Krakow, Poland

 Krakow is one of the oldest cities in Poland and dates back to the 7th century. It was the capital city of Poland until 1596. It is known for being one of the most beautiful cities in Europe, and has traditionally been one of the leading centres of Polish academic, economic, cultural, and artistic life. Its Old Town and Wawel Royal Castle has been declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

 

This is Jewish Heroes Square in Krakow, Poland. It began as a marketplace known then as Zgody Square. It was a quiet, little market where goods were bought and sold, and people came and went as they pleased.  But, this all changed when Poland fell under Nazi Rule.

Anti-Semitism in the Third Reich would lead to the formation of ghettos in Poland. These ghettos were used to segregate Jewish people from the rest of the population. Jewish people were not allowed not leave the ghetto, which became was a type of prison. New resident's furniture would be piled up and discarded, and the ghetto soon became a site of humiliation and suffering. But, it also became an escape from cramped living conditions, and the residents could still meet and trade goods, and information was passed, creating somewhat of a community. Evenually, all of this would change when the Square became and intregral part in the implementation of the Final Solution.

Selections would be made that would mean life or death for the residents. Those selected would be loaded onto trains and sent either to Plaszow, Belzec, or Auschwitz which were death camps. Many didn't make it to the train because they were often executed in the street for being sick, young, or elderly.

The Square now is a memorial. Thirty-three oversized chairs each represent 1000 lives. Unfortuneatly, this installment has failed to reflect the scale of the holocaust and the human suffering that came with it. Many people walk past it, children sit on the chairs, and only the odd walking tour of Krakow will pause and acknowledge its history.

           This water pump is dedicated to a man who set himself on fire in protest to the massacre of nearly 22,000 Polish military officers and intelligentsia prisoners carried out by the Soviet Union.

       The famous mythical Wawel Dragon and in Polish legend it plagued the city as a man-eating monster and was appeased with a weekly ration of cattle.

                        Wawel Castle and for centuries it was home to many Polish kings.

  

Krakow architecture is a combination of Romanesque, Renaissance, and Baroque with old medievalism.

 

This is the lane where Correen, Lori and I got separated from our Hoss and our tour group. We didn't notice that they had stopped to look at something, as we walked by happily chatting.

 

And, this is where we waited for the group to catch up to us. Much to the dismay may of our guide, as he frantically looked for us, he found us in the square. But, we were never lost, as we knew were the group was heading, and we just waited.