Last Day in Wroclaw

Hello from Wroclaw! It is my last night here and then we are back to Warsaw until Saturday. I leave for Texas then! Woohoo!

I am very excited to be home. Of course, I am very grateful and appreciative of my time here in Poland but I am ready to be back with family and friends.

We have been in Wroclaw since Saturday and it is a nice little town with a unique history. Since it was under German control until 1945, you would think there would be a significant German population in the town. Wrong! After the war, Stalin annexed Poland into his territory and so Germans living in this territory were forcibly removed. They were sent back to Germany. With such a rich German heritage, there are less than ten Germans in Wroclaw today. It is unimaginable to me how an entire population can be removed but then again I have never lived through a war period like that of WWII. In addition, it was not just Stalin but also Roosevelt and Churchill who helped to divide up territory after the war.

An interesting topic to explore would be the treatment of Poles and later Germans by the Soviet troops. It was a topic I had never really considered before. The Holocaust, especially the story of Auschwitz, tends to be the focus of history surrounding this period. Later, we learn of the gulags and Soviet torture of their own citizens. But the treatment of people during those years of war and then immediately after does not receive as much attention. For an interesting perspective, look up the article Holocaust: The Ignored Reality by Timothy Snyder. It was printed very recently in the NY Times book review section. This is something I hope to explore more in my research when I return home.

This brings me to a different point. I think I have decided on what I would like to pursue as far as my personal education. I am really interested in pursuing my master's degree in studies of the Holocaust and genocide, past and current. I would love to create a curriculum to put into high schools in Texas which focus on teaching the Holocaust and genocide studies along the themes of tolerance and leadership. Its such an interesting topic, one that bring about so much discussion of human behavior and choices. I have a list of books to read upon my return home that I have collected from fellow teachers here.

So....now for the events of the last few days.

Sunday, July 12:
We took a tour of lower Silesia in Poland, which was a major zone of industry for the USSR. Its a beautiful part of the country with lots of hills and trees. It was also once part of Germany. Its located in the southwestern part of Poland. We toured a castle and visited the Peace Church which was built after the Peace of Westphalia Treaty in 1648. The Catholics allowed the Lutherans to build a church in Wroclaw but it had to be outside the city limits. They offered no building materials so the entire church was built with clay, wood, and sticks. No nails. Most Protestant churches tend to be less ornate than Catholic churches but this church is an exception. In an effort to show the Catholics that even though they made it difficult for them, the Protestants were proud of their church and their religion. It is one of the most beautiful churches I have stepped foot in. It was an awe inspiring experience for me, one that left me feeling moved by the Holy Spirit. It is amazing what the human will can endure in the name of God. It is one of my favorite churches I have visited in Europe and I hope to come back again someday. I think Colton would enjoy seeing it. Here is a link to the website of the church if you are interested. It is a world heritage site listed by UNESCO.

http://www.worldheritagesite.org/sites/churchesofpeace.html

We attended a concert in a Jewish synagogue that evening of a famous Jewish singer and then had dinner at Casablanca!

Monday, July 13:
We had two lectures in the morning and met with the Vice President of the city of Wroclaw after lunch. My favorite part of the day was a visit to an exhibit which will travel throughout Europe called Europe: Its our history! It was a wonderful collection of film, music, interactive exhibits, documents, and artifacts collected from major events in Europe. It culminated with a tribute to the efforts of the EU to integrate Europe into one body. I really enjoyed it!

We had dinner at a restaurant on the river, which was very nice. Most of the city of Wroclaw is made of a complex of rivers so there are lots of bridges and boats.

Tuesday, July 14:
Today, we had two lectures in the morning. We visited a panorama of the battle between Poland and Russia after lunch. We then took a river boat tour of the city, which was fun. We sat on the top patio on the boat and had drinks. It was very nice.

Tomorrow, we leave for Warsaw. We are stopping at a monastery that is home of the black Madonna, which gets her name from the oil or wood burning that leaves black marks on the statue. She is a major symbol of importance in Poland. I will give more accurate facts once I have visited.

Good night from Wroclaw!