My story begins on Thursday 14 December 2006, when Taily and Eddie I met up in Cracow for a little pre-TTT evening to get into the swing of this southern Polish city. A successful rendez vous was completed, a very pleasant dinner was consumed, and then a small beer or two enjoyed in a couple of the excellent bars around the Rynek Glówny, or Market Square. The pair parted company reasonably early, (they think) and returned to their respective hotels for a good kip prior to the arrival of the team the following day. Alas, Eddie I became a little disorientated at some point during the evening, and what should have been a leisurely 10 minute stroll back to his hotel transformed into a rather elaborate expedition, twisting and turning through the maze of streets from the Rynek Glówny back to his hotel.
Tonsley Time Team 2006

Eddie I and Taily were not the only ones to decide that a swift half was a good way to start the weekend. Indeed, when Anton and Floody turned up at Rupert's house at 3am for the journey to Stansted, Rupert was still at his office Christmas party! A story of its own unfolded involving phone calls, taxis, house keys, ticking clocks, some brisk driving and a lot of coffee.

The following morning saw the arrival of the rest of the Time Team into Cracow, slightly delayed, but mostly fresh and eager to begin, Rupert aside. Our guide for the day, Barbara was waiting to get started, so a swift check in to the apartments and allocation of bed-spaces was conducted with characteristic Floody efficiency, and then we were off to catch the famous, if a little over egged, exposure of the altar in St Mary's Cathedral. Barbara was adamant that we should witness this event, and most of us were probably still a little disorientated, or hung-over, to grasp the significance of the ceremony. We were also treated to an explanation of the 'Sounding of the Trumpet' at the Cathedral. Every hour, on the hour, a fireman plays the Heyna?, a short tune from the tallest tower of the Cathedral. This tradition originates from the time when a watchman occupied the tower and observed the Tartars preparing to scale the city walls at dawn in 1241. The watchman - a fireman - blew his trumpet to raise the alarm and thus warn the city of the impending invasion. The Tartars fired a salvo of arrows and the watchman was hit in the throat, ending his warning. To this day, the trumpeters end their hourly rendition at the same point in honour of the original watchman.

An attempt to take lunch followed, which was scuppered by a power cut. Undeterred, Barbara steered us to a number of food stalls in the outdoor Christmas Market which was in full swing around the Cloth Hall at the centre of Rynek Glówny. It must be pointed out that by the time the Time Team arrived at the food stalls, Corin had already established himself as a regular, and was being greeted by the stallholders by name. After this brief pause for lunch Barbara led us to Kazimierz, the old Jewish quarter of Krakow. She set a relentless pace, which was impressive, (or concerning) to all, depending upon just how many swift halves they had enjoyed the previous night! Those familiar with unofficial Taily Tours in Rome could be forgiven for thinking that they had only ever indulged in a gentle stroll before now. Indeed, Taily started to have flashbacks to his 30-miler, as the group was thrashed remorselessly through the city streets by Barbara. Clearly extremely sprightly, Barbara was also very knowledgeable - well, she is a tour guide after all - and she continued to explain the historical implications of Kazimierz, highlighting the Synagogues, cultural centres and the fact that this part of the city was originally a town in its own right, outside the walls of Cracow, dating back to 1494. Only in 1800, when this part of Poland was annexed by the Austro-Hungarian Empire, was Kazimierz incorporated into the city of Cracow.

It was here however, in Kazimierz, that perhaps our Time Team Tour really started to hit the nub of why we had travelled to this part of Poland, for it was from Kazimierz that we could follow the steps and the story of Poland's (and the wider European) Jewish population. Today, the Jewish population of this district is about 100, which is important to remember and places what follows in some context.

When Germany invaded Poland in September 1939, about 70,000 Jews lived in Kazimierz. About 50,000 people were 're-settled' in other parts of the country, and in 1941, the Nazis established a Jewish ghetto for Kazimierz's remaining 20,000 Jews in Podgórze, an impossibly small district of the city, just over the Wis?a River to the south of the centre. The area was enclosed by a wall, parts of which remain as a stark reminder. Between 1,000 and 2,000 of the pre-war Jewish population of Kazimierz survived the Nazis, among them was Roman Polanski, who escaped from the ghetto. Although his film, The Pianist was set in the Warsaw ghetto, much was based on his personal experience of life in the Podgórze ghetto of Cracow. In reality, little of the ghetto remains obvious, save for sections of the wall, but an extremely poignant memorial has been established at the northern edge, where people arrived from Kazimierz, crossing the bridge over the Wis?a River. It was at this point that they were then processed before entering the ghetto, and significantly, on leaving the ghetto for Auschwitz or P?aszow (another labour / concentration camp established in 1944). The open square which was used for processing individuals now contains oversized chairs, representing the administration of so many thousands of people, most of whom entered and then left this part of the city to their deaths via this square.

Many of the inhabitants of the ghetto were saved from almost certain death by Oskar Schindler, who owned a nearby factory and employed the ghetto residents as slave labour, and it was to the factory that we were led by Barbara. It was strange and a little unreal to see the factory made famous by Thomas Keneally's book and Steven Spielberg's film. At the time of our visit, work was ongoing to make the factory more of a tourist attraction, but a short walk into a semi-industrial area of Cracow to be confronted by Schindler's factory, much the same as it was in the 1940s was a little surreal.

The team then sprinted behind an irrepressible Barbara back to the centre of the city, and bade farewell. I think she was probably quite happy to make a break for it, as many were now starting to feel a little thirsty after the rigours of the day. Dinner that night was back in Kazimierz, at the traditional Jewish restaurant, Ariel which is rather famous in these parts. Our evening was enhanced by the Jascha Lieberman Trio, whose music you can hear to enhance your enjoyment of this short summary. The other diners at the restaurant took the music very seriously, and it was necessary for the Time Team to be rather restrained during the performance. This, of course, did not apply when Jascha and his colleagues finished, and a second, slightly more impromptu concert took place, with the Time Team winning the unofficial Eurovision Song Contest with some excellent renditions; along with some less tuneful but nonetheless very enthusiastic numbers. It was also at this point that The Shareholders decided to award the first Tonsley Colours to Taily, and he was visibly moved - or was that just the Hungarian wine he had been drinking all evening!?! And so it was with full stomachs, hoarse voices and weary heads that the team repaired to the apartments, ready for an early start on Saturday.

An early start was indeed observed by all, with some taking the opportunity to breakfast in the Hotel Stary, one of the city's newest and more exclusive boutique hotels. Woolfy managed to find a bakery and returned to the meeting point laden with pastries and fresh rolls - thanks for the croissant Woolfy, it was delicious! Our guide for the day, Marcelina, arrived with our transport and we set off for Auschwitz.

Much has been written about this place, and many have tried to explain its existence and to provide an insight into what happened here in our relatively recent past. Don't expect a detailed synopsis here - read the books, there are plenty of them! What I will say is that the Auschwitz concentration camp is a symbol of horror, of utter inhumanity, of organized slaughter on a scale never conceived before (which is frankly staggering), the planned and systematic destruction of a race of people. The number of people murdered here between 1940 and 1945 is estimated to be between 1,100,000 and 1,500,000. Most were gassed and their bodies burned. At the end of 1944, towards the final stages of the war, the Nazis began to destroy evidence of the camp. Documents were burned and buildings destroyed in an attempt to cover up what was taking place. To give you an idea of the scale of activity here, over 4 days between 17 and 21 January 1944 around 56,000 prisoners were forced to leave the camp in an attempt to keep them from being discovered in situ by the advancing Russians. Most died on what became known as the 'marsz mierci' or death march. Those who remained, either too weak or sick to have begun the march, were liberated by the Russians on 27 January 1945.

It is not so easy to summarise the day in a few short lines of text. All of us probably remember slightly different aspects of what we saw. Marcelina was excellent; she was direct, straightforward and almost dispassionate, but this only enhanced and emphasized the whole experience. I think the Time Team photographic contingent captured the essence of what we witnessed much more effectively than my words.

As the sun set we returned to Cracow. After what was quite a somber and harrowing day, a collective decision was made to take a couple of stiff drinks before supper, and Roosters bar came to the rescue. Dinner on the Saturday night was taken in the city's oldest restaurant, Wierzynek, which dates back to the late 14th century as an eating establishment. The Time Team found themselves in a private room, which allowed us to enjoy the evening all the more. Excellent food and wine disappeared all too quickly, and a number of informal speeches were made. In all the meal was very special indeed, and for some the tour was nearing its conclusion. Six Time Teamers were taking an early flight home, so a couple of swift halves on the way back to the apartments served as a nightcap. Others were on a later flight, so took advantage of the myriad cellar bars around the old city centre. In fact some of the early shift managed to greet the late shift as they arrived and departed the apartments. I'm not sure if Giles can remember greeting Rupert as the latter left for the airport!

A quiet day of mooching around the Christmas Market and grabbing a few last minute gifts was the order of the day for those still around, before an evening departure back home.

If you would like to try a weekend in Cracow then get in touch, and I will be happy to recommend places to stay and things to do. If you fancy visiting the city and taking a trip to Auschwitz, do it as a planned event. It is certainly not the sort of place to decide to go to as an ad hoc excursion.

Taily

A big thank you to Taily for his outstanding organisation and meticulous attention to detail in hosting this trip. A deserving recipient of the Tonsley Colours!

Rob, Floody, Joe & Woolfy

Hover over an image to see its caption. Click on the image to see an enlargement. Alternatively, you can watch the slideshow from Crakow:

...and slideshow from Auschwitz: