Many of us Germans like to travel. When travelling outside of our own country, we go for holidays to Italy, to France, to Spain, to Croatia and, before the pandemic, to more and more overseas countries. The countries mentioned above attract both, people looking for relaxing beaches as well as people looking for cultural highlights. All of the those countries have one thing in common: they are to the south or to the west of Germany. How about going east? My perception is that only a very few people have been exploring countries like Poland or Czech Republic. Admittedly, Poland and Czech Republic cannot really offer a relaxing beach holiday. However, both countries do offer a lot of cultural highlights. I wanted to explore them for a long time and this past summer, my plans finally came into existence. With this post, I want to share my thoughts about Southern Poland.
The first stop of my roadtrip was in Görlitz, a city in the far east of Germany. Görlitz is known for its vast, beautiful old town. The latter has been featured in many movies, like Inglorious Bastards and The Grand Budapest Hotel. Hence, sometimes, it is also called Görliwood. My time in the city was fairly limited, but the many beautiful buildings are definitely worth a visit. The city’s location is also quite beautiful. The old town borders the Neisse river, which also serves as the border between Germany and Poland. As usual within the European Union, the border can only be noticed by signs suddenly using another language. Unfortunately, the border is a major letdown: the bridge crossing the river is rather unspectacular, Poland welcomes visitors mainly by advertising cheap cigarettes and booze and there is no Polish/German memorial monument at all. Considering the difficult history between both countries, a location like this should feature a monument, highlighting the need of collaboration and friendship between both countries.
The way from Görlitz to Wrocław is rather short. Based on recommendations from colleagues and friends, I made a quick stop in the city of Jawor, to visit its Church of Peace. During the Thirty Years’ War, Catholics and Protestants fought each other in bloody battles. During this war, pretty much all of Central Europe was affected by the battles of errant armies. Due to fighting and resulting issues (sickness, food shortages, etc.), some areas experienced a population decline of 50% and more. Looking into the details of the war, it was not so much the religion, but the rival powers of Europe fueling the war again and again, trying to extent their power. Eventually, the Peace of Westphalia brought a long overdue end to the great suffering. The same peace treaty is also the ignition spark for Jawor’s Church of Peace, one of the biggest timber-framed religious buildings in Europe and UNESCO World Heritage. After the end of the Thirty Years War, Silesia, the region where Jawor is located, belonged to the Austrian-Habsburg Empire, a catholic power. However, the peace foresaw a kind of religious tolerance, allowing the Protestants to build a few churches, among them the one in Jawor. While building their churches, the Protestants faced several restrictions, making the result even more impressive. The magnificent building from 1655 does not only impress with its pure size, but also with its unique wooden architecture including uncountable paintings.
After the stop in Jawor, I continued to Wrocław, a major city in Silesia. My hotel was located directly at the market square, which immediately stunned me. The square is immense, fully surrounded by uncountable, colorful buildings. The square is so immense, that there is a group of buildings in the middle of it, among them Wrocław’s town hall. All buildings seem to be made from one piece. Whether you are there during day or night time, the square is, thanks to its central location and many bars, cafés and restaurants, full of life. The bright and colorful buildings add a lot to the atmosphere. I highly recommend to go to the top of at least one of the nearby church towers in order to be able to enjoy the view from above.
Wrocław’s market square is not far from the Odra river, where more stunning places can be found. As there are a few islands within the river bed, one can go for beautiful strolls with great views. One of the islands is also home to Wrocław’s cathedral and other religious buildings. The tower of the cathedral offers great views of the islands within the river and the city itself. Within sight: one of the oldest universities in Europe. Basically, the whole old town of Wrocław is surrounded by the Odra river and water channels. Once used as fortifications, the water channels nowadays enable visitors to go for beautiful walks. While walking through town, you will spot again and again dwarfs. Hundreds of them can be found throughout the city. The idea behind them is based on a Polish anti-communist movement, now they are an example of great art.
During my time in Wrocław, I also visited a Jewish cemetery. Central European countries used to have the biggest Polish diaspora in Europe before the increasing pursuit and annihilation by the Nazis. The Jewish cemetery was interesting for many reasons. Job roles can be found on some gravestones, which clearly indicate that the Jewish people were fully integrated into society. Most inscriptions are also in German as Wrocław, back than called Breslau, was a part of Germany. For centuries Silesia belonged first to Habsburg-Austria and later to Prussia. Both, Habsburg-Austria and Prussia, were part of the more and more loosely connected Holy Roman Empire of the German Nation. For centuries, there was no German state as we know it today. Germany consisted of many smaller and bigger kingdoms and imperial cities, which were quite independent. The emperor of the Holy Roman Empire was elected, however, the states within his empire were quite often in rivalry. Prussia became more and more influential and aggressive, taking Silesia from Habsburg-Austria and later pushing Habsburg-Austria completely out of what became the German Empire. Both ruling powers had one thing in common: the German language. Germany lost its eastern territories including Breslau/Wrocław after World War II. The former inhabitants of the city had to relocate to the late Germany. Breslau was given to Poland, which was moved west on the map by the great powers of the time. By that, Poland lost 47% of its original territory, forcing Polish people to move from east to west. Breslau was renamed to Wrocław and populated by people mainly coming from Lemberg, which is today called Lwiw and located in Ukraine.
I continued to drive east towards Kraków with a stop in between: Auschwitz (Oświęcim). I am pretty sure that most people immediately connect the name Auschwitz to terror, to mass murder, to abyss. There is probably no one visiting Auschwitz without knowing what to expect. The same applied to me. Throughout the years, I even got to see quite a few Nazi remains, among them the concentration camps in Dachau and Buchenwald. And yet, Auschwitz shocked me. I booked a three hour tour through Auschwitz I and Auschwitz II (also known as Auschwitz-Birkenau). My guide, Michał, lead the group through both sites, calmly explaining what happened where and pointing-out the exhibition pieces, among them some pictures and many possessions of the prisoners. Capable people were put into forced labour under cruel conditions, everyone else was killed in the gas chambers shortly after arrival. Up to 1.5 million people died in Auschwitz, mostly women and children. Before being killed in the gas chambers, the victims were again and again humiliated. Looking into the faces of my fellow tour participants I saw nothing but horror and glassy eyes. Throughout the tour, everyone in the group was dead silent, except the occasional sound of sobbing. Auschwitz is surely not the most beautiful and entertaining place to visit on a holiday trip, but it is a must-see. Book tickets weeks in advance – the memorial is a “popular” sight. In this case tourism is a good thing: We have to remember.
Heading into Kraków, I went to my hotel in the Jewish district, called Kazimierz. Today, this district is just twenty to thirty minutes by foot from Kraków’s market square, but centuries ago it was an independent town. Nowadays, the district is known for its hip bars and restaurants, but also Jewish life returned to Kazimierz. Make sure to have some Jewish food in one of the restaurants and to visit one of the beautiful synagogues. Throughout my years of travelling, I visited many churches, mosques and synagogues. While churches are full of paintings, the display of men is not allowed in Islam and Judaism. Hence, you will find many nice symbols and texts. Despite the differences, all religious buildings often share similar characteristics: impressive architecture and an atmosphere full of dignity.
After a delicious dinner in Kazimierz, I walked into the old town of Kraków and was absolutely stunned. The old town is quite vast, even bigger than the one of Wrocław, and features again an immense market square. Many buildings were beautifully illuminated at night. I took a different street back to my hotel, seeing the Wawel hill for the first time. The latter landmark is home to Kraków’s castle, for centuries home to the kings of Poland. Back in my hotel room, I was excited to explore the city on the next day.
I started my explorations at the huge market square. As in Wrocław, the square is surrounded by many beautiful buildings. An immense and pretty cloth hall can be found in the middle of the square. Based on the layout, one could think that Kraków and Wrocław have a similar history, but the exact opposite is the case. As already mentioned, Wrocław has a mostly German history. Kraków always belonged to Poland, even being its capital town for centuries. Unfortunately, Poland’s history is rather sad as it used to be trapped in the middle of powerful empires. Towards the end of the eighteenth century, Habsburg-Austria, Prussia and Russia divided the country into three parts, completely eliminating the independent Poland from all maps. The country only regained its independence after World War I, just to be taken over again by Nazi Germany and Russia not much later. After the end of World War II, Poland’s fate was a pitiful existence as a satellite state of the Soviet Union. During its independent time earlier in the history, Poland used to be quite loyal to the emperor and the pope, despite not being a part of the Holy Roman Empire of the German Nation. In 1683, the Ottoman Empire was about to sack Vienna, which was only saved by a surprise counter-attack by the Polish king John III Sobieski and his troops. Most German kings, loyal to the emperor on paper, were busy looking for their own advantages in things instead of providing real support. The vast Wawel Castle, also home to Kraków’s cathedral, is a great place to learn more about Poland’s history.
Kraków has a few famous daughters and sons, among them Pope John Paul II. His election to be the pope in 1978 was a great surprise and is said to be an important event in the decay of the Soviet Union as he encouraged people to fight peacefully against oppression. Pope John Paul II survived multiple assassination attempts, most likely ordered by the Soviet Union or communists. When being in a café, think about ordering a Kremówka cake. It used to be the most favorite cake of Pope John Paul II. Once, he ate eighteen pieces of it in a bet. Eighteen pieces! He definitely had godly powers. Another famous person, mathematician and astronomer of the city is Nicolaus Copernicus, who studied at Kraków’s Collegium Maius, one of the oldest universities in the world.
I was so busy exploring Kraków’s old town and history, that I unfortunately had no time to see sights like Oskar Schindler’s Enamel Factory or the nearby Wieliczka Salt Mine. Looking back, my time in Southern Poland was definitely not long enough. A friend suggested to start my next Poland trip in Wrocław, heading north to first Warsaw and then further north to Gdańsk. There I might even find places for a beach holiday. Or I could explore Poland’s east, which is supposed to be quite wild. One thing is clear: Returning to Poland will be a pleasure and I am already looking forward to it.
@sebel_tours 