The tour of Oskar Schindler’s factory in Krakow provided a unique insight into the modern national identity of Poland. The tour guide provided at the museum led us quickly through the narrow exhibits, explaining how WWII affected Poland politically and socially. The most beneficial aspect of having a tour guide at this museum in my opinion was the ability to perceive how a Polish person today views their country’s place in the war and in the Holocaust. Our tour guide stated how proud she was to be Polish through and through and spoke on the closeness of Slavic states because of the treatment they received from Nazis. The deportation of Poles during the war is exhibited in this museum, and firsthand accounts of Polish people in ghettoes are shown as well. It also displayed a sort of shrine to Poland, with lights spelling out L.O.P P, the Air Defense League of Poland, Polish flags, the crest of Poland, and more. Seeing all of this gave me an even deeper sympathy to how the people of Poland were treated during this era and a broader perspective on how they defended themselves.
Our guide made sure to emphasize to us how poorly Polish people were treated by the Nazis, including some of her own ancestors. This was a very interesting perspective to hear from yet some of her comments left me wondering about her bias towards her nation. At one point she stated matter-of-factly that Poland was the only occupied nation which did not collaborate with the Nazis. On the other hand, she also mentioned how people who chose to comply with the Nazis could not be blamed as themselves and their families were most likely going to be put in danger otherwise. It seemed slightly hypocritical to me to be proud that the Polish government did not collaborate yet also stating that collaboration and compliance on an individual level was justified for fear of repercussion. The patriotism of Poland and its people was clearly conveyed in this tour, both by our guide and by the exhibits of Polish pride during this era. Polish people were and continue to be proud of their nation and coming out safely on the other side of Nazi and later Soviet occupation.
