Walking. Gossip. Travel.

Category: Poland

  • Kielce – Jan Karski Bench

    Kielce – Jan Karski Bench

    Jan Karski was one of those people who just have a story of ridiculous levels of bravery during a war, escaping capture, enduring torture and managing to transport themselves around the country looking to serve it. Karski’s reputation has primarily been sealed by the work he did in alerting the world to Nazi atrocities, as well as assisting the underground movement in Poland. He reported on the Warsaw Uprising, since he had become part of it, to the western powers and the Polish government in exile.

    Karski survived the war and decided he’d like to live in the United States, which he did, working as a lecturer specialising in Eastern European politics and affairs. One of his students was Bill Clinton and in 1982 Karski was given the honour of being added to the Righteous Among Nations list. He died in 2000 at the age of 86, having certainly lived a full life.

    Some information about his life.

    Well, I guess he liked chess.

    There are similar statues on benches in Karski’s honour in Warsaw and in Łódź, as well as in the United States, in New York and Washington DC.

  • Warsaw – Bierhalle

    Warsaw – Bierhalle

    I’ve been to several Bierhalle outlets across Poland, indeed I think around half of their entire chain, which aim to serve German food and drink in an accessible manner. This outlet is connected to the Westfield shopping centre and they operate another three outlets across Warsaw.

    I was welcomed promptly by the staff member near to the entrance and shown to an appropriate table. There’s an upstairs area for when it’s busier and I like the little gangway to get there.

    Nathan would have been pleased with the snooker at least…… The environment does feel like a German beer hall, so the operators have nailed that.

    The choice of beers.

    This is the dunkel, at the appropriate temperature and tasting adequate, but devoid of any depth of flavour. Very generic and not particularly exciting, although it was cheap.

    The menu process wasn’t explained to me, but it was apparent that they had a lunch buffet arrangement going on, which nearly everyone was ordering from. I did go and have a little look at the food, but it looked more frightening than appetising, so I sat back down. I’m not entirely sure what food it was, but I’m sure it was very lovely (well, I’m not, but each to their own). The prices though are way too cheap, there’s something wrong if they’re ditching out food at these low prices.

    However, the staff were all very friendly, the environment was clean and the prices were all towards the lower end of the scale. As for this restaurant chain generally, I used to find it more appealing than I do now, I think time has passed since I went to Bierhalle locations a few years ago and it now all feels just a bit jaded in terms of its implementation.

  • Kielce – Stumbling Stones

    Kielce – Stumbling Stones

    I’ve written about stumbling stones before, or Stolperstein, which are located throughout Germany, as well as in Poland, France, the Netherlands, the Czech Republic and other countries. They’re usually cubes made of concrete with a brass inscription, which has the name of the Jew or Jews who were killed in the property which they’re located outside of.

    Here they have a different concept from in many other countries, as although they represent a similar meaning of where Jews were killed, these poor souls were killed after the Second World War. These memorial stones are located on a stretch of pavement outside ul. Planty 7, which is where 42 Jews were killed in a pogrom on 4 July 1946.

    In short, not many Jews returned to Kielce after the end of the Second World War, about 200 people out of a pre-war Jewish population of 20,000. Those who came back tried to rebuild their community, but an allegation was made that the Jews had taken a child and hidden him in the basement. The child in question had actually sodded off berry picking and the Jewish community had done nothing wrong. They tried to reason and although the Polish police initially refused to believe the story being told to them by the drunken father of the child, things escalated and the Jews were attacked. 42 Jews died and a similar number were injured, with this having devastating effects on the Jewish community across Poland, many of whom now felt entirely unsafe. It also tarnished the reputation of Kielce for decades, a mindless attack on the already decimated attack on the Jewish community upset many in the country.

    Anyway, here is the memorial which has been built for them, so that the names of at least some of the Jews who died won’t be forgotten.

  • Kielce – History Museum of Kielce

    Kielce – History Museum of Kielce

    I had another of my little problems when visiting this museum. I had decided to visit the museum on a day when they were having a lecture about some local history matter. So, there were tens of people flooding into the museum building to listen to it and someone tried to offer me a seat and a drink. This clearly wasn’t ideal, I was hoping to see the museum, not the lecture as I wouldn’t have understand most of it as it was being given in Polish.

    So, stumbling with my best Polish, I found a staff member who initially thought I wanted to use the cloakroom to hang up my coat. Although, I obviously wasn’t wearing a coat, so the very helpful staff member pointed upwards in a questioning manner. I said yes, hoping that the museum was upstairs and that I hadn’t had some discussion on the after life with her. All was well though, she found an English speaking staff member who seemed genuinely pleased that someone wanted to see the museum.

    The next problem was that the museum area was locked, so we have to find a member of the security staff to unlock a series of doors. However, always willing and helpful, the museum transpired to be bigger and much more substantial than I had expected.

    A map of Kielce from 1828.

    In the nineteenth century, Kielce was effectively part of Russia and they implemented dual languages for their house numbering signs.

    A motorbike made by Huta Ludwików, a company which is still trading, in 1938 and which was the first to be made in the city.

    The entrance to the Jewish ghetto during the Second World War.

    A cassock and coat which was worn by Czesław Kaczmarek, the Bishop of Kielce from 1938 until 1963. Between 1951 and 1955 he was imprisoned by the communists because it was known that he had friends in the United States.

    Overall, this was a lovely museum, with helpful staff and absolutely no other visitors when I was there, other than for the lecture which was marvellously attended. Much of the display was available in English and it took the visitor through the city’s history in chronological order. There did seem to be some gaps in the narrative, but there is perhaps a limited amount of space and much of interest was in the rooms that they did have.

  • Warsaw – Falling Ice Excitement

    Warsaw – Falling Ice Excitement

    I like a little bit of drama, nothing too exotic, just something which adds some excitement to proceedings.

    I realised something amiss when the people waiting on the other side of the road to cross started to look backwards and upwards.

    And then I wondered why it was raining ice cubes. It’s hard to get these in a photo, but there were thousands of pieces of ice falling from the building, covering quite a wide area. Most were the size of ice cubes and a couple of pedestrians yelped as they were hit, with car drivers wondering what was pelting their cars.

    The base of the building was being secured and a police officer appeared, although I suspect that this is a building design fault and it happens on a semi-regular basis when low temperatures cause freezing overnight and then it thaws in the morning sun. It’s not an ideal situation though, the area closed off wasn’t sufficient and people were getting hit. But, it was quite exciting to watch, like confetti falling from a building, but yet with a bit more jeopardy for anyone who got hit.

    And, I’m pleased to report, despite ice falling all around me and getting very close, none hit me.

  • Warsaw – Tchorek Plaques (ul. Niepodległości 221)

    Warsaw – Tchorek Plaques (ul. Niepodległości 221)

    Another of the Tchorek plaques, which mark where people were killed during the Second World War, this one is located on a property next to where Władysław Szpilman hid. The plaque reads:

    “The place sanctified by the blood of Poles who died for the freedom of their homeland. In this house on 7 August 1944, the Hitlerites murdered about 50 people, residents of the block. Among the victims were many children.”

  • Warsaw – Cukiernia Sowa (ul. Chmielna)

    Warsaw – Cukiernia Sowa (ul. Chmielna)

    And back to an outlet of Cukiernia Sowa….. I’ve posted about other visits to this chain over the last couple of weeks, so I won’t repeat the concept behind the operation. But, I very much like their friendly staff, comfortable cafes and the cheap prices, they are my Polish Greggs.

    Big smiles from the staff member, a lovely clean cafe and a comfortable seating area, all that I expected from the chain. I’m consciously now seeking outlets of this chain out, a little slice of calm. The food and drink is excellent and there was a mixed clientele, although they all seemed to be locals rather than visitors to the city. The staff member brought the coffee and cake over to me, whereas they normally call out the order, but there’s always counter service which keeps things nice and simple.

  • Warsaw – The Pianist and al. Niepodległości 223

    Warsaw – The Pianist and al. Niepodległości 223

    I rewatched The Pianist film a couple of weeks ago, which is the true story of Władysław Szpilman, a Jewish pianist who survived the Second World War having gone through severe adversity. I haven’t read the book itself, although I now have a copy and will finish it this week. The film came out in 2002 and was directed by Roman Polanski, who himself had been imprisoned in the Krakow ghetto as a child.

    Anyway, after many near captures by Germans in Warsaw, and a period in the Warsaw ghetto, Szpilman thinks his time is up when a German officer finds him hiding in the damaged building at al. Niepodległości 223, in the above photo. His story is long and complex, too long to repeat here, but Szpilman was near to death on numerous occasions.

    The German officer was Wilhelm Hosenfeld, but this man was different to what Szpilman would have initially feared and he disagreed with the atrocities which were being committed against the Jewish community in Poland and indeed to non-Jewish Poles. He protected Szpilman and his decency and valour secured him a posthumous listing in the Righteous Among the Nations. Only 627 Germans have been recognised in this way, with few being senior members of the military.

    There is now a plaque outside the building.

    This is Wilhelm Hosenfeld, who saved the life of Władysław Szpilman, who was able to return to his musical career and lived until 2000. Szpilman lost all of his close family members and it was only a series of miracles that he managed to survive himself in the remains that left of Warsaw. Hosenfeld was killed by the Soviets in 1952, but he saved Szpilman and it was rather lovely to see the building where his act of kindness took place.

  • Bialystok – General Photos

    Bialystok – General Photos

    And some random photos of Bialystok that didn’t quite fit in anywhere else…..

  • Bialystok – St. Roch’s Church

    Bialystok – St. Roch’s Church

    This Roman Catholic church was constructed between 1927 and 1946, on the site of a former cemetery which was badly damaged by the Russians in 1863. It’s a different design to many Polish churches, with a decision having been made to build it in a modernist style. Work had progressed well, with a mass taking place in 1941, until the Germans interfered with the arrangements by invading Poland and then later turning this church into a barracks for its soldiers, but it was fortunately completed. This was despite the Soviets wanting for a while to turn the building into a circus after the end of the Second World War, something which I can only imagine what the local clergy thought of.

    The church is in a dominant position in the city on elevated ground. There had been a chapel on the site which was constructed in 1741, although this is no longer standing, having met a similar fate to the cemetery.

    There is a memorial in front of the church to those who died when flight TU-154 crashed on 10 April 2010, killing 96 people, including the President of Poland. Also killed was Ryszard Kaczorowski, a politician born in Bialystok, who was the last president of the Polish Republic in exile.