Visiting Auschwitz with child

Old Feb 26th, 2013, 06:22 AM
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Visiting Auschwitz with child

I am travelling with my Wife, Mother and six year old son to Krakow in July and I was hoping for some advice with regard to a visit to Auschwitz. I wish to take in the Salt Mines and Auschwitz in the one day as our stay is limited to only three nights. Would there be enough time for the adults to visit the camp in two seperate viewings allowing our son to be cared for by a parent as I do not wish to take him inside given his age. Is there something nearby to keep him entertained during this period and can anyone recommend a private tour/transport operator for the day?
Thanks in advance for any help,
Glenn.
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Old Feb 26th, 2013, 06:44 AM
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Have the editors remove the trip report tag, since this is not one.
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Old Feb 26th, 2013, 07:28 AM
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Hi Glenn,

we went to Krakow a few years ago without our children and found plenty to do there without going to Auschwitz.

obviously different people's ideas vary, but if you are interested in the experiences of the Jews of Krakow in WW2, you can visit the pharmacy in the ghetto, the ghetto itself, Shindler's factory etc. we did so and found them very interesting and moving. IMO you don't need to go to Auschwitz to appreciate the horrors that occurred.

The Salt mines will take you at least half a day, plus there's getting to and from it. We got a bus there and a train back, which worked well for us.

not having been to the camp i can;t tell you if there's anything there to keep your son entertained but the impression I have is that it's unlikely.

frankly, I would pass on it on this trip.
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Old Feb 26th, 2013, 07:36 AM
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There are 3 adults on this trip so I imagine at least one could stay behind with the child or rotate care nearby off site; i.e. 2 hrs intervals. No need to skip, just plan a rotation schedule.

There is a sign by the entrance with some basic guidelines and one of them clearly states that the visit is not recommended for children under 14 years of age. I, personally, would not want a bore child to get restless while I'm trying to take in the place. So, you are asking the right question. BTW, I am also heading to Krakow in July and Auschwitz and Oskar Schindler's Factory are on my MUST DO List.
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Old Feb 26th, 2013, 07:39 AM
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My daughter was there as part of a school mission in high school.
Auschwitz was a very moving experience for her and it is not a place to hurry through. In addition, it can be difficult emotionally and it will probably affect you (and your mood) beyond the actual time there. It is definitely not a place for children (and some teenagers can't handle the experience also.)
She also went to the Salt mines during the school trip (which she enjoyed very much).
Annhig might be right about not bundling these two places together. It's something to consider.
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Old Feb 26th, 2013, 08:11 AM
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>

Well, that's really shallow, annhig, considering you didn't go and therefore missed the displays contained at Auschwitz and Birkenau. There's a big difference between seeing the gates of Birkenau in a picture and walking through them yourself.

Fact is, a six year old may not understand Auschwitz, but should definitely not go. To the extent the child does understand any of the exhibits, it would cause nightmares. To the extent the boy does not, the emotions of the visitors will affect him.

If you won't separate from mom and/or wife, then don't go to Auschwitz. If you can have junior wander Krakow with nana for a day while you and the wife go to Auschwitz and then have nana go on her own, that's better. Depending upon your mom's health, the salt mines may not be a good option for her because there's a fair bit of clambering around underground and certainly a good deal of walking.

Note that Viajero's plan is good in the abstract but does NOT work in the real world.

First, an Auschwitz tour will include Birkenau. Auschwitz has a visitor center (which has lots of information, photos, books and other "memorabilia" of the visit, which itself might be too much for the boy). There's nothing at Birkenau but the camp's remains. Every adult will see the Gate of Death as you approach the site and many will have visceral reactions to it. Auschwitz and Birkenau are NOT physically connected - they are on separate tracts of land that are miles apart.

Second, the tour will concentrate on Auschwitz, which is mostly a museum of German depravity, and spend about 45 minutes in Birkenau. The time at Auschwitz won't top 2 hours and that does not give you enough time to go through the site, have someone hang out with the progeny and trade off to then let the child's minder see the site too.

Also, while you're in Krakow try to go to Nowa Huta and see the Arka Pana. We took a tour with these guys and they're great: http://www.crazyguides.com/. The Arka Pana shows some of the soul of the Polish resistance to the Communists.
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Old Feb 26th, 2013, 08:28 AM
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BigRuss, I appreciate your point of view but I disagree with your generalization about what is going to "cause nightmares."
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Old Feb 26th, 2013, 09:13 AM
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For the salt mines, be aware that there is a long 300+ steps down to the first level, done at a fairly fast pace. There is an elevator for those with mobility issues, but it reaches the lowest level and therefore does not fit in with what a tour group would see going through 4 or 5 levels. If the grandmother is seriously slower than a middle-aged person, I would suggest that she not go to the salt mines. I did it, my wife stayed in Krakow.
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Old Feb 26th, 2013, 10:00 AM
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>

I believe the first series has 400 steps which must be taken rapidly to keep up with the group. The risers are shallow which makes the descent easier but you must move quickly.

There are 400 more steps during the tour (in smaller quantities with the most steps about 125) and you walk 2.5 km on the tour. I think this is a bit much for a 6 year old. There are few places to sit and rest.

Auschwitz and the salt mine in one day will make for a long day. If you decide to do this then see Auschwitz first since the salt mine stays open late.

I spent 5 hours of the day when I went to the salt mines including getting there and back from Krakow. The tour takes a while and you may wait up to 30 minutes for the elevator to exit as only 36 people can use the elevator at a time and the tour groups tend to bunch up.

As annhig says, there is a lot of very interesting things to do in Krakow. The Krakow Under the Occupation Museum is a must as well as the Pharmacy next to Ghetto Heroes Square (not to be confused with the Pharmacy Museum on Florianska), the synagogues and synagogue museum. Just walking around the Ghetto area is fascinating.

Your son would really enjoy the Krakow Under the Occupation Museum as there are a lot of sound effect, stamping work cards, visual screens, and interesting rooms. It's such a well-done museum and I found it to be a highlight of Krakow.

He also would probably like the excavations under the Cloth hall with holographs and touch screens. It would be exciting for a 6 year old.

viajero2 - try to see the Krakow Under the Occupation Museum early on a Saturday morning w/o the school groups.
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Old Feb 26th, 2013, 10:06 AM
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Well, that's really shallow, annhig, considering you didn't go and therefore missed the displays contained at Auschwitz and Birkenau. There's a big difference between seeing the gates of Birkenau in a picture and walking through them yourself. >>

thank you Big Russ, for your analysis of my character. I realised when i wrote it that I was probably opening myself out to someone making a comment like that, and if you wish to think of me like that, so be it. i would simply ask of you whether you need to experience slavery to know that it was vile, or to have been in the WW1 trenches to realise what hell was there. No?

a concentration camp survivor might equally argue that those who visit Auschwitz cannot truly appreciate what it was like to BE in those places as an inmate - a sentiment with which I would agree.

I would never criticise someone who chose to go to such a place but we shouldn't kid ourselves that it gives us any better an idea of the hell people went through there then reading about it does. IMHO of course.
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Old Feb 26th, 2013, 11:36 AM
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Yeah, ann, in your opinion . . . because you didn't go there.

I've been in holding rooms in Thieresenstadt and visited Auschwitz and toured the miniscule area that became the ghetto of Budapest and the notions that (1) the experience is not more immediate and with greater impact than reading about it in a book and (2) there is not a greater understanding of what Holocaust victims went through because I only experienced the concept instead of living through it, are both bunk.

Dukey - I have no clue what your comment means.
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Old Feb 26th, 2013, 12:48 PM
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well, I will just have to continue to be shallow then.

>

it is a shame that with your great insight, you cannot remember what you wrote just over 3 hours earlier.
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Old Feb 26th, 2013, 01:04 PM
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Ann, you're being daft twice over and this is on you, not me: (1) I did not question your character (see earlier post by you), but your view is shallow, period. (2) I know what I wrote, I don't know what Dukey means. The whole point of suggesting that children under 14 not visit is precisely because they lack the capacity to process the information . . . but he can answer that for himself if he so chooses.
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Old Feb 26th, 2013, 03:31 PM
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I kinda see the point about been somewhat dismissal of visiting Auschwitz. Heck, why even travel anywhere? why don't just stay home altogether and buy yourself some pictures of Krakow and watch some documentaries (in HD to really get the experience!).

Please,the whole concept of traveling to far away places IS about EXPERIENCING BY BEING THERE. The rationale for dismissing a visit to Auschwitz sounds really dumb, it really does.....
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Old Feb 26th, 2013, 04:13 PM
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>

The point is that everyone chooses what they see and do on vacation. Lots of people say that they do not want to go to museums. I don't understand that but it's their choice. Just because someone does not want to visit a concentration camp does not mean that they did not enjoy their trip or that they did not learn anything about the place they visited.

I've been to Krakow twice, Prague twice, and Munich and have never visited a concentration camp and choose not to do so. I've enjoyed all those cities and saw many sights and experienced the culture.
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Old Feb 27th, 2013, 12:24 AM
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First of all, can someone clarify if a visit without a guide is possible on July? If my memory serves me right, there are some limitations on touring on your own on high season ?
I was there on winter 2011 so I am not sure what situation is on July, but if a guided tour is necessary, I think not to take the child with you is advisable.
If a DIY tour is possible, I would still be hesitant to this, but I think having some guidebook or audio that the child can not read/hear, it might be possible to go while your child does not enters certain areas. You could take turns on visiting areas such as the gaz champers or rooms with many photos and "exibits" while one of you waits outside with your son . Still not the best of places for a child, but depends on the child too.
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Old Feb 27th, 2013, 12:49 AM
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The rationale for dismissing a visit to Auschwitz sounds really dumb, it really does.....>>

If you take the trouble to read what I have posted, you will see that I have not dismissed it. Far from it. What I have said is that there are other ways of trying to come to an understanding of the diabolical tortures that were visited upon the victims of the holocaust.

How and whether we can understand the horrors that our ancestors went through better by seeing what are essentially tourist sights or by reading and other forms of research is an issue which is rather too wide and deep for a travel forum; to dismiss as shallow the decision not to go is about as facile as one can get. IMHO.
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Old Feb 27th, 2013, 03:30 AM
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mariha2912 - according to the Auschwitz site, visits inside the buildings are only with a guide (April to October). You can visit Birkenau w/o a guide (and I believe the Auschwitz grounds).
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Old Feb 27th, 2013, 03:54 AM
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Our family (with children, 10 and 15) toured Auschwitz on our own last March; that is, we were grouped with about 10 additional people and did not go as part of an organized tour. Our youngest had learned about the Holocaust in school and had visited Anne Frank's house the previous year, so we felt very comfortable taking her.

We toured the Salt Mine as a separate day trip that used the better part of the day; again, we were grouped with about 20 other people for the tour once we arrived. Yes, there are 350+ stairs to the bottom, but it is not required that one moves rapidly; given the space, though, continuing to move down the stairs would be most courteous. Our tour moved at a very leisurely pace, maybe the difference of being there in March instead of summer? We only had to wait for two groups to use the elevator to the top, but I can imagine how long the wait might be in warmer months.

Schindler's Factory was also very interesting, but for a 6 year old, probably not.
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Old Feb 27th, 2013, 04:23 AM
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I have a pet peeve (yes, only 1 this morning!!).

It's not Schindler's factory. There is no factory tour and the museum is not in the factory building but in the administration building.

It's the Krakow Under the Occupation Museum!
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