Warsaw is fascinating because nearly everything is new. During World War II the Nazis completely demolished Warsaw, destroying approximately 85% of the city. Yet today the city has been restored to its prewar glory, with each section of the city maintaining its uniqueness. I enjoyed the differences between each area of Warsaw, and loved exploring the city. There are[…]
The most technologically advanced museum I visited in Warsaw was the Chopin Museum. While I’ve recently written about how fantastic interactive and immersive museums are, the Chopin Museum takes this to the next level. The ticket you receive, instead of a typical paper stub, is a digital card similar to that of a hotel room key. Upon entry,[…]
One museum I toured while in Warsaw was the Warsaw Uprising Museum, commemorating the Warsaw Uprising in 1944. The uprising was an attempt by the Polish resistance in World War II to liberate Warsaw from German occupation. Ultimately the uprising was unsuccessful, but it showed the dedication of a people unwilling to sit back and[…]
The POLIN Museum of the History of Polish Jews was one of the better museums I saw while visiting Poland. The museum, which opened in 2013, features over 1,000 years of Jewish history within Poland. While touring the museum I had a tour guide, which I would not recommend. It resulted in my time in the[…]
One of the first Polish cities I was able to explore was Krakow. Located in southern Poland, Krakow is famous for remaining untouched by the Nazis during World War II, thus having its architecture and history intact. This is in direct contrast to other cities seen on my Poland trip, as cities like Warsaw and Gdansk at[…]
While in Poland I visited the most famous (and deadly) network of concentration and extermination camps during World War II: Auschwitz I and Auschwitz II-Birkenau. Visiting the camps was one of the most gut wrenching experiences I’ve ever had. The history attributed to the camps is horrible, and seeing where everything took place adds an extra layer[…]
The Schindler Museum in Krakow was primarily focused on the effects of World War Two in Krakow, Poland, rather than on Oskar Schindler himself. Besides being slightly surprised at the lack of focus on Schindler, the museum was absolutely fantastic. The design of the museum was great, with every new room focusing on a different part of the[…]
In only three days Prague has managed to become one of my favorite cities, with its beautiful architecture, rich history, and plethora of things to do. While in the Czech Republic I focused on many historical aspects of Prague and surrounding towns, especially in relation to World War II history. Because of this, I was able[…]
While in Prague I had the opportunity to attend a tour centered around Reinhard Heydrich’s assassination and its aftermath. For those that didn’t know (as I didn’t prior to the tour) Heydrich was Adolf Hitler’s heir apparent in World War Two, founder of the Sicherheitsdienst (SD), the sister group to the Gestapo. The British Special Operation Executive[…]
Originally published February 2016 One of the best history classes I took last semester was amazing not because of the content, not because of the teacher (although Regina Kazyulina was a pretty great professor), but because of the different approach taken to teach the material. I learned history in an entirely new way, a way that did not include textbooks.[…]