Walking. Gossip. Travel.

Category: Poland

  • Częstochowa – Random Photos

    Częstochowa – Random Photos

    This is a slightly random post, mostly just photos with very little supporting text. It’s mainly some of my remaining photos from my trip to Częstochowa in Poland a few weeks ago that I didn’t otherwise do much with.

    I’m not sure if there was a specific reason for this being located at ul. Ogrodowa by the bridge over the railway line.

    Street art.

    The Solidarity imagery at a square, Solidarności, named after the important movement which drove Poland towards independence. In the early 1980s it was illegal in Poland to even wear a badge with this on as the authorities desperately tried to repress the country and they placed it under martial law.

    A memorial to honour textile workers.

    More street art and I thought that this made the otherwise bland Soviet-style building look somewhat better.

    There are no shortage of statues of Józef Piłsudski in Poland, and this is the local one.

    It’s certainly revered judging by the floral arrangement in front of it.

    A walk along the river, this stretched for some distance although was rather muddier in some areas.

    The city’s railway station, which doesn’t in my view look much like a railway station. I think there was a hope it would become a slightly decadent shopping centre as well, but it’s all a bit barren at the moment.

    And two photos of the square in front of the station, where the authorities have seemingly spent some money to improve things somewhat. There are some murals on the neighbouring buildings and the square has been opened up and traffic mostly kept out.

    I wrote about the city elsewhere, it’s a welcoming place which is very much dominated by the presence of Jasna Góra. There are many central areas which are derelict and no shortage of empty shops and offices. It seems that Częstochowa needs more residents so that these units can all be redeveloped and turned into housing which can in turn create economic growth. Investment in the city’s infra-structure is clearly being made, not least with the tram system, but they’re going to need a lot more money to reverse the industrial decline which seems to have blighted at least part of this city. At least though they remain a major pilgrimage site, which must help financially.

  • Warsaw – Warsaw Ghetto Fighters Memorial

    Warsaw – Warsaw Ghetto Fighters Memorial

    Situated on ul. Prosta is this impactful memorial to the Warsaw Ghetto fights during the uprising in 1943. It marks where a sewer entrance was located that allowed around fifty fighters to escape the ghetto on 10 May 1943, avoiding detection by the German military. Although the Jewish ghetto had been hastily walled up above ground, the sewer network still connected the entire city.

    Many of those who escaped through the sewer network also took part in the Warsaw Uprising that took place in 1944, including a local Jewish man Marek Edelman. He was one of the leaders of the Ghetto fighting and and he died in Warsaw in 2009, out-lived only amongst the survivors by Szymon “Kazik” Ratajzer who died in Jerusalem in 2018. Edelman became a doctor after the Second World War and was hated by the Soviets, being interned in 1981 when Poland’s economy was collapsing and martial law was introduced. He is now one of the heroes of the Polish nation and was awarded the Order of the White Eagle, the highest award that the country can bestow on an individual.

    Only nine of those who escaped the sewer network survived the Second World War, Roman Bornstein, Tuwia Borzykowski, Marek Edelman, Chaim Frymer, Masza Glajtman-Putermilch, Pnina Grynszpan-Frymer, Chana Kryształ-Frykszdorf, Szymon “Kazik” Ratajzer and Cywia Lubetkin.

  • Warsaw – Museum of Warsaw (Infant’s Identification)

    Warsaw – Museum of Warsaw (Infant’s Identification)

    And another of my posts about things that interested me in the rather lovely Museum of Warsaw.

    This is another remarkable survival, it’s a hand-written note on linen which was placed in a pouch that was put around the neck of a child during the Siege of Warsaw in September 1939. Warsaw was initially able to defend itself during the invasion of Poland by the Germans, but despite the bravery of the Polish military, they were simply out-numbered. Over 18,000 people died in the city between 8 and 28 September 1939 and this tag was so that the young child could be identified if he was separated from his mother.

    The young child was Witold Zenon Gadomski, the son of Tadeusz and Rozalia Czerna of ul. Grochowska 365, who was born on 21 May 1939. He survived the conflict and kept his identification until it was given to the museum in the late 1970s. I can only begin to imagine what his mother must have been thinking when she wrote that during the aerial bombardments of September 1939, no doubt complete terror for the future. Whether or not his parents survived the war, I don’t know….

  • Warsaw – Prudential Building

    Warsaw – Prudential Building

    I haven’t much thought about this building before when walking about Warsaw, but it’s the Prudential building which was the tallest structure in Poland when it was completed in 1933 after two years of work. At the time of completion it was the second tallest building in Europe, a huge statement of faith in the future of Warsaw, which needed 2 million bricks, 2,000 tonnes of concrete and 1,500 tonnes of steel to construct.

    And here it is on 28 August 1944 when the Germans used huge amounts of explosives to destroy it as part of their destruction of Warsaw. Their engineers couldn’t get the building to collapse, although they did huge damage and it started to lean a bit. This must have considerably annoyed them, as it was an iconic structure that remained standing. And, it survived the Second World War and was repaired and hence why it is still standing. It has spent most of its post-war life as a hotel and is currently the Hotel Warszawa, a decadent accommodation option in a building which is a great survivor.

  • Warsaw – Coctail Bar Max & Dom Whisky

    Warsaw – Coctail Bar Max & Dom Whisky

    When we walked by this bar in Warsaw a couple of weeks ago, I specifically said to Richard, “do not look to your left”. He recklessly ignored my advice and then looked hugely excited at what he saw, so I felt it was only fair to let him go in even though I was heading to a decadent craft beer bar. I am a very good friend…..

    Just some photos of the whole bar arrangement, which is set across two floors with the whisky bar on the top. There’s a variety of seating around the place, including lower tables and bar seats, with the atmosphere being comfortable and relaxing. The venue is open some ridiculous hours, from 10.00 until 05.00 every day of the week, which hardly makes it worth closing. Incidentally, after going in, I remembered that I’d been in here a few years ago with Hike Norfolk, likely one of the very limited number of venues that wasn’t my choice.

    It’s not exactly me is it? Here am I with my decadent and very classy imperial stouts and I’m presented with this shrubbery. OK, it tasted fine, but it’s not the sort of drink I can put on Untappd.

    The drink was individually created by the barman, who was engaging, personable and knowledgeable about the cocktail options, so there was quite a bit of theatre to the whole arrangement. I must admit that whilst Richard was enjoying this piece of theatre, I was pre-annoyed at how much it would cost, although fortunately it was actually not unreasonable at something like £6. Although that’s a high price for Warsaw, I feared that it might be much more.

    Richard then asked a question about whisky and I have to say that the barman was as knowledgeable about these as he was about the cocktails. I consider whisky to be an excellent drink which should be poured out of the barrels which is then replaced by beer so I can get a whisky flavour to my decadent beer. Whisky isn’t a drink I’ve ever grown to like, but Richard said that the selection of whisky options was excellent and he liked the options presented to him.

    Richard suggested that this was one of his favourite bars, not just because of the hundreds of whisky options, but also because of the engagement of the staff member. Service was sometimes a little slow, but I think that was more because the staff member thought that we were trying to have a longer and more relaxed visit. I was obviously focused on going to a bar which served glorious craft beers, but even I had to concede that this was a well-run venue which had a wide appeal. Definitely recommended for those who like whisky, spirits or cocktails.

  • Warsaw – Lemon Bar

    Warsaw – Lemon Bar

    This will be a relatively short post as I only popped into Lemon as it was a convenient stop on the way back to the hotel, but there is little else particularly exciting for me to say about it. The venue was clean, the staff were friendly and the environment was relaxed. The beer choices were though limited, hence the Żywiec, and there were very few other customers. It’s particularly handy for drinkers who want a long Friday or Saturday night, as the bar doesn’t close until 7am in the morning. The pricing was reasonable and it’s a handy spot for those wanting a quick drink, but I’m not sure that I’d go again given that the beer selection wasn’t really quite to my taste.

  • Częstochowa – Jewish Ghetto Memorial and Transportation Railway

    Częstochowa – Jewish Ghetto Memorial and Transportation Railway

    I only discovered this towards the end of my stay in Częstochowa, there’s not much really made of it, but it’s a well designed memorial to mark where part of the city’s Jewish ghetto was located during the Second World War. The ghetto was relatively short-lived, it was created in the spring of 1941 and liquidated between late September and early October 1942. Over 40,000 Jews from the city were sent to concentration camps and 5,000 were sent to work at the HASAG factory. Very few survived the ghetto, concentration camps and work camps, with the post-war Jewish population being around 3,000 and many of those decided to leave the city.

    The memorial has the Jewish star on the left and railway tracks on the right, with a large crack to signify the break between the Jewish community in the city and those sent by train to concentration camps.

    This is a thoughtful addition to the memorial, quite bleak in its minimalism. It shows some of the transportations which took place from Częstochowa to Treblinka concentration camp. The monument was designed in 2009 by Samuel Willenberg (1923-2016) and it’s hard to imagine someone more appropriate to create this imagery. Samuel was a local man who was sent to Treblinka and then managed to escape before getting to the country’s capital to fight in the Warsaw Uprising in the Home Army. He escaped German clutches again and spent the post-war period as an engineer and sculptor, ultimately becoming the last living survivor from Treblinka. Untold amounts of bravery and a national hero, and it seems a positive idea to rename the former Umschlagplatz with the name Samuel Willenberg Square.

    It shames the city, by its own admission, that this monument was desecrated and vandalised a few months ago. It was swiftly repaired, but it caused huge upset amongst many parts of the community.

    This is more of a problem, it’s the remains of the railway station and is located next to the memorial as it’s where the transportations left from.

    The building is in urgent need of repair and I understand that the city has failed to buy it.

    It’s fair to say that the state of this former railway station is far from ideal and I hope that some plan can come together to save it before it entirely falls down. I’m not sure, judging by the condition of the building, if the authorities have much time left.

  • Częstochowa – Piwiarnia Piw Regionalnych Multitap & Pub

    Częstochowa – Piwiarnia Piw Regionalnych Multitap & Pub

    Going back a couple of weeks to my little trip to Częstochowa in Poland, this was one of the few craft beer bars that seemed to be open at times that I could visit. It’s located not too far from Jasna Gora, so they might get something of a tourist trade to add to their local custom.

    Very nicely done, the list of available craft beers is chalked up on the boards outside the entrance. I like it when they’re chalked up above the bar, but tempting in customers walking by seems a particularly clever idea. I thought that the beer selection had a suitable range of different styles and from a number of different breweries, so it all felt well thought through.

    It wasn’t packed when I visited, but the atmosphere was warm and homely. It was slightly awkward when I went in as there was quite a lively discussion going on between what looked like an angry Polish man and the barman. I stood there trying to look nonchalant in my British manner, but probably to not much success. As the discussion finished after a couple of minutes I ordered my beer and the angry Polish man came back to talk to me, telling me that his daughter was working in London. It transpired that he wasn’t an angry man, he was a friendly character with an excellent English speaking ability.

    I went for a Stormy Pacific from Funky Fluid brewery who are based in Warsaw, and this was a very decent Double New England IPA. It felt an odd environment to be drinking it, a quiet bar in a relatively rural Polish city with a traditional atmosphere, but yet it was an on-trend and quite exciting beer. The prices were moderate for the quality of the beer, but these are premium products and I’m impressed at how the bar owner has managed to get quite a local following and such positive reviews.

    There weren’t any other customers during the time I was in my little corner and the barman was off doing some bar related things judging from the banging of barrels and the like. That meant I just sat and read a book on my phone for an hour, really quite comfortable in this warm environment. Certainly not a bad way to spend a Saturday afternoon and I very much hope bars like this continue to open up across Poland. I’ve seen the future and I like it……

  • Warsaw – Warsaw in 1937

    Warsaw – Warsaw in 1937

    I think that this is the best pre-war that I’ve seen of Warsaw, showing the normality of the city in 1937.

    There are numerous video clips of the Old Town Market Place and specifically what is now the Museum of Warsaw. Just a few years later, the square was destroyed, although fortunately carefully reconstructed.

  • Warsaw – Cukiernia Sowa (ul. Grochowska 207)

    Warsaw – Cukiernia Sowa (ul. Grochowska 207)

    One of the reasons for this little blog is to help remind me where I’ve been, which is important when trying to visit all of the outlets of Cukiernia Sowa in Poland. I have to some way to go as there are in the hundreds and I’ve been to under ten, but it’s good to be aspirational. I also keep forgetting to visit the couple of branches that the company has recently opened up in London, there’s one in Ealing and another in Sutton at the moment.

    This outlet is in a shopping centre and it’s only got a couple of tables, which makes getting a seat quite challenging. When we visited it was a little awkward as the seats were taken, but a friendly Polish man said that we could sit with him and he was leaving soon anyway.

    The sole staff member didn’t speak English, which is a little unusual, but we were outside of the central tourist area and she was endlessly helpful with Richard’s requirements.

    Richard went for some cake and a very decadent hot chocolate, which looked very appetising. I went for my standard order of an eclair and a latte, all carefully presented and as tasty as I remember. This remains one of my favourite Polish chains, with the environment being clean, the service friendly and the food and drink of an excellent quality. Indeed, looking at this photo is making me miss Poland….