70 years ago today, on January 27, 1945, Soviet soldiers liberated Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration camp. It is estimated 200,000 survivors were freed, a dismal number in comparison to the 1.1. million people who were murdered here. Of all the places I’ve visited, none has been important as my trip to Auschwitz last spring. In honor of the anniversary … [Read more…]
There’s no way to prepare emotionally for a visit to Auschwitz. This is what Pawel Sawicki from the press team tells me on a crisp morning in Poland as we walk the grounds of Nazi Germany’s largest concentration camp and unearth horrifying detail after horrifying detail of the place where 1.1 million people were murdered. … [Read more…]
I went to Kraków, Poland, for one reason and one reason only: it has the closest airport to Auschwitz. With this being my only motivation to visit Kraków, I only planned to spend one night in the city, take a day trip to Auschwitz, and then move on to my next destination. As I walked … [Read more…]
As an American, the world has seemingly pointed West my entire life. At home, news from the East is contextualized to its impact on the United States. The majority of my studies in history growing up were inward focused, and even global topics such as World War II were usually centered on my own country’s … [Read more…]