IB2 trip to Gdańsk
On September 11th, IB2 began a trip to Gdansk. After checking-in in our hostel and having lunch, we went to the European Solidarity Centre, a place that symbolizes the fact that sometimes seemingly minor events can trigger off changes on a historical scale. The exhibition which the students had the opportunity to see showed them the most important stages of the history of Poland’s road to freedom and regaining independence after World War II, when Poland and the countries of Central and Eastern Europe found themselves in the orbit of influence of Soviet Union – the Empire of Evil. The birth of the democratic opposition, the establishment of Solidarity as a mass social organization associating millions of workers, martial law, the end of the Cold War, Polish Round Table and the elections in June 1989 – these were just the most important parts of the exhibition, which made us realize that the legacy of Solidarity should remain forever in our memory and be a permanent point of reference for all of us in building a free and democratic society.
After returning to the hostel the students began working on their Extended Essays. Ms. Agnieszka Cabanes familiarized the students with the IB conclusions regarding the range and suitability of the Extended Essays submitted in the previous years as well as the most common mistakes made by students when writing Extended Essays. Then the students were divided into groups according to the subjects they had chosen and they spent the evening hours polishing their first drafts of the EE.
On the second day of our trip, we went to the Museum of the Second World War, a unique place on the map of Gdansk which bears a testimony to the greatest tragedy in the history of humanity, the effects of which we still feel today, whether aware of it or not. The museum presents a coherent narrative explaining the causes, course and consequences of World War II both globally and in a more local context with special focus on the history of Poland and other countries of Central and Eastern Europe.
This very modern museum allowed us to vividly experience the historical times that changed the face of our world. It reflected very well the different nature of this largest armed conflict in history, because vast part of the exhibition space concerned the fate of the civilian population, which became the main victim of military operations and had to endure the most difficult challenges, such as: the terror of the occupiers, humiliation, hunger, bombing, slave labor and forced resettlement.
In addition to the military aspect (campaigns, battles, military technology) the museum put great emphasis on giving an account of the everyday life and struggles of civilians and at the same time recalling the darkest, and yet not widely known pages of history of ordinary citizens. The largest part of the exhibition showed us the story of occupational terror and genocide, restoring the memory of those victims who were often forgotten or marginalized. A lot of attention was also paid to various forms of resistance to aggressors and occupiers.
Without doubt, we left the museum more aware that World War II, which ended almost 80 years ago, is not a distant past, but should be an everlasting memento and a lesson how to maintain dignity in the hour of trial. After returning to the hostel, the students again began intensive work on Extended Essays, supported by the teachers present on the trip.
