Day 2 – Auschwitz and The Salt Mines
Today, we had chosen to visit two of the main
tourist destinations of the area around Krakow – the Auschwitz-Birkenau
Memorial and Museum, and the Salt Mines at Wieliczka.
After studying WWII in history class and
reading Anne Frank’s Diary, Sam had decided she wanted to visit Auschwitz.
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Commemoration to those countries, people and organisations who
contributed to and support the work of the Auschwitz-Birkenau
Memorial and Museum |
In order to make best use of our limited time,
we chose to book an organised trip taking in both destinations in one day with
timed visits, something that worked out well as the weekend’s Assumption Day
public holiday meant the crowds were out in force!
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We entered the museum via the infamous
"Arbeit Macht Frei" gate .... |
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.... past blocks that once housed the detainees .... |
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.... and which now contain the exhibitions |
What can I say about Auschwitz? I’ll be honest
with you: I have not, and never will have, the vocabulary to put into words how it makes me feel.
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So many people .... |
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.... passed this way .... |
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.... no escape |
Suffice it to say, the museum and memorial should stand forever as a reminder of what man is capable of doing to man if given the opportunity, and why it should never be allowed to happen again.
If you want to find out more, please see the
official website:
After an interesting but solemn morning, the
afternoon’s visit to Wieliczka was a more light-hearted experience. We started with
a wander around the village, then took a guided trip of the Salt Mines.
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At Wieliczka, we met the locals in the main square .... |
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.... relaxed a while in Tellytubby land .... |
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.... before descending into the bowels of the earth |
In total, the mines occupy nine levels and reach a depth of around 327m. It is on the list of UNESCO World Heritage Sites, which includes sites such as Stonehenge, the Ironbridge Gorge and the Derwent Valley in the UK.
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Miners often spent their spare time carving statues from
the rock salt, and some beautiful images remain such as
those of famous scientist Nicolaj Copernicus .... |
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.... and figures from Polish legend. |
All in all, around 1.2 million people visit the salt mines every year, but the tour covers less than 1% of the total tunnel length of almost 300km!
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The tour shows how miners through the ages .... |
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.... helped by horses that spent almost their entire life underground .... |
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.... and even gnomes, dug the precious salt from the ground |
By the time we had reached the end of the tour,
we had reached 136m below ground and descended over 800 steps.
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Evening at the pierogi festival |
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Tom in the frame with artist Jan Matejko |
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