|
|
 |
  |
|
|
The study tour will begin in the Ukrainian capital of Kiev, where students will visit Independence Square (site of the 1989 hunger strike that led to the country’s break with the Soviet Union and rally point of the 2004 Orange Revolution), the amazing Pecherska Lavra complex of churches known for its architecture, catacombs and unrivaled collection of relics, as well as the most ancient and steep street in Kiev, Andriyivsky Uzviz. From there, students will head by train to the city of Kharkiv, Ukraine’s second-largest city and university town. Here, the group will take part in a service project with the NGO OrphanBaby at a local orphanage for children ages 0-4. This experience promises to be both heart-wrenching and rewarding given the serious needs of the institution.
From there, students will head up to Krakow, Poland’s cultural and intellectual center. Students will explore the city’s Royal Way, taking in the bustling Main Market Square, St. Mary’s Church, Cloth Hall and Wawel Hill with its Castle and Cathedral. Another day will be spent exploring the Kazimierz—the historic heart of the city’s once-thriving Jewish Quarter with its synagogues, cemetery and Schindler’s factory (made famous by Speilberg’s movie Schindler’s List). From Krakow, students will take a day trip out to Auschwitz—site of Europe’s most notorious concentration camp and today the most poignant memorial anywhere to the victims of the Holocaust. Finally, this study tour will head to Warsaw, Poland’s political capital and largest city. It will provide a stark contrast to the quaintness of Krakow as the city is the product of its tragic past yet has been modernizing quickly and looking toward its future in the “New Europe.” In addition to the exploration of the city’s wonderfully restored Old Town (with its Historical Museum, Cathedral, Castle and lovely gardens), students will be able to visit the city’s various museums including the National Museum, the Warsaw Uprising Museum and the Chopin Museum. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
