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Tuesday – Tuesday : Katowice Week (Former Katowice Railway Station)

This is Katowice’s lovely new glass fronted railway station, in the same building as the substantial shopping centre Galerią Katowicką, all very modern and integrated. It’s meant a much better frontage, ticket selling facilities and the like, although the platform section hasn’t much changed. A new station had opened in 1972, but it wasn’t a very impressive building and it was demolished to be replaced with the current one. Fortunately, the 1972 railway station hadn’t been constructed on the site of the earlier nineteenth century building, which meant that the old structures were preserved.

For anyone interested in the old railway station, there’s an article at https://pl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stary_dworzec_kolejowy_w_Katowicach. But, this is what one wing looks like now, feeling rather abandoned, originally constructed in the 1850s although much modified since then.

The area in front of the former railway station is looking much better, with seating and this area has a fountain installed where previously there was just a temporary car park. The building jutting out in the middle is the former entrance to the railway station.

At least this stretch of the building has been kept and I’m sure it’ll be modernised and restored soon.

Inside the derelict building. I mostly took a photo of this just to see how the site develops over the next few years.

July 2, 2022
Tuesday : Leaving Katowice for Warsaw

After a relaxing and productive week in Katowice, it was a late morning intercity train back to Warsaw, costing around £10. As a summary of Katowice, I’d merrily recommend it as a destination and the budget airlines service it well from many cities around Europe. A former manufacturing area, it’s modernising and has plenty now for tourists to do and plenty of craft beer options. Not that craft beer options are the be all and end all of choosing destinations, but it should obviously be a factor….

I’m always a little nervous when two trains are departing at the same time, but mine was the 10:53 to Gdynia. Not the 10:53 to Krakow.

The platforms haven’t been much modernised in terms of facilities, as I made reference to in another post. But, everything was clean and organised and there were sufficient benches available.

Then the excitement starts, the train is showing as being delayed in Austria, as it was coming from Vienna. Obviously, the Polish bit of the journey was all fine, but it turned in around twenty minutes late. It was also evidently going to be a busy train given the number of people waiting for the service.

I can confirm it’s a relief to me when a train turns up when the app I was using it said that it would. I always leave lots of spare time in any travelling schedule, as I like to worry about things and always assume they’ll happen (my friend Liam would knock out all those frivolous gaps if he was arranging my travel, but he isn’t so I needn’t concern myself about that). Although I did think that this delay would be eating into my drinking time.

The train came in back to front, so I was standing at the wrong end of the platform. I muttered silently and traipsed to the other end of the platform and after getting to my carriage I was asked by a young Polish women to help her with getting her luggage on the train. The damn bag must have weighed about 30kgs, but I had to pretend that it was easy for me to manage lugging up the steps onto the train. The older Polish intercity trains aren’t very good for those with disabilities (although I think there are alternatives) and not are they easy to lift bloody heavy luggage up to. It was quite busy, and my reserved table seat had three of us, so this photo is after they left at the stop before me in Warsaw. The train made up the lost time, the guard was helpful and the power worked, all rather lovely.

A photo of the railway civil engineering project that is taking place just outside of Warsaw, I have to keep my content exciting for my friend Liam.

The whole of Warsaw to choose from, but of course, I had to go back to Hoppiness. This is the delectable Gelato : Orange Creamsicle from Funky Fluid, an ice cream sour packed with oranges from Portugal. I suspect this must have counted for three of my five a day, with the burger being as delicious as ever and there’s a tomato and lettuce in it, so that’s the other two of my five a day. I was careful not to impale any part of myself on the stick coming out of the burger.

I might have taken a photo of this before (I forget….) but it’s a pedestrian crossing which comes from all angles. Cars are very good at stopping for pedestrians at this junction, and indeed across Poland, but it’s an odd arrangement. The white hatching in the centre is part of the pedestrian crossing and it cuts across to all three pavements.

I always like looking at the Pomnik Chwała Saperom, or Glory to Sappers Memorial. It’s visible at the far end of this park, Park Sapera, which is currently being renovated and improved. Everything in Warsaw seems to have been either recently improved or redeveloped, part of why I very much like this city. Things seem to work and are constantly getting better in the city, which isn’t the case in other places that I’ve visited.

A monument in the park which I haven’t noticed before (I mean I haven’t noticed the monument, not the entire park), although there are literally thousands of memorials, tablets and plaques to the bravery of Poles in the Second World War, so I imagine I’ll still be noticing new ones for many years to come. This one is dedicated to the “Kryska” Home Army Grouping, although that included men from other European countries, who died during the Warsaw Uprising.

The Glory to Sappers Memorial I’ve written about before.

But this is the first time I’ve noticed there’s a list of names to the side of the memorial. Another list of the brave men who died in World War Two, so much of a generation wiped out by the hatred of a few national leaders who caused the conflict. These lists will be in Ukrainian cities in a few years, marking the bravery of those who lost their lives fighting for their nation and the right to be free.

And back again to the Ibis Budget in Warsaw for my final night in the city, probably for some months. I’ve written about this hotel before, so won’t bore my limited readership with further irrelevant prose…

I love the view over the Vistula and there’s the national stadium visible on the other side of the river. Very peaceful.

July 2, 2022
Books about Hertfordshire

BOOKS ABOUT HERTFORDSHIRE

The Origins of Hertfordshire by Tom Williamson is a large 270 page book which covers the history of the county from late prehistoric times to the thirteenth century. There’s lots of topographical history of the county, a subject not always well covered by books looking at this period of the county’s history. Primarily text based, as the period covered inevitably means that there is limited documentary evidence, there are though a number of maps. The book’s ISBN is 9781905313952.

The Buildings of England – Hertfordshire book is the Bible of building archaeology in England, initially edited by the astute Nikolaus Pevsner, with research support from Bridget Cherry. The book has been recently updated by James Bettley and is 720 pages full of tightly written text about the buildings of Hertfordshire, in tremendous detail. There are many perambulations around the county’s towns, covering the main buildings of note. Pevsner’s quite cutting remarks about some buildings have remained in the book and there are some initial chapters about the general history of the county. The book’s ISBN is 9780300223903.

The Watford to St. Albans Branch by SC Jenkins is part of the Locomotion Papers from the Oakwood Press. It’s a 90 page book which has an in-depth history of the line, with plenty of photos of stations, engines and also numerous older timetables and maps. There’s a great deal of clarity to the writing and plenty of history, despite this being a relatively short branch line. The book’s ISBN is 0853613990.

Branch Lines Around Hertford and Hatfield to Broxbourne, St. Albans and Buntingford by Vic Mitchell and Keith Smith was published by Middleton Press in 2009. There are around 100 pages in the book, with Middleton being one of the prolific publishers of titles about the railway network. This title covers the evolution of the electrified branch line to Hertford East, along with the country branch to Buntingford. There’s not a substantial amount of supporting text, but the photos are interesting to look at, especially given how much has changed over the decades. There are also two pages of timetables, from the 1860s to the 1950s. The book’s ISBN is 9781906008581.

The Origins of Hatfield Street Names compiled by Frank J Cox is a 16 page book which details how all of the streets in the town of Hatfield acquired their names. The book was published by Hatfield This Century, now the Hatfield Local History Society. The reasons for the name of Fiddle Bridge Lane are intriguing, it’s likely linked to the story of a merry fiddler from the medieval period.

Hertfordshire Churches and Other Places of Worship by Jeffery W Whitelaw is 140 pages long and is something of a basic introduction to the historic religious buildings in the county. The book starts with a history of the local parish, with a chapter on the Cathedral and Abbey Church of St. Alban, with the book having an introduction by the Bishop. There’s then a section of post-conquest churches and monasteries up to the Reformation, then a chapter which covers the post-Reformation period. The next two chapters cover what to look for inside a church, then what to look for outside a church, along with a glossary of terms and then a gazetteer of the county’s churches. The book’s ISBN is 0948353856.

Hertfordshire Buses by John Law is a 96 page book published by Amberley which has tens of photos of older coaches from the 1930s to today. Between the 1930s and the 1960s the buses were operated by London Transport, before being handed to the National Bus Company in 1969. Bus deregulation in the 1980s led by Margaret Thatcher saw it split into numerous smaller companies. There’s plenty of supporting text under each photo and it’s a well-written title. The book’s ISBN is 9781445669717.

Hatfield and Its People – Part 5 : Roads and Railways was published in 1960 and was written by members of the Hatfield Branch of the Workers’ Educational Association. It’s a comprehensive 32 page book about primarily the evolution of the road system and the railways.

Hatfield and Its People – Part 8 : Schools was published in 1962 and was written by members of the Hatfield Branch of the Workers’ Educational Association. It’s a short 32 page book which is nearly entirely about the Countess Anne foundation. The initial text of the book apologises about the omission about most other schools in the area, although they are very briefly listed. Unfortunately, the title of the book is perhaps a little misleading given how it is so focused on one institution, but it does cover this subject with some clarity.

Hatfield and Its People – Part 11A : Families and Trades was published in 1964 and was written by members of the Hatfield Branch of the Workers’ Educational Association. It’s a 46 page book is inevitably a little niche given the broad subject being covered, which is the story of Hatfield’s trade and business families.

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A Walk Around Old Hatfield by Gladys Brown is a short pamphlet which acts as an introduction to the town’s history. The author notes that there’s little new to long-term residents of Hatfield, but it is a useful history for those wanting to walk around and discover the important heritage elements. Brown was a former teacher and also a founder member of Hatfield This Century (later known as Hatfield Local History Society).

Portrait of Hertfordshire by Brian J Bailey is 210 pages long and was originally published in 1978 by Robert Hale. It’s a conversational book in tone which makes it very readable, with the introduction noting that it has more village greens than any other county, and it was noted in the epilogue how important agriculture remained to the people of Hertfordshire. The author noted that he hoped that didn’t change, otherwise “the next chapter in the county’s story may well be the way to oblivion”.

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Glebe Cottages Hatfield by Joy Emerton is a short pamphlet published by Frank J Cox for Hatfield Local History Society. It tells the story of the first 100 years of Glebe Cottages, from 1892 until 1992, including the names of the block residents and several photos.

A Caring County? Social Welfare in Hertfordshire from 1600 edited by Steven King and Gillian Gear. This 350 page book was published the University of Hertfordshire Press and as an academic rigour to it, but it’s still a readable book and an intriguing question asked throughout is how has Hertfordshire dealt with the social needs of its residents over the centuries? The authors conclude that in many ways that the county has proved to be caring and nimble in its dealings with those needing assistance. The book’s ISBN is 9781909291126.

Archaeology in Hertfordshire Recent Research – A Festschrift for Tony Rook edited by Kris Lockyear is a large 350 page book which covers the recent research that has taken place regarding the archaeological history of the county. The author Kris Lockyear is a senior lecturer at the Institute of Archaeology at UCL and the director of the Welwyn Archaeological Society. The reference to Tony Rook is because he was the founder of the Welwyn Archaeological Society and is very much a niche book, but essential reading though for those wanting a broad understanding of the different investigations which have taken place. The book’s ISBN is 9781909291423.

Hertfordshire Soldiers of the Great War by Paul Johnson and Dan Hill is 280 pages long and is written by two military historians. Always well researched and with immense detail, there’s a chapter covering each year of the war, along with an extra section on the 1920s and another on the Home Front. There are numerous illustrations throughout, with this being a comprehensive introduction to what soldiers from the county faced during the First World War. The book’s ISBN is 1473893933.

A Pilgrimage in Hertfordshire by HM Alderman was originally published in 1931 as a perambulation around the county, covering many of the landmarks in Hertfordshire. There are plenty of pen drawings of various historic locations and the book was republished in the 1990s to make it more accessible. The republished book’s ISBN is 1871199336.

Biplanes to Rockets – 48 Years in Aviation by Ben French is a book about the recollections of a De Havilland Ground Engineer. French worked for the company between January 1935 and October 1983 and the book was originally written for his family, but then was published so that a wider audience can understand more about not just his own career, but also the heritage and history of the company. The book’s ISBN is 9781526205384.

July 1, 2022
Towns in Hertfordshire

Some of the larger settlements in Hertfordshire and a brief history of each.

Borehamwood

Borehamwood is a town in Hertfordshire, England. It has a history that dates back to the medieval period, and its name is thought to derive from the “boreham wood” that was once located there.

In the 19th and early 20th centuries, Borehamwood was a small rural village. However, with the growth of London, the town underwent significant development in the 20th century, particularly during the interwar period, and became a suburban town. The film and television industries also established themselves in the town, with Elstree Studios located in Borehamwood.

Today, Borehamwood is a vibrant and bustling town with a diverse community, good transport links, and a variety of shops, restaurants, and other amenities. Despite its suburban character, it still retains some green spaces, including a number of parks and nature reserves, which provide a peaceful escape from the hustle and bustle of the town.

Bushey

Bushey is a town located in the county of Hertfordshire, England. The town has a history that dates back to the medieval period, with records of its existence going back to the 11th century. During the medieval period, Bushey was a small agricultural village, with its primary industry being farming.

In the 19th and 20th centuries, Bushey underwent significant growth and development, becoming a suburban town with a thriving community and several industries. The town was particularly known for its hat-making industry, which was one of the largest in the country at the time.

Today, Bushey is a vibrant and dynamic town with a diverse community, good transport links, and a variety of shops, restaurants, and other amenities. Despite its suburban character, it still retains some green spaces, including parks and nature reserves, which provide a peaceful escape from the hustle and bustle of the town.

Cheshunt

Cheshunt is a town in the Broxbourne borough of Hertfordshire, England, located on the River Lea. Its history dates back to the Roman period, when it was known as Cestrehunt, and was a major settlement along the Roman road that linked London to Colchester. During the Norman conquest, Cheshunt was mentioned in the Domesday Book of 1086 and was granted to the Bishop of London.

In the Middle Ages, Cheshunt was a market town and became an important centre for agriculture and brickmaking in the 19th century. The town was connected to London by the railway in 1840, leading to further growth and development. During World War II, Cheshunt suffered significant damage from German bombing, but was rebuilt after the war.

In the mid-20th century, Cheshunt saw significant growth with the arrival of major companies, such as Tesco and Sony, setting up their headquarters in the town. This led to an influx of residents and a expansion of the town’s residential and commercial areas. Today, Cheshunt is a suburban town with a mix of residential, commercial, and industrial areas and is known for its parks, lakes, and sports facilities.

Harpenden

Harpenden is a town in the St Albans district of Hertfordshire, England. It has a long history, with evidence of human habitation dating back to the Neolithic period. In the Middle Ages, Harpenden was a small agricultural village and remained so until the late 19th century, when it began to grow as a commuter town for London. The arrival of the railway in 1868 and the development of the town’s infrastructure led to a significant increase in population.

In the early 20th century, Harpenden continued to grow as a popular residential area and became a hub for the surrounding rural communities. The town saw a significant expansion in the interwar period, with the development of many new homes and the construction of several new schools and community facilities.

Today, Harpenden is a thriving town with a population of over 30,000. It is known for its historic architecture, parks and open spaces, and its high-quality shopping and dining options. The town is also home to several sporting clubs, a golf club, and a theatre, and is a popular destination for tourists and visitors.

Hatfield

Hatfield is a town in Hertfordshire, England, with a history dating back to the Roman period. The town was mentioned in the Domesday Book of 1086 and was the site of a royal palace in the Middle Ages, which was used by several monarchs, including King Henry VIII. In the 16th century, the palace was demolished and replaced by Hatfield House, which remains an important landmark in the town today.

During the Industrial Revolution, Hatfield grew as a centre for industry and transportation, with the arrival of the railway in the 19th century. The town was also home to several major aircraft and defence companies, including De Havilland and British Aerospace, which played a major role in the development of the aviation industry.

In the 20th century, Hatfield saw significant growth and development, with the construction of many new homes and the expansion of the town’s commercial and industrial areas. Today, Hatfield is a thriving suburban town with a mix of residential, commercial, and industrial areas, and is known for its parks, lakes, and sports facilities. The town is also home to the University of Hertfordshire, which was established in the mid-20th century and has grown to become one of the largest universities in the UK.

Hemel Hempstead

Hemel Hempstead is a town in Hertfordshire, England. It has a long history, with evidence of human habitation dating back to the Roman period. The town was mentioned in the Domesday Book of 1086 and was a small agricultural village for much of its history.

During the Industrial Revolution, Hemel Hempstead began to grow as a centre for industry and transportation, with the arrival of the railway in the 19th century. The town was also home to several major paper mills and printing works, which helped to drive its economic growth.

In the mid-20th century, Hemel Hempstead underwent significant expansion as a result of the government’s New Towns program, which aimed to alleviate overcrowding in London and other major cities. The town was designated as a New Town in 1947 and saw rapid growth, with the construction of many new homes, schools, and community facilities.

Today, Hemel Hempstead is a thriving suburban town with a population of over 90,000. It is known for its parks, lakes, and sports facilities, and is a popular destination for tourists and visitors. The town is also home to several large employers, including Marlowes Shopping Centre, which is one of the largest shopping centres in the UK.

Hertford

Hertford is the county town of Hertfordshire, England and has a long history, with evidence of human habitation dating back to the Roman period. The town was mentioned in the Domesday Book of 1086 and was a market town and an important centre for agriculture in the Middle Ages.

In the 16th and 17th centuries, Hertford was a centre for the wool trade and became known for its production of cloth and hats. The town was also a centre for the brewing industry, with several breweries established in the 17th and 18th centuries.

In the 19th century, Hertford saw significant growth as a result of the arrival of the railway and the expansion of the town’s infrastructure. This led to the development of new homes, schools, and community facilities, as well as a growth in industry and commerce.

Today, Hertford is a thriving town with a population of over 26,000. It is known for its historic architecture, parks and open spaces, and its high-quality shopping and dining options. The town is also a popular destination for tourists and visitors, and is home to several sporting clubs, a theatre, and several museums and galleries.

Hoddesdon

Hoddesdon is a town in the Broxbourne borough of Hertfordshire, England. It has a long history, with evidence of human habitation dating back to the Roman period. In the Middle Ages, Hoddesdon was a small agricultural village and remained so until the late 19th century, when it began to grow as a result of the expansion of the railway network.

In the early 20th century, Hoddesdon continued to grow as a popular residential area for workers in London, and saw the development of several new homes and community facilities. During World War II, the town was badly affected by bombing, with many homes and businesses damaged or destroyed.

After the war, Hoddesdon underwent significant redevelopment, with the construction of many new homes and the expansion of the town’s commercial and industrial areas. Today, Hoddesdon is a thriving town with a population of over 20,000. It is known for its parks, lakes, and sports facilities, and is a popular destination for tourists and visitors. The town is also home to several large employers, including pharmaceutical and medical technology companies.

Letchworth

Letchworth is a town in Hertfordshire, England. It is one of the first garden cities in the world and was founded in 1903 as a response to the growing problems of overcrowding and poor living conditions in urban areas. The garden city movement aimed to create a new type of urban settlement, one that was based on the principles of town planning and incorporated large areas of green space and parks.

Letchworth was designed as a planned town, with a grid-like street layout and a mix of residential, commercial, and industrial areas. The town was also designed to be self-sufficient, with its own water and sewage systems, electricity generation facilities, and parks and open spaces. In the years following its founding, Letchworth grew rapidly, attracting residents from London and other urban areas. The town was also an important centre for industry, with several major companies setting up operations there.

Today, Letchworth is a thriving town with a population of over 35,000. It is known for its parks and open spaces, and its distinctive architecture, which combines elements of Arts and Crafts style with Art Deco.

Rickmansworth

Rickmansworth is a town in the Three Rivers district of Hertfordshire, England. It has a long history, with evidence of human habitation dating back to the Roman period. In the Middle Ages, Rickmansworth was a small agricultural village and remained so until the late 19th century, when it began to grow as a result of the expansion of the railway network.

In the early 20th century, Rickmansworth continued to grow as a popular residential area for workers in London, and saw the development of several new homes and community facilities. During World War II, the town was badly affected by bombing, with many homes and businesses damaged or destroyed.

After the war, Rickmansworth underwent significant redevelopment, with the construction of many new homes and the expansion of the town’s commercial and industrial areas. Today, Rickmansworth is a thriving town with a population of over 15,000. It is known for its parks, lakes, and sports facilities, and is a popular destination for tourists and visitors. The town is also home to several large employers, including pharmaceutical and medical technology companies.

St Albans

St Albans is a city in Hertfordshire, England with a rich and diverse history. The city was originally called Verulamium and was a major Roman settlement and a centre of commerce and industry in the Roman province of Britannia. After the fall of the Roman Empire, Verulamium declined, but the town remained an important centre for agriculture and trade in the Middle Ages.

In the 16th and 17th centuries, St Albans became a centre for the cloth trade and was known for its production of fine cloth. The city was also an important centre for religion and was the site of several significant events in English church history, including the trial of St Alban, England’s first Christian martyr, and the birth of the English Reformation.

In the 19th and 20th centuries, St Albans grew rapidly as a result of the expansion of the railway network and the growth of London, and became a popular residential area for workers in the capital. Today, St Albans is a thriving city with a population of over 140,000. It is known for its rich history and cultural heritage, its parks and open spaces, and its high-quality shopping and dining options. The city is also home to several museums, theatres, and other cultural attractions, and is a popular destination for tourists and visitors.

Stevenage

Stevenage is a town in Hertfordshire, England. It is one of the country’s first new towns and was established in the mid-20th century as part of the UK government’s response to the growing problems of overcrowding and poor living conditions in urban areas.

The concept of the new town was to create a planned community with a mix of residential, commercial, and industrial areas, and to provide high-quality housing and public facilities for residents. Stevenage was designed as a self-contained town, with its own schools, shops, and public transport, and with plenty of green spaces and parks. In the years following its establishment, Stevenage grew rapidly, attracting residents from London and other urban areas. The town was also an important centre for industry, with several major companies setting up operations there.

Today, Stevenage is a thriving town with a population of over 85,000. It is known for its parks and open spaces, and its distinctive architecture, which combines elements of modernist and brutalist design.

Tring

Tring is a small market town in Hertfordshire, England, with a long and fascinating history. Archaeological evidence suggests that the area has been inhabited for thousands of years, and there are several historic sites in and around the town, including an Iron Age hill fort and a Roman settlement.

In the Middle Ages, Tring was a small agricultural village and was known for its wool trade. During the Tudor period, the town grew and prospered, and several fine buildings were constructed, including Tring Manor, which still stands today.

In the 19th and 20th centuries, Tring continued to grow and expand, and became a popular residential area for workers in London. The town was also a centre for industry, with several major companies setting up operations there.

Today, Tring is a thriving market town with a population of over 11,000. It is known for its historic buildings, its parks and open spaces, and its high-quality shopping and dining options.

Watford

Watford is a large town in Hertfordshire, England with a rich and diverse history. Archaeological evidence suggests that the area has been inhabited for thousands of years, and there are several historic sites in and around the town, including an Iron Age hill fort and a Roman settlement.

In the Middle Ages, Watford was a small agricultural village and remained so until the 19th century, when it began to grow as a result of the expansion of the railway network. In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, Watford became a popular residential area for workers in London, and saw the development of several new homes and community facilities.

During the 20th century, Watford continued to grow and expand, and became a major centre for industry and commerce. The town was home to several large companies, including printing and publishing firms, and was an important centre for the manufacture of paper, textiles, and other products.

Ware

Ware is a market town in Hertfordshire, England with a history that dates back to the Roman period. The town grew around a Roman settlement, which was established in the 1st century AD and became an important centre for trade and commerce.

In the Middle Ages, Ware became a prosperous market town and was known for its wool trade. During the Tudor period, the town grew and prospered, and several fine buildings were constructed, including several historic inns and taverns.

In the 19th and 20th centuries, Ware continued to grow and expand, and became a popular residential area for workers in London. The town was also a centre for industry, with several major companies setting up operations there.

July 1, 2022
Tuesday – Tuesday : Katowice Week (Bytom)

Without giving a long lecture about the history of Poland, the area around Katowice is part of Upper Silesia. Before the First World War, the land was mostly part of Prussia, but that conflict changed everything for this region. The new independent Poland was created in 1918, the Second Polish Republic, and the land borders needed to be defined. This was a tricky situation in Upper Silesia, some people considered themselves as German and some considered themselves as Polish, and, of course, the dividing line was not clear.

The League of Nations were trying to resolve the situation when they lost control and the local Poles rose up in anger on three occasions. In the end, there was only one option, which was to have a vote of the people who lived there, asking do you want to be in Poland or Germany? And the results didn’t provide the clarity that the allied authorities might have hoped for. The town of Katowice voted strongly to be German, but the residents around it wanted to be Polish, with a similar situation in Bytom. Bytom’s division was as clear as mud, 73,567 voted to be German, whilst 73,122 wanted to be Polish.

Katowice became Polish because of the wider region, and they built a huge new Parliament building there which was for a long time the largest building in Poland. Bytom though was given to Germany, because they were able to give some of the territory around it to Poland and the city itself had wanted to become German. Looking back, I don’t know if a further eruption of these borders was inevitable, but of course Hitler’s vision for Europe blew the arrangements apart. In 1939, his armies walked into Poland and he claimed Silesia was once permanently reunited as part of Germany.

Following the end of the Second World War, the then border town of Bytom was given to Poland and it’s no longer anywhere near the German border. I mention all this as the city has had a different twentieth century compared to Katowice, given it was under German control for over two decades.

The legacy is still visible, this shopfront still has the pre-war signage from when the city was in Germany. I found this exposed sign fascinating, it does bring the past to life.

Bytom was not treated well under the communist occupied period following the Second World War, it became a dirty, polluted and heavily industralised area, although the seven coal mines provided a lot of work. Its transformation has been dramatic over the last couple of decades, but there’s plenty to do, as is visible with buildings such as this which are next to the main market square.

There were literally tens of large buildings in the central area which are derelict, with no obvious signs that they’re going to be redeveloped any time soon.

Although I’ve jumped a little ahead with this story, the region has excellent transport links, this is the tram I photographed in Katowice which took me straight to Bytom. A day pass to use the entire network of trams in the region, which is one of the largest networks in Europe, costs under £2.

It wasn’t the busiest tram service that I’ve ever been on. And my first impressions of Bytom weren’t great, the tram swept through derelict areas and then when I got off the tram there was a drunk man urinating in the little park area. It’s wrong to judge any location by an initial impression like that, but on this occasion, there didn’t feel the air of confidence that is evident in nearby Katowice.

Excuse my mistranslation, but this means something like “women know what they are doing”.

The Chopin monument in front of the opera house and I don’t know when this was put here, but I’m confident it was after the Second World War given his importance to the Polish nation.

Another derelict building, this one feels very Prussian in design.

All photos of the main market square, which is huge and has had some work to improve its look, although some buildings looking out onto it are derelict. Some structures are grand Prussian designs, others are more utilitarian post-war structures which were almost just thrown up.

The sleeping lion, which is one of the city’s iconic monuments. It dates from 1873 when it was erected on a plinth to mark those from the local area who lost their lives in the Franco-Prussian War. The plinth was destroyed during the Second World War and somehow the lion was moved to Warsaw Zoo where he sat outside guarding the entrance. In 2008, he was returned to Bytom and there are some photos of the lion on the plinth at https://instytutkorfantego.pl/blog/lew-spiacy-historia-jednego-odlewu/.

The catholic Church of St. Mary’s.

Bytom had a feeling that it was on the up, although there’s quite a lot of up still to go. There isn’t the vibrancy in terms of the number of restaurants, cafes and bars, but there’s an evident cultural base to the city with the opera house and other similar institutions.

One sign of wealth coming into a city is the opening of a large shopping centre and Bytom has one of those with an interesting sculpture.

I went to have a look at the sculpture.

They’ve dug one of the main routes up and are just working around the pedestrians.

I had to pop into the city’s outlet of Cukiernia Sowa.

Delicious. That hot chocolate is thick, decadent and bloody lovely.

It had an excellent view of Holy Trinity Church as well throughout the window.

In English, “I’m smiling at you”.

This is Plac Grunwaldzki and that’s the synagogue on the right hand side. It was built in 1869 on the site of a previous synagogue but was destroyed during Kristallnacht on 9 November 1938. This happened just two days after Joseph Goebbels had visited the city calling for hate to be shown to the Jews, with the local Jewish community being forced to watch the destruction of their synagogue. At the time, I imagine the community must have wished they were the other side of the border in Poland, although of course a year later the Germans had marched into Katowice and destroyed the synagogue there as well.

What is haunting is standing in front of the sign with the photo on, seeing that everything is still there other than the synagogue.

A block of apartment buildings has been built on part of the site now, but this plaque was recently put here to reminder people of the history. They did some archaeological work on the site recently, to pin down the exact dimensions of the synagogue and see what evidence could be found of the older structure.

And getting the tram back out, which wasn’t difficult given the excellent public transport system that I’ve already mentioned. Bytom really was an interesting place, it would have been a vibrant Prussian city at the beginning of the twentieth century, with new buildings being constructed and many in the area were becoming wealthy. I can imagine the optimism at that point, which all fell apart during the First World War, then the uncertainty in the years after that conflict. The Germans tried to make their border town wealthy during the inter-war period, but that prosperity collapsed during the Second World War.

The remaining German population was mostly moved out after the Second World War, a mass movement of people which is often overlooked in history, with the Polish population displaced from the eastern side of the country often being moved here. It meant a new city, but the post-war period wasn’t kind to Bytom with the lack of investment. The population started to move away in the 1980s and 1990s, with a return to prosperity only returning relatively recently and there’s still a long way to go. Bearing in mind that the city had a population of 240,000 in 1989 and it’s now 170,000, the size of the challenge is evident.

I’m not sure of the city’s future, it needs more people to move there to see a need to renovate and restore the derelict buildings. It’s not going to be a big tourist attraction, as even the nearby Katowice is often overlooked by visitors to Poland, so it’ll have to find its own economic niche. I get the impression that if I come back to Bytom in 25 years, it’ll be unrecogisable and will feel like a much more modern and vibrant city.

June 30, 2022
Monday : Siedlce to Mokotów Holiday Inn Express via Warsaw Bars

Continuing this story of a soggy Siedlce railway station…. The railway station was constructed in 1866 and, to be honest, it probably needs a bit of modernisation in the way that similar locations are being transformed across Poland. The original buildings were burnt down before the Second World, replaced with rather functional post-war structures and then modernised a bit for when the Pope visited. Handy arrangement that, get a new railway station by the Pope visiting, perhaps he could pop to a few places in the UK that I think need one.

Same sort of train as I got to get to Siedlce, operated by Koleje Mazowieckie. On time again, very reliable.

And not at all busy. Spotlessly clean again.

Back into Warsaw Śródmieście railway station, which always feels Russian to me.

I mentioned in a previous post that there’s only one track here and the railway carriages can be accessed from either side, it’s a bit more obvious in this photo.

I hadn’t been to Hoppiness in Warsaw on this trip, so I treated myself to a decadent and suitably rich beer, the Fruit Machine from Browar Monsters, including passion fruit, white guava, pineapple and vanilla. Very healthy and nutritious.

I couldn’t resist a little trip to Cukiernia Sowa either, one of my favourite Polish chains that I frequently mentioned. I can’t claim great entertainment of new places to write about here, since this is another repeat visit, but quality deserves checking on again and again.

The Siedlce rain reached Warsaw and so I panicked and rushed into a pub for safety. I sat with this beer in PINTA for over an hour, not because it was annoying me somehow, but because it was so rich that it deserved to be savoured slowly. Oh, and it was still raining outside, so I wasn’t going anywhere. And what a beautiful beer, another from PINTA themselves, as this is their taproom, and I had several in this range of imperial stouts at the Warsaw Beer Festival a few months back. This beer was no less delightful, being smooth, rich, velvety, coconuty and a perfect drink for when it’s wet outside. Or indeed when it’s dry outside. That reminds me, I must go back to the Warsaw Beer Festival next year.

There’s the outside of PINTA when it’s not pouring down with rain.

Another tram journey as I was heading towards a hotel I had never stayed in before, the Mokotów Holiday Inn Express.

I may have mentioned before, indeed on several occasions, that I’d like to see more tram services in the UK. They’re much better than buses, they’re easier to board and usually quicker.

I popped to Lidl for two things and they have self-service checkouts, which I’m not sure whether or not is a thing in the UK ones. Anyway, I was third in the queue, and the woman in front of me said to go ahead of her as she had about fifteen things, then so did the woman in front and then the woman in front of her, so I didn’t have to wait very long. I kept trying to say no, as I wasn’t in a rush and hate queue jumping, but I admire the Polish style about these things. It’s a warm feeling about humanity in general. Anyway, there’s a nice bridge to cross the road with.

And the view from above the road, with the tram lines sweeping through. A thoroughly modern city, but I’ve mentioned that about Warsaw before.

My abode for the night, the Holiday Inn Express.

This is one of the best rooms I’ve had in a Holiday Inn Express, not least because the air conditioning worked and the windows opened. It was rather lovely listening to trams clanking on by, I like that sort of street noise, but I could have shut the windows if I didn’t want to hear it. The room was clean, the staff member at reception was friendly, I very much liked the whole arrangement. Unlike the UK, where the night-time street sounds are added to by about 15 groups of drunk groups shouting and smashing things, Poland doesn’t have anywhere near the same problem.

Looking back the other way, I quite like that desk arrangement, it’s a well thought out room, I’d happily stay here again. It was good to be back in Warsaw for one night, but I don’t think anyone who reads this blog would have expected me to write anything different. There was a new week ahead and I was on the move to Katowice.

June 28, 2022
Tuesday : Warsaw to Katowice by Train

Most of this post is simply recounting the story of one train journey, but that’s because I like recording these trips so that I remember them, so apologies to those that think that there’s a lot about trains in these posts. The morning started with the reassuring sounds of trams operating on a marginally different theme though.

The Holiday Inn Express breakfast which is quite heavily orientated to hot items, unlike Accor Hotels who are mostly about cold food options. I didn’t investigate the hot food, but the choice was quite limited, although this breakfast is included in the room rate and that normally restricts things a bit.

That’s more me.

I noted a few things were out of date which seemed odd in a fast moving environment. I doubt many people check these things, but I’m strange like that. Of those who notice, I bet even fewer take the time to photograph the dates and put them on a blog though….. Anyway, moving on.

The hotel is visible on the right of the photo, so near to the tram stop that goes into the centre of Warsaw and takes around 20 minutes.

Yes, yet another photo of a tram interior. This blog is a gift to anyone who likes looking at photos of Warsaw tram interiors.

Oops. I had a couple of hours to kill and I like the Polish KFCs as they are cheap and there’s unlimited soft drinks, so my laptop and I were productive for this time.

This is the ceiling of the shopping centre and that’s some very heavy rain forming.

The main concourse of Warszawa Centralna railway station. There’s free wi-fi from PKP in larger Polish railway stations which is always handy.

Down to platform 3.

And that’s my train, the 14:05 international service which goes to Vienna in Austria, via Katowice. These PKP inter-city trains are more expensive, I bought my ticket the day before and it cost £9 which I don’t think is too bad to cross half-way across Poland.

It was looking a busy service and it had come from Gdynia, another of my favourite cities, located just outside of Gdansk.

I accept this photograph isn’t worth entering into any competitions, unless it’s blurry photos of a train. But that’s what it looks like anyway. The train was too busy for me to take photos on, as I didn’t want people to wonder what I was doing. How travel bloggers video everything without being self-conscious I don’t know.

As mentioned, the service was quite busy, although I had no-one sitting next to me, but the two seats opposite were taken. Polish trains are very keen on seat reservations and the woman opposite me was quite annoyed at another older woman had moved her, it seems incorrectly. I know she was annoyed as she told me (in English, I think she assumed the older woman didn’t speak English), but I wasn’t going to confront a babushka about the situation.

The service was a little hot and we also had windowgate. There are only a couple of windows on the train and the window was located above our table. A young German man came over and said in English he wanted to close it, which seemed a compromise on language that suited me. I didn’t much want to close the window, but I decided to let the lady opposite choose, and she didn’t want a fight, so said yes and the German man shut it. Fifteen minutes later, a grumpy Polish man stomped down and said in Polish he was hot and so could I open the window? I mean, that put me in an awkward place, but I just opened it and was pleased with the outcome, but nervous that the German would stomp back down the carriage. Fortunately, he didn’t, and all was well.

And back in Katowice for the fourth time…..

June 28, 2022
Thursday : Pottering Around Warsaw

I can’t remember the exact number of visits, but this is something like the twentieth time I’ve come to Warsaw, one of my most favourite cities. I thought that I’d treat myself to a leisurely day in the city without needing to rush around.

The leisurely day started with the Mercure hotel breakfast arrangement, with a mound of chicken that I’d hidden underneath the rolls as my first plate.

The selection has definitely got better here over the years, although there are no gherkins which is unusual for a Polish Accor hotel, but the selection of cold meats is certainly sufficiently decadent. Often Ibis hotels have meats that I can’t identify by sight or taste, so I tend to stay clear of those, but it was much better here. There are other counters with pastries, hot food and other random things such as fruit.

I thought I’d splash out the £2 or so for an unlimited travel card for the day, which are much more affordable than the equivalent ticket in London.

The POLIN Jewish museum, which I’ve been to before, but as it was the free admission day, I decided to see what temporary exhibitions they had on. There were a lot of school parties touring the museum, but they were all suitably well behaved, something rather necessary given the nature of the museum. Oddly, the museum has decided to let visitors put their bags into the luggage storage area themselves and pick them up themselves, which seems a slight security risk to me. I spent most of my time in the museum worrying whether my laptop was safe, as unlike my friend Liam, I feel the need to worry about these things. I doubt Liam would have even thought about the risk, he’s far too care-free.

Kazimierz is the Jewish quarter of Krakow, relevant to me as it’s where I’m currently sitting writing this a couple of weeks on. I’ll catch up on posts soon enough…..

The decorative nature of Jewish art, this is a recreation of the Gwoździec Synagogue which is now in Ukraine and which was destroyed by the Nazis during the Second World War.

One of the elements that is interesting to me about the situation for the Jews in Poland during the 1930s is that many didn’t know what to do. Some just hoped the Germans wouldn’t invade Poland, so the fear of repression and hatred that Jews in Germany were suffering from might not have come to pass in anywhere near the same way. This photo is of the Cembal family from the town of Wyszków which is located to the north-east of Warsaw. Israel (third from right) was able to get to Argentina in 1935, but there were sufficient anti-semitic incidents that caused his wife and daughter fearful and so in 1937 they too managed to join Israel in South America.

The part of this which I find relevant is just how much the remainder of the post-war Jewish population must have looked back on their lives and wondered if they should have fled earlier and why they didn’t. Some, such as Otto Frank, had taken their family from Germany to Amsterdam, hoping they would find peace and freedom there. It was never inevitable that the Germans would march across Europe so quickly and decimate the Jewish population to the extent that they did, so it’s understandable that many families didn’t take the risk of uprooting themselves and fleeing. Hindsight is of course a wonderful thing and those who successfully left must have only looked on with horror with what they escaped. Although many Jewish families wouldn’t have sufficient money to be able to afford to flee, or the domestic arrangements to support such a move.

This photograph appears frequently in displays on the Holocaust and it was taken in the Krakow ghetto in 1942 (although the museum dates it to 1940). That grinning face of the Nazi officer is sinister and the ever present on-looker who did nothing to help.

This image is from Krasiński Square in Warsaw and was taken in 1940, with the Polish reading “Jews must not walk on this side of the street”.

The museum doesn’t have a huge number of exhibits, partly because not much survived the ghetto and also because it’s relatively new and so other institutions have had time to build up more substantial collections. This is an anti-typhus vaccine which was smuggled into the Warsaw Ghetto, likely from Lwów (now the Ukrainian city of Lviv) or Krakow.

The ghettos established by the Germans in Poland, this is another example of the sheer enormity of what happened in the country during the early 1940s.

This photo is one of 53 taken by Franz Konrad to show the demise of the Warsaw Ghetto and the destruction of the city’s Jewish population. It’s not clear exactly what humiliation is being meted out by the Nazi guards, but that adds somewhat to the depth of the image, it could have been one of so many things.

Another one from the album of 53 photos, but I’ve seen this one in many exhibitions before given the powerful nature of the imagery. That poor little boy, who I imagine likely lost his life soon after.

Jedwabne is a live political issue in Poland, it’s the site of a war crime where 340 men, women and children were killed in the village. It took place on 10 July 1941 and became a political issue again between 2000 and 2003 when the site was excavated for historical purposes, with the conclusion that local Poles as well as Germans were responsible for the crimes. The Polish President apologised for the crimes against humanity, but some believed this was not the responsibility of the Poles. I’m not sure that the Poles need to be so defensive, the country was not to blame for the Holocaust, but of course there were individuals who signed up the violent and hateful ideology of the Nazis, especially at a time without a free media. There is a widespread feeling though in the country that concentration camps should be referred to Nazi camps in Poland, rather than as Polish concentration camps.

Back to the image, the keys in the photo were excavated from the barn where the villagers were burnt to death, so they’re quite haunting.

The special temporary exhibition in the museum was on Jewish food, which was interesting, although I’m more engaged in the historical angle of the exhibits. And I was also still worrying about my laptop, which I’m pleased to write was sitting there quite happily still in the museum’s luggage storage facility.

The frontage of the museum, which has won numerous design awards.

Located opposite the POLIN museum is this sculpture of Jan Karski who fearlessly travelled Europe to ensure that messages about what was happening in Poland, including in the ghettos, got through to the Provisional Polish Government. He was awarded the Righteous Among the Nations award in June 1982, a formidably brave man and there’s plenty more about his story at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jan_Karski.

One of my many new rituals is to pop to KFC on the first full day that I arrive back in Warsaw. It tastes better than the UK version and it’s much cheaper.

It was very hot, so I thought the underground would be cooler, which it was. Travel during the warmer months is a challenge for me, goodness knows why people go and seek heat out.

Back in Jabeerwocky.

The Bah Oui DNEIPA and the Triple Coffee & Salt, both from Funky Fluid, one of the most creative brewers in Poland. I like the flavour of salt in beer incidentally, it can add a rather pleasant after-taste to the arrangement. Anyway, this is a craft beer pub that is worth a little meander along to.

The Warsaw skyline and I was pleased to see that the sun had disappeared and it was suddenly less hot.

Then something odd happened, all the signage for the trams was put on hold and emergency vehicles were using the tram tracks.

A poor pedestrian had been struck by a tram and was receiving medical attention behind the red hoarding they’d put up. I decided against getting photos any closer as I don’t know what happened in this incident, but I was intrigued to see just how quickly Warsaw became grid-locked. I was also impressed at how quickly the TV crews got there, they were filming right by the accident and I’m never sure how they get to some incidents like this faster than the emergency services.

The air ambulance flew in. Anyway, there’s no need for any more photos of this tragic incident.

It’s not entirely clear in this photo, but I could count over 18 trams lined up. I got on the one near the front and finally after around twenty minutes they were able to clear the road, so we were moving once again.

And the welcome drink back at the hotel, a delicious Żywiec Porter.

June 26, 2022
Friday : Train Journey from Warsaw to Siedlce

My second morning at the Mercure Warsaw Airport hotel and I thought that I’d investigate the fruit section of the breakfast buffet, although I thought I’d better counterbalance that by popping to the pastry section as well. The Polish grow a lot of strawberries, for a period in the summer they seem to be everywhere. These breakfasts cost under £5 as well, very cost effective. As an aside, I’ve cut down to two meals per day in Poland, a large breakfast and one other meal during the day is sufficient even for me. I’ll report back as to whether that helps me lose any weight on this trip.

Waving goodbye to one of the best Accor hotels in the city, near to the airport and only a twenty minute tram journey to the city centre.

The tram stop is located just outside the hotel as well, making it all very accessible. And cheap, I mention frequently just how cheap Polish public transport is, but it’s about 70p for a single ticket.

As I was early (again), I thought I’d walk the final section of the way to Warszawa Śródmieście station, even though the tram went by it. I nearly got heatstroke though it was so hot. That was me pre-annoyed for the day.

My destination was Siedlce, so I appreciated the clear signage.

It’s a slightly different set-up in terms of platforms, as it’s single track and you can access the train from both sides. Back in the day, passengers got out one side and boarded on another, which was enforced until the 1980s. They don’t bother enforcing it now, it’s not really necessary either.

It’s all a little old-fashioned, the signage could do with some modernisation. This railway station was built between 1955 and 1963 and is connected to Warszawa Centralna station. As a practical piece of information, there’s also a ticket office, although I bought my ticket on-line. It cost just under £5 to get to Sieldce and I get a QR code that I can show on my phone, which the guard scans on the train.

It’s always a relief when the signage matches what I’m expecting it to say. Incidentally, the train’s final destination was Mińsk Mazowiecki, not Minsk in Belarus.

Here’s the train sweeping in, operated by Koleje Mazowieckie, or the Masovian Railways. It’s the regional rail company, owned by local Government, formerly part of the national PKP network. It’s a comfortable and well managed service, it always seems reliable.

This was a regional train and so I didn’t need to look for a reserved seat, which, to be honest, is normally a bit of a faff, I prefer being able to sit anywhere. There were plenty of seats available and so all was well. One other thing about these trains is they have little bin bags at every block of four seats, with the trains seeming to always be free from litter. The Polish network also doesn’t have barriers to enter railway stations, they just have guards who actually check tickets, with large fines for anyone who is found to be travelling without a ticket. I’ve wondered before if it would be easier to have that system in the UK, the cost of installing barriers and keeping staff by them isn’t cheap. I can’t recall seeing someone on a Polish train without a ticket, I’m not sure there’s much fare avoidance.

And I arrived safely! I’m going to cover the entirety of my three-night stay in Siedlce in one riveting post (readers should brace themselves for that excitement), so that’s as far as I’ll drivel on for the moment.

June 26, 2022
Friday to Monday : The Polish City of Siedlce

I had arrived in the Polish city of Siedlce on time, it’s a relatively short train service from Warsaw. I won’t post about each day individually, I’ll wrap my three day trip up into one blog post to try and theme things together a little better. Less for my two followers to wade through that way as well.

My first sight of Siedlce after leaving the railway station and I never quite know what to expect from Polish cities. I’ve been to thirty or so different large towns or cities in Poland, some feel prosperous and some really don’t seem to have developed much economically since the Second World War. It’s hard to under-estimate how much damage was done to the country during the Second World War, with over half of Siedlce’s buildings being badly damaged or destroyed. The town hall was wrecked and the centre was devastated, with the communist influenced led city not really receiving the investment it should have done in the post-war period either.

My first impressions were a little negative as the railway station was basic and the photo shows the damaged building in a prominent location. However, this wasn’t the general situation in Siedlce, which actually seemed quite prosperous and there were only a handful of buildings that I saw which were derelict. There seems to be an element of wealth to the city now, perhaps its accessible location to Warsaw has helped. It felt very much a city at ease with itself, with a modern edge evident throughout.

Polska niepodległa means “independent Poland” and refers to when the country finally received its independence in 1918, following 123 years of being partitioned by Russia, Prussia and Austria.

13 December 1981 is when martial law was introduced in Poland, after the years of communist greed and incompetence. They arrested over 10,000 activists from Solidarity, or Solidarność, for the period that martial law continued for, which was until July 1983.

“Zlo dobrem zwyciezaj” means overcome evil with good.

There were numerous decorative touches around the city, here are some carefully tended flowers.

Oops.

I didn’t get to go inside as there always seemed to be services, funerals or other functions going on, but this is the Catholic Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception.

The sign notes that this was the site of the secondary school built in 1919, but the buildings were destroyed during the Second World War. I mention this as the city has placed numerous history boards on buildings, although they’re all only in Polish. That’s not a complaint, just in most Polish cities they also translate into English, so it’s an indication they’re not expecting a huge number of English visitors here.

The former Ogiński Palace, constructed as a grand residential property in the eighteenth century which is now used by the Siedlce University of Natural Sciences and Humanities. It’s not possible to go inside, although since the building was nearly destroyed by fire in 1944, it’s most recreated.

Some kind of sundial in the palace gardens.

The city has a lovely park, Aleksandria (or Alexandria), although it’s closed at the moment whilst they do some faffing about with it. It had a little zoo in it for a while, although most of the buildings in the park were demolished during the Second World War. As an aside, a lot of this city’s narrative still can only be told by the prism of the 1940s, its legacy runs deep.

The water park, which I didn’t go to, but is next to the Ibis Styles hotel where I was staying.

And there’s the hotel, glistening in the sun which made the city too hot.

It’s very much not in the Ibis Styles brand standard, but that’s it was constructed for use as an independent hotel and was brought into Accor later on. The air conditioning makes the rooms freezing, which I was very pleased about as this is my desired state of temperature affairs. They didn’t bother to clean the rooms at any time during the stay, which is something that every other Accor hotel I’ve visited in Poland is managing to do at the moment and have done for some time. There was also an absence of any paperwork relating to the restaurant, hotel facilities or indeed anything else, either in paper or digital form.

A pleasant view from the room.

Later on during the weekend I watched some football matches that were being played. I say watched, I more glanced out of the window every few minutes.

There was no welcome drink offered, although I was given a voucher when I queried it. They made clear though that I couldn’t have any nice beer of which they did sell in bottles, just a small glass of generic and cheap Czech beer. They didn’t use the words generic or cheap, but it seemed a sloppy way to welcome a guest (not that I’m important to need that, but the point of the scheme is to offer a nice welcome) and Orbis who run the Accor hotels in Poland told me before that they had done away with this penny pinching. The hotel did seem badly managed in many ways and it’s the first time I’ve been asked to pay at the end of my stay in an Accor hotel in Poland, payment is always taken before the stay, or occasionally on check-in. They then messed this up, which summed up the stay for me, but I have to add that it was cheap and it would be unfair not to mention that.

The restaurant might be separately managed, it was differently branded to the rest of the hotel, which might explain their lack of wanting to give away any beer that might taste nice. Actually, not wishing to drone on about this, it annoyed me as I was going to eat in their restaurant with my free drink, but I decided against it.

The breakfasts in the hotel were fine, although some of the ingredients changed each day and there were some odd items available, which I assume were left over from the restaurant the previous day.

Back to the city and away from my complaints about what the welcome drink was in the hotel, as if that matters. This is the city’s Jewish cemetery which was established in 1825 and there are apparently 1,000 graves here, the oldest of which remains is from 1855. The last burial took place in 1888, with two exceptions which both relate to mass graves. The first is the Siedlce Pogrom, where 26 Jews were killed by the Russians during an uprising in September 1906. The second is the mass grave of 3,000 Jews from the Second World War.

The cemetery can’t be visited by members of the public, there’s a long brick wall which restricts entrance.

There has been some tidying up of the site and they’ve added these gates to the entrance.

The wall goes on for tens of metres around the site.

The rear of the cemetery.

I took a photo through the gates of the inside of the cemetery, but no stones are visible, although there are a fair few inside.

As the Jewish cemetery was next door to the city’s main cemetery, I had a little look around there instead.

It’s better kept than the Jewish one, although that’s something that is a legacy of the post-war period.

All organised and neatly laid out.

I’m not entirely sure what is happening with this site nearby as there were no information boards or the like, but the site was used as a Catholic cemetery from the end of the eighteenth century until the nineteenth century when it closed. In the 1980s, the site was cleared, but numerous gravestones were kept.

Some of the gravestones which had been kept and positioned neatly around the little chapel.

A statue commemorating the life of Lech Kaczyński, the President of Poland from 2005 until he died in a air crash in 2010. I’m not sure if there’s any connection between him and the city, or whether it’s just something that the locals wanted to build in honour of his life.

The Kolumna Toskańska, erected in 1783 to mark the visit of King Stanisław August Poniatowski. I’m quite surprised it’s still there, it feels a bit in the way to be honest. Obviously it didn’t offend the Germans during the Second World War, since it’s one of the few things they didn’t knock down.

As it was too hot again, I had a sit down next to Ignacy Skorupka (1893-1920) who was a Polish Priest who died during the Battle of Warsaw. This conflict isn’t referred to much, it’s a bit overshadowed by the Second World War, but it’s when in 1920 the Polish troops beat the Soviets who were trying to invade. The Soviets, led by Lenin, wanted to seize and suppress the Poles so that they could spread out across to western Europe countries. The Poles weren’t having any of it, the Soviets were smashed and withdrew. The defeat shocked the Soviets who though they had the military advantage and Skorupka’s death was used as part of the theory that God wanted the Poles to win though divine intervention.

He was fortunate, his bench is in a nice cool area.

Brofaktura, which is meant to be one of the few brewhouses in the city, but I couldn’t get a table as they were closed for private functions. I took a couple of photos anyway.

I went to a bar, Piwiarnia Miejska Siedlce, over the road instead, serving Tyskie.

The burger meat tasted a little odd, but the rest of the meal was fine and I wasn’t ill, so that’s a result. Decent chips it has to be said and this burger and drink came to around £5.

The local Government offices, the photo of which I’ve included here as I like the architecture.

As an aside, I was impressed at how well organised the city was generally for pedestrians (the lighter paving) and cyclists (the red stone).

The city over time.

One of the few buildings in the city which was a bit derelict, although it looks like they’re getting ready to repair it.

This building on the other hand is about to be demolished.

I try and visit the site of the former synagogue, as that tends to be all that’s left, in Polish cities and this is all that remains in Siedlce. The Germans raided the building on the night of 24 December 1939, setting fire to it and destroying it. What was worse is that some Jewish people who had been made homeless were in the building, so the Germans killed them.

Here’s what the synagogue looked like. I had a look around the former Jewish ghetto, but there’s not really anything standing that I could take a photograph of. There’s more information about the ghetto at http://www.holocaustresearchproject.org/ghettos/siedlce.html for anyone interested.

And this is where the synagogue used to stand, although they have put some information boards up in a number of languages to mark what was here. That means of the bustling synagogue, Jewish quarter and cemetery, nothing really remains other than for a number of graves in a mostly inaccessible cemetery.

When I was looking for things to do in Siedlce, the local tourist information web-site said it was essential to look at the church built in the middle of a roundabout. Well, here it is.

Pope John Paul II visited the city in June 1999.

I spotted an ice cream shop and it was still too bloody hot so I thought I’d better pop in.

And I got a delicious affogato. Friendly staff in this ice cream shop, definitely a place to pop in when it’s too hot, which was the entirety of my time in the city (with one exception I mention in a moment).

A monument to Józef Piłsudski, one of the country’s national heroes.

There are a lot of references to him, as indeed there are on this blog generally, since he is revered across Poland.

The city hall, with a grand open public space in front of it.

And that’s the abbreviated story of my time in the city, when it was too hot, with the exception of the moment of when I needed to walk to the railway station to leave Siedlce. There were then Biblical rains, when I had to shelter at a bus stop and then avoid being splashed in the flooded roads (although Polish drivers are very careful, but I was taking no risks). Mind you, it made the temperature just right for me, so I couldn’t really complain. I enjoyed my visit to the city and I was very productive with my laptop when here, so that was useful.

Back at Siedlce railway station, where I’ll pick this ever random story up in the next blog post.

June 26, 2022