure to visit what was left of the Warsaw Ghetto wall. The Ghetto in Warsaw was one of the most notorious and largest and housed just shy of 500,000 Jewish people at its peak. Most would end up being killed in the Holocaust one way or the other.
After spending a few days in Warsaw, we took the train to Kraków. We did not have a full day in Kraków because later that evening, we needed to catch our train to Kyiv, but I was sure to make the most of our time in Poland’s historic, medieval capital. While in Kraków, we visited the Wawel Royal Castle, which was once home to Polish monarchs in the late medieval era, and left the castle grounds through the Dragon’s Den, a cave that runs underneath the castle and lets you out along the banks of the Vistula. Also, while in Kraków, I was sure to visit Oskar Schindler’s enamel factory. Even though he was a member of the Nazi Party, Schindler used his position to help save 1,200 Jewish people during the Second World War. After that, we spent some time at the Kościuszko Mound, named after the great Polish freedom fighter and American revolutionary Tadeusz Kościuszko. After a bit of a whirlwind through Kraków, it was time to head towards Przemyśl to catch the train to Kyiv. A few days later, after returning from Kyiv, we were back in the Kraków area, and I was sure to pay my respects, once more, to the millions of victims of the Holocaust by visiting Auschwitz-Birkenau. Just like the last time I visited this site, I was overwhelmed by emotions. It truly puts everything into perspective and reminds one to always be vigilant against hatred and bigotry in this world.
