Worry-free booking through December 31, 2021. See page 3 for details. Poland Under Occupation: Genocide, Resistance, and Uprising September 7–17, 2022 Kraków • Auschwitz • Westerplatte • Gdańsk • Wolf’s Lair Mikolajki • Treblinka • Warsaw In collaboration with The National WWII Museum MOTHER AND DAUGHTER REFLECT ON OMAHA BEACH. RUSSIAN FLAG IS FLOWN OVER THE RUINS OF THE REICHSTAG / WORLD HISTORY ARCHIVE / ALAMY Travel with Confidence No cancellation fees on select tours until December 31, 2021 Dear Bulldog Alumni, To allow you to book your next trip with peace of mind, we have set up our exceptional and flexibleWorry-Free Booking program that allows you to cancel To fully comprehend World War II, one needs to understand its origins. In Europe, or postpone your trip penalty-free (on select departures) until December 31, 2021. the journey to war began in the private meeting rooms and raucous public Please contact our reservations department to discuss your options. stadiums of Germany where the Nazis concocted and then promoted their designs for a new world order, one founded on conquest and racial-purity ideals. As they launched the war by invading Poland on September 1, 1939, Hitler and his followers unleashed a hell that would cause immense suffering and leave the country vulnerable to Stalin’s post-war ambitions for Soviet expansion. Through the German occupation and the following decades of Soviet oppression, the Polish people held strong in their push for freedom. World figures such as Ronald Reagan, Margaret Thatcher, and Pope John Paul II gave their support for a free Poland and bolstered the internal efforts of Lech Walesa, Władysław Bartoszewski, and many others inside Poland. I invite you to join one of The National WWII Museum’s most unique travel programs, Poland: Genocide, Resistance, and Uprisings. This poignant journey will trace the history of Poland from 1939 to the fall of communism and the rejuvenation of a country and its people. Our guests will travel through Poland, exploring historical sites and reflecting on how the Nazis rose to power and then brought destruction and misery to Europe. Visiting battlefields, museums, memorials, and interacting with locals, this tour immerses you in the expert storytelling of top local guides. For enthusiasts of the legacy of World War II, European History, and Global Politics, this is tour is one not to miss! Sincerely Our Pledge to You Your safety is our priority. The Travel Team continuously monitors updates from global health authorities and local governments in the US and around the world. Jeff Davis Jordan Ramsey Executive Director, Mississippi State University Associate Director, Mississippi State University The health and safety of our travelers and staff remain our highest priority. We Alumni Association Alumni Association work closely with our international partners to provide the level of quality and assurance our esteemed guests have come to expect. We are committed to COVER: AERIAL VIEW OF KRAKÓW. PHOTO PORTRAIT LEFT: WITOLD PILECKI, FOUNDER OF THE TAP delivering the best and latest sanitation protocols throughout your journey. ORGANISATION AND THE SECRET AGENT OF POLISH RESISTANCE IN AUSCHWITZ; PORTRAIT MIDDLE: OSKAR SCHINDLER, GERMAN INDUSTRIALIST AND A MEMBER OF THE NAZI PARTY WHO IS CREDITED WITH SAVING THE LIVES OF 1,200 JEWS DURING THE HOLOCAUST; PORTRAIT RIGHT: MAREK EDLEMAN, A POLISH POLITICAL AND SOCIAL ACTIVIST AND LAST SURVIVING LEADER OF THE WARSAW GHETTO UPRISING. Worry-Free Booking until December 31, 2021 | 3 Poland Under Occupation: A Timeline of Events September 1, 1939 January 15, 1940 May 20, 1940 July 30, 1941 Westerplatte, Poland Krakow, Poland Oswiecim, Poland London, England Nazi Germany invades Poland and fires Oskar Schindler opens his factory Auschwitz is established by the SS and was The Sikorski–Mayski Agreement frees the first shots of World War II in Europe. where he will go on to save more initially populated with Polish political Polish POWs held in Soviet camps, enlisting than a thousand Jews. prisoners. The camp eventually becomes a them to fight the Nazis on the Eastern Front. site of mass extermination of European Jewry. April 19, 1943 July 20, 1944 August 1, 1944 May 8–9, 1945 Warsaw, Poland East Prussia, Germany Warsaw, Poland Berlin, Germany Jewish Resistance to Nazi police and SS leads An assassination attempt on Hitler fails at the As Soviet forces near Warsaw, Polish freedom At an estate in the Karlshorst neighborhood, to the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising. In response, the fortified command post known as “Wolf’s Lair.” fighters take up arms, thus beginning the German Field Marshal Wilhelm Keitel officially Nazis kill 13,000 and ship those remaining to Warsaw Uprising. surrenders Germany’s armed forces. concentration camps January 19, 1947 August 31, 1980 July 4 & 18, 1989 November 1989 Poland Gdańsk, Poland Poland Berlin, Germany Parliamentary elections characterized by violence The Gdańsk Agreement legitimizes Parliamentary elections result in a victory The fall of the Berlin Wall was a pivotal event and persecution of opponents give full governing the Solidarity movement that would ultimately for Solidarity and spell the end for the in world history which marked the beginning power to the communist Polish Workers Party. undermine the communist government. communist Polish United Workers Party. of the fall of communism in Europe. Photo credits page 4 (Left to Right, Top to Bottom): The Nazi propaganda photo shows the painting “Beschießung der Westerplatte” (“The bombardment of the Photo credits page 5 (Left to Right, Top to Bottom): Entrance of Auschwitz. Courtesy of Matthew Taylor/Alamy; Sikorski-Mayski 1941 agreement. Courtesy of Archive Westerplatte”) by artist Claus Bergen at the great art exhibit in Munich. Courtesy of dpa picture alliance/Alamy; Oskar Schindler, Frankfurt, Germany, 1963. Courtesy PL/Alamy Stock Photo; The Warsaw Uprising. Courtesy of World History Archive/Alamy; Field Marshal Wilhelm Keitel signing the surrender for the German Army. of Everett Collection Historical/Alamy; Captured Jews are led by German troops out of Warsaw. Courtesy of National Archives.; Adolf Hitler at a meeting at Wolf’s Lair. Courtesy of Everett Collection Inc./Alamy; Election campaign before Senate and Parliamentary elections in Warsaw, May 1989. Courtesy of agencja FORUM/Alamy; Courtesy of Sueddeutsche Zeitung Photo/Alamy; Photograph of the Polish Communist politician Edward Gierek who replaced Władysław Gomulka as First Secretary of The fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989 at the Brandenburg Gate. Courtesy of Agencja Fotograficzna Caro/Alamy Stock Photo. the ruling Polish United Workers’ Party in the People’s Republic of Poland. Courtesty of World History Archive/Alamy; A Women Address Striking Shipyard Workers In Gdańsk in 1980. Courtesy of Keystone Press/Alamy. 4 | Poland Under Occupation: Genocide, Resistance, and Uprising Worry-Free Booking until December 31, 2021 | 5 MEMORIAL STATUE AT AUSCHWITZ INSIDE THE EUROPEAN SOLIDARITY CENTER THE POLIN MUSEUM European Solidarity Center, Gdańsk, Poland The European Solidarity Center is a state-of-the-art cultural institution that honors the Solidarity movement. The museum commemorates the revolution of Solidarity and the fall of communism in Europe. Over 3,000 square meters, the permanent exhibition tells the story of the birth of the solidarity movement in the Gdańsk shipyards and continues through the ramifications of the fall of communism apparent in the modern world. Wieliczka Salt Mine, Wieliczka, Poland Already declared a UNESCO World Heritage site before the closing of the salt mining operation in 1996, the mines feature landscapes unseen anywhere else. Saline lakes, elaborate chambers, and the world’s largest church built underground FEATURED are a few of the highlights. In St. Kinga’s Church, view the elaborate salt sculptures including that of Pope John Paul II. During World War II, the occupying Nazis Museums and Galleries constructed an armaments factory in the mines, but it never became operational. Poland is home to some of the world’s most inspiring museums. Museum of the Second World War, Gdańsk, Poland Included in this tour are various engaging exhibitions designed to teach Located where World War II began on September 1, 1939, this is the only WWII Museum in the world dedicated to putting the war into an international context and the turbulent history, culture, and stories that impacted generations. commemorating the losses of all nations that suffered under German occupation. The Martyrdom Museum, Auschwitz-Birkenau, Poland Housed in the former Nazi concentration and extermination camp, the preservation of the original buildings and relics has long evoked controversy. Through The Warsaw Uprising Museum, Warsaw, Poland (Pictured above) international support, this museum takes collective and individual memories into account, along with the accompanying reflections and emotions of its many visitors. This museum opened to the public on the 60th anniversary of the 1944 Warsaw Uprising and is one of the most visited places in Warsaw. It is a tribute to all those The POLIN Museum of the History of the Polish Jews, who fought and died to free Poland and depicts the struggle of everyday life during the horror of occupation. The exhibits feature photographs, recordings, Warsaw, Poland and videos from before, during, and after the uprising; a replica of a Liberator The POLIN Museum is located in the area the Nazis turned into the Jewish ghetto B-24J bomber used by the Allies during air drops; a 3-D movie of the destruction during World War II. Beyond the main exhibition that presents the history of Polish of Warsaw during the uprising; and a recreation of sewer tunnels used by the Jews, POLIN Museum also functions as an educational center with rich cultural Resistance to move around the city. programs working closely with the community at large. 6 | Poland Under Occupation: Genocide, Resistance, and Uprising Worry-Free Booking until December 31, 2021 | 7 PROGRAM Poland Under Occupation: Map and Inclusions Genocide, Resistance, and Uprising SEPTEMBER 7–17, 2022 Westerplatte $6,899 $6,399* double occupancy; $8,899 $8,399* single occupancy.