Here you can find photographs of dozens of Holocaust sites and memorials in Europe taken by Steve Gowler during several study-travel trips. Concise historical information is included for each site. Read more...
My name is Steve Gowler. I am Associate Professor of General Studies at Berea College, in Berea, Kentucky. Since 1999 I have taught courses on the Holocaust either as part of a teaching team or solo. Three times the class has been offered as a study-travel course that included three weeks of travel to historical sites in Germany, the Czech Republic, and Poland. In addition to these three travel courses, I spent several weeks traveling to Holocaust sites during sabbaticals in 2000 and 2011. This website includes selected photographs from these trips.
The first, less extensive, version of this “Remembering Catastrophe” site went online in 2001. This version includes revised text for the eleven camps included in the original site, and incorporates images and text for more 30 additional sites.
If you have questions or would like permission to use photos or other information from the site, please email me at steve_gowler@berea.edu.
I am happy to thank the following individuals and institutions for financial, technical, aesthetic, and moral advice and support before, during, and after my five trips to the sites of destruction and memory in Europe:
Matt Greene, my nephew and professional web designer, for his invaluable technical and creative assistance in developing the current version of the site in 2011-2012.
Larry Thornton, Professor of History at Hanover College, who was my co-planner and traveling companion in both 2000 and 2011.
Yuri Pavlov and his parents Alexander and Taisia, for their unbounded hospitality in Belarus in 2011.
Al Perkins, Susan Yorde, Martha Beagle, my teaching partners for the Berea College Holocaust Study-Travel courses in 2001, 2005, and 2009, respectively.
Steve Boyce and Stephanie Browner, Berea College Academic Deans who approved generous travel grants for my sabbatical trips in 2000 and 2011, respectively.
Chris Miller, Ying-Chen Milbraith, Alan Mills, Gordon McKinney, and The Berea College Teaching Learning Technology Initiative (funded by the Jessie Ball duPont Fund) for assistance with the first iteration of this website and the accompanying photographic exhibition in 2001.
Themules Holt, Berea College student, for his assistance in creating of the original version of this site in 2001.
Teresa Gowler, my wife, and daughters Stephanie, Rebekah, and Jessica, each of whom accompanied me on at least one of my trips.
The more than 70 students and faculty colleagues who participated in one of the Berea College Holocaust Study-Travel course.