Page 9                                                                                                                                                                                                 Labhairt Amach
Text Box: Krakow After a ten hour journey by train, we arrived in Krakow. We were all ready for a good meal and a well earned rest, although we still made time to shop that evening. As morning arrived, we prepared to visit the site of one of the greatest mass murders in history- Auschwitz-Birkenau. As we arrived our mood dropped somewhat and we found it hard to take in this experience. As we walked through Auschwitz I, our guide told us many disturbing and graphic stories of what had happened here. The barbed wire, clothes, possessions and even the hair of the former prisoners were kept here as a reminder of what had happened. We also saw two places that made the hair on the back of my neck stand up- the execution wall and the last remaining gas chamber and crematorium. What we had already seen was horrifying, but this surpassed anything I had felt before. Auschwitz II was what I had expected the camp to be like. was huge and one of the coldest places I have ever been. Here we saw acres and acres of grass, enclosed by an electrical fence and watchtowers. The barracks where the prisoners slept were like a slightly larger version of a garden shed. Through the centre of the camp ran the railway line, which had transported over one million Jews to their deaths. Text Box: History trip to Berlin and Krakow

At Auschwitz- Birkenau

After we left Auschwitz, we made our way to the Wieliczka Salt Mines. There were three levels of the mine, the lowest of which was 125 metres below ground. To get there we had to walk down hundreds of stairs. On the first two levels we saw some of the sculptures carved by the miners and could even taste the salt on the walls. On the third level, I saw the most amazing sculpture I have ever seen; an enormous cathedral had been built here. The altar, statues and even chandeliers were all made from salt.

On our final day we took a tour of the old town of Krakow. This included a visit to the home of the late Pope John Paul II and said a prayer in a church where he had said Mass. After a last chance to go shopping and a brief stop at the hotel, we were Belfast bound once more.

                                                                                                 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Liam Corr

Flowers left to remember those transported to Auschwitz