Students from Years 10 to 12 Travel to Poland
Leaving from School in the early hours of last Saturday morning, 23 students across Years 10 to 12 set off for Krakow, and within two hours of landing, they were in the Main Square of the Old Town, learning more about the history of the city. Students then visited the Galicia Jewish Museum which included an emotional talk from a Holocaust survivor. It was an interesting and tiring first day in Poland.
On Sunday, students took a guided walking tour around the Jewish district, and this included a visit to the Eagle Pharmacy to learn about some of the incredible individuals who defied the Nazis as part of the resistance movement. They also visited the Oldest Synagogue in Krakow, as well as the Jewish Ghetto Memorial and the Jewish cemetery.
They then visited Auschwitz-Birkenau, which was the largest Nazi concentration and extermination camp; learning more about the Nazi regime and its horrendous atrocities. The visit provided the opportunity for students to understand more about the harsh realities of history, supporting their classroom learning around this topic, and it was clear to see the impact this had on everyone.
After a sobering day, the evening was spent at the hotel enjoying supper, with a chance to decompress after what was an emotional and grounding day. Students spent their final day in Krakow on Monday, exploring Wawel Castle, with some choosing to visit the Cathedral, which included a climb to see Sigmund’s Bell and time down in the Crypt seeing the final resting place of individuals who they had found out about during our walking tour.
Departing for home later that day, it’s fair to say they all had an incredible few days in Poland; thank you to everyone who made the trip possible, and to our students who represented themselves and the School impeccably.
Year 11’s Sophie P shared her thoughts on the trip,
“Our trip to Krakow was full of different activities from visiting castles to exploring the old town. We left early on Saturday morning so that we could visit several places in the afternoon such as the Cloth Hall and Galicia Museum, where we also heard from a Polish Holocaust Survivor; it was interesting to see pictures of her and her family before the war. On Sunday we walked to see a plaza with chair statues, each one represents 68,000 Jewish citizens killed in WW2. Next to this plaza we also got to visit the pharmacy where Oscar Schindler hid Jews from the Nazis, and we also visited areas in Krakow where the movie Schindler’s List was filmed. We ended the day with a trip to Auschwitz; we saw different parts of the camp including the railway where everyone was sent unknowingly walking to their death – Auschwitz was an enlightening and thought-provoking experience, and was the highlight of the trip for me. On the final day of the trip, we got to explore the Wawel Castle and see the Cathedral before heading back home.”
