Poland - June, 2022

‘Between a rock and a hard pace.’ This is one way to describe the country and history of Poland. This June, 2022 we traveled to this country that is off the beaten path of most European trips. The impetus for the journey was to attend the wedding of a former colleague. The impressions of the people and locations were both inspiring and haunting and will linger until we can return for another visit. We had exceptional meals and the numerous people we met in restaurants and shops were eager to engage. By the way, the food and flavors of the country were varied and robust. Pirogies, goulash, salads and of course beer!

In preparation for the trip I did some general reading. Fortunately, the popular author, James Michener wrote an insightful novel called Poland. What Michener reveals is the legacy of a region that is sandwiched between European and slavic values. For centuries its people have had to fight and claim their identity as their own. The scars left by neighboring nations have been enduring. The Polish resilience is one of a kind.

We flew into the capital, Warsaw, for our first international trip after the pandemic. The travel industry is back on its feet and we had no difficulty flying, driving and checking into our Airbnb. Whenever we travel we try to stay in the center of the city, especially its historic core. In Warsaw we stayed in ‘Old Town’ and walked to all the main buildings that locals visit and revere. 

One of the things we learned was that after WW II nearly 90% of Warsaw was demolished by the Nazis. This is just one staggering fact that is emblematic of Poland’s legacy. Wondrously, the majority of the buildings in the city center were reconstructed to their original 16th century facades.  

It is hard to think of Warsaw without the acknowledging its frequent descriptor, ‘the Warsaw ghetto’. Indeed, the ravages and atrocities of WW II are apparent and well preserved. On the first walk from our apartment we noticed the first of dozens of plaques that adorn the walls of countless buildings throughout the city. This one memorialized 30 Poles who were randomly rounded up in 1943 and shot at that spot. 

There is a world class museum situated in the former ghetto called the POLIN Museum. It houses an amazing exhibition of the history of Jewish people in Poland over the past 1,500 years. On our way to visit this museum we had an encounter that was both tender and tragic. We had stopped by a memorial called, ‘The Monument to the Fallen and Murdered in the East’. Sarah began filming me as I wanted to make a short video of the location. As I was speaking an elderly woman came right up to me and began speaking directly to us. We didn't understand her at the time as she spoke Polish. But by her clarity and compassion we knew she was speaking about something important. She was a witness.

Sarah captured her conversation on her cell phone and we later asked our friend to listen to it and translate. The gist of what the woman said was that as a young girl the Nazis had forced her to witness the shooting of people in these streets. Then later as a young woman, after the Soviet Union occupied her country, she was sent to Siberia to work in a factory for many years. We will never forget this encounter with a kind stranger who took the time to bear witness to her history, the history of Poland.

From Warsaw we trained to the city of Wroclaw in south-western Poland. Here our friend, Sebastian, picked us up and brought us to the venue of his wedding. Sebastian was one of my interns at Prairie Lutheran Church. A few years ago he was ordained as a Pastor in the Polish Lutheran Church. (His congregation has been deeply involved in the refugee crisis brought on by the war in Ukraine.) On Saturday he was getting married to his beautiful bride Monica at the Peace Church in the quaint town of Svidnica in the Silesia region. This church is a Unesco World Heritage site and rightly so. Built entirely of wood with a seating capacity of 6,000, its interior puts the Sistine Chapel to shame. Every surface of this enormous church is painted and adorned with elaborate decorations. 

This was our first Polish wedding. The service, while in Polish, was easy enough to follow. About 45 minutes in length we observed the general pattern of songs, lessons, vows, and the giving of rings. What we were not prepared for was the traditional Polish wedding reception that followed. It laster 11 hours! Yes, from 5:00pm Saturday until 4:00am Sunday. Over the course of the reception we were served four different meals! And countless toasts of the couple with vodka. We danced, sang, ate, made toasts and did it again and again. We finally got to sleep at 6:00am 

From Wroclaw we took another train to Cracow, the former capitol of Poland. This city is a gem. Once again we stayed in the heart of the city in the former Jewish section called Kazimierz. Our apartment was modern but the city is medieval. Unlike Warsaw, it was not destroyed in the war and had a quirky and quaint feel. There exists a number of synagogues and locations with intact Hebrew calligraphy. This is the city made famous by the film Schindler’s List. We visited the former factory and the nearby ghetto neighborhood.  

On Monday we took a tour of the Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration camps. This sprawling complex is a 1&1/2 hour drive west of Cracow and makes for a day long and life changing experience. I cannot find words to describe the time we took walking around, through and in this compound. It was basically an industrialized center for murder. Over 1.3 million people were killed at this one location in a pastoral setting of Poland. We are still grappling with the place and reflecting on its meaning.

Our guide, like so many Polish people was generous, hopeful and kind. In fact we were struck by the resiliency of the country during our brief visit. 

We look forward to another opportunity to return to this complex country. There may even be a future tour that combines Poland and other nearby countries hosted by Cathedral Travel. It’s history looks both east and west. But its heart is centered in the lush land and indomitable spirit of its people. 

Faithfully,

Joel & Sarah