WHAT DOES A TYPICAL DAY ON THE MARCH LOOK LIKE?
From waking up in the morning to falling asleep at night – so you know what to expect :-)
BREAKFAST
In each accommodation, breakfast is served buffet-style, so you can gather strength for a full day of marching.
VAN ARRIVAL
Every morning, our Polish driver arrives with a van, which will transport your large luggage to the destination of the day's stage, i.e., to the next accommodation.
WE'RE OFF ON THE MARCH!
After a hearty breakfast and loading the suitcases, we meet in front of the accommodation, from where we set off with a smile on the next stage of the march.
All you need to carry is a small backpack with a raincoat, drinks, a small snack, and personal medications.
BREAKS AND MEETING POINTS
Throughout the day, the leader will announce several breaks to recharge - often the breaks are near shops, gas stations, or mountain huts, where you can buy something tasty to eat or visit the restroom.
At selected locations, there are so-called meeting points where our drivers, Jarda and Ivana, can transport participants to the accommodation or to another meeting point if necessary, in case they want to continue later in the stage.
ARRIVAL AT THE ACCOMMODATION
In the afternoon, the exact time depending on the pace of the group, we arrive at the accommodation where your luggage will already be waiting for you.
DINNER
After checking in, a short rest, or a well-deserved shower, we have a warm dinner together.
NEXT DAY BRIEFING
After dinner, our leader and their assistants will introduce you to the route profile for the next day and provide other important organizational information.
EVENING PROGRAM / FREE TIME ENTERTAINMENT
On some evenings, we have a voluntary program prepared for you – this may include a film screening, a lecture, or a discussion.
On other evenings, there is free time, which you can spend continuing discussions with fellow marchers, enjoying well-deserved rest, or singing with a guitar :)
PROFILES OF INDIVIDUAL STAGES
DAY 1 (31 km)
The first and longest stage of the Vrba-Wetzler Memorial march begins at the Center for Dialogue and Prayer in Oświęcim. We will gradually pass through the extermination camp Birkenau, where we will stop near the Mexico block, where A. Wetzler and R. Vrba hid before embarking on their escape through the Polish Beskyds to Slovakia.
The stage is flat, passing through inhabited areas until we reach the village of Pisarzowice, where the central duo was offered help and shelter by a local woman.
DAY 2 (22 km)
The second stage is 9 km shorter than the first, but don't let that fool you. This is a stage with a large elevation gain, so it is more demanding. However, it is a very nice stage from a tourist perspective, because apart from the first three kilometers it leads through the forest. At one point we will rest in a meadow with a beautiful view of the surroundings. The march will again be varied by reading from the books of both heroes. The stage itself ends at the picturesque Magurka Wilkowicka mountain hut.
DAY 3 (21 km)
During the third stage, we descend steeply through the mountains to the village of Bystra, from where we then climb to the mountain town of Szczyrk. The reward for the challenging descents and ascents is accommodation in the beautiful Gronie Hotel.
DAY 4 (21 km)
We start the fourth day in an unconventional way – by taking the cable car from the village of Szczyrk to the Male Skrzyczne peak. After that, we will have a beautiful ridge through the Polish Beskydy Mountains and a descent along the stone river to the village of Kamesznica, from where it is only a short walk on the plain to the village of Milowka, where we will be accommodated in the Beskid Hotel.
DAY 5 (15 km)
From the village of Milówka we will go through forests and meadows to the viewpoint on Rachowiec Hill, from where we will descend to the border Polish village of Zwardoň to remember at the local railway station what happened here with the transports of Slovak Jewish prisoners. Before we stay with our long-time friends, we will visit the Vrba Wetzler Memorial by the Slovak sculptor Fero Guldan.
DAY 6 (11 km)
On the last day of the journey, we will set off to the authentic place where our two heroes managed to cross the Polish-Slovak border. We will find ourselves on the Skalanka hill, from where we will cross into the Slovak village of Skalité.
Here we will remember the courage of the Čaneckýs, who provided Vrba and Wetzler with all the facilities so that they could complete their mission – to reach Žilina and bear witness to the atrocities committed by the Nazis in the Auschwitz-Birkenau extermination complex.
Like them, we will take a train from Skalité to Žilina, where we will visit the Vrba and Wetzler memorial room on Hollého Street, located in the former Jewish retirement home.
