This is the 17th year that Boston Latin Facing History students have traveled to Germany, Poland, and the Czech Republic.
This year, 49 students and 5 teachers/chaperones are traveling.
The focus of this academic, curricular trip is squarely on the history of the Holocaust, World War II, the Cold War and its aftermath, and present day Central and Eastern Europe. It is not a conventional tourist trip, nor is it a leisurely experience. Instead, it is a fast-moving, densely-packed, often exhausting trip through three countries with a laser focus on the past century. It is an extension of the curriculum that students in Facing History have been exploring for much of the year and it offers a deep dive into the troubling history of the second half of the twentieth century.
Germany: In Berlin, we will visit sites key to the history of Nazi Germany, from the Wannsee Villa (where the Nazis’ so-called “Final Solution to the Jewish Problem” was approved), remnants of Hitler’s bunker to the old Reichstag (now the Bundestag), the various Nazi ministries, the new Topography of Terror Museum, Checkpoint Charlie, the Museum and Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe, the Jewish Museum of Berlin, the Pergamon Museum, the remains of the Berlin Wall, the bunkers under the city, etc. We will make a day trip to visit the Bauhaus in Dessau and euthanasia center at Bernberg.
Poland: We will then travel by plane to Krakow, in Poland, where we will initially spend one night in the Polish town of Oswiecim (German name: Auschwitz), a town that is an hour northwest of Krakow. The purpose of staying in Oswiecim overnight is to devote an entire day (without needing to travel), beginning at 8 am, to visiting Auschwitz I, Auschwitz II (Birkenau), and the remains of Auschwitz III (Buna/Monowitz), the infamous Nazi death camps which are not only the largest site of human remains/cemetery in the world but also among of the most powerful and disturbing sites in the world. After our very full day in Oswiecim, we will then move our hotel to Krakow, where we will stay in the Old Town, one of the most well-preserved medieval cities in Eastern Europe. We will visit Kazimierz, the Podgorze ghetto (and the Pharmacy Museum) in Krakow, the Schindler factory and the remnants of the Plaszow labor camp (both featured in the film).
On our fourth day in Poland, we will travel north, staying overnight in the city of Lublin in central Poland and visiting the concentration camp Majdanek, virtually intact as the Nazis hastened to flee the advancing Soviets instead of destroying the camp. Following our visit to Majdanek, we will drive north to Warsaw, where we will visit the remains of the ghetto in that city as well as the new POLIN Museum for the History of the Jews in Poland. We will spend one additional day in Warsaw, exploring the ways in which the city has moved beyond its Communist era, how it has reckoned with its history during World War II, what the role of the Solidarity movement was in propelling Poland toward a democratic future, and how that future is possibly imperiled today.
Czech Republic: We will spend two nights and days in Prague, where we will tour the historic sites of the city, visit the remains of the ghetto and the cemetery, and travel by bus to the ghetto/transit camp of Theresienstadt (Terezin), about one hour northwest of the city. Theresienstadt is a peculiar place and our visit helps to complicate our concept of what the Nazis did, what victims experienced, and what humanity is capable of doing.
Germany: Finally, we will travel via bus to Nürnberg (Nuremberg), Germany, where we will visit the site of Hitler’s annual rallies as well as the postwar Nürnberg trial courtroom. On our final day, we will spend the morning in Munich, departing in the early afternoon for our return trip home.
This trip is open only to students who have/are taking Facing History at Boston Latin School. The trip is an educational, curricular trip that is tailored to the Boston Latin School Facing History course. It is intended for students who are interested in a deep intellectual and academic experience. It is an often life-changing and unforgettable opportunity.
This year, 49 students and 5 teachers/chaperones are traveling.
The focus of this academic, curricular trip is squarely on the history of the Holocaust, World War II, the Cold War and its aftermath, and present day Central and Eastern Europe. It is not a conventional tourist trip, nor is it a leisurely experience. Instead, it is a fast-moving, densely-packed, often exhausting trip through three countries with a laser focus on the past century. It is an extension of the curriculum that students in Facing History have been exploring for much of the year and it offers a deep dive into the troubling history of the second half of the twentieth century.
Germany: In Berlin, we will visit sites key to the history of Nazi Germany, from the Wannsee Villa (where the Nazis’ so-called “Final Solution to the Jewish Problem” was approved), remnants of Hitler’s bunker to the old Reichstag (now the Bundestag), the various Nazi ministries, the new Topography of Terror Museum, Checkpoint Charlie, the Museum and Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe, the Jewish Museum of Berlin, the Pergamon Museum, the remains of the Berlin Wall, the bunkers under the city, etc. We will make a day trip to visit the Bauhaus in Dessau and euthanasia center at Bernberg.
Poland: We will then travel by plane to Krakow, in Poland, where we will initially spend one night in the Polish town of Oswiecim (German name: Auschwitz), a town that is an hour northwest of Krakow. The purpose of staying in Oswiecim overnight is to devote an entire day (without needing to travel), beginning at 8 am, to visiting Auschwitz I, Auschwitz II (Birkenau), and the remains of Auschwitz III (Buna/Monowitz), the infamous Nazi death camps which are not only the largest site of human remains/cemetery in the world but also among of the most powerful and disturbing sites in the world. After our very full day in Oswiecim, we will then move our hotel to Krakow, where we will stay in the Old Town, one of the most well-preserved medieval cities in Eastern Europe. We will visit Kazimierz, the Podgorze ghetto (and the Pharmacy Museum) in Krakow, the Schindler factory and the remnants of the Plaszow labor camp (both featured in the film).
On our fourth day in Poland, we will travel north, staying overnight in the city of Lublin in central Poland and visiting the concentration camp Majdanek, virtually intact as the Nazis hastened to flee the advancing Soviets instead of destroying the camp. Following our visit to Majdanek, we will drive north to Warsaw, where we will visit the remains of the ghetto in that city as well as the new POLIN Museum for the History of the Jews in Poland. We will spend one additional day in Warsaw, exploring the ways in which the city has moved beyond its Communist era, how it has reckoned with its history during World War II, what the role of the Solidarity movement was in propelling Poland toward a democratic future, and how that future is possibly imperiled today.
Czech Republic: We will spend two nights and days in Prague, where we will tour the historic sites of the city, visit the remains of the ghetto and the cemetery, and travel by bus to the ghetto/transit camp of Theresienstadt (Terezin), about one hour northwest of the city. Theresienstadt is a peculiar place and our visit helps to complicate our concept of what the Nazis did, what victims experienced, and what humanity is capable of doing.
Germany: Finally, we will travel via bus to Nürnberg (Nuremberg), Germany, where we will visit the site of Hitler’s annual rallies as well as the postwar Nürnberg trial courtroom. On our final day, we will spend the morning in Munich, departing in the early afternoon for our return trip home.
This trip is open only to students who have/are taking Facing History at Boston Latin School. The trip is an educational, curricular trip that is tailored to the Boston Latin School Facing History course. It is intended for students who are interested in a deep intellectual and academic experience. It is an often life-changing and unforgettable opportunity.
