A group of students from Beech Hill College recently travelled to Poland where they took part in the Senior History field trip to Auschwitz-Birkenau. The students spent a half day visiting the sites of the former concentration camps where approximately one and a half million people, mainly members of the Jewish faith, were murdered by the Nazi authorities. Students were given the opportunity to view the many moving exhibits that highlight the true horror of the holocaust, including the gas chamber. Only one gas chamber and crematorium remains intact at Auschwitz; those at Birkenau were destroyed by retreating German soldiers before the Red Army liberated the camp. The students retraced the steps of prisoners at Birkenau, where they saw the terrible living conditions that had to be endured.

Other events on the itinerary included an historic tour of Krakow, where students learned about the various armies that had occupied the city over the centuries. They had the chance to admire the striking architecture and art work in St. Mary’s Church and the Wawel Cathedral, in addition to a tour of the WawelCastle