Auschwitz-Birkenau - Aug. 26, 2011

Starting Thoughts
I have hesitated in blogging about the Auschwitz-Birkenau part of my recent trip to Poland, mostly because I didn't know quite what to say. Furthermore, so much has been written about this absolutely dark aspect of human history that I know there is nothing new I could say. However, I think it is critical to not forget what happened there during World War II, which is why I decided to share a bit of this experience.

Many months ago when I was planning what we (Habitat for Humanity team) would do during a few days after conclusion of our project, it was clear to me that spending time in southern Poland had to include time at Auschwitz. Arrangements were made for us to have a guided tour, rather than wondering around on our own.

Background
I think it's safe to say that most of the world knows about Auschwitz to some extent. It is one of the most graphic symbols of state terrorism, systematic genocide and the Holocaust. During World War II, much of  Poland came under German occupation and in 1940 they opened this concentration camp on the outskirts of the city of Oswiecim. The Nazis changed the name of the city to Auschwitz.

The original camp was called Auschwitz I and was expanded over the subsequent years to include Birkenau (Auschwitz II) and Monowitz (Auschwitz III). In addition to these three camps, there were more than 40 smaller or sub-camps. In the early stages of Auschwitz, the Nazis were meticulous in keeping records on the prisoners. This stopped, however, when the number of people being sent to Auschwitz-Birkenau got so large that they could not keep up with the record keeping. Birkenau was build to accommodate the increased volume of prisoners.

While called concentration camps, Auschwitz-Birkenau were death camps.

Initially, Poles were imprisoned and then died in Auschwitz. Poles were soon joined by Soviet prisoners of war, Roma (Gypsies) and prisoners of other nationalities. By the start of 1942, the camp became the scene of the largest mass murder in human history as the Nazis moved to exterminate all Jews in Europe. Upon arrival at Auschwitz, the majority of Jews - men, women and children - were sent directly to their death in the Birkenau gas chambers.

From different parts of Nazi-occupied Europe, it is estimated that the following number of people were sent to the camp:

• 1.1 million Jews
• almost 150,000 Poles
• 23,00 Roma from several European countries
• more than 15,000 Soviet prisoners of war
• more than 10,000 prisoners from other countries

 The majority of these people perished in Auschwitz-Birkenau.

When expecting the war was coming to an end, the SS began to dismantle or demolish the gas chambers and crematoria, along with many buildings. They also burned most of the records.They evacuated prisoners who were able to march with them back to Germany. When the Soviet Red Army liberated the camp in January 1945, about 7,000 people remained in the camp.

Personal Impact
I won't go into much more in this blog, except to mention a few things that I found especially troubling. In one of the displays at Auschwitz, there was a mound of eye glasses that had been taken from prisoners (see picture below). The thought of these representing so many people was and still is very unsettling. For others in our group, it was other items taken from prisoners.

In a section of one building, we walked along a hall that had several pictures of men who had been brought to the camp for whatever awaited them. Each photo indicated the date of arrival and date of death. In all cases, it was no more than a few months at most and in many cases it was simply a couple of days.

The size and scale of the camp, especially Birkenau, was massive and much greater than I ever envisioned. Essentially, it was set up like a factory to house thousands of people in horrific conditions before they were exterminated.

Adjacent to the ruins of the gas chambers and crematoria at Birkenau, there is a memorial dedicated to the victims. Important, but emotional experience to spend even a few minutes here.  

The remainder of the bog will consistent of pictures. 

Entrance to Auschwitz I - sign says "work will make you free"

Death Wall (Auschwitz) - SS shot thousands of prisoners here in 1941-1943

Crematorium at Auschwitz I

Birkenau

 

Birkenau

Birkenau - less than 1/4 of the camp

Birkenau - ruins of cremtorium and one gas chamber

Memorial at Birkenau

 

Krakow, Poland - Aug. 27-28, 2011

Return to Krakow - Day 1
On this trip to Poland, the last two days were spent in Krakow. One of the Habitat team members left for other travel on Aug. 26, but the rest of us were able to enjoy the culture and great atmosphere of Krakow for a bit longer. Being a bit familiar with the city from our time there a couple weeks earlier, it was easy to move into the rhythm of the city and all it has to offer.

Despite being occupied by Germany in World War II, Krakow was virtually unscathed in terms of physical destruction. This changed, however, after the war when the Soviet Union took over and left it imprint on the city in the form of heavy industry. Fortunately, most of the architecture and historical sites in the city remained in tact. On the morning of our first full day back in Krakow, we took a guided tour of the "Old Town" - Wawel Hill with the cathedral and castle courtyard, Royal Way, Main Market Square, the university district and more. 

In the Main Market Square, one can see St. Mary's Basilica, which is located in a place where a church has stood for over 800 years. The middle of the Square is occupied by the Cloth Hall, where cloth sellers had their market stalls in the middle ages. The Cloth Hall is still a functioning market, mostly for souvenirs, crafts and trinkets. In the 14th century, it was made a permanent structure by King Kazimierez the Great, who is described as a "larger-than-life" medieval king. His his imprint on the city is widespread - buildings, support for the arts, war and diplomacy. He is credited with establishing Krakow as a major capital in Europe (capital was later moved to Warsaw). The second oldest university in Central Europe (Jagiellonian) was established by Kazimierez the Great. He was progressive and tolerant, with one example being his encouragement of Jews moving to Krakow and giving them special privileges in banking and trade.

The next picture seems like it could be almost any place where there are street vendors - it sure is colourful.

From the Square, we then walked a short distance to a courtyard at Jagiellonian University. Two of the interesting things about the courtyard are 1) a fountain on one of the walls that is supposed to bring good luck to students if they touch the water flowing from the mouth; and 2) a twisted chimney (don't remember its significance, but it is intriguing).

From the courtyard, we worked our way along what is called the Royal Way to Wawel Hill (VAH-vehl), which sits on one of the few hills in the city. On the hill, we toured the Cathedral, but spent most of our time exploring outside on a beautiful sunny day. The Cathedral is located on a site occupied by a cathedral for about 1,000 year and it is sometimes described as Poland's version of Westminster Abbey. I haven't been to the latter, so don't really know! It holds the tombs of most of the country's important rulers and historical people. While the interior is interesting, I found the exterior much more impressive. The building's profile has a mix of architect influences as can be seen in the picture immediately below.

 

After spending some time on Wawel Hill, we walked back to the Square and then were off to pursue individual interests until dinner. Even the shortest walk in Krakow seems to yield something that draws your attention - street performers, historic buildings and more.

More Krakow

The next day started with a 15-20 minute walk to the Kazimierz area, which is the historic centre of Krakow's once large Jewish community. At the start of World War II, about 65,000 Jews lived in Krakow, but only about 6,000 survived the war. Today, the city has less than 200 Jewish residents. 

Our first stop was at one of the Jewish synagogues to walk through the New Cemetery, which certainly leaves one with the impressions of there being a much larger Jewish population in the past. During the war, the Nazis vandalized the cemetery and many headstones were taken away. After the war, however, many headstones have been recovered and re turned to their original sites. For various reasons, others could not be placed in their original site. The latter were used to create a mosaic wall and Holocaust monument.

 

We then walked through another part of the Jewish Quarter on our way to Kazimierz Market Square (Plac Nowy) with its eclectic mix of cafes, restaurants, outdoor stands and vendors. Throughout the entire area, the Jewish influence is so strong that one would think the Jewish population today must be much larger. We took a break at the market, so people could wander around a bit and look for the many offerings, but I don't recall any great bargains.

After a short tour of a synagogue, we headed back to our hotel to take van to our last tourist attraction - the Wieliczka Salt Mine.

While the salt mine is one of the major attractions of Krakow, I must say I was a bit doubtful prior to the tour. It's certainly not one of my favourite sites in the city, but it was well worth the time. The mine has been producing salt since 1250 and during the time of Kazimierz the Great it provided one-third of the country's revenue. Miners spent much of their lives underground and rarely emerged into daylight. To pass their non-work time underground, they were industrious in carving figures, including a chapel of salt.

Our tour started by walking down stairs and through tunnels to 210 feet below ground for our first information session and eventually ended at 443 feet below the surface. The mine has more than 200 chambers and on the tour there are numerous displays showing underground life and work. Probably the most impressive feature is the huge Chapel of the Blessed Kings, which was carved over a 30-year period early in the 20th century. As with so many museums and historic attractions, the tour ends with a deep underground shopping zone. After navigating the shopping area, we headed for the elevators for our ride back to the surface.

So Long Krakow (for now)
So comes an end to our time in Krakow and Poland. There are many other places that I would like to visit for the first time, but I would return to Poland any time. I found the people to be warm and welcoming. Once again, I thoroughly enjoyed the combination of doing important work for Habitat, getting to know and spend time with local people, and experiencing aspects of the culture, history and lifestyle. I can strongly recommend putting Poland in your travel plans and starting in Krakow is a pretty good idea.
   

The largest river in Poland - the Vistula - flows through Krakow.

Gliwice, Poland - Aug. 24, 2011

Our Project
Habitat for Humanity has a wide diversity of projects in the more than 80 countries where it works around the globe. The we worked at in Gliwice is one of the more unique. We were working at a shelter for homeless men. HFH Gliwice has a partnership with an organization call the St. Brother Albert’s Aid Society, which provides housing for homeless men in a number of places in Poland. The shelter was outside the city in a rural area about 15-20 minutes from our hotel.


To start out, a few people worked in their large main building to repair the walls, paint and put down new flooring in a bedroom. This was a two-day project and day after it was finished four bunk beds and lockers were moved into the room to accommodate eight men.


The rest of our efforts there were focused on prepared the site and materials for the installation for three shipping containers that would be used for housing and washroom/shower facilities. The work involved a mix of things from scraping, sanding and repainting scores of I-beams, angle irons and round pipes that would be used to provide support for a roofing that would be required around the containers. The other major task involved digging holes for cement posts that would support the containers and a long trench for a sewer pipe. All of the digging was in heavy, wet clay soil and it had to go down to over three feet deep. This was hard work!!As our eight days of work came to an end, we had completed the tasks before us and had the site ready for the next stage. 

Compared to most Habitat sites, we initially had limited contact with the men living at the shelter. We didn't know the individual stories of these men, but most had broken families, many had addictions and other problems. Over our time there, however, we were able to spend time with some of them as they got involved in the work.

On the site, we had a small hut that we used to store our day packs and to use for making coffee/tea. Outside a temporary shelter was set up so we could have our breaks out of the sun and rain. It rains just a bit, but we had some fairly warm weather with temperatures getting as high as 33-34 C according to the local weather station.

For lunch every day at the work site, we ate in the dining room of the main building and were served the same food as the men living at the shelter. The meals were good and traditional. We had a number of different soups and there always was plenty of bread and desert.

On the one Saturday evening we were in Gliwice, we joined several habitat partner families for a BBQ. These families are living in houses at the original Habitat site in Gliwice. This was a fun evening, with lots of children and young teens around. Below are a few children from the partner families.

Around Gliwice
It wasn't all work during our time in Gliwice. One day after work, we went to see the radio tower in Gliwice, which taken over by a small group of German soldiers in August 1939. Pretending to be members of a Polish uprising, the incident was used as a provocation to start WWII. At 118 metres in height, it is the highest wooden structure in the world.

Other than the BBQ, we went out to a restaurant for dinner every evening when in Gliwice. There are many good restaurants with excellent food and atmosphere. We were able to walk to all of these restaurants in no more than about 20 minutes. Most nights after dinner, several of us would round off our appetites with some gelato or an ice cream bar from a local store.

On our day off, a couple of us went to church in the morning and then all of us met at midday to do some exploring - museum, botanical gardens/park and eating.

On our way to the work site one morning, we stopped to look at and take pictures of a pair of storks and their nest on the top of a house. The stork is a revered bird and there many places where they are poles with platforms especially erected for storks to make their nests.

 

Saying Goodbye

As we finishing our work on the last day at the work site, we were invited into the dining room of the main building at the shelter to be thanked by the board and director of the shelter for our contribution to these men. One way they expressed their appreciation was presenting each member of the team with a colourful and original Polish coffee/tea mug. Very neat!! We also were presented with certificates and t-shirts from HFH Gliwice.

For several people on the team, this was their first experience with a Habitat international build, while a few of us have been on at least one more build. All of us were touched by these expressions of appreciation and we had an overwhelmingly positive experience in Poland. That evening, we had another great dinner with the local Habitat volunteer coordinator for our wrap up in Gliwice.

Gliwice, Poland - Aug. 20, 2011

A Brief Introduction to Gliwice

My introduction to Poland took another step on Aug. 16 when traveling from Krakow to Gliwice, the location of our Habitat for Humanity project. Gliwice is a city of about 200,000 people two hours west of Krakow. Gliwice was founded in 1250 and is in area of Poland that once was a part of Germany. From some information about HFH Poland, I had a few mental images of what Gliwice might be before arriving here, but the picture was not well formed. I was picturing a manufacturing and industrial city, with what that entails in look and feel. While it is a city with an industrial history, it also has much to offer when it comes to culture and architecture. It has many beautiful buildings strongly influenced by Central European character and attractiveness, including those surrounding the city’s town centre. While the city centre is much smaller than its counterpart in Krakow, it certainly has some of same charm – cafés, restaurants and shops ringing the centre with a back drop of building designs reflecting the influences of Germany and Austria.

One thing that has surprised me in Gliwice is the large amount of housing and other buildings that are constructed of red brick. Not sure why I was surprised, but I guess I was thinking that there would be lot more of the gray concrete and cement block construction of Eastern Europe. However, we were reminded on our first walk around the city that Poland is in Central Europe, not Eastern Europe.

After arriving in Gliwice, we were taken on a walking tour in and around the city centre that included a number of historic sites and a couple of beautiful parks.

Habitat Project

Our Habitat project is helping build housing at a facility that provides home to over 90 homeless men. Our tasks have been a bit different than on many Habitat sites. A few people spent the first two days repairing the drywall of a large bedroom, painting the walls/ceiling and installing new flooring. The rest of us have been cleaning and/or painting large metal pipes and I-beams that will be used as part of the structure to support shipping containers as new housing units for homeless men. How this will all come together is not clear yet, but hopefully we will have a much better picture of this before we leave. 

We have been well hosted and cared for by local Habitat staff. It always amazes me how much our volunteer efforts are appreciated. At the same time, however, I think we are receiving a huge blessing from the opportunity to work on these projects, experiencing a bit of life here and getting to know a few Polish people.

We have sampled lots of traditional Polish food including borscht, sausages, dumplings (pierogi) stuffed with various ingredients and lots of potatoes. One of the highlights thus far has been chocolate cake served as part of the breakfast buffet on a number of occasions!!

Stay tuned for more.

 The clock works!!

Krakow, Poland - Aug. 14, 2011

Main Market Square

After exploring Krakow for a few hours yesterday and today, I can say without hesitation that it is one of the most beautiful cities I have visited. Travel writer Rick Steeves calls the square "one of Europe's most gasp-worthy public spaces."

I'm staying at a hotel less than a five minute walk from the Main Market Square, which is a people magnet. The architecture is visually appealing and reminds me of the Old Town Square in Prague, except to square in Krakow is much larger. The square seemed to be especially busy with people today (more than yesterday) and the numerous sidewalk cafes and restaurants had few available seats. The horse drawn carriages seemed to be  doing a brisk business throughout the day. Around the square and the streets that empty into the square there are many options for having a coffee, meal or beverage.

 

Why I'm Here
Despite enjoying all the atmosphere and attractions of Krakow, I have not forgotten why I'm here. This is the first stop upon arrival in Poland before traveling west of Krakow to the city of Gliwice for a Habitat for Humanity project. As team leader, I am relieved that some team members have arrived here and the rest of the team will arrive tomorrow. After our build, we will come back to Krakow for some guided touring before heading home or to another destination.

Northern Ireland # 12 (July 19, 2011)

If you've been following this blog, you know that I returned home from Northern Ireland a bit over three months ago. For more than a month, I have been thinking that I'd like to do a "wrap-up" post on my Northern Ireland experience - now is the time! What follows is a bit random, so bear with me.

Many people have asked me about the three months at Corrymeela. Here are a few of the questions:

• What was it like?
• Did you enjoy it?
• Is there still conflict in Northern Ireland?
• Did it meet your expectations?
• Would you do it again?

Off the top, I must say that I went to Corrymeela and Northern Ireland with few expectations, so I can easily say that my expectations were exceeded. This is among the most positive and memorable experiences of my life and virtually every day I warmly reflect on all that I experienced.

More than anything, what stands out most in my mind are the people. From the moment I was met at the airport in Belfast, I was warmly welcomed by everyone at Corrymeela. This sense of welcome and being part of the community continued right to the time I left and, in fact, is ongoing. I was blessed in being able to spend time with so many great people and have many new friends added to my life.

The welcome extended beyond Corrymeela as I found people every place I traveled to be ready to help, to have a conversation, quick with humour and interested in who I was and where I came from. The random conversations that occurred any place and at any time were a good reminder of the rural community where I grew up.

I truly enjoyed living in a building with a mix of people from diverse background and place. One of the almost daily highlights was sitting at a table in the lobby of Coventry (our house) having breakfast and greeting people as they started the day. This was also a favourite spot to hang out and also a most excellent place for parties!!

What was it like? It was more than very good!

I really enjoyed traveling about Northern Ireland (documented in other posts) by bus, especially during daylight hours when I could see the scenery. Except for the weekends, traveling by bus in NI is a great experience. Weekend bus service leaves something to be desired, but buses generally are a great way to travel. While I saw quite a bit of NI, there is a lot more to explore.

Conflicts and divisions are still very much a part of the Northern Ireland society and many recent events leading up to the annual July 12 (Orange Day) parades are evidence that more time and much work is still required for the country to move past historical social, sectarian, economic and political divisions. These events demonstrate once again the need for the facilitation work of Corrymeela directed toward healing and reconciliation.

During my time in Northern Ireland, I learned a great deal about the history of the country and its people. While I have a better understanding than was the case a year ago, there is so much more to learn and understand. I doubt it is possible to fully understand the conflicts and divisions, but I certainly want to learn more.

It was a privilege to be able to make a contribution to the work of Corrymeela and I hope the circumstances of my life allow me to return. I know it would be different for many reasons, but not knowing quite what to expect is also an important aspect of the journey for me. It will be great to sit down and have a pint (or two) of Smithwick's with Matt, to have dinner and a bit of wine with Alyson, any conversation with Paul, a good laugh with Aileen, sharing life with Courtnae and Erik, mulling over the choices of life with Ada and talking about strategy with Zand. I know there is always a risk in singling out just a few people, but I think the others will understand.

Thanks for following these posts. I hope to be able to blog more about NI in the future - until then, however, I hope I am motivated enough to blog on some other topics and experiences.

Northern Ireland #11 (April 29, 2011)

To the South and Back
On the morning after the "special evening" (see Packnote #10), I was up quite early to catch a bus just before 7:00 am to make my way to the Belfast international airport, where I picked up a rental car for a short trip to visit my friend Hannah who is working at the L'Arche community in the town of Callan. In Northern Ireland, the "South" is the name given to the Republic of Ireland.

The drive to the South provided lots of great scenery that benefited from a beautiful day for most of the drive. It was my second experience of driving on the left side of the road and, while it went well, it required concentration at times. The places that required the most attention were the roundabouts and there are lots of them. Now that I'm more used to them, I think roundabouts are a great way to move traffic more efficiently than through the lighted and stop sign intersections we have throughout Canada.

The drive to Callan took me past Dublin and then southwest (mostly south) to Kilkenny, where I navigated about a dozen roundabouts to bypass the city and arrive at my destination 16 km down the road. It was at the first roundabout, however, that I soon discovered I was working with faulty directions. It didn't take long to notice I was headed west rather than southwest, so I stopped for directions. I realize that men generally don't do this, so it must have been one of my weaker moments.     


Callan
With a population of some 1500, Callan is one of the largest towns in County Kilkenny. The town's history goes back more than 800 years and it reputedly gets it name from the High King of Ireland (Niall Caille). Like so many towns I saw on the Emerald Isle, Callan has traditional charm, friendly people and a lot more pubs, pharmacies and hair salons than would expect in a town of its size. It didn't take long to walk around most of the town and see the sites. The most striking structure (what remains of it) is the Augustinian Friary, which was built around 1460. It was replaced about 300 years later and has deteriorated since then. The main stone building structure is still there and is quite impressive (see immediately below).

L'Arche
For those who don't know its background, L'Arche was founded by Jean Vanier (son of Canada's former Governor General Georges Vanier) for people with and without intellectual disabilities to share fully in community life in both residential and non-residential settings. L'Arche operates in 40 different countries around the world and for more than 30 years has been operating in Callan. Over this period, it has grown so that it now has four residential houses, a garden workshop, a craft workshop and a cafe on the main street of town. My friend Hannah is one of the international volunteers who are so essential to community life.

I spent a bit more than two days there and slept two nights in the residence. To be honest, I wasn't quite sure what this experience would be or how I would respond. It was a wonderful experience and I am so glad I did this. My respect for people who work in L'Arche and similar situations has significantly increased. Despite the challenges and demands, I am so impressed with how this people respond with love and care for residents. It's not easy and they have their difficult days, but it quite amazing. I participated in some aspects of community life such as meals and "quiet hour" one evening. The "quiet hour" was quiet interesting! I was forewarned that one of the residents (Declan) would not hesitate to call out someone's name if they dosed off or fell asleep. I was introduced to him a few minutes before "quiet hour" and told him that I'd do my best to not fall asleep. His responding by telling me that I should have more coffee.

One of the residents (Helen - she has achieved independent living status) led "quiet hour." We started with a few pieces of recorded choral music to set the tone. This was followed by group singing that was a cacophony of sounds, but I'm sure it was a joyful sound to God's ears. To wrap up the hour, Helen then singled out individuals asking them to pray or telling them they must have something to pray about. Even I (Hannah's friend) was singled out. It was a great time!

Kilkenny
Other than spending time with Hannah, the only other thing in my plan for the trip South was to take a tour of the Smithwick's Brewery in Kilkenny. On the second day at Callan, Hannah had to take one of the residents to Kilkenny to see her doctor and take some tests, so I tagged along. I was dropped off near Smithwick's with the hope of a tour, but there was no room left. So, I headed off to explore as much of the town as I could in two hours. I walked along one of the main streets past pubs, butcher shops and more to Kilkenny Castle - a well restored, impressive structure that sort of anchors the city. Completed in 1213, the castle was privately owned until the middle of the 20th century when it was purchased by the local Castle Restoration Committee for 50 British pounds. After a guided tour of the castle, I strolled around the city a bit more and then met Hannah at the appointed place and time to head back to L'Arche.


Later that evening, Hannah and I went back into Kilkenny to meet one of her volunteer colleagues and listen to fantastic live music at Ryan's Bar. And, a Smithwick's of course. Check it out
http://en-gb.facebook.com/ryansbar 

After Callan, I headed directly north to drop off the rental car and for my last two nights at Corrymeela. It was good to be back there and be able to spend just a bit more time with these people before heading to Belfast. In Belfast, I stayed with friends for two night before my flight home. The time there was full, but relaxed as I did some exploring and spent time with friends over coffee, food and a few beer.

And, there was one last tourist thing I was able to do - take the Titanic walking tour. The two-hour guided tour goes through the area where the Titanic was designed, built and then launched. The Titanic Quarter, as it is called, is an area of much construction and one major project currently underway is a new structure to celebrate this incredible vessel. The tour provides an understanding of the area, the size and scale of the vessel, the dry dock where it was outfitted and more. One stop on the tour is at the building where the design work was done. The building is is disarray, but there is talk of it being purchased and developed as a hotel. Time will tell on that one. Next year will mark the 100th anniversary of the sinking of this great vessel. One of the best t-shirts seen during my time in Northern Ireland had an image of the Titanic supported by the phrase "Built by Irishmen, Sunk by an Englishman." I don't think it is official Titanic merchandise, but it works for me.

Adjacent to where the walking tour started was the Odyssey Arena, where the Belfast Giants hockey team plays its home games (yes - ice hockey). The Giants are one of 10 teams in a league with other teams in England, Wales and Scotland. Unfortunately, we were not able to get inside the arena because of the set-up and preparation for a rock group performance that evening.