IIWW

Ancestry tours in Poland during winter time? Yes, it’s great opportunity to explore Poland and Europe. As night falls much earlier you see illuminated cities earlier than during summer time. There are considerably less people in the museums etc.

If you are living in hotter climate - like South Africa - then winter is great opportunity to visit Poland.

As little boy Mr Rainer was told many stories about his father. He never knew him.

What was true and which stories were made up to make him feel better as a kid raised without a dad? Little Rainer wasn’t sure.

As he was growing up he collected all information available to him about his father. He know that his father died in Poland in closing stages of IIWW.

One day his daughter in-law organised a tour to Europe, a family trip for 3 generations. We started to speak few weeks before their arrival and exchanged family documents.

Finally we have meet in Poznan Poland.

I wish to learn more about my family history and if possible to stand at the father’s and grandfather’s grave. Goals were clear for us.

Therefore before their arrival our team made a small research to prepare for this emotional visit. We have found an exact place where his father died in the last stages of IIWW, in January 1945.

We went for a trip to small village Debina Gut, as it used to be called in 1945, north-west from Poznan.

Debina Palace was opened especially for us and we have meet there with local people. They have showed us exact grave’s location and told story of last days of IIWW in the region, seen trough their eyes. We received exact picture what was happening here.

History told by them matched Mr Rainer’s history perfectly. Emotions were sky high!

It was an amazing tour for both sides. For us it was pure pleasure to help organise this trip. What was Rainer’s Family impression on our tour? You can read it on Trip Advisor.

If you have any IIWW history in your family which is connected with modern Polish territory - please contact us.

We are happy to help you make your special ancestry tour in Poland.

It all happened in August 2016 during one of our Ancestry Tours. Ann and Alan came to Poland from NY.
We were traveling together from Frankfurt Oder and looking for places and cities related to their Polish ancestors.

We ended up in one Polish City. Nothing special you may say now. But it was a city with an incredible past. A city rich in terms of its Jewish history and Jewish heritage.

A City wanting to forget its past

Perhaps it is one of many cities like this in Poland. I think that city is clearly ashamed of its history. What Astonished us? The collective amnesia and strong sense of the denial of the past.

After proper research we knew where we should go. And we found nothing at first. Yeah, it was not easy. But as always a bit of luck is needed. One person gave us an address of a man "who knows everything".
- Everything? -We asked again as we wanted to make sure.
- Yes, everything regarding the history of this town. Especially the oldest post-war times.-Added the man in a low voice then quickly disappeared. Just as he had appeared.

Not knowing what to expect we went to the address. A Lady greeted us there.
She asked all important questions. Who we are? Where did we came from?.

After a short conversation we were able to go inside.

Holocaust survivor

Inside the house in one of the rooms on the couch there was Mr John. He greeted us in very(!!) unusual way.
He simply said Ich bin ein Jude. At the same time he revealed his sleeve showing the tattooed number of an Auschwitz prisoner!

Tattoo from Auschwitz

We were blown away! After a moment of shock and small disbelief what we have just experienced we sat down and started talking. Tears of joy and sadness were constantly mixing but nonetheless we were enjoying these special moments. To the fullest extend.

Mr John showed us his memorabilia and secret boxes and other things from the past which he used in the camps. Yes, camps. We were more than surprised when we have learned that we are speaking with a person who survived not 1 but 2(two!) concentration camps! He was in both Auschwitz-Birkenau and Mauthausen

Order given to those who survived this hell

Wow! It was an amazing day it was! And it is hard to describe our whole conversation. Not in one article.

What's next?

Well we all felt pumped-up after this meeting as how often you can meet such amazing people?
People with huge will to life which is still visible when they are 92 years old!
People strong enough that nothing in this world can break them. For us it was a pure honor to meet such person as Mr John!

Ann and Alan came back home to NY with warm memories and so many emotions in their hearts that is hard to describe.
I started to look completely differently on some aspects of my tourist work and started a new project with educational tours to Auschwitz.

I still keep contact with Mr John. We agreed to meet again very soon and record his memories.
Fingers crossed!

Meanwhile pray for Mr John's health and stay tuned. Mr John a Holocaust survivor.
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