The Final Stretch

This was the last full day of our tour, and it was a Saturday.  The day was technically entirely free, but we elected to join the optional morning tour to the Wieliczka Salt Mine.  I'd heard of the salt mines for years, but never managed to visit before.  Everything we'd read said this was a "must-do" activity, and we later learned that the mines were one of the original seven UNESCO World Heritage Sites named in 1978.  In fact, two of those original seven locations were in Poland -- Wieliczka and the Old City of Kraków.  There are now more than 1,300 such sites around the world, so it was neat to think we were seeing two of the original seven on the same day.

Entrance to Wieliczka Salt Mine

Marking Designation as Original UNESCO World Heritage Site

It was another beautiful clear, warm day, but we'd been cautioned to bring along a light jacket, as the temperatures in the mines were kept at a constant 60 degrees Fahrenheit.  There were crowds of tourists at the visitor center when we arrived.  As before, we had timed entries and a local guide, so we did not have to wait at all before beginning the long walk underground.  The Wieliczka mine produced salt continuously from the 13th Century until 2007 and the mining of tunnels ended in 1996.  The complex includes 178 MILES of underground tunnels, on six different levels, reaching a maximum depth of 1,100 feet.  We "only" went down about 450 feet, or approximately 34 stories underground.  The complex is mammoth, and visitors only have access to about 2 percent of the facility.  We started by walking down 800 stairs, and then wound ourselves even deeper during the two-hour tour.  Along the way we saw multiple sculptures carved out of the salt by miners, all done without recompense by regular miners, who did it on their own time.  This resulted in several underground chapels, to include a massive cathedral, which can be rented out for weddings.  There is even a reception hall underground, which is used for business retreats, wedding banquets -- you name it.  Of course, there is the obligatory statue of John Paul II, who visited three times -- once as a boy and twice as the Cardinal of  Kraków.  We saw a glass-enclosed elevator in one chamber, which was built especially for John Paul II, when he scheduled a visit as Pope.  Alas, it was never used, as he became ill shortly before the trip, and ultimately passed away not too long after that.  Out of respect, the elevator has never been opened for general use.

Descending Down 800 Stairs

Statue of Copernicus, Who Is Said To Have Been the First Visitor, in 1493

Underground Chapel

Pope John Paul II

Special Elevator Built for Visit by Pope John Paul II Which Never Took Place

Even though we were so far underground, I never felt claustrophobic, as the passages were so high and wide.  We heard, too, of the horses which used to work in the mine.  They lived their entire lives underground, and we left alone at night when the miners left for the day.  When the construction of new tunnels ended in 1996, the brought to two remaining horses to the surface.  Both of them experienced extreme shock, as they'd never seen the sun or open sky.  Both ended up having to spend the rest of their lives inside paddocks.  Very sad.  

We were all glad to know in advance that we would not have walk back up the staircases we'd descended.  Instead, we broke into groups of nine and boarded a four-level miners' elevator.  Four nine-person chambers built on top of one another, which ascended to the surface as one.  It was VERY snug for nine people, and we had to twist and contort to both close and then open the bi-fold doors at the bottom and top of the shaft.  In full Western fashion, we had to exit via the gift shop, which was literally overflowing with South Korean tourists, who were buying every imaginable beauty product made from the mine's salt.

Reception Hall Underground

The Four-Story Elevator That Brought Us Back to the Surface

All Kinds of Crap Made With Salt

We were back at our hotel by noon and we had the remainder of the afternoon at our leisure, ahead of our farewell dinner that night.  It was sunny and hot, but we walked into the old town again, for a final round of sightseeing and shopping.  For lunch we got so-called Bajgles from one of the ubiquitous stalls selling them around the city.  We learned that the bagels we know and love here were in fact brought to New York from Jewish emigrants from Krakow.  The Polish original is wider and thinner than New York bagels, but the sesame, poppy seed, and salt flavors are all part of the original recipe.

We had read about a relatively new museum which opened in part of Oskar Schindler's old enamel factory, about which I wrote earlier.  It required timed tickets to enter, so I booked an escorted group tour in English for the three of us.  By the time we got back to the hotel, though, Anna elected to pass, so  K and I grabbed an Uber and headed across the river.  She has never seen the movie "Schindler's List" and she was pooped.  Clouds were coming in and rain loomed, which was welcome as temperatures dropped accordingly.

We arrived exactly on time and met our group outside.  Using wireless headsets, our guide (an Australian Pole) walked our small group through the museum, which is actually dedicated to life in occupied Kraków from 1939 to 1945.  The factory buildings are all still intact, with one wing housing the city's museum of modern art.  Other areas are still under development, and the museum we were visiting was in the old administrative area, where his offices were located.  I have to say, like the Solidarity Centre in Gdansk, this was on the most interesting museums I've ever visited.  It was arranged chronologically, tracing life before the invasion, through German occupation, and then ultimate "liberation."  They have lots of authentic relics and have reconstructed many street scenes from the various periods.  They also had a huge amount Nazi memorabilia, which is jarring to see, as I've never been to a museum where it is so prominently displayed.  From the moment of occupation, the Nazis launched a massive campaign to "Germanize" the city.  All of the streets were renamed, to include the Market Square becoming Adolf Hitler Platz.  While he never visited the city in person, we did see a short newsreel of him flying over the city, which is as close as he ever got.  Unlike the other places we visited, Kraków was never a German city and had always been ethnically Polish.  Rather than admit that, the Nazis chose to create a new timeline and create the myth that it was of ethnically German heritage.  We could have easily spent a lot more time at the museum.  When our tour was over, we had the option to reenter and spent more time on our own, but time was running out.  We wanted to get back and finish packing our bags, ahead of our farewell dinner.  It is worth noting, though, that they do not paint Schindler himself as any kind of selfless hero.  They talk about him in very unvarnished terms, which was refreshing.

Our Guide Inside the Museum of Occupied Krakow, in Former Factory of Oskar Schindler

Head from statue commemorating Polish victory over the Teutonic Knights. You can imagine why the Germans wanted it destroyed.

Nazi Flag Being Raised Over Wawel Hill

Original Floor Tiles

Oskar Schindler's Offie

The List

Parts of the Former Factory

Map Showing Borders of Poland Before and After World War II

As I wrote earlier, we drove out to Nowa Huta for our dinner.  When I heard that's where we were heading, I was surprised, as I had not yet heard about the dismantling of the former factory and the area's subsequent rehabilitation.  During the ride out, Joanna recounted our trip for us, and tested us on our knowledge of Polish history and the language.  Back on our first day together, she'd passed out a sheet with some basic phrases in Polish, which we practiced during the trip.  She used to teach Polish as second language, and I was heartened to hear that Polish is deemed the second most difficult language to learn as a second language, behind Mandarin and ahead of Hungarian.  As I think I wrote earlier, I had a devil of a time with the language when I lived there.  I was, honestly, surprised how much I remembered during the week, but I never felt comfortable in the language then or now.  

As we entered the town of Nowa Huta, we learned that all of the old Soviet and communist names had been changed.  In fact, our restaurant -- a converted book store -- was located on Ronald Reagan Square, formerly known as Lenin Square.  Throughout the trip we heard much talk of the reverence with which Reagan and Woodrow Wilson are held in Poland.  We also heard about Jimmy Carter's support for Poland.  He visited in 1979 and the communist government controlled press access during his trip.  The President heard that an underground dissident newspaper had tried to secure access.  He addressed that specifically during his remarks, and secreted written answers to questions submitted by the group in advance.  Those were published as Air Force One departed Warsaw, and evidently caused quite the international incident.  Reagan, of course, was much more vocal and demonstrative in his action against the USSR, and he is subsequently held in great regard by most Poles.

The Former Lenin Square

Unlike some other farewell dinners, this affair was more subdued.  Goodbyes are always a little awkward, but I think most everyone was also tired after a very busy tour.  Compounding this was the fact that most flights departing Kraków for the States depart very early morning, so most people had airport transfers around 3:00am, so folks were eager to get what little sleep they could.