Prague-ress, Take 2 and the devastation of the Holocaust (Assignment #2, Category 7)

     Thursday we left for our first field trip of the program. We spent Thursday, Friday, and Sunday in Prague and Saturday in Dresden, Germany. All I can say is wow. A little over a week had passed since my first visit to Prague, but the city was completely different. Easter markets had taken over the town's squares, and it was even more jam-packed with tourists! Our first day we did a short walking tour to see the Astronomical Clock, Charles' Bridge, and John Lennon's Wall. The clock has four figurines on the outside that represent four ideals despised by the Czech's during its construction. These figures represent vanity, greed, death, and Turks. The clock is obviously not the most politically correct thing in the world with its representation of Jews being greed and Turks being infidels. The clock could be considered racist if constructed during modern times, but it is still very eye appealing. Every hour the clock puts on a "show". During the show, the four figurines move slightly, and the two doors at the top of the clock open up to reveal the twelve apostles are rotating one by one by the windows. While it may not be the most impressive thing I have ever seen, it is still amazing when I remember how old the clock is. I have already talked about Charles' Bridge so I will move ahead to Lennon's wall. The wall was seen as a symbol of rebellion during Soviet rule. Individuals would often paint images of Lennon or Beatles' lyrics on the wall to symbolize freedom. Often, authorities would paint over the images but it was a never ending cycle or rebellion. Last year, some students painted over the wall to say that the age of rebellion was over; therefore, taking away a lot of the history the wall had. 

     Friday was spent with a very long journey uphill to see the Prague Castle. The journey was extremely tiresome, but when we finally reached the top of the hill, the views were breathtaking. The castle is connected to St. Vitus Cathedral. The Gothic cathedral is the suspected burial site of St. Wenceslaus and other important Saints and Kings. While the cathedral's construction was started centuries ago, the newest addition was completed in the early 2000's. By the time we had finished our walk through the Cathedral, it was time for the noon changing of the guards at the Castle. The changing of the guards was an over ten minute ceremony complete with music. From what I saw from behind the crowd, the ceremony was simple and to the point. Apparently becoming a guard at the castle is a very difficult task. One most have a specific height, low weight, perfect eyesight and health, no facial hair, no cosmetic defects, and they must pass a rigorous psychological examine. While it seems very over the top, the guards do guard the castle that houses the Czech President whose presence can be indicated by a flag flown at the top of the castle. The part of the castle we were able to access was very old and fulfilled my idea of a medieval castle. Once we finished our tour of the Castle, a few girls and I walked even further uphill to see the Strahov Monastery. Unfortunately, the monastery was closed for the day so we had to settle for seeing the outside of it. Still determined to see more of Prague, we continued our uphill battle to the Petřín Lookout tower to view Prague from the outskirts of the city. The view was worth all of the stairs!

     Saturday we ventured to another country, Germany! I was back in the motherland! We visited Dresden, a city bombed during World War II. The city’s most historical sites were almost all destroyed during the war, leaving the city very modern. Some the city’s sights were reconstructed from the ruins including the city’s Lutheran Church: Dresden Frauenkirche. The church was completely reconstructed to replicate the church’s previous form. Architects examined old church plans and images to ensure accurate reconstruction. They even used some of the old stones from the original church to construct the new one. These stones are dark in color from the fire that ravaged the town after the bombing. It is said that the bombing occurred in stages. First, flares lit up the entire city. Second, red flares designated places to be bombed. Lastly, two raids went through with explosives and fire bombs. Some say the inferno was visible from over 70 miles away in Prague. We climbed up the church to see the mostly modern city from above before heading to a museum.

     Sunday was even more heartbreaking than our visit to Dresden. We spent Sunday morning and afternoon in Prague visiting the former Jewish Ghetto. For hundreds of years, Jews were forced to live in one section of the town away from everyone else. This meant that no expansion could occur, not even the cemetery could be expanded. We first entered one of the synagogues which served as a memorial to the Jewish Czech’s murdered in the Holocaust. 77, 297 people murdered. Over two-thirds of the Jews of the Czech lands were murdered. In my head, I knew that almost 80,000 people is a lot of people. It is over three times the population of my hometown, but yet seeing the names of every single individual murdered brought things to a completely different level of realization. The entire synagogue is covered with the name, date of birth, date of death, and residence of each of the 77, 297 Jews. Families are grouped together, making the number hurt even more. Some family lists go on and on, showing how entire families were murdered simply for their religion and race. Even now reflecting on yesterday’s experience, I still tear up and have a knot in my stomach. I cannot even begin to fathom how something this terrible happened. After taking in all of the names, we moved on to the Jewish Cemetery. For centuries the

Jews only had one small lot to bury all of their dead. Gravestones are piled on top of each other. Each gravestone could represent an entire family. As the space continued to run out, the Jewish community was forced to bury people in the same lot. This meant burying up to six people in one lot. Another synagogue had an exhibition of art by Jewish children in the concentration camps. The images were heartbreaking. Children dreamed of going back home and depicted the horrors they experienced. Drawings and paintings of transportation to concentration camps, guard examinations, “play time”, and heartbreak were all around. The childhood of so many little children was ruined by a system of oppression. The oppression that the Jewish community faced throughout time was only worsened by the Holocaust. At least now, the Jewish community is allowed out of the ghetto and welcomed into society as they should have centuries ago.

     I am glad to be back in Olomouc for a few days before our next journey. I need time to recover, both emotionally and physically. I am not exactly for sure how to prepare myself for our future visit to the concentration camps Auschwitz and Theresienstadt. These trips will surely bring my knowledge and awareness of the Holocaust to a new level. 

**More images of my trip can be found on Facebook.