What Was a Trip to Krakow

All the recent posts going around about dissertations, graduations and revision has made me remember one the best parts to my university life - our research trip to Krakow. The premise behind the trip was gaining first hand experience of the social and economic change occurring in Krakow since the fall of communism - one of our modules in human geography. About twenty of us went with two lecturers, we had to find our own way there and were constantly reminded we were there to work, not be tourists [that became a running joke]. Breakfast was eaten over the lecturers going over what we'd be doing, we'd risk our lives catching the tram [the line of which is in the middle of the road], riding taxis [the drivers were INSANE], getting off trains were you have to climb up to the platform, panicky lecturers shouting at us to move quickly when molten hot steel was being lifted over our heads in a steel mill [one of the scariest things I've ever experienced] and even visiting a Tescos. I thought take the time now to finally giving that trip some attention. 

Krakow itself seems torn between trying to create a city of culture image while not trying to forget it's historic past - which is often dark. During WWII Krakow became one of Nazi Germany's five major Jewish ghettos concentrating Jews in the Podgorze district. Sometimes WWII can become a little intangible, but when you're standing in front of what remains of ghetto walls and buildings [see photograph above] it brings it to life. As did our trip to Oswiecim - the town that became better known with the camp that was built there - Auschwitz. The towns beauty, quirky little streets, brightly coloured buildings and it's castle continues to be over shadowed by the camp. Visiting Auschwitz was a chilling experience.

With the outcome of WWII and the raise of communism a new order of social change came into affect which we saw most predominately within the planned city of Nova Huta - a city of preplanned communist propaganda and ideals based around a steel mill. What developed were towers of socialist living, vast housing blocks and avenues named after Lenin. Every avenue looks alike and tower high above you. It's daunting in its style. With the fall of communism in 1989 so too did the communist street names and the statues of their former leaders, replaced with references to Pope John Paul.

Visit Poland and you take a glimpse of it's former life. We visited in 2007 so it'd be really interesting to witness how the country had developed it's sense of self since this time. Krakow is certainly worthy of a visit, everywhere you look and go in the city it is coated in history - the good and the bad and you have to acknowledge both sides to create a future.