An Incomprehensible Site: Auschwitz

On a grey, misty Saturday morning, our bus pulled into an already full parking lot. Outside a relatively plain looking brick building, tour groups of all ages mulled around without a clear sense of purpose. Seeing signs for currency exchange and snack bars, I was reminded more of an airport terminal than a site of mass murder and evil. All of this gave me a certain added uneasiness about what I was about to walk into.

Tour groups waiting outside.

After receiving our headphones and receivers (given to us so that the guide would not have to talk very loud and limiting the disturbing of other groups) and being introduced to our guide, Szymon, we left the building and walked to the entrance of Auschwitz I.

Suddenly we were standing beneath the iconic “ARBEIT MACHT FREI” (Translation: work will set you free) sign that marks the entrance to the camp. While I stood and stared at the sign, unsure of what I thought about entering a place of such suffering, Szymon made sure to distinguish the difference between a death camp and a concentration camp.

Work will set you free.

Reviving a Lost Culture: Lublin

Driving into Lublin, I couldn’t help but fill with excitement as we drove past beautiful architecture and bustling bazaars. As much as I loved the Polish countryside, I missed the hustle and bustle that fills a city. Lublin is the ninth largest city in Poland and sits about two hours west of the Poland-Ukraine border.

The main purpose of our visit to Lublin was the Grodzka Gate-NN Theatre Center. What once began as an independent theater in the 1980’s has now evolved into an incredible cultural center for the city.

The Grodzka Gate and entrance to the institution. At one point, this was also the gate to the city.

Upon arriving at the gate, we were promptly greeted by our guide, Magdalena, and ushered into the building. In the main entrance to the museum aspect of the institution, Magdalena supplied us with an extensive history of the gate. The Grodzka Gate, where they are located, was once the passageway between the Christian and Jewish parts of the city. The NN, on the other hand, means “no name” and is what is written on the graves of people whose identities are unknown.

Magdalena giving us the history of the Grodzka Gate- NN Theatre Center. (Picture taken by Juliet Golden)