Nathaniel Sansom added 52 new photos to the album: Krakow, Poland — in Kraków, Poland.
This week I made multiple stops, visiting historic sites throughout Krakow. Stopping by Wawel Castle during a windstorm Monday morning, I saw exhibitions from the former armory/treasury.
After Wawel, I went to the famous Eagle Pharmacy (you may want to Google it, to understand it’s significance). I also visited a portion of a Ghetto wall that still stands. Upon seeing the Ghetto wall, I decided to walk to the site of the former Płaszów Concentration Camp. There is not much left at the site; however, there are many markers and memorials that stand to tell the stories of the many who were imprisoned, forced to work, and who died during the Nazi Germany Occupation of Poland. Walking around what remains today, I realized how large this particular camp was; I read many of the markers that depicted locations where various buildings or infamous sites used to exist. One memorial, which I have included a picture of, marked the location of where 10 prisoners were murdered after 1 prisoner had dared to escape. A cross now stands in memory of those who lost their life on this particular occasion, one particular group killing, the likes of which was not uncommon. The description on the sign tells the story of a mother and son who were amongst those awaiting death. The seven year old boy was scared of dying, he asked his mother, ”Mummy, does death hurt very much?”, to which his brave mother comforted him replying, “No, only for a little while”. The Nazi then shot the boy before murdering his mother.
I stayed at this location for a few minutes; it was a riveting feeling. I imagined that boy standing nearby with his mother, I couldn’t shake his question out of my mind. It stopped me in my tracks and, upon reflection, started to bring tears to my eyes. “Mummy, does death hurt very much?” is a question no boy should ever be compelled to ask, a question no mother should ever have to answer. By no means a comforting thought, I thought that at least the boy didn’t have to watch his mother’s murder. But then I realized that the mother was holding her son as he was shot, she was forced to watch his murder before the Nazi took her life too.
This history is difficult to confront, but we must. As harsh as those words are to hear, or as horrifying as the past is to remember, remember it we must. To cast aside history with a selective memory would be to sanitize reality, forgetting these stories would be a greatest injustice to those who senselessly lost their lives. If we, as a collective society, refuse to remember the senseless suffering and torturous death endured by millions during the Second World War, we may only recall it some day, when it’s too late.
On Tuesday, I climbed to the top of St. Mary’s Tower (where the trumpeter plays every hour). I peered out of a few of the windows and took a few panoramic pictures of the stunning view.
Yesterday, I watched a portion of an outdoor historical musical that recounted Poland’s history through song and dance.
Today, I visited the Polish Aviation Museum in Kraków. I photographed American-made WWII era planes as well as planes used by the USSR and Nazi Germany. Some of what I learned was even surprising in the way of an American built plane that ended up being used by Germany in the opening ceremony for the 1936 Olympics.
On another note, I also saw the helicopter used by Pope John Paul II!
Comments
Post a Comment