Auschwitz and Schindler's Factory

While in Krakow we knew we had to take some time to reflect on the history of the Holocaust which has deep roots in Poland. Krakow is home to the infamous Schindler's Factory which is also now a museum dedicated to the history of the Third Reich invading Krakow during WWI in 1939 until 1945. The Germans wanted to make Krakow a German city so they displaced the Polish people and particularly Jewish people into the ghetto where conditions were barely livable.

The following day we took a trip to Auschwitz which is about an hour drive from Krakow. You can visit the grounds of the concentration camp with a guided tour. Walking through the camp and hearing the stories of what the prisoners went through was sombering but definitely worth the visit to reflect upon this dark time in history when over 1 million people were killed at this one camp alone.

We highly recommend visiting both places -- very impactful. It's hard to believe what humans are capable of doing to each other, and this is certainly a reminder of what we don't want to ever relive as the human race...although there are still crimes against humanity in our world today.Read more