I have now been home a week from this last long (23 days) European trip and it was a wonderful experience. I packed a lot into a short time. I did most of my posts using my phone so I apologize for some of the typo errors lol. I also had problems with my last post from Cologne as the pictures did not post so I have now added those for you to see.
This trip was both work and very personal. The CIEE Ruins and Revival Professional Development Seminar was excellent and I would recommend CIEE to other faculty as a great way to expand your horizons and knowledge. I also visited their center in Amsterdam as part of my research on how CIEE could help TCCD develop more international programs. The Seminar was fun and for me interesting as I was the only historian in the group so I brought a different perspective of the history we were presented and probably had a different critical eye. Poland in its current configuration is a new nation and working hard to create a sense of identity which pervades the history it presents and which is understandable and similar to most nations. Poland focuses on the concept of a 1000 year history although a specific Polish nation is an every changing entity in history (when it has actually existed). The Poles also have a very different view of WWII and its ending. They emphasize their invasion by both Nazi Germany and Communist Russia and they do not see the war really ending in 1945 with "liberation" but rather see the changing from one occupier (Germany) to another (Russia) which does not end until 1989. What I particularly noticed in all their historical sites/museums in Warsaw and Krakow in terms of WWII was the harkening back to the "Republic" that supposedly existed between WWI and WWII and a longing for this period of independence and "democracy". Now the reality is that the fledgling Polish democracy was actually overthrown by General Pilsudski who then ran Poland as a dictatorship for most of the decade, but Poles love him since he defeated the mean Russians in the Polish-Russo War of 1922 and Poland seized territory from the Russians. When I tried to nicely ask about why this is rarely mentioned in any of these histories, one of our tour leaders turned pretty defensive and said that the General was really like an American President and "protected" democracy. I found this fascinating and a great example of nationalism at play in history which I try to teach my students; this is presenting history so as to focus on nationalistic "good" versus reality which most all nations (including the US do). Poland was not a democracy after 1922 and the war with Russia and the seizure of territory created an enemy on both Polish borders of the new fragile nation.
Warsaw is truly fascinating as this is a city completing and deliberately destroyed at the end of WWII --literally it was a massive pile of rubble. The Poles have rebuilt the city on top of the rubble and they now massively promote historical tourism. There is still a post-WWII Russian architecture on the rebuilt city especially with the massive building of the Ministry of Culture which sites right smack in the middle of the city and is an eyesore. The museums in Warsaw are quite good and again historical tourism plays a big role in Poland today.
Krakow is still a medieval city that was not destroyed in the war. It is also a place where Poland is working to recreate a Jewish quarter through the creation of a Jewish Cultural Center and a Jewish Fair neither of which is led by Jews! This is one of the many quirks in Poland (such as the Polish-Russian Dialogue Center that has no Russian connection or participants actually). There are Jews in Poland but they are hard to identify as some no longer self-identify as Jewish or do not want to stand out. Poland also does not much admit the anti-Semitism that existed in Poland before, during and even after WWII. Poland was the center of European Jewry and it was wiped out but survivors who returned after the war were not necessarily warmly welcomed and the late 1940s saw pogroms that drove out any surviving Jews. Today Jews are welcomed but most are American-Polish Jews who have the means to return and connect to their roots.
Auschwitz-Birkenau is a moving site but has also become a massive tourist attraction..which is really weird. Poland does not want to be known just for Auschwitz (which by the way is the German name of the small town in the area but not the Polish name) but it has created a tourist center with busloads of people arriving and massive crowds moving through the site. Our group leaders had received feedback from previous groups that the large crowds were very disconcerting for one's ability to connect with the site and as a result they brought us in late afternoon when most of the crowds had already left. We were grateful especially as we visited the Birkenau section which is the actual part of the camp where the large numbers of Jews were gassed. The Auschwitz section was actually the work camp that housed few Jews but rather POWs and political prisoners from other nations. Birkenau is stark and very moving when you stand on the railroad ramp where people were separate and either sent to their immediate deaths in the gas chambers or given a brief reprieve into the working camp. I must say I was very surprised at how little most of the other participants knew about how the death camps and how they worked including a Jewish member of our group. Many had little idea how many people besides just Jews were brought to the camps and killed or that Auschwitz-Birkenau did not become a camp focused on killing until 1942 and after. They also had little understanding that the US did NOT liberate Auschwitz and only had connection to Dachau and its liberation at the end of the war (the British actually entered Bergen-Belsen); this is because almost all of the camps were located in eastern Poland and the USSR which were liberated by the Red Army. Auschwitz-Birkenau was liberated by the Soviets and left as it was at the end of the war. A member of our Seminar had actually been there 34 years prior when there was little signage and historical information and of course many less visitors but I asked her what she thought about then and now and she answered honestly that in some ways the way she had seen it originally had a bigger impact because it was so stark and it felt like you were stepping back into the moment as compared to the tourist site it is today to some extant. It is still a moving site but it is now THE stop for most Americans and others who visit Poland, which begs the question is it a memorial or destination.
Berlin is a dynamic city and the new heart of Germany but the difference in the way Germany deals with its history from most other nations is evident. The Germans have focused on Coming to Grips with their history - it is not denied nor nationalized. In fact most Germans still have a great dislike of shows of nationalism -- they only really fly flags during the World Cup or the Eurocup (which was going on), and even then it is not even close to half the folks flying flags. They are very conscious of the potential evils of extreme nationalism. Even since I was in Berlin six years ago the city has continued to add to its remembrance. The Topography of Terror Museum was fantastic and focuses on the SS and Gestapo headquarters in Berlin and the terror/atrocities that were carried out by Germany during this period. Nothing is skimmed over and even the final judgements against German perpetrators and those who escaped judgement is very detailed. This is much like the museum at Nuremberg about the post war trials which was extremely detailed and pulled no punches. Everywhere in Germany are reminders of the war and the atrocities committed -- as I stated the small bronze plaques imbedded into the sidewalks in front of buildings are quite moving and permanent mark sites of remembrance.
Amsterdam is a "happening" city filled with tourists and visitors interested in the "infamous" parts of the city (marijuana sells and red-light district). The number of British/Australian visitors was fun and interesting and made for some good conversations. Amsterdam is packed with visitors in the city center but areas outside of that are so beautiful and peaceful. I loved the canals and all the quirky buildings. And the Dutch Resistance Museum was a totally different way to present WWII history in an occupied country as it presented the dilemma faced by its citizens -- resist, ignore or help the invaders. The very last part of the museum which examined Dutch citizens in their South Pacific colonies (ie Indonesia) was also fascinating as these colonies were occupied by the Japanese and many Dutch including women were placed in Japanese POW campus and that native peoples both helped the Dutch and the Japanese and then demanded independence at wars end. The Dutch presentation of the struggle for colonial independence was the only area that Dutch nationalism really bled into the historical presentation -- there seemed to be much shock that the native peoples did not welcome the return of Dutch control and used Dutch citizens as a bargaining chip in demanding independence.
Cologne was a fun last major stop and I loved the skyline and riverfront. The people were very friendly and the contrast from one of the greatest medieval cathedrals to the chocolate museum and food festival was much fun. I also relished the chance to visit the historical city of Aachen since I was so close and am very glad I chose to make the short day trip. I also enjoyed the trip to Nuremberg and Regensberg at the beginning of the trip - they both had great medieval histories and of course Nuremberg also is so much part of WWII. They were low-key cities that were not packed with people and I had great opportunities to sit and talk with people.
Finally the trip had a personal element as I visited locations connected to my family. The trip to Ostrava was one of opportunity since I had to get to Warsaw. Ostrava is an industrial city but the area to its south in the mountains near the smaller town of Ostravice is beautiful. I loved being able to visit the local church that was known throughout that area and I am sure my grandfather would have visited in his lifetime. Having the chance to play golf was icing on the cake! And then the final day in Frankfurt was a special treat to finally meet Daniela who is my cousin (related to my father). My family is a perfect expression of the history of this area as people's overlap, intermingle, intermarry and then become caught up in historical events. I also took photos of the massacre at Lidice in Czechoslovakia in WWII as we believe parts of my father's mother's family lived there and was killed in the massacre. These photos were at the Topography of Terror in Berlin. My interest in the history of these places and my family connections make the history real and allows me to talk with my students about how we remember and present our histories and how nationalism can affect these memories. I am so glad I was able to take this trip. I also realized however that I am not growing physically younger lol and this type of travel when I move around to so many places is very tiring physically and mentally. I do want to return to Europe but I hope to be able to stay in one location for a week at a time (or more!) so as to be able to relax a little more :)....so until my next trip I will keep planning!
