27 Before 27: WWII and Poland

The last port-of-call for the summer was Gdansk, Poland. I have to admit – I didn’t know much about the country of Poland prior to my arrival in the country, but I learned quite a lot by spending the last few days in this country. Poland is one of the largest and most populous countries in Europe. Poland is similar to the United States in that it’s a country of immigrants; during the 16^th century, many migrants including Germans, Jews, Armenians and the Dutch moved to Poland because the country guaranteed freedom of religion and religious tolerance. The country has a stable economy and has been a member of NATO since 1999 and the European Union since 2004. They are on track to adopt the Euro in a few years and the country has also joined a European border-less agreement, called Schengen, to open borders with Germany, Lithuania, Czech Republic and Slovakia.

Poland has gained equal footing with its European peers but this has been a long time coming and the struggle to achieve independence and peace has created a somewhat dark history for the country. The country’s landscape is flat and agricultural and therefore allows for easy conquer. Poland has been invaded by just about everyone including the French, Germans and Russians since early on in the country’s history.

World War II had an especially disastrous effect on the country. Poland was invaded by both the Germans and the Russians and some of WWII’s most horrific war crimes were carried out on Polish soil. Poland had the largest population of Jews of any country in the world which counted over three million people, of whom 90 percent were murdered by the Nazis. Throughout the war, Poland lost about 20 percent of its population and the country was essentially left in ruins.

The ship was uniquely position for World War II history, although you don’t have to go very far in Poland to find something related to WWII. The ship docked in Westerplatte, the site of the first Nazi invasion of Poland and therefore the location of the first battle of WWII. There is a monument marking the first WWII battle site and also commemorating the Poles who lost their lives in this fight.

Single track railway leading to Stutthof.

Nearby to Westerplatte is Stutthof Concentration Camp, the first concentration camp built by the Nazi’s outside Germany. I wasn’t sure if I wanted to go to this camp. Did I want to end my time with Semester at Sea by visiting a location with such a dark history? In the end, I visited the camp with two faculty members I’ve befriended this summer and I’m glad I went. Although visiting the camp was a difficult experience, it was incredibly moving and informative and something you should do if you want to understand the atrocities carried out during WWII.

Stutthof is located in a forested area that is eerily beautiful. If the area didn’t include the remains of a concentration camp, it could be the site of a national park. Getting to Stutthof was a journey which included two long bus rides but I knew I was getting close when I saw the single track rail line continue to zigzag across the paved highway. Although many of the camp’s buildings fell into disrepair after WWII, several still remain including the guard houses and office buildings, the barracks, the gas chamber and the crematorium.

Although I felt a little weird taking pictures at the camp, I did snap a few and I will let those posted below speak for themselves. However, I wanted to share a few things that really moved me/creeped me out about this visit to Stutthof.

When I first arrived at Stutthof, I left the nearby bus stop and walked down the road leading to the camp. On the way to the camp, I noticed a very nice, large home on the right-hand side of the road. There was an information sign stating the home was constructed by the camp’s prisoners and once housed the camp’s commanders. Ok fine, I can see how the commanders would want to live close to their “work place.” However, the home seems to still be inhabited; my tip-offs were the satellite dish attached to the front porch and the scarecrow and growing garden in the front yard. Seriously, who would rent/buy a home with such a history?! Seems like some bad karma would come from making such a purchase. No thank you.

Front gate of Stutthof Concentration Camp.

After arriving at the camp, I wanted to use the restroom before going through the camp’s exhibits (remember the long bus rides?). I asked at the information desk where the restroom was located, thinking the facilities would be in the information building/bookstore. Nope, I was wrong. This is the response I get from the staff member: “Go through the main gate and turn right just before the second gate with barbed wire.” The restrooms are located halfway through the camp just off the barracks. Is it just me or does it seem a little disrespectful to put the bathrooms in the middle of the camp? Possibly some poor planning here by the site designers.

Stutthof was a concentration camp in which prisoners became experimental study guinea pigs and the medical/experiments room is located in still-standing barracks. This room was the creepiest of all and I could only stay for about 30 seconds before being driven out by my own fear. Think of the worst possible medical setup possible, times it by 100 and this is what this room consisted of. Only the mind’s imagination limits the horrors that most likely occurred in that room.

A few hours at Stutthof was enough for me and I feel incredibly fortunate that I got to leave the concentration camp and resume the remainder of my tourist activities in Poland. It cannot be forgotten that thousands before me were not afforded this privilege and only left Stutthof as the ascended into the afterlife.