-Brandon Bogumil-
I walked up to the guy who seemed to be standing there waiting for someone. I was hoping he was Dan, the tour guide I was meeting. The tour had been set up through airbnb experiences. Dan is part of an NGO called politicalprisoners.eu that conducts various tours in Prague to help raise awareness about how people were treated under communism. Luckily, it was Dan, and we started the tour.
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-Brandon Bogumil-
The little girl tripped, fell, and skinned her knee all while her father serenely sat at the table sipping his real coffee. He read the paper, and without averting his attention asked the girl if she were okay. The little girl stood up, a mix of blood and dirt on her knee, but no dripping blood, and she walked over to her father and asked him to kiss it to make it better. He smiled, put his paper down, bent over and kissed her knee as she lifted it up toward him. The girl turned and skipped away to continue playing. A loud noise rang out through the skies. A bang, like a muffler, and the birds in the trees were startled and flew away in a flock. by Kelsie Adloo Rolling hills strewn with picturesque cabins plucked out of a storybook come to an abrupt end as we turn toward Terezin. Suddenly our usually noisy bus filled with verbose teachers drunk on the relaxation of summer is quiet. Outside of the concentration camp where tens of thousands of prisoners died is a vast memorial for the lives lost. On one end of the field stands a cross with a crown of thorns. On the other, the Star of David. These two symbols watch over the hundreds of tombstones that lie between them. After exiting the bus in a parking lot lined with souvenir shops and food stands, our group heads to the cemetery. Once I step on the field, I immediately feel commercialism and flimsiness of the parking lot fade away. I am now on hallowed grounds. A small red rose bush separates the tombstones, each delicately adorned with pebbles from visitors, the rememberers. Our guide, Rosa, meets us near the entrance of Terezin and begins to provide context for the space. Constructed under the rule of Austrian emperor Joseph II in the late 18th century, Terezin was initially meant to be a fort system for the monarchy. When Germany invaded Czechoslovakia, however, the Gestapo created a prison and work camp in the small fortress. Rosa leads us through the administrative buildings of the camp, but my eyes and mind are focused on the painted phrase over the camp’s main doorway. Under a soft blue sky and ominous barbed wire are the words “ARBEIT MACHT FREI,” work makes you free. My students and I have discussed this specific example of propaganda in my classroom, but seeing the manipulation in person makes everything feel much more real. We wander from room to room, witnessing the barracks where prisoners were packed twelve to a slate. It seems like we are in a trance, taking in Rosa’s words and the cries of the swallows swooping overhead. “It’s almost as if they’re trying to tell us what happened here,” Michael says when a flock flies closer. Rosa guides us to a tunnel in the fortress that was used by the Nazi guards. The tunnel is 500 meters long and completely dark except for a few slit-like windows and barred openings for cannons. Any emotional guard I have up is completely demolished when my claustrophobia kicks in. Janet and Jasmine talk me through my nerves. I imagine the pain and suffering of this place. The tunnel opens on a field for target practice; the standing grounds eerily resembling three crosses. Just beyond sit the pristine houses where the Nazi officers lived with their families, ignoring the tragedies they caused in the backyard. A striking feature is the large swimming pool where one can imagine Nazi youth playing while thousands of children perished on the other side of the fortress. We close our visit with a viewing of a propaganda video that the Nazis use to assuage criticism of their use of concentration camps. The film is extended with the reality of Terezin and includes hauntingly beautiful artwork and the echo of how many lost their lives. Visiting Terezin is an incredibly humbling experience. The site leaves me feeling human, vulnerable and exposed. I feel both the terrifying power of human cruelty as well as the hopeful resiliency of the human spirit. I am thankful for the guidance of Rosa and the commitment to remember. *Title inspired by I Never Saw Another Butterfly, a collection of art and poetry by children who lived in camp Terezin.
As a student in the time of physical history textbooks full of black-and-white photography, I often felt removed from what we were discussing in class. "Social Studies" was not a favorite subject in school and I did not come to appreciate history until I hit my 30s. Hollywood attempts to tell the stories of the Holocaust often succeed in producing moving images that evoke strong emotions. However, I find (in my 40s) that I most begin to reconcile my feelings about how we as humans have treated each other when I walk in the shadows of people who were once black-and-white. Fortunately, the arts make that possible. Art students continued to create while imprisoned in the ghetto. "The four and a half thousand children’s drawings from Terezín that [Friedl] Dicker-Brandeis collected after the classes and kept in two suitcases, which she hid in one of the ghetto’s children’s dormitories before her transport to Auschwitz, has been part of the Jewish Museum in Prague’s collection since the end of the war." (Children's Drawings From the Terezín Ghetto). After sitting through a screening of the Nazi propaganda film, I was overwhelmed and not interested in seeing any more evidence but my gaze happened upon this portrait of Ema Blažková and I could not look away. I read the first few paragraphs of her biography and could not finish. I was so emotional from the thought of young art students studying their craft being arrested, interrogated, and forced to be cleaning workers that I was not able to read to the end. For this reflection, I searched for her on the internet, not remembering her name and not having not taken note of it at the time. Miraculously, of all the names on the first page of the database, I happened to click on hers (subconscious recall?) which led to an artifact which led to a Google search of her name which led to an image that looked somewhat familiar, which led to the biography that filled my eyes. And from this sepia photo, I learn that she lived past Terezín and continued to create art until her death in 2003. The color image is soothing to me, as evidence that Ema had a future beyond the ghetto. As our group toured the small fortress at Terezín Ghetto, I purposely snapped photos in both black-and-white with a sister photo in color. I wanted to explore the difference in how I perceived the images. Would my mind feel detached from the horror if I later reviewed my Instagram post without the color of the life? Perhaps that is why I feel compelled to visit historical sites...to see the remnants of the past in living color. I find that I need the stories of humanity in a space in order to create associations that attempt to make sense of what we did and how we did it. There really in no making sense of what the SS inflicted upon human beings at Terezín. But it is important to walk the walk and see it for what it was. Reality for tens of thousands. They lived it in color. They deserve to be remembered in color. Ema's work in the database (Note - the Museum is creating an updated database of prisoners so this link has a shelf life). http://www.terezin.org/the-history-of-terezin/
A much older priest celebrated mass. He remained seated throughout much of the mass. Another priest even came to administer the Eucharist to the congregation. Ultimately, it was a beautiful mass that took place in a gorgeous church. I recommend visiting it if you have a chance! -Kelly Womack Outside of the small town of Hrensko, Czech Republic and within the Czech Switzerland National Park is the rock arch bridge Pravčická Brána. On Saturday, July 14th, we took a hike up to view this natural wonder. The bus dropped us on the side of the road outside of Hrensko. At first our group began to become fearful we would have another hike similar to our first Kafkaesque one. The trail was about 2.5 km which is about a mile and a half through the woods. It was a rather steep incline and we weren't quite sure where we were heading. The natural views of trees around us were rather calming, though. We continued hiking uphill while breathing heavily. At one point in our trek, we saw staked rocks. People place them as a way of making a memory of being there. Even with it not being a natural occurrence, it was still a sight to behold. As we approached the summit, we began to see the "Falcon's Nest" Chateau. The Falcon's Nest is a chateau built in 1881 by Prince Edmund Clary-Aldringen, who owned the region, to accommodate his important guests. The chateau was built within a year and held a restaurant which is still open today. We paid a fee to get into the parts with some of the most advantageous view points but it was worth the 75 Kč. The views from under the arch and on the ledge above the Falcon's nest were completely breathtaking (from what breath we still had left after hiking up the mountain). The ledges to see some of the views though were smaller than expected. It was difficult to fit more than 6 people on one of the ledges at a time and the other was a narrow walkway really only meant for one person at a time to walk down. Nonetheless, it was well worth the hike up the mountain and the steep stairs near the top. Through the city of Prague flows the Vltava River. Prague is know as the city with a hundred towers but could also be called city of a hundred bridges, according to Prague.net. There are over three hundred bridges within the city. As you cross some of the main bridges, you often can see a fantastic view of Prague, including but not limited to the castle, the dancing house, and ornate spires and towers. But, take a step lower and the views and experience from the river Vltava itself can be unmatched.
One experience I took part in was a paddleboard tour on the Vltava. Our group began the trip at the Yacht Club CERE where we met up with our guide, Ondra. He is a student studying at the Technical University here in Prague for engineering, but he enjoys spending time outdoors and guided us as we learned the basics of paddleboarding. On the tour, Ondra led us in keeping our balance and steering the board but we were also able to enjoy discussions with him exploring Czech culture, perceptions, and sharing about our own experiences and culture. We learned that he is from a small town about an hour from Prague but recently moved here to go to university. Genevieve discussed with Ondra about her cultural theme which is focused around physical activity in Prague. Ondra informed us that about half the people he knows enjoy spending time outdoors, working out, and staying active while the other half enjoy spending most of their time sitting around and drinking beer. We talked with Ondra about the name change of his country from Czech Republic to Czechia. He said he hadn't realized there was a name change until a few years ago when he was backpacking in Norway and was meeting with some locals and trying to describe where he was from. He told them the Czech Republic but they didn't quite understand until someone stated "Oh, you mean Czechia?" On a previous tour I had taken, the guide did not like the name change but she was also a bit older whereas Ondra seemed to accept it as the name of his country without any disagreement. Another discussion we had with Ondra was about stereotypes. It was interesting because there is a very similar word in Czech so he knew exactly what we were talking about. He informed us that the stereotype of Americans is often that they are fat and lazy but we were surprised that their was no stereotype of Americans being loud. He also told us that it is believed that the United States and Russia are getting very friendly. It was fascinating to learn about Czech perceptions of others as well as to have insight into certain norms of the Czech people. The views from the river were also beautiful. It was a great chance to see the Dancing House from a different angle and the Castle from below with the river Vltava in the immediate foreground. The experience is listed on AirBnB and I loved getting the chance to have discussions with Ondra with Prague as our background. by: Genevieve Stearns Three brave souls with nerves of excitement departed from their hotel with their eyes set for a two hour adventure of paddleboarding. After a short tram ride and a two minute walk later we arrived at the Yacht Club Cere. Now to find the guide. With the sun peeking behind clouds, we descended a staircase the lead to the river front and our guide. Ondra, Andrew in English, greeted us with a bright smile and a hand shake. Within minutes we were putting on our life jackets and learning paddle board basics on dry land. He helped us adjust our paddles and corrected our technique. He even went as far as far as to explain the physics behind getting the angle of the correct stroke. Perfect for the math teacher in our group. Then one by one Ondra carried our boards to the water and helped up get out on the water. Any nerves I had were left on the dock as Ondra instructed me on how to get on the board without falling in. He was reassuring and patient. Success! I were kneeling on board and didn't fall into the water. Next challenge....standing on the board. Recalling our five minute lesson two of us were up and paddling. One took a tumble into the extremely cold water. Barely able to form words, she chose to use the board as a kayak for the rest of the tour. Note to self, don't fall in. On the open waters, Ondra pointed out important Prague buildings and answered endless questions we had about Czech culture. The trip up river and into the wind was worth the challenge as we were rewarded with stunning views of buildings and bridges. An hour later we reached our turn around point and enjoyed a refreshing bottle of water before heading back to the marina. Our guide took several photos of us with the beautiful sights of Prague in the background. The most valuable and enjoyable part of paddle boarding were the conversations with Ondra about Czech culture. I learned about the school system, life outside of the city, culture differences between several countries, and even had a good laugh about stereotypes. The return trip back to the marina went quickly in spite of the change of wind. Head wind both ways didn't dampen our spirits. It was an enjoyable time both paddleboarding and being able to ask Ondra any question! Here I thought we would just be trying to survive the cold river waves and see the sights and instead we learned so much about Czech Culture. If you are hesitant to try paddleboarding, don't! You are missing an opportunity to try something new and learn about a new culture! Český Krumlov, located a two and a half hour bus ride from Prague, is a beautiful and bustling town. When we got off the bus, it was a short walk to one of the most breathtaking views I have ever seen, the castle at Český Krumlov. As you walk under a walking bridge that connects two parts of the castle, you quickly come to another bridge. I was delighted when I saw people in cables and rafts floating down the river. So much nature! The town really is beautiful, with plenty of shops and restaurants you can spend time in. Meg and I decided to go canoeing and enjoy the outdoors. Canoeing was so much fun, and even involved recreating scenes from the Disney movie, Pocahontas. After a break of fish and local Elderberry Lemonade, Meg and I went again to tour the town. Just past where we went canoeing, but not easy to see from the street, is an absolutely gorgeous park that twists and turns with the river. We had found Southern Meander. As we entered the gate, we passed one of the man-made water slides (rapids) in the river. The sounds of laughs and screams of delight float through the air. We continue to walk against the current and spot a gazebo where tourists are taking pictures of the church on top of the hill. The gazebo is actually a music pavilion that was constructed between 1924 - 1930. Originally built for promenading, now it is mainly used for weddings, and today, picnics and pictures. The park is massive, with less than ten people walking around. There are benches all over, and plenty of shady places to sit and eat lunch, as other park goers were doing. Southern Meander is home to many other buildings including a synagogue originally constructed in 1909 with renovations in 2013, ans St. Martin's Chapel which was originally built in 1585, but reconstructed in 1717. Once, I was done taking in nature, but mainly because it was time to head back to the bus, and to Prague, we headed towards the gate, but stopped to take pictures of the Church of St. Vitus. The view I got from the park, was unlike any view of the church I had seen all day. I would highly recommend visiting the park to take in the view, remember history, and to just relax. |