goodbye, kochanie!

krakow POST
FREE
October 2008
Edition 48
ISSN 1898-4762
www.krakowpost.com
Krakow
Sorry CNN,
Krakow’s Broke
Engineer from Krakow firm
kidnapped in Pakistan
>> page 4
Poland
Krakow can’t afford CNN ad
space
More reports surface on CIA
prisons in Poland
>> page 6
John Walczak
The city’s miserly promotional
budget for this year, coupled with
reckless spending, have left Krakow broke. Krakow is the only large
Polish city that will not be advertising itself on CNN International to
140 million viewers.
Feature
A guide to absentee voting
in upcoming elections
>> page 10, 11
Property
In an article in the Polish daily
Gazeta Wyborcza, it has been revealed that Krakow’s authorities
resigned from a gigantic advertising campaign for a bargain price on
CNN International. Krakow was to
show itself in several hundred advertising spots on the international
news channel for 900 thousand
złotys. According to CNN employees an identical campaign on a TV
station with fewer viewers would
normally cost more.
The weak dollar and the positive
approach of CNN bosses to Poland
led to budget prices being offered
for the campaign, which has the
potential of reaching 140 million
viewers worldwide. CNN offered
several hundred prime-time ad
slots to the authorities of Krakow,
Łódź, Gdańsk and Warsaw - only
Krakow declined.
What’s the reason behind the sudden offer to Polish cities? The commercials are to form a background
to a weeklong series of CNN International programmes focusing on
Poland under the banner “Eye on
Poland: Country at the Crossroads.”
The coverage starts on October
6th and runs through to October
12th. The station says it wants to
focus on the colour and contrast
of one of Europe’s fastest developing nations - from business and
politics to pop culture. There will
be numerous live broadcasts, and
programmes will run daily, with
each one devoted to a different
sphere of life: business, the Euro
2012 championships, as well as
relations with Russia and the USA.
Many interviews are also promised
with, amongst others, Nobel Peace
Prize winner and former President
Lech Wałęsa and current President
Lech Kaczyński. Talks with prominent politicians, political analysts
and Central European commentators are also on the schedule. Short
clips showcasing Polish cities will
also be broadcast. Krakow, at least,
will be amongst these. A CNN International film crew spent several days here in August,
though unfortunately it >>
was raining heavily at the
2
Where and how
to buy
>> page 13
Sport
Wisła cling on for Second
Coming
>> page 14
Culture
Above: The future Krakow Congress Centre, designed by Krzysztof Ingarden, is the largest edifice to
be commissioned for the city since the 1930s. See page 15 for more buildings on Krakow’s horizon.
GOODBYE, KOCHANIE!
UK “Recession” Hits Poles
without work it got lonely
for me. When I had problems, there was no one
who wanted to help.”
Robin Das
Providence Row, a home-
M
don, says that since last
less charity in East Lon-
a r i u s z
in food, energy and other
anything
perma-
year the proportion of
Bart
left
staples, people are tight-
nent, but during the past
people it sees from East-
home-
ening their belts. Poles
months even that source
ern Europe has grown to
near
in minimum wage jobs
has dried up. He noted, “It
a third. This year they be-
Wrocław in 2004, lured
are among those feeling
definitely got a lot harder
gan working with Barka, a
to the UK by the oppor-
the pinch of a consumer
and things got a lot more
charity which helps Poles
tunities it offered and
spending
clampdown,
expensive. It was harder
who have fallen
the buying power of one
while others employed in
to get casual work and
into
pound to seven złotys.
construction are bearing
This year he returned to
the brunt of a collapse
Poland, disillusioned by
in new building projects.
the UK’s economic rot, a
With reports of Poles suf-
succession of shorter and
fering increased hardship,
shorter work “contracts”
it seems the honeymoon
and the increased cost of
is over for Polish emigra-
living.
tion to Britain.
The UK’s economic boom
Mariusz used to wait in
of the last decade has
west London to be picked
come to a shuddering halt.
up by building gangs for
With a crash in house pric-
casual
es and inflationary costs
when
his
town
labouring
he
didn’t
more
hardship
>> 2
Citylife
> by night
Notes From the
Underground
/CL 2
> reviews
Drop In, Fork Out,
Get Served
/CL 3, 5
> spotlight
Unsound Festival
previewed
/CL 6
> posted
Concerts, exhibitions &
parties
/CL 7, 8, 9, 10
work
have
Discover Polish architecture
>> page 15
Polish builders are returning home / photo Adelina Krupski
2 Krakow Post OCTOBER 2008
www.krakowpost.com
News Krakow
Letters
<< Continued from
<< S o r r y C N N
continued from
1
To the editor
and can’t find a job a way to return
builders. There’s no doubt about
Re: “Ten of the Best for Poland” p. 14, Sept. ed.:
home to their families in Poland.
it. Many aren’t prepared to wait for
I feel I have to take exception to some of the statements made in the above article by Daniel van
Hoven...
Dagmara Walczyk from Barka stated,
the construction boom that’s go-
“Many may be unwilling to go back
ing to happen for the Olympics in
because they don’t have a home to
2012.” Poles worked on Heathrow
return to or feel ashamed of coming
Terminal 5 and there’s a worry that
back to their little communities. If
the big building projects of the Ol-
they can’t or don’t want to return
ympic Games will suffer because of
they can stay in one of our centres
a shortage of skilled Eastern Euro-
or other programmes depending on
pean workers. The Polish plumber
what their problems are.” Dagmara
and his blue-collar colleagues shook
adds that Poles sometimes fall into
up British builders with their work
the poverty trap because they are
ethic, reliability and low costs. In
exploited by gangs, and there is a
anticipation of a dearth of bright,
lack of support from the Polish gov-
young Poles able to plaster a wall
ernment for migrants.
smoothly, industries, including the
The system is very simple. It consists of assigning a
point value to each kind of medal and then relating
the total points to the population of the country. In
my case, it was provoked by having to put up with
the continual tedious unresolvable argument as to
whether more total medals or more gold medals
should determine the overall winner. A gold medal
is worth three points, a silver two and a bronze one.
Step two is to simply divide the population of the
country by the number of points to figure out how
many people it took to get a point. Voila!
Under this new, improved system, Moldova finishes
in position #61, ahead of China in position #66 (!!),
while Mauritius finishes in #41, ahead of the US in
#45! As can be surmised from these results alone,
the established methods of listing the countries
undergo considerable shaking up! It actually took
China 5,964,325.58 people to manage one point; this
is more than the entire population of Moldova which,
nevertheless, managed to secure a point. It took the
US, with all its vast wealth, 1,381,021.12 people to
gain each point, whereas Mauritius gained a point
using only 1,274,189 people. Other falls from grace
include Russia dropping down to #36 (from #3 in
total medals), Great Britain dropping to #22 (from
#4), Germany to #32 (from #6), France to #31 (from
#7), South Korea to #26 (from #8), Italy to #39 (from
#9, Ukraine to #33 (from #10) and Japan to #57 (from
#11)(!) Of the, shall we say, “powerhouse” sports
nations, only Australia manages to hold on to its
position, slipping only one spot.
The new top five are: 1. the Bahamas (needing only
102,484 people per point), 2. Jamaica (107,859), 3.
Iceland (152,184), 4. Norway (221,165) and 5. Slovenia (223,079). Rounding out the top ten are: 6. Australia (231,460), 7. Bahrain (239,435), 8. New Zealand
(260,841), 9. Estonia (261,521) and 10. Trinidad/Tobago (261,842). Unfortunately, my country (Canada)
drops from #15 under the “total medal” system to
#35 (1,006,445) and Poland drops from #21 to #46
(1,750,032). India finishes in #87 position, needing
229,599,180 people (!) to get a single point in the new
one - but this is not last position because there were
117 participating countries that didn’t achieve any
points at all. These would of course be ranked strictly
in descending order of lowest population. As can be
seen, it’s a very fine line between Olympic glory and
total oblivion, with one solitary silver medal keeping
#3 Iceland from that fate, and only one silver and a
bronze keeping the Bahamas on top.
However, these mighty-mite countries then have to
be the perennial favourites to win, since one medal
can vault them to the top, which is somewhat absurd.
For example, a very small country sending only one
athlete could win everything. This leads me to the
conclusion that any ranking system is meaningless. The only real value is in the individual or team
accomplishment. This makes for a very healthy antinationalism.
Jim Waite, Kraków
letters to the editor
“
Though
I’m not a
gambling
man, if
someone had
offered
me a bet
before
the Olympics that
Moldova
would
win more
medals
than China or that
Mauritius
would
win more
than
the US,
I think
I would
have taken it.
“
Though I’m not a gambling man, if someone had
offered me a bet before the Olympics that Moldova
would win more medals than China or that Mauritius
would win more than the US, I think I would have
taken it. However, under a much more equitable system for rating the accomplishments of the countries,
I would have lost both bets. I thought of the new
two-step system myself, but so did someone else and,
even better, they did the work to summarize the necessary data. Then one of my trusty Kraków acquaintances furnished me with that (unsolicited).
body in charge of the Olympics, are
For those who decide to make the
pouring money into training British
return journey, opportunities for
workers in basic construction skills,
work now seem brighter as the
such as how to use a digger.
Polish economy grows, buoyed up
by large-scale building projects such
But even for Poles who have good
as the construction of stadiums for
jobs these are unsettling times.
the 2012 Euro championships. In a
Rafał Skarbek’s job as the head of
global economy and a Europe with-
the
out borders, it seems there will al-
Association, helping new arrivals
ways be winners and losers among
find employment and accommo-
those brave enough to try to make a
dation, means he is well placed to
better future for themselves abroad.
see what the future could hold for
Speaking in the House of Commons,
Poles in Britain. He stated, “Now I
MP Stephen Pound, whose constitu-
am split [about] what I should do
ency in west London is home to
in the future. Should I stay, should
one of the largest Polish communi-
I go back to Poland, why [do] I think
ties in the UK, likened Polish emi-
like that? In Poland is all my family,
grants to the British builders who
past, and maybe future. [However,] I
were thrown on the dole in Margaret
really do like England and I do love
Thatcher’s recession hit eighties.
my job.” For Rafał, who is proud of
Many of those Brits moved abroad
his country and traditions, it’s poli-
to work in Germany. Pound termed
tics and the way the country is run
these workers the “Auf Wiedersehen
that deters him from returning: “I
generation,”* the subtext being they
won’t feel optimistic about Poland
will go wherever and whenever they
until people in government change
have to to find work. No firm figures
the way of communicating between
exist for the numbers of Polish peo-
themselves and society.”
Somerset
Community
ple leaving the UK, but Krzysztof
Treczyński, at the Polish Embassy
If Poles, like Rafał, choose to stay
in London, said: “There is an evi-
in Britain there may be several rea-
dent downward trend ...and if you
sons, including a feeling of integra-
look at the numbers of air passen-
tion and that whatever the current
gers flying both ways, the trend is
uncertainties, the UK still holds
decreasing.”
brighter possibilities for them. For
others, like the clients at Barka,
Ironically, there are many who fore-
their dream of making it in Britain
cast that the Polish exodus could af-
seems less than rosy.
fect the UK’s economy even more in
the long term. Jan Mokrzycki, presi-
*”Auf Wiedersehen, Pet” was a pop-
dent of the Federation of Poles in
ular British comedy show about
Britain, said: “The first thing that’s
Britons working in Germany in the
been hit [by the UK recession] is the
eighties.
T
he Krakow Post welcomes letters to the editor. Letters for
publication should be signed and bear the signatory’s email address and city of residence. The Krakow Post reserves
the right to edit letters.
Please send letters to the editor at [email protected],
or by post at
Krakow Post
Ul. Szczepańska 7/4a
31-011 Krakow
Polish
about
1
time. “We don’t know how we’ll come
out on the screen,” Krakow officials
have said.
The situation should be cause for concern for Krakow’s authorities; this coverage should be backed up by a mass
advertising campaign, but for this,
Krakow has run out of money. Officials
from the City Promotion and Marketing Bureau can only despair, as their
budget this year was only four million
złoty, compared to 17 million allocated
by Łódż and nine million by Szczecin
(which is half the size of Krakow).
The director of the bureau said: “This
expenditure was not foreseen in this
year’s budget, and any money we had
left went to finance the “rescue” advertising campaign on the National Geographic and BBC channels earlier this
year, after figures showed a 20 percent
drop in visitors to Krakow.” All this is
after city councillors spent three million złoty on a mock battle and a series of other events to commemorate
the victory of the army of Polish King
Jan III Sobieski in the Battle of Vienna
in 1683.
“For that amount of money we could
have had three advertising campaigns.
This kind of opportunity is unlikely to
present itself again, [and] it’s difficult
to expect the TV station will want to
feature Poland again in the next few
years,” says the owner of a tourist
guide for the city.
Gazeta Wyborcza also brings to light
the fact that the decision against the
campaign was influenced by the Epoka
advertising agency, which would have
produced the Krakow commercial.
Their representatives persuaded City
officials not to promote Krakow on
CNN International in October because
viewers at that time will only be interested in coverage of the US presidential
elections.
“It’s crazy to miss out on such an opportunity because of the presidential
elections. The increased viewing of
television news is fantastic for the
three Polish towns that are advertising themselves. It’s a shame because
it’s too late for Krakow now. Besides,
I have the impression that those who
are worried about Krakow’s campaign
being crushed by the presidential elections are not differentiating one simple
thing. CNN International has news from
the USA, [but] it doesn’t dominate, unlike American CNN where it is the main
feature,” said former Polish TV U.S.
correspondent Katarzyna Sławińska.
krakow POST
Krakow Post is a monthly
publication published by Lifeboat Ltd.
ISSN: 1898-4762
www.krakowpost.com
Anna Spysz, Editor-in-Chief
[email protected]
Mark Bradshaw, Publisher
[email protected]
Duncan Rhodes, Nightlife Editor
[email protected]
Culture Editor
[email protected]
Stuart Wilson, Design
For advertising inquiries,
please contact:
Michal McSperrin-Kossak,
Group Sales Manager
[email protected]
+48 (12) 421 4865
Printers, www.drukarniapolska.pl
Krakow Post OCTOBER 2008 3
www.krakowpost.com
News Krakow
A Kingdom on Karmelicka
Construction of a €55 million investment on Karmelicka Street finally underway
Wojtek Galon
Following a decade of bureaucratic
The commencement of work at the
same
prop-
wedged incongruously amongst the
wrangling, work on a €55 million
site has been a complicated endea-
erty owners stepped in and filed a
historic Carmelite Church and solid
multifunctional complex, which in-
vour and the
project has stalled
case to the Provincial Administra-
20th century buildings on Karmel-
cludes a hotel, cinema and multi-
several times over the last decade.
tive court in Krakow, opposing the
icka Street, the development is a
level car park has finally begun in
Court proceedings, protests from
scheme and successfully bidding to
further example of the modernisa-
central Krakow.
neighbours, delays in the issuing of
annul the building permit.
tion of the district just north of the
year,
neighbouring
a building permit and land owner-
Planty.
Running along the back of the Pro-
ship changes have all combined to
The legal drama grew as Portico
vincial Public Library, in between
hold up the development, initially
lodged an appeal to the Supreme
It will also complement plans to
Karmelicka and Dolnych Młynow
set for completion in December
Administrative Court in Warsaw,
develop a multimedia information
streets, the project will occupy a
2002.
which then overturned the decision
centre opposite the Provincial Pub-
of the Provincial Administrative
lic Library on nearby Rajska Street,
barren piece of land that was used
as a military training yard in the
In 1998, the Krakow City Council
Court, and once again paved the
which will include a theatre, con-
1990s. Years of corrosion on the
sold the land to a private buyer for
way for construction to begin.
cert hall and seminar room for up
gabled walls of the adjacent resi-
48 million złoty, one of the largest
dential buildings will finally be
transactions in Poland at the time
Thus, at the start of 2007, with full
remedied.
according to local daily Dziennik
building rights secured, it seemed
In recent years, a wave of modern
Polski.
the bureaucratic rollercoaster had
shops, cafes and bars have also
come to an end. Yet, seemingly tired
sprouted in and around the Karmel-
Included in the concept is a four-
to 400 people.
star Hilton Garden Inn with 190
A year later, the land was sold off to
of constant postponements, Portico
icka area, making it one of the most
rooms, an eight-screen cinema com-
Warsaw-based company Portico Gal-
decided to sell the full rights for
crowded in the city and breathing
plex and a car park for 500 vehicles,
icja, which expanded the initial idea
the land to Irish property developer
new life into what is generally seen
along with bars, restaurants and a
of building a multi-level car park at
Howard Holdings.
as a walking path on route towards
variety of leisure facilities.
the site, and hired Krakow based ar-
A
lane
linking
Karmelicka
and
the Market Square.
chitect Ronald Loegler to design a
Now, the Cork-based company has
multifaceted concept.
used its Polish trademark Howard
With archeological works at the
Property Polska to finally get con-
multifunctional complex site now
Dolnych Młynow streets will also
create a walking path through the
However, due to complications in
struction underway and begin de-
finished, and a completion date
centre of the complex, while the
receiving a building permit for the
veloping what will undoubtedly be
set for mid-2010, it seems that lo-
“sleeping” Kochanowskiego Street,
site, Portico was forced to delay
one of the most modern complexes
cal residents will have to get used
currently closed off by a wall along
construction until mid-2003.
in Krakow.
to the emerging modern flavour of
With a building permit issued and
While traditionalists have expressed
work poised to start in June of the
concern that the new site will be
the land plot, will begin functioning
normally.
this part of town.
Balice Expansion Agreement Reached
Thymn Chase
O
nce again there is
talk of expanding
Krakow’s bustling
Balice International Airport, affectionately referred to by bureaucrats as
MPL.
In early September an agreement was reached by the
Małopolskie Regional Government, the City of Krakow
and the local district council
of Zabierzow to purchase a
33-hectare piece of land on
which to build the long envisioned new passenger terminal. According to the hard
fought and long negotiated
agreement, each of the three
authorities will acquire an
equal amount of money from
the National Treasury for the
specific purpose of purchasing the land.
This is an interesting com-
promise
considering
that
the negotiations have been
dominated by LOT Polish Airlines, which owns the largest
chunk of MPL with 85 percent
of shares. The Małopolskie
Regional Government holds
close to 14 percent, the city of
Krakow has about one percent,
and the local district council
of Zabierzow holds less than
one percent of shares. Considering the share dispersion
one can only assume that LOT
has really good negotiators.
As of September 29th, Balice International had already
handled 2 million passengers
in 2008 and a huge car park
is currently being constructed. The Krakow airport currently offers 52 connections
to 41 cities and is a port for
23 airlines - 12 traditional airlines and 11 low-cost carriers.
The new terminal that is to
be built on the acquired land
would service an additional
nine million passengers per
year.
/ photo Anna Spysz
>> 4
4 Krakow Post OCTOBER 2008
www.krakowpost.com
News Krakow
Krakow Company Pulls out of Pakistan
Ewa Spohn
Company leaves Pakistan after one of its workers is kidnapped
On Thursday September 25th two
markets came together at the
Jewish Community Centre when
George Nicholson, Trustee of
London’s Borough Market, spoke
about how a failing food market
had been turned into one of London’s most popular tourist attractions and the UK’s centre for artisan food. The meeting was the
first in a series organised by the
Przyjazny Kazimierz Association
to stimulate debate about how
Plac Nowy, the last functioning
food market in Kazimierz, could
be developed.
Anna Spysz
O
n Sunday, September
28th, Piotr Stańczak
was conducting a routine visit to oil plants
in the Pakistani village of Pind
Sultani, near Attock city, about 82
km west of Islamabad. Together
with his two Pakistani drivers and
bodyguard, he was ambushed by
gunmen, who killed the three
Pakistanis and kidnapped Mr.
Stańczak. All that was left at the
scene was the engineer’s company car and the bodies of his
Pakistani companions.
The engineer was working for
Krakow-based
oil
company
Geofizyka Krakow Limited, a
unit of the Polish gas monopoly
Polskie Górnictwo Naftowe i
Gazownictwo S.A. (PGNiG). On
September 30th, the company
announced that it will be pulling
out of Pakistan and bringing its
18 workers home. The company
states that the kidnapping constitutes a breach of its contract
with local authorities.
Leopold Sułkowski, the chairman
of Geofizyka Krakow, told TVN
Info, “Our contract was halted
because I don’t think that any of
our employees could continue to
work in such conditions.”
The kidnapping was condemned
by Pakistan’s Foreign Minister Makhdoom Shah Mahmood
Qureshi. Speaking from New
York, where he was attending the
UN General Assembly session,
he also expressed condolences
for the families of the three Pakistanis who were killed in the incident.
Foreign Minister Qureshi also
spoke to Polish Foreign Minister
Radosław Sikorski by telephone,
and assured him that the Pakistani government will be working
to ensure the safe return of Mr.
Stańczak to his family. Danuta
Paszek, the engineer’s sister, has
made a plea to the kidnappers for
the safe return of her brother.
While kidnappings for ransom
are common in Pakistan, usually the victims are well-to-do
Pakistanis, not foreigners. More
often, foreigners are taken by
militants such as the Taliban,
who have taken Westerners in
the past. This is the first case of
a Polish worker being kidnapped,
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Marketing Food,
London Style
but Taliban militants kidnapped
two Chinese telecommunication
engineers working for Zhongxing
Telecommunication Equipment
in August. The Chinese workers
have not yet been released, as
the militants are demanding the
release of some of their own colleagues in exchange.
The Polish firm hopes this will
#RACOW,IFE#Xdb
WANTED:
not be the case with Mr. Stańczak,
and it is meeting with local police
officials in the hopes of finding
a solution. Polish authorities are
also cooperating with Pakistani
police, while Geofizyka Krakow
has set up a crisis team.
At the moment, no individual or
group has claimed responsibility
for the kidnappings.
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[email protected]
Mr. Nicholson took the packed audience through the series of small
steps that make up the Borough
Market story. It started in 1995
with a cheese wholesaler renting one of the cold, damp buildings owned by the market, other
wholesalers following, passersby
asking if they could buy from
the wholesalers, quarterly warehouse sales, a food festival that
gave them the courage to start
a monthly market and then the
weekly market. This now draws
30,000 people every weekend and
supports numerous other businesses both in London and the
countryside.
For the other panel members,
Konrad Myslik, a journalist, and
Dr. Beiersdorf, an art historian
and former City Conservation
chief, the critical differences
between Kazimierz and Borough
were that Kazimierz is not experiencing a crisis of vitality, and also
the difference in scale. A valuable lesson was that a well-run
and focused market can become
an important asset.
Mr. Nicholson also met with managers of the Plac Nowy and Stary
Kleparz markets and local councillors. The Association hopes to
find a way to involve him as a
judge in the recently announced
architectural competition for the
redevelopment of Plac Nowy.
The next meeting in the series is
scheduled for mid-December, featuring Carolyn Steel, architect,
Cambridge University lecturer
and author of Hungry City, a book
about how cities’ need for food
shapes urban design.
Krakow Post OCTOBER 2008 5
www.krakowpost.com
News Poland
Debate
Chemical Castration - Humane or Insane?
In early September, Krzysztof B. was arrested in the village of Grodzisk, near Siemiatycze, after allegedly imprisoning and raping his now 21-year-old daughter, Alicja B., since 2002.
The daughter was forced to give up her two sons, aged three and 22 months, for adoption, and it is believed that Krzysztof B. is also their father. Though there are some significant
differences between the case of Krzysztof B. and Austrian Josef Fritzl, the former has nonetheless already been dubbed the “Polish Fritzl” by the media. In response, PM Donald Tusk
has pushed for legislation to require mandatory chemical castration for incorrigible paedophiles – below, James Sinclair and Robert Szmigielski debate the merits and downsides,
respectively, of mandatory castration.
F:
Amidst the media frenzy and public outrage surrounding the case of the
“Polish Fritzl,” Donald Tusk has seized the opportunity to gain public
support for his plans to make chemical castration a mandatory part of
repeat-offender paedophiles’ sentences.
Tusk’s use of the case to support his agenda muddies the waters: Krzysztof B. is
neither a paedophile by Polish law (the legal age of consent is 15), nor by medical
definition, which states that paedophilia is the recurrence of sexual urges towards
children of prepubescent age (in most cases this means 13 or under). Krzysztof B.’s
high profile crimes may lend sensationalist favour to Tusk’s cause but I shall not
refer to them.
In tackling the problem of paedophiles, we should not be led into a morally grounded witch hunt in which all paedophiles are labelled as “evil” and “subhuman,” but
rather we must sensibly admit that these seriously ill people pose a very real threat
to the lives of Poland’s children. By extension we must also weigh up the damage of
paedophilic behaviour when determining what measures are reasonable in countering it.
Father and mothers need no persuading, and those with any imagination need little
more, to understand the absolutely ruinous effect a paedophile’s crimes can have
on a young life. Rape is rightly considered one of the worst forms of torture, not
just for the extreme physical pain it causes but for the lifelong psychological damage it inflicts. Victims typically feel extreme depression, humiliation, lack of self
worth, are unable to enjoy healthy sexual relationships (often ruining their chances
of happy marriage, or long-term relationships), not to mention the possibility of unwanted children or the passing on of life-affecting sexual diseases. Rape of a minor
therefore can be considered akin to the torturing of a child, and the most abominable crime imaginable - whether you choose to blame the paedophile or not for his
unnatural urges. Living with the physical and psychological scars of sexual abuse is
a terrible burden for anyone to bear, let alone for a child whose young life should
be full of only joy and promise.
The solution? Well neither I, nor Donald Tusk, are suggesting we stamp down on
every first time sex offender with obligatory chemical castration, but if a paedophile repeatedly offends and continues to destroy life after life, surely they sacrifice
some of their human rights? Ultimately we have to make a choice about who we
want to protect, our children or incurably ill sexual deviants. Chemical castration
(which many paedophiles have chosen of their own volition) provides a humane way
to deal with a group of people whose predatory behaviour consigns young children
to a shattered half-life of misery and unfulfilment. It may not be politically correct
to think about the victim for once, but when you balance countless children losing
their chance of happiness versus a few paedophiles losing their sex drives, only
someone with a very skewed sense of justice would argue against chemical castration.
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A:
The tragic and sickening events that occurred in Siemiatycze have quickened the pulses and angered us all, and understandably feelings are
running high. Not the time for rash decisions, one would think. But, lo and
behold, up pops a sabre-rattling Donald Tusk, who, instead of calming the
furore, foolhardily declares that Poland will be the only country in the civilised world to
force chemical castration on convicted paedophiles and sexual offenders.
More is expected from a head of government; at times like these, rational debate should
be encouraged, not knee-jerk reactions that remind us of the incompetent (but endlessly
entertaining) days of the Kaczyńskis. Unfortunately, Tusk’s decision smacks of an attempt to resurrect waning support.
Chemical castration is nothing new; many countries administer the treatment, but
only with the consent of the individual – to force it is a breach of one’s human right to
procreate. Many will argue that upon violating the human rights of their victim, a sexual
offender relinquishes their own, but as a modern society, long gone is the philosophy of
“an eye for an eye” - which Gandhi famously declared, blinds us all.
Let’s look at the facts: paedophilia is widely recognised by doctors and psychologists as
a mental illness (like schizophrenia) and as such, the sufferer - who more often than not
was themselves abused as a child - must be treated, not locked away and punished. They
are not driven by sexual urges, but by mental imbalances, rendering the use of hormonal
suppression by use of chemicals totally useless. As the American Civil Liberties Union
argues, “mandatory chemical castration... fails to treat the psychological roots of sexually
deviant behaviour,” a claim backed by sexologists across the globe.
Also, according to sexology experts in Poland, only one in 10 of those convicted of sexually abusing children are paedophiles, while the rest are simply primitive individuals
who are not ill, but depraved and demoralised, thus medical treatment is not required.
Therefore, if not sick, they must be treated as criminals, meaning: once tried, convicted,
and having served their sentence, they must be allowed to walk free. This is one of the
fundamental principles of a civilised society, and there can be no exceptions – no matter
how unpleasant the offence. Chemical castration, aside from its ineffectiveness, would be
an additional punishment for an offender who already paid the price for his crimes.
Furthermore, Tusk’s idea is formed on the presumption that the criminal will re-offend.
This would give the state the means to punish somebody for a crime they have not yet
committed, and would set a dangerous precedent. Suddenly the elaborately woven world
of Minority Report, where people are arrested and punished for “thought-crime,” is not as
outlandish as first thought.
The state mustn’t be allowed to exploit the hysteria surrounding the disgusting actions
of an individual by passing a law that has the potential to mutate into something more
sinister. Just look at the U.S. and Great Britain, where civil liberties are slowly and discreetly being picked apart under the guise of “national security.” Do you want to live in a
society where you are told what you think, and accused and punished for something that
you may or may not do? I certainly don’t.
6 Krakow Post OCTOBER 2008
www.krakowpost.com
News Poland
Poland: The 51st State?
From Russia With Realism
Russian foreign minister’s visit to Poland strengthens
the need for a debate over Warsaw’s policy towards
Russia
More reports surface on alleged CIA prisons in Poland
Robert Szmigielski
A
Wojciech Michnik
ccusations that Polish land
and airspace were used
S
ergey Lavrov, Russia’s For-
for Rzeczpospolita, compared the
eign Minster, arrived in
position of the Polish government
Warsaw on September 10th
towards Georgia to the one it had
to meet his counterpart
taken towards Tibet: in the begin-
Radosław Sikorski and Polish Prime
ning everyone seemed to be out-
Minister Donald Tusk. Despite the
raged by the events, but then we got
The first article, printed in early Sep-
somewhat cold relations between
used to the new situation.
tember, reported that Prime Minister
the two neighbours of late - stem-
Donald Tusk received a personally
ming mainly from Russian opposi-
Regardless of the media hype sur-
addressed letter from former Deputy
tion to the Polish-American missile
rounding Mr. Lavrov’s trip to Poland,
Prime Minister Roman Giertych - the
shield, the Russian-Georgian con-
this visit seemed mostly significant
contents are believed to include clas-
flict and Poland’s role in supporting
in terms of its symbolic meaning.
sified information linked to the dis-
Ukraine and Georgia - both sides
Moscow’s goal was to show the rest
puted existence of CIA (Central Intel-
underlined strong economic and
of the world, and especially the
ligence Agency) prisons in Poland.
cultural ties during the meeting.
European Union, that Russia is not
As the official website of the Polish
such a bad force in international
The letter - promptly handed over to
Ministry of Foreign Affairs informs
relations as the Georgian conflict
the public prosecutor’s office - trig-
us, the purpose of this working visit
might have indicated. According
gered the re-opening of the investi-
was to discuss bilateral relations,
to Adam Eberhard, vice-director of
the situation surrounding the Geor-
the Center for Eastern Studies in
gian–Russian conflict and the pros-
Warsaw, Lavrov’s visit was aimed
pects for EU–Russian relations.
at improving Russia’s image in the
for the transportation and
detention of terrorist sus-
pects have been reignited recently
by a series of articles published last
month in Gazeta Wyborcza.
/ cartoon Dominik Nawrocki
Europe – was located in Poland.
gation into the accusations that have
mania. Later, however, after newspa-
proved to be a thorn in the side of con-
per and media outlets across Europe
secutive Polish administrations.
carried out their own investigations,
He
the EU’s hand was forced and official
made by Malinowski years earlier, that
inquiries were launched.
the secret base was close to Szymany
“We do not see Poland itself as a
government’s perspective, the fact
Airport.
According to McShane, a
source of threats to the Russian Fed-
that Warsaw was the first EU capi-
The story first appeared nearly three
years ago, when rumours that the CIA
also
reiterated
the
accusation
European Union. From the Polish
had held terror suspects in former So-
Three reports materialised - the Coun-
military intelligence training centre in
eration,” Minister Lavrov declared.
tal visited by a high ranking Rus-
viet European countries came to the
cil of Europe and the European Parlia-
Stare Kiejkuty was used to detain, in-
He also added that, “[even though]
sian official since the outbreak of
surface. An article published by the
ment’s in 2006, and later, in 2007, the
terrogate, and torture high-profile ter-
we don’t agree on everything, we
war in Georgia sent a much needed
Washington Post in November 2005
European Commission’s – all of which,
rorist suspects, most notably Khalid
appreciate dialogue.” One of the is-
signal abroad: that Poland is the
claimed that the CIA set up illegal
based on circumstantial evidence and
Shaikh Mohammed, the man widely-
sues that Moscow and Warsaw keep
crucial player in relations between
facilities as part of a “covert prison
anonymous sources, confirmed sus-
recognised as the mastermind of the
disagreeing on is the future loca-
the European Union and Moscow.
system” following the 9/11 attacks in
picions that Poland colluded with the
9/11 attacks.
tion of elements of the U.S. missile
The possibility to play this role has
New York.
U.S. government.
defence system on Polish territory.
long been on the wish list of Polish
Furthermore, McShane said that Po-
And though Poland might not pose
policy-makers. But in order to be
Although the paper refused to speci-
In September 2006, after many ve-
land was chosen primarily because its
a direct risk to Russia, the defence
listened to in Brussels (or Berlin and
fy the countries implicated, it stated
hement denials by the Polish gov-
intelligence agency was keen to coop-
shield, according to the Kremlin,
Paris for that matter), Poland’s atti-
that in addition to Afghanistan, Thai-
ernment - including rebukes by the
erate, and because it had no cultural
constitutes a threat. Similarly dan-
tude towards Russia must be mod-
land, and Guantánamo Bay, “several
then PM Kazimierz Marcinkiewicz,
or religious links to Islamic fundamen-
gerous from the Russian standpoint
erate. In other words, were Warsaw
democracies in Eastern Europe” were
who declared the accusations to be
talists such as Al-Qaeda. “Poland is
is the further expansion of NATO,
ever to become a spokesman for EU
involved in the CIA’s “unconventional
“groundless slander” - President Bush
the 51st state,” McShane was allegedly
which, as Lavrov put it, “harms Eu-
eastern policy, it must not present
war on terror.”
admitted that the CIA did hold terror-
told. “Americans have no idea.”
ropean security.” This latter remark
the most hawkish approach towards
was countered by Mr. Sikorski’s re-
the Kremlin.
ist suspects at foreign locations and
Shortly following the article’s publica-
defended their use, saying that se-
Crucially, McShane says he gathered
minder that NATO is an alliance of
tion, the US-based Human Rights Watch
cret prisons, alternative interrogation
information
free states, each of which enters the
publicly said that, based on flight
methods and military tribunals were
ranking CIA officials – claims that have
records and other evidence, Poland
integral to keeping Americans safe.
been rebuked by Polish officials and
and Romania were the unidentified
Once again, no specific countries were
scrutinised by media outlets across
Another topic discussed by Polish
said that Lavrov’s visit proved that
European countries. Tom Malinowski,
mentioned.
the country.
and Russian officials was the cur-
Russia has started to treat Warsaw
rent situation in the Caucasus. How-
differently. The tone of talks has
from
“credible”
high-
the organisation’s advocacy director,
organization of its own will.
In an interview with Rzeczpospolita, Adam Daniel Rotfeld, Poland’s
former minister of foreign affairs,
claimed that during September 2003, a
During the following months, the
When asked by a journalist from Gaze-
ever, it is worth noting that if some
changed and is now similar to that
Boeing 737 leased by the CIA to trans-
storm surrounding the accusations of
ta Wyborcza about the existence of the
strong words were exchanged, they
used by the Kremlin during meet-
port prisoners departed from Kabul
illegal prisons based on Polish soil - to
prisons following his acceptance of
must have been spoken behind
ings with states such as Spain, Italy
and landed at Szymany Airport, north-
the relief of the Polish government -
Giertych’s letter, Prime Minister Don-
closed doors. During the press
and France. This means, Rotfeld
eastern Poland, before continuing its
seemed to be subsiding. But following
ald Tusk said, “I have nothing more to
conference afterwards, the war in
argues, that Russia has come to ac-
journey to Guantánamo Bay.
a damning article written by New York
add.”
Georgia was not the central subject,
cept the fact that Poland is a fully
as if the Polish and Russian delega-
independent nation, as well as an
To this day, both former President
tions had agreed that mutual bash-
integral part of the West. Therefore,
Aleksander Kwaśniewski and his suc-
ing in the spotlight of TV cameras
it is small wonder that Prime Minis-
Times journalist Scott McShane, the isThe
European
Commission
swiftly
sue has re-surfaced.
moved to quell the furore and dismissed the report, saying they had no
In the detailed report published in
cessor Lech Kaczyński strongly deny
would not do much good for either
ter Donald Tusk called Mr. Lavrov’s
suspicions that the CIA was running
June, McShane claimed that the most
any involvement in the scandal.
side. This was met with criticism
visit “a step in the right direction.”
secret detention centres in Europe,
important of the CIA’s “black sites” – a
from some of the right wing me-
This appraisal seems to be
adding that there was no reason to
term used to describe Guantánamo-
dia and commentators. Zdzisław
right on the mark because
question the denials by Poland and Ro-
like interrogation facilities based in
Krasnodębski, in his opinion piece
it recalls an old rule of
>> 8
Krakow Post OCTOBER 2008 7
www.krakowpost.com
News Poland
Brzeziński and the Bear Part II
Former U.S. National Security Advisor Zbigniew Brzeziński has been one of the most vocal, and oftquoted critics of Russia’s invasion of Georgia. Here, in the second of a three-part essay, Professor Patrick
Vaughan reflects on the statesman’s lifelong engagement with the Soviet Union.
B
reziński acquitted himself with distinction at
Harvard, and over the
next few years established a reputation as a rising
star in the relatively new field
of “Sovietology.” In the course
of 1955 he married a charming
and beautiful Wellesley graduate named Emile “Muska” Benes,
a scion of a distinguished Czech
family. At the time, Brzeziński
was working on a groundbreaking collaboration with Carl
Friedrich examining the concept
of “Totalitarianism” — offering
the controversial thesis that the
Nazi and Soviet systems that had
divided Poland in the autumn of
1939 were essentially similar.
Brzeziński, recalling the photos
of Gestapo and NKVD officers
smiling together after smashing
what Molotov called the “bastard child of Versailles,” it was
not really a debatable point.
But Brzeziński told his friends
that he had no intention of
becoming an absent-minded,
pipe smoking “Mr. Chips.” He
enjoyed teaching, but his academic work in the ensuing years
was almost invariably based on
the larger goal of influencing
American policy in the Cold War
struggle with Moscow — and by
extension reversing the stain of
Yalta and relieving the plight of
the Soviet occupation over Eastern Europe.
In the summer of 1953 the 23year-old Brzeziński was on a
trip through Europe when he
stopped by the Munich head-
quarters of Radio Free Europe.
He approached the secretary
and, without an appointment,
said he wished to speak with
Jan Nowak-Jeziorański, the famous wartime resistance leader
and head of the Polish desk of
RFE. Nowak-Jeziorański, somewhat nonplussed by the audacity of his unannounced young
visitor, was stunned when over
lunch Brzeziński displayed an
encyclopedic knowledge of the
Polish underground resistance.
After only two hours, he was
assured that this young man
would one day play a role in the
liberation of Poland from the Soviet Union.
Brzeziński was unimpressed
with the bravado of John Foster Dulles’ promise to “liberate”
Eastern Europe. After the Hungarian fiasco of 1956, Brzeziński
outlined a more moderate plan
he referred to as “peaceful engagement.” This entailed moving from a head-on rhetorical
confrontation with Moscow, to a
more active policy of “peaceful
engagement.” This offered a far
greater chance for success, and
in the long run would be far better prepared to dilute the Iron
Curtain and entice the captive
populations with the political
and economic attractions of the
West. This approach was attractive to a young senator across
town named John Kennedy, who
employed the young Harvard
scholar to write speeches for his
1960 presidential campaign.
That same year Brzeziński wrote
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his seminal Soviet Bloc: Unity
and Conflict. This work provided an in-depth look at the communist regimes in the postwar
era, but perhaps more importantly, signalled that “national
communism” was spreading
throughout the region — a force
that may, Brzeziński thought,
continue on to the Soviet Union
itself. Brzeziński moved on to
Columbia University where he
continued to focus on the fragmenting nuances of the communist world. New York City proved
an exciting venue for a career as
a policy orientated academic.
Brzeziński was now associating
with the grand old figures in the
foreign policy “establishment”
and writing widely discussed
articles for magazines such as
Foreign Affairs. Brzeziński’s
primary concern was that many
American strategists and politicians had come to view a divided Europe as the natural state of
international affairs.
Brzeziński was shocked and
saddened by Kennedy’s death
in 1963. Within a few years, his
work Alternative to Partition articulated a plan to bridge the
gap in an artificially divided Europe. In 1966 Brzeziński moved
into Lyndon Johnson’s State
Department, where he was instrumental in promoting LBJ’s
“bridge building” approach to
Eastern Europe. Brzeziński, eager to motivate Johnson into
giving a speech on the need to
“engage” the Eastern European states, circulated a
“white lie” that Robert >> 8
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Poland to Repay Subsidies
Ewa Spohn
Poland may have to repay up to
150 million euro as a result of irregularities in the way that satellite imaging was used to establish
areas eligible for EU farm subsidies between 2005-2006.
The mistakes were discovered
during routine audits that the EU
regularly carries out on member
countries, and Poland is not the
only country where irregularities
have been uncovered. An anonymous EU official has been quoted
that in Poland’s case, there are no
suspicions of corruption, just administrative errors.
The exact amount that the Polish
government may have to repay
will be decided after the European Commission meets with
Polish officials in December, but
the maximum that a member
state can be ordered to repay is
50% of farm subsidies received,
depending on how serious the
problem is. The Polish agricultural minister, Marek Sawicki, has
stated that he hopes the amount
to be repaid will be less than 500
million złoty, and that the mapping system is complete and the
method of establishing the size
and location of areas eligible for
subsidies is now compliant with
the EU’s requirements.
However, whatever the amount,
it will have to come out of next
year’s national budget, not farmers’ pockets, as the government
is committed to distributing the
current package of EU funding.
Since joining the EU on May 1st
2004 until the end of 2007, the
Polish Ministry of Finance reported 83.3 million złoty in funding
irregularities across the EU; 5.88
million złoty of this involved agricultural subsidies.
Poland is known for a lack of
transparency on the subject of
farm subsidies. According to
a summary prepared by farmsubsidy.org, a UK and Denmarkbased non-profit organisation set
up to promote transparency in
the Common Agricultural Policy,
Poland ranked 12th on the their
transparency league table with a
score of 27 percent, below Slovenia (2nd), Slovakia (4th), Estonia
(5th), Czech Republic (8th) and
Latvia (11th). This low score was
due largely to the limited amount
of data for 2006 that the Polish
government published on the
web in 2007, and the fact that
they listed it alphabetically, making searching and comparison
cumbersome. The fact that the
data was released at all only came
about as a result of a high profile campaign for transparency
initiated by a freelance journalist
when his official request for information was refused in 2005.
Nevertheless, farmsubsidy.org’s
analysis of the Polish data shows
that in 2006, Poland contributed
32 euro per citizen to the Common Agricultural Policy and spent
56 euro per citizen. Of the total
807 million euro distributed directly to farmers, 42 percent went
to the top 10 percent of recipients and some 1,150 million euro
was spent on rural development,
second only to France, which received 1,184 million euro.
8 Krakow Post OCTOBER 2008
www.krakowpost.com
News Poland
Poland and Ukraine to Remain
Euro 2012 Hosts
<< F r o m R u s s i a
continued from
6
ficult, or nigh on impossible to
achieve a consensus with a diffi-
U
EFA has reaffirmed its
commitment to staging Euro 2012 in Poland
and Ukraine, but warned
both countries could still lose the
tournament if preparations fall further behind schedule.
cult partner (not to mention a foe)
if both sides refrain from talking to
time, let us not forget that some
Polish and Russian security interests do clash (i.e. over the future
of Ukraine), and no talks can make
these differences disappear.
Certainly, Mr. Lavrov’s latest visit,
though not as significant as some
of the commentators would like it
to be, underscores the need for a
deepened debate over Polish policy
towards Russia. The need and readi-
While Poland has moved forward
in the last six months by securing
essential funding for projects, the
country still faces major problems
with transport infrastructure. Organisers have already conceded
that a number of the proposed
railway developments will not be
completed on time, while the Polish
government has staggered in upgrading existing roads and building
badly needed new ones.
Kennedy was about to give a
very similar speech, and this
would allow LBJ to trump his
rival.
each other. However, at the same
The decision came at a September
26th meeting of UEFA’s Executive
Committee in Bordeaux, and was
based on its review of a report by
experts on preparations for the 16team tournament.
Poland and Ukraine saw off a bid
from Italy and a joint candidacy
from Croatia and Hungary, but
have since struggled to tackle the
colossal tasks of upgrading stadiums and modernising rail and road
infrastructure, airports, roads and
hotels.
7
diplomacy – namely that it is dif-
Wojtek Galon
Officials in Poland and Ukraine
must have breathed a sigh of relief after speculation in the days
preceding the decision suggested
that the co-hosts could lose the
2012 tournament if the stuttering
progress made by both since being awarded the championships in
April last year continues.
<< B r z e z i n s k i
continued from
ness for understanding Russia’s position (not necessarily accepting it)
and its role in international politics
/ cartoon Kasia Adamek
after the war in Georgia, appears to
be an obvious initial move. In addition, Poland needs to embrace the
real strength of its power in relations with Moscow, a power that lies
Platini also underlined the importance of completing stadiums in
Warsaw and Kiev, saying that if
either of the cities’ stadiums were
not completed, then the country
in question would lose the right to
stage the tournament.
“Euro 2012 has been awarded to
Ukraine and Poland and there is
no reason for this to change,” Listkiewicz told reporters after the
UEFA meeting. “What makes me so
confident? The progress we have
made.”
“Without Kiev or without Warsaw
[stadiums], we cannot have a tournament,” Platini said.
It seems that for now UEFA is holding him to his word, although European football’s governing body
confirmed that there will not necessarily be the same number of
venues per country and that the
number of stadiums to be used will
be a maximum of eight and a minimum of six.
within the EU’s framework. Acting
alone, or in a very small concert of
not-so-powerful states, is unlikely
to reap much success - as the disproportion of power between Russia
and Poland is simply too huge - and
it might be read by some states as
pointless
Warsaw is to stage the opening
match in a new 55,000-seat national
stadium on the banks of the Vistula
River. The crumbling 10th Anniversary Stadium that currently stands
on the site is slowly being torn
down and preliminary construction
on the new stadium is scheduled
to begin in early 2009 and finish in
2011.
Meanwhile, a political crisis triggered by squabbling between
Ukraine’s president and prime minister, coupled with the September
collapse of the ruling coalition’s
government,
has
considerably
slowed progress and put extra strain
on the Eastern European country’s
aim to hold onto hosting rights.
The renovation of Kiev’s 80,000seat Olympic stadium, which hosted the football tournament at the
1980 Moscow Olympics and is to
host the Euro 2012 final, is another
major hurdle in Ukrainian preparations. Delays in finding a company
to reconstruct the stadium have led
to doubts that the necessary renovations will be completed on time.
While recognising that progress has
been achieved by both countries in
the last six months at an organisational level and in the advancement
of infrastructure, UEFA President
Michel Platini was quoted after the
meeting by uefa.com as saying that
the “progress is neither uniform
nor constant.”
Despite the setbacks, Polish and
Ukrainian organisers continue to
put a positive spin on things, most
notably Polish FA President Michał
Listkiewicz, who refuted claims
made in the German media that
he had said he was worried about
Poland’s readiness to co-host Euro
2012.
sabre-rattling.
Perhaps
one of the most accurate assessments of the visit was given by
Jacek Saryusz-Wolski, head of the
European Parliament’s Foreign Relations Committee, who expressed
his satisfaction that “communication channels remain open for both
sides to explain their motives. It is
important that problems substantial
for Polish interests, but considered
“If the progress is not even, there
may be more venues in one country
than another,” UEFA General Secretary David Taylor said after the
meeting.
to be lesser from the entire Europe-
Poland has sought to extend the
number of host venues in the country, hoping that along with Warsaw,
Poznań, Gdańsk and Wrocław, venues in Krakow and Chorzów could
be used for the tournament. UEFA
has said that the final list of host
cities will be announced at some
stage in 2009.
From this standpoint, one of the
an perspective, be resolved. Matters
not marked by extreme differences
should be discussed through dialogue.”
greatest paradoxes of Polish policy
Brzeziński contributed an
editorial that week in the
Washington Post, describing
the invasion as the death
knell for the Soviet Union.
“The invasion of Czechoslovakia,” wrote Brzeziński,
“will hasten the process not
only of disintegration of international communism but
in all probability also of the
internal decay of the Soviet
political system. Without a
doubt, the more enlightened
segments of Soviet society
are as outraged and disgusted as the rest of the world.
Before long, the contagion
of freedom which is temporarily being snuffed out in
Prague will spread to Kiev
and Moscow.”
towards Russia derives from the
following choice: the harder the
approach Warsaw takes towards
Moscow, the less likely Poland is to
be able to influence the EU’s eastern policy. On the flipside, the socalled soft approach might cause
two problems for policy-makers
Euro 2012 will be the first major
sporting event held in former communist Eastern Europe since the
Moscow Olympics in 1980.
Brzeziński was thus dismayed when Johnson placed
a budding détente with the
Soviet Union above the priority of weaning Eastern
Europe out of the Soviet orbit. In the summer of 1968
Brzeziński and his wife made
a trip to Czechoslovakia to
encourage the reforms inherent in the Prague Spring.
At the same time Brzeziński
was troubled when Lyndon
Johnson expressed an untoward eagerness to convene
a summit with the Soviet
leaders in hopes of easing
the situation in Vietnam. The
American position provided
an implicit green light to the
Soviets, who sent troops into
Prague to crush the wayward
reform movement.
in Warsaw. Firstly, Poland’s milder rhetoric could be mistaken for
weakness by some of the Kremlin’s
hardliners; secondly, the argument
of being “too soft on Russia” is still
a powerful accusation that speaks
to the historical experience of many
Poles, and as such, will certainly be
exploited by opposing political parties.
Part III of “Brzeziński and
the Bear” can be read in the
November edition of the Krakow Post. Patrick Vaughan
is a professor of history at
the Jagiellonian University,
Krakow. His forthcoming biography, Brzeziński: A Life
On the Grand Chessboard of
Power, is due to be published
in English and Polish editions later in the year. Parts
of “Brzeziński and the Bear”
were published in the Polish
Review.
Krakow Post OCTOBER 2008 9
www.krakowpost.com
Opinion
Polish Army Goes Shopping
Grażyna Zawada
The Universal Spy
by Nick Hodge
Over the past few weeks, Polish papers have been packed with rev-
he wrote a request to the Secret Police asking if he could have some
elations about one Professor Aleksander Wolszczan. Until recently,
more money for his services. Allegedly, the powers that be complied.
the professor was chiefly known for being the first man to pinpoint
an extra-solar planet. However, a Soviet spectre has reared its head.
At present, Wolszczan’s case doesn’t appear to teach us anything
new about the psychology of the informer. And it should be men-
The claim that a brilliant young astronomer collaborated with com-
tioned that no respectable voices are baying for blood. The pro-
munist secret police during the seventies comes as no earth-shat-
fessor will not lose his honorary citizenship of Polish towns, and
tering news. Revelations about alleged informants have become
he will not be cold-shouldered in academic circles. Neverthe-
an almost monthly occurrence in the Polish media. High fliers in
less, as each new star is “outed,” the bravery of those who re-
the arts and sciences are amongst the most regular players in this
fused to compromise shines through with ever greater radiance.
carnival of compromised souls: writer Ryszard Kapuściński was unPatriot missiles
S
ixty million zlotys
will be spent on
new military equipment for the Polish
army. According to Minister of Defense Bogdan
Klich, this is the maximum
sum Poland can afford at
present.
By the end of this year the
Polish air force will get the
last of the contracted 48
F-16s, as well as two CASA
cargo planes and five Hercules transport planes. The
air force will be equipped
with modern anti-missile
systems and a new type of
combat training airplane.
Its design is yet unknown,
as the army has launched a
tender for it.
As a part of the modernisation of the navy, Klich has
confirmed the completion
of a multipurpose corvette,
i.e. a light ship – Gawron.
The already existing missile boats will be equipped
with water missiles, and
waterfront corps with surface-water missiles. The
navy will also get a new
mine destroyer and a modern submarine.
Surface troops will continue testing a new type of armoured personnel carrier
called the “Rosomak,” al-
masked not long after he departed from this world, many more had
Undeniably,
to face the music in person (although few showed grave remorse).
tached from the gritty realities of Soviet life. However, certain
the
judgements
of
today’s
generation
are
de-
facts remain. It’s worth remembering that even if Wolszczan
ready used in Afghanistan.
Poland hopes also for the
United States to sell Patriot
missiles at a discount, as
the Americans prepare to
begin work on a military
base in Redzikow near the
city of Slupsk in the north
of Poland. The U.S. wants
their soldiers and employees to receive tax relief in
Poland, so a deal might be
made. The Supplement of
the Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA) would also
include American soldiers
not being called to account
in front of a Polish court.
According to the leader
of the negotiation team,
Vice-minister of Defense
Stanisław
Komorowski,
finding common ground
may take a few months.
The military base in
Redzików is to be a part
of the American missile
defence system. It will be
Polish property, built and
run by American troops.
The second base, newly
negotiated, would include
a Patriot missile launcher.
One of the conditions under which Poland agreed
to host the missile defence
base was that it would get
help from the U.S. for its
regular army needs.
Time and time again it appears that a passport was the crucial fac-
did not harm anyone through his dealings, the whole culture
tor. Today, when freedom of movement is largely taken as a given in
of informing did cause damage, in some cases it ruined lives.
Europe, it’s hard to comprehend the lure of this seemingly mundane
document. But, if you speak to Poles of fifty and over, 99 percent will
Scores of Poles were denied passports for refusing to play the
tell you that even as late as 1980, no one believed that communism
informing game. Dozens had their careers capped. Solidarity
would end (or at least not in their own lifetime). The system had
activists - who had informers circling them in shoals – were ar-
already lasted 40 years - eight times as long as the Nazi Occupation -
rested and incarcerated. Some were beaten up, some were killed.
why shouldn’t it run for another 40? With this in mind, many decided
that coming to some kind of arrangement with the regime was a must.
Thus it’s hardly surprising that there is some bitterness from those
that were kept down by the old regime. Journalist Bronisław Wild-
You don’t have to be a militant anti-commie to concede that there
stein, one of the key movers in the “lustracja” campaign (the move-
were aspects of Soviet life that weren’t exactly jolly. Those who
ment to expose former collaborators), lost a close friend in the
experienced it first-hand cite the frequent food shortages, the
notorious “Pyas Case” (Stanisław Pyas, a student in Krakow, was al-
epic queues for mundane items like toothpaste, and not least, the
legedly murdered by the Secret Services in 1977). Likewise, Father
tangible sense that towns and cities were rotting, owing to so lit-
Tadeusz Isakowicz-Zaleski, one of the “Solidarity priests,” was twice
tle money being invested. Being fed constant disinformation was
beaten up, and his friend, Father Jerzy Popiełuszko, was murdered.
not exactly uplifting either. Thus, finding a way to transcend the
grubby reality was no mean feat (although the Catholic faith played
As Isakowicz-Zaleski recently discovered, several of the cler-
a huge part). However, for those born with academic or artistic
gymen who had been informing on him rose to positions
gifts, the concept of a creative career offered a glimmer of hope.
of great power in the Church. Thus it came as no surprise
two years ago when voices within the Church vigorously op-
It’s accepted that becoming a full-blown professor was nigh on im-
posed the priest’s plans to publish his book on collaboration.
possible if you weren’t arranged. Meanwhile, making it in the arts
was a tricky business if you weren’t prepared to play communist
The question of whether former collaborators can hold positions of
ball. And invariably, just when you were beginning to make it in
authority today is not as straightforward as it might seem. As men-
your chosen career, one of the “smutni panowie” (sad gentlemen)
tioned, no serious voices are claiming that Professor Wolszczan has
would appear. Yes, you could have your passport - you could take
blood on his hands, or that he should be stripped of his credentials
your film to Cannes, you could perform your concerto in Rome,
as a teacher of astronomy. However, logic suggests that each case is
you could do your teaching stint in London... But there was just
different. For example, the case of Stanisław Wielgus, the would-be
one small proviso. Put simply, you had to keep them informed.
Archbishop of Warsaw is complex. Here is a man who until recently
held the power to stifle figures such as Father Isakowicz-Zaleski.
It’s easy to grasp that for many ambitious young people, it was pos-
Was it sensible that he - a long-time informer - should maintain one
sible to convince yourself that you wouldn’t do anyone any harm.
of the most hallowed jobs in the land? Many felt not, and Archbish-
You could just waffle a bit. Not say anything important. Yet be-
op Wielgus was obliged to resign from his post in December 2006.
fore long, people had several years of informing under their belts.
These issues are already more than familiar to the Polish pubIn the case of Aleksander Wolszczan, not much has come to light about
lic, but to the West, they constitute a somewhat bewildering
specific people that he might have harmed, and no one is insisting
Pandora’s Box. Poland did manage to effect a bloodless revolu-
that he did cause direct harm to any of his peers. Indeed, Wolszczan
tion in 1989, and for this is should be proud. However, there
claims that when Solidarity began, he deliberately refused to offer
were side effects. Poland did not start again from scratch. And
information on activists. The most memorable claim that anyone has
whilst a witch hunt is not advisable, those historians strug-
made about the astronomer thus far is that when his son was born,
gling to reveal truths should not be halted in their tracks.
Special Report
KRAK THE VOTE!
The Krakow Post tells Americans and Canadians in Krakow how to vote but not how to vote.
With reporting by Anna Bienkowska, Dana Dramowicz, and Anna Spysz.
For anyone who’s been living under a rock for the past few months (or is just
more interested in Continental politics), change is on the way in the White
House - the American White House that is. The presidential elections
are quickly approaching on November 4th. They happen every four
years and each president can serve up to two terms. For current
President George W. Bush this means that he’s moving out of
the oval office and someone else is moving in.
Am
funds in
to omit voting
The way the
fect Po
Perhaps this election has received so much coverage in international as well as national media because it is breaking
ground on many levels. The Democratic candidate, Senator
Barack Obama from Illinois, is of mixed African American
and Caucasian heritage – a first. His vice-presidential running mate is Senator Joe Biden from Delaware.
The Republican candidate is 72-year-old John McCain, senator from Arizona; if elected, he would be the oldest person to
be elected president. His running mate is Governor Sarah Palin from
Alaska. If the Republicans are elected she will be the first woman vicepresident in American history.
Though both parties’ campaigns have been courting voters for months, and debates between
the candidates have already begun, many Americans are still undecided when it comes to which
candidate will get their vote come November. On this side of the Atlantic, the Krakow Post has
hit the streets and asked ordinary Poles as well as American expatriates their opinions on taking
part in the democratic process and what effect American politics will have on Poland.
ABSENTEE VOTING
T
he general (presidential) elections in America are taking place on November 4th of this year. For all eligible voters, at first glance it would seem
infinitely easier to buy a plane ticket and complete the registration and voting process in person. However, there are only a few steps to follow for
eligible voters.
The first requirement is completing a Federal Postcard Application; this form allows voter registration and requests an absentee ballot. The form then
has to be returned to a local election office.
The process complicates itself at this juncture because there are thousands of election offices in America and every state has different requirements.
Other than the deadlines, they also vary so immensely that in some states you can register and request a ballot even by email or fax in relation to
other states where you can only register or request a ballot via traditional snail mail. Some states will only accept a drivers’ license number as proof of
citizenship, and in some other states all forms must be notarized (notarization can be done at a U.S. consulate or embassy). If the information is incomplete it will be rejected. If the process is started early enough the election office will contact the individual to correct the information. The suggested time for the entire process is 90 days.
If an absentee ballot is received in time it can be completed and returned to the election office in the U.S. to be counted. In this straightforward process
many things can and usually do go wrong, especially when transmitting things by mail. The delays in mail transmittal have largely contributed to disappointing results of eligible ballots counted in the last election. As a result it has been simplified by two factors.
The first is if the voter does not receive an absentee ballot in time but an absentee ballot has been requested, the potential voter can complete a federal
write-in absentee ballot. It is recommended by officials that the appropriate time to complete a FWAB is 30 days prior to the election.
The other factor is that if an absentee ballot has been completed but there is doubt that it will arrive on time it can be sent through the Express Your
Vote programme through FedEx. The company has joined to help American citizens cast their vote and send ballot shipments from Poland for $23.50,
including the ability to track the shipment. A small price for taking part in the democratic process.
In reality the only difficult part in registering to vote and requesting a ballot is finding out what the requirements are
for each state. The non-partisan Overseas Vote Foundation and the Federal Voting Assistance Program have prodded simplification of the process along. Both have helpful websites, respectively overseasvotefoundation.org
and fvap.gov, that provide deadlines, requirements, and election office addresses by state, as well as other
helpful information. Additionally, the Overseas Vote Foundation has a help desk where emailed questions
will be answered within approximately 24 hours. Even though the task of registering and voting may seem daunting for Americans abroad, the tools that
are available should make voting an option even for the less politically motivated individual.
For more information, and to register
I am voting because for years the Reto vote if you are an American citizen living abroad,
publicans have been in office. Now we are actually in this
please visit
mess because of Republicans. If the Democrats are in office there can
www.overseasvotefoundation.org
be change.
Poland is part of the EU so I don’t see how it would be affected. Polish politics
are as bankrupt as American politics, and they have to fix their own
problems.
David Miller, owner of
Massolit bookshop
count in a
entire world. I a
USA. If I want to crit
also vote - because that’s
the news that electronic poll
American democracy - if people
they will stop voting.
It’s hard to say exactly how a demo
visa requirements would be lifted
the anti-rocket shield program, b
awkward (and potentially threa
has already stated that if an
they would have the rig
Polish troops will d
coalition tro
thi
Yes of course I am
voting in this election. I think if you don’t vote then you have no
right to criticise the government. It is a civic duty to be a part of the process. Although sometimes
merican politics make me wonder how out of date the process of the Electoral College is and how honest campaign
America are. I would like to see clean and free elections on a presidential level but even if they are not it is irresponsible
g - it shows you don’t care and that is a problem.
e next elected president deals with the economy, the situation in Iraq, and foreign policy regarding Russia and Georgia will afoland. The next president should also revisit visas for the Poles, especially since the situation in America is not that lenient
towards illegal immigrants after September 11th, and since the economy is terrible there are a lot fewer people
immigrating there to work. Maybe this government will realise Poles just want to go to
America to sightsee. Anna Bienkowska, customer service rep.
CANADA VOTES (TOO)
W
ith all the fuss around
the upcoming elections in the
United States, it might be easy to miss
the fact that its northern neighbour Canada will also be electing its newest
federal government this month. Current Prime Minister Stephen Harper has called
the general election one year earlier than expected on October 14th, presumably riding
on his recent popularity in the polls in an effort to gain a majority in parliament. Harper,
who is currently the head of a minority Conservative government, has stated his reason for
calling a snap election as a deadlock in discussion in the House of Commons resulting
in a
“dysfunctional” parliament.
The Canadian prime minister is not chosen directly by voters such as the
American president, but is rather the leader of the political party that gains
the most seats in the House of Commons. Canadians vote for MPs (Members of
Parliament) from their electoral district, or riding, to represent them in Ottawa.
So while the elections in Canada may not seem to be the most exciting
news item on the menu, it may in the end result in a new reputation for North
America abroad. If Harper remains in power and Senator Obama wins the election in America, the world will certainly be confused with the United States as the
liberal alternative to
conservative Canada.
Major party leaders:
Stephen Harper - Conservative Party
Stéphane Dion - Liberal Party
Gilles Duceppe - Bloc Québécois
Jack Layton - New Democratic Party
Elizabeth May - Green Party
How to vote:
If you’re a Canadian in Krakow, you can vote in the general election by mail using a special ballot. An application must be completed and sent by fax or snail mail to Elections Canada by
October 7th and a special ballot will be mailed to your address in Poland. The ballot must
be received in Ottawa by 6 pm on election day (October 14th). Requirements to vote
include a photocopy of proof of identity and ordinary residence in Canada.
For the most accurate information and to download an application
to vote by mail visit Elections Canada online at
www.elections.ca
I am voting because I want my voice to
an election that will have a significant effect on the
am also voting because it’s my obligation as a citizen of the
tique the policies, politicians, and the government, then I should
one of the most basic ways to affect change. However, I worry about
ling machines are being rigged, because this could seriously undermine
don’t think that their vote will count (or that it won’t be counted correctly)
ocratic win in the US would affect Poland, but there’s always the hope that the
or changed. That is actually long overdue. Hopefully, if Obama wins he’ll stop
because that entire project will only cause problems by putting Poland in an
atening) position in the “new cold war” between Russia and the US. Russia
ny American missile fired from Polish soil would strike their country, then
ght to attack Poland in return. Also, of course, if Obama wins fewer
die in the Middle East (McCain would most likely not withdraw
oops from Iraq and Afghanistan, and Obama has said that
is would be one of his top priorities).
Jule Land, PhD student
T
he Krakow Post sought
out some locals to get
their take on the U.S.
elections. Poles replied to
the following questions:
1. Have you been following the American
elections?
2. Do you think the
outcome will effect
Poland? If yes, how?
3. If you could vote in
the U.S. elections, who
would you pick? Why?
1. Not too closely.
2. Yes, we might get more involved in some international
conflicts.
3. Barack Obama.
- Magda Wrzeszcz, student
1. No, I don’t like politics and I try to avoid political
news, especially when they don’t affect me.
2. Many things that happen in the States affect Poland.
The U.S. is a big player and a lot depends on them.
3. I’d probably vote for Obama, because I prefer the
Democrats. I also know that from the start, Obama was
against the war in Iraq. But I can’t vote anyway!
- Ola Sztąberska, marketing manager
1. Yes, since the candidates were confirmed, rather intensively.
2. Yes - above all economically - the state of the global
economy and financial affairs are in many ways dependent upon the U.S. As well as politically - political stability in the U.S. could help Poland to strengthen its political ties with the U.S. as a European partner. However,
ultimately this depends upon how the Polish diplomacy
handles the matter.
3. Obama, because even though he is more of a “designed candidate” than McCain, he is capable of bringing
a lot more to American politics - above all a modern way
of thinking and the concept of a liberal state.
- Marek Kamiński, musician
1. So-so.
2. Sure, the results of the election will have a global
impact, after all, the U.S. is the strongest, right? The
world’s economy and many essential military actions are
dependent on the U.S.
3. Obama - he understands the economy and now the
U.S. needs an expert desperately, as well as a change in
social mentality.
- Marta Firlet, marketing director
1. Yes.
2. No.
3. For me, voting for McCain is more a vote against
Obama. In my view, McCain would be the lesser of two
evils. I have not been convinced by the campaign Obama
has been running – in fact he seems even shallower, more
of a populist and emptier than most politicians. He seems
to be trying to sway people to his side with easily palpable slogans and rhetoric of “change” and “progress.”
Such a campaign, if I were an American citizen, would
seem offensive and a downright insult to my intelligence.
Although McCain’s campaign isn’t by any measure much
more cerebral, it does seem to use less cheap one-line
sound bytes. The fact that so much of the media and
celebrity world openly support Obama only furthers my
disapproval of him; some bimbo Hollywood starlet or
self-righteous “journalist” do not have adequate respect
in my minds for me to listen to their opinions. When it
comes to the issues, both candidates are pretty vague
and unspecific. I really don’t think anything much will
change in Iraq, Middle America, or with the current economic situation no matter who wins. The U.S. is run by
institutions, not individuals. Although the president technically has a lot of executive powers, one would have to
be pretty naïve to think he acts alone, without the support and direction of numerous interest groups – groups
that don’t change with each administration.
- Michał Długi, doctor with state health insurance company
12 Krakow Post OCTOBER 2008
www.krakowpost.com
Business
Quattro Business Park to Rise in Krakow
Adelina Krupski
K
rakow-based developer Grupa Buma
recently commenced
construction of one
of its largest projects, Quattro
Business Park. Over the next
four years, this impressive
building site located on Gen.
Bora Komorowskiego Avenue
will be developed into a modern office complex consisting
of four 14-storey buildings,
totaling 48,000 square metres
of class-A office space.
Designed
by
the
APA
Kuryłowicz & Associates architectural studio, the 150
million euro project will also
comprise a 200-person conference centre, restaurants,
medical clinics, and other
small service shops. Additionally, the complex will include
parking facilities allowing for
up to 1,100 cars.
As the largest office project
currently under construction
in southern Poland, Quattro
Business Park is to be built in
four stages. While the first of
the four buildings is scheduled for completion in December 2009, the second building
and multi-level car park are
planned to follow in October 2010. The remaining two
buildings are expected to be
finished in 2011 and 2012.
The whole investment was
spread over four years with an
eye to managing investment
risk, explains Grupa Buma
representative Piotr Michalski.
“Due to the unpredictable economic situation, it is unknown
whether Krakow will need so
much space,” states Michalski. “However, splitting the
investment into stages allows
it to be accelerated or delayed
as necessary.”
Professor Stefan Kuryłowicz,
architect from Warsaw and
designer of the development,
states the idea behind the architectural character of the
complex was “an object directed towards a new kind of person who travels and is open to
the world; such people will be
deciding the future of Poland;
a place where young people
and progressive firms will feel
at home.”
“This development is a confir-
mation of the repeatedly-proven thesis that, second to Warsaw, Krakow is the place for
construction,” states Deputy
Mayor of Krakow Kazimierz
Bujakowski. “The undertaking
of such an investment, which
commits itself to a strategy
of development for the city,
is strategically essential. It
establishes the conditions
for those firms who have invested here and are operating
to expand.” During his speech
at the opening conference on
Sept. 4, Bujakowski focused
on the changes Krakow has undergone over the last decade
or so, specifically its growth
from an industrial city to one
that is service orientated.
According
to
Bujakowski,
“Krakow has become a centre for services: a centre for
IT as well as accounting and
business services. One of the
crucial restrictions that determines further investment by
firms is restricted availability
of commercial office space.”
Bujakowski maintains that of
the 240,000 square metres of
office space Krakow acquired
between 2005 and 2007, 95
photo / Adelina Krupski
A model of the business park was presented at the press conference
percent is in use, a fact that
justifies the immense scale of
the Quattro Business Park enterprise.
The plans and architectural
renderings for the new office
complex are certainly striking, effectively transmitting
the concept of a contemporary design. Moreover, for employing an environmentally
friendly approach, a façade of
glass and tiles allows for natural light to enter, cutting the
energy demand of the build-
ings.
Since
its establishment in
1991, Grupa Buma has completed several office investments in Krakow, such as
Buma Square Business Park,
Rondo Business Park and the
ONYX office complex. The
group has also built over
1,700 apartments and 270
single-family homes. More
than 50 firms in Krakow rent
space in buildings developed
by Grupa Buma.
&
&
Krakow
Apartments
Stay in Style
www.krakow-apartments.com
[email protected]
phone +48 12 4214865
mobile +48 514973785
www.krakow-apartments.com
Krakow Post OCTOBER 2008 13
www.krakowpost.com
Property Post
Krakow Property
Why buy in Krakow?
F
or the bright buccaneers who swept into
Cracow in 1989, picking themselves up a
nice flat or two in the process,
well, let’s just say that they’ve
got a pretty fine investment
on their hands. The prices for
real estate were so low then
that a Western pizza chain
was able to set up shop in a
magnificent palace at the foot
of the Royal Castle.
Thankfully, Krakow has not
been mongrelized by such
scenarios. And whilst a fleet
of Western hotels has sailed
into town, the best are Polishowned, as is evidenced by the
marvellous palace renovations
of the Likus chain.
However, although prices
have gone up dramatically in
the last ten years, the rates are
still more than tempting for
investors. And if you’ve fallen
in love with the city, you don’t
have to be a millionaire to purchase a property here.
photo / Mateusz Majewski
For big investors, there’s no
doubt that owning a flamboyant fin-de-siecle palace could
be a highly congenial state of
affairs, just like in the good
old days. And indeed, although there is no law yet for
the restitution of property to
Poles themselves, a good deal
of the aristocracy have reclaimed their pre-war palaces.
But having lost pretty much
everything else after the war,
they tend to live in a small
apartment at the top, leasing
out the rest of the property.
Nevertheless, the new-old
owners are often happy to sell
a flat within their property. At
this stage, prices are naturally at their highest within the
centre of the Old Town.
However, these are not necessarily always the best flats in
town. A quarter of a mile beyond the Planty is a second
ring-road, and between the
two are some fine residential
districts, generally built in the
nineteenth century in a gracious eclectic style. They’re
usually a little tattier than
within the Old Town centre, but prices are markedly
cheaper.
More complicated for investors are the properties that
still have not been reclaimed,
or those that are in the process of reclamation. The Kazimierz district is amongst the
most colourful and popular in
Krakow, but it carries a tragic
legacy.
Jewish properties were spread
across the whole of Krakow
sixty-five years ago, but the
biggest concentration was in
Kazimierz, as well as on the
grand streets connecting the
district with the Old Town,
such as ul. Sarego, ul. Sebastiana and ul. Starowiślna. Professional advice is paramount
if you are interested in buying
property in these localities.
The law on purchasing a property in Poland states that citizens of EU countries, as well
as Icelanders, Norwegians and
Liechtensteiners, get the fast
track on buying property in
Poland, although if you’re after farmland or forest, things
are a little more complicated.
However, as far as urban
property goes, applicants
shouldn’t encounter too many
problems, whether you’re a
citizen of one the aforementioned countries or not. The
latter groups have to apply for
a special permit from the Ministry of Internal Affairs, but
this is generally forthcoming,
provided you’re not a notorious criminal.
Current Property Offers
krakow FEIJ
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14 Krakow Post OCTOBER 2008
www.krakowpost.com
Sporting Post
Hope Still for Wisła
SPORT IN BRIEF
Wisła cling on for Second Coming
Cycling - Voigt Wins Tour of
Poland
Wojtek Galon
German Jens Voigt won the sevenday Tour of Poland which ended in
Krakow on the 20th September.
Dane Lars Bak was second overall,
one minute 22 seconds behind,
whilst Italy’s Franco Pellizotti
came in third at 1:24. Australia’s
Allan Davis was fourth at 1:27.
CSC rider Voigt, 37, won stage six
to Zakopane on Friday with a lone
attack and defended his lead with
the help of his teammates during
the rain-soaked final stage.
Daniël van Hoven
There were no surprises at White
Hart Lane on August 19th when
Polish champions Wisła Krakow
lost to favourites Tottenham
Hotspur in the first round of the
UEFA Cup.
Wisła can hold their heads high
though after a determined performance gave them a realistic
chance of progressing into the
next round, with the teams due to
meet again for the second leg in
Krakow on October 2nd.
German Robert Forster of the
Gerolsteiner team won the 153kilometre final stage from Rabka
to Krakow, beating Alberto Curtolo of Italy and Yauheni Hutarovich of Belarus in a sprint finish.
The Tour of Poland is Voigt’s 86th
victory in his 14-year professional
career. This year, Voigt won the
Criterium International stage race
for the fourth time and a Giro
d’Italia stage.
Having grabbed a crucial away
goal in the 2-1 defeat, and putting
up a respectable showing against
a north London club that’s not
short of cash (Spurs invested
around £70 million on new players this summer), Wisła needs
only a 1-0 victory in the return
leg to progress into the group
stages.
The visitors got off to a strong
start, maintaining most of the
early possession and applying
pressure on the Spurs defence.
However, they were restricted to
ambitious long range shots, all
of which failed to trouble Spurs
goalkeeper Heurelho Gomes.
It didn’t take Spurs long to find
their feet, as strong midfield play
by Jenas and Zokora saw them
counter Wisła’s positive start and
begin creating chances.
In the 23rd minute, Jonathan
Woodgate met a David Bentley
corner with a firm header that
was well handled by Wisła keeper
Mariusz Pawełek.
Pawełek was called into action
again in the 30th minute, bravely
coming off his line to deny Darren Bent, following some scratchy
Wisła defending.
It was never going to be long before Tottenham converted their
chances into actual goals though,
and in the 33rd minute the lightning fast Aaron Lennon ran at
the Wisła defence from the left,
squaring the ball to David Bentley, who opened the scoring with
a swift left foot strike that gave
Pawełek no chance.
Formula 1 - Debut in Singapore
Results in Alonso Win
Tottenham vs. Wisła / Photo by Ian Walton (Getty Images)
It was the England midfielder’s
first goal for his new club since
his £15 million move from the
Blackburn Rovers in July.
The ecstatic home crowd hadn’t
finished celebrating when Wisła
delivered what could be a telling counter-punch a minute later.
Following some excellent work by
Rafał Boguski and a gentle layoff
by Paweł Brożek, Czech playmaker Tomáš Jirsák produced a cool
finish to draw proceedings level
and send the 3,000 plus Wisła
supporters at the stadium into
raptures.
Wisła proceeded to take advantage
of the defensive fragility that has
seen Tottenham sitting bottom
of the English Premier League
table so far this season, and Wisła
midfielder Mauro Cantoro tested
Gomes once more before the end
of the first half, although his 20
metre drive was comfortably handled by the Brazilian keeper.
Spurs came out strongly in the
second half, seeking to recapture
their authority by harassing Wisła
at every opportunity, and Pawełek
was again called into action when
he tipped over a fierce 15 metre
strike by Bentley.
Wisła’s disciplined play continued
to frustrate their opponents, yet
the Poles were not without their
luck after a Darren Bent goal was
disallowed for an offside decision
that was dubious at best.
kow, a point that didn’t go unnoticed by the Krakow side’s coach,
Maciej Skorża. “We are waiting
with optimism for the rematch
in Krakow,” Skorża said after the
game.
Bent found relief in the 73rd
minute though, neatly nodding
in substitute Fraizer Campbell’s
cross and putting Tottenham
ahead once again after some
loose marking in the penalty box
by the Krakow defence.
The two-leg tie is now delicately
poised for what should be a scintillating return match in Krakow.
With their tails in the air, Tottenham sought to extend their lead,
twice coming close through efforts from Bale and King, with the
latter spoiling a good chance to
secure the home side’s first win
of the season in all competitions.
Tottenham Hotspur: Gomes,
Gunter (O’Hara 57), Woodgate,
King, Bale, Bentley, Jenas, Zokora, Lennon (Campbell 57), Giovani (Assou-Ekotto 70), Bent
Although starved of chances in
the second half, Wisła almost
drew level with four minutes to
play when substitute Andrzej
Niedzielan rushed through on
goal, only to be denied by a lastditch tackle from Woodgate.
Yellow Card: O’Hara
Despite the loss, Wisła’s brave
performance against a superior
Tottenham outfit puts them in
good stead to pull off an upset
when the sides meet again in Kra-
Tottenham Hotspur 2 (Bentley
33, Bent 73) – Wisła Krakow 1
(Jirsák 34)
Goals: Bentley 33, Bent 73
Wisła Krakow: Pawełek, Singlar, Baszczyński, Cleber, Diaz,
Boguski (Małecki 73), Cantoro,
Sobolewski,
Zieńczuk,
Jirsák (Łobodziński 61), Brożek
(Niedzielan 79)
Goals: Jirsák 34
Yellow
Małecki
Card:
Sobolewski,
On Sunday 28th September, Fernando Alonso of the Formula 1
team, ING Renault, won the first
ever Singapore Grand Prix. In a
race which saw regular neutralising interruptions by the safety
car, the Spanish Formula 1 world
champion of 2005 and 2006 kept
his cool and notched up his first
victory of the season, coming in
ahead of German Nico Rosberg
and Brit Lewis Hamilton. While on
the podium, Hamilton enlarged his
lead over his direct competitors.
Neither Ferrari’s Felipe Massa or
defending champion Kimi Raikkonen were able to score, likewise
Polish star Robert Kubica.
Kubica was cut off by Hamilton
during the start, which threw the
Pole back. A pit stop during a safety
car situation resulted in a 10 second penalty, leaving the number
three in this season’s standings,
in eleventh place at the finish of
what was the first ever Grand Prix
held in the dark. McLaren’s Lewis
Hamilton now leads the overall
standings with 84 points, in front
of Ferrari’s Felipe Massa with 77
and Robert Kubica of BMW with
64. There are three races to go in
the 2008 F1 world championship,
which will be held in Japan, China
and Brazil.
Krakow Post OCTOBER 2008 15
www.krakowpost.com
Culture
The Future Face of Krakow
Nick Hodge looks at new buildings on the Krakow horizon
CULTURE IN BRIEF
Car Keys to Another
Dimension
The family of the late writer
Stanisław Lem have sold his canary-coloured car in a bid to raise
money for charity.
Lem, often cited as the greatest science fiction author of his
generation (although he himself
was loathe to be pigeon-holed),
is best known for works such as
Solaris and The Cyberiad.
The car – a 1981 Mercedes saloon
– fetched a hefty 50,211 złoty and
was bought by Geko-Kart, a firm
that makes cardboard boxes. The
money will go to the children’s
charity Mam Marzenie (“I have a
dream”).
Lem originally bought the car in
West Berlin shortly after martial
law was declared. He later used
the automobile to smuggle banned
literature into Poland, along with
prized household amenities such
as loo-roll. As of yet it is unconfirmed whether there is a secret
button that transports passengers
to a parallel world.
Above: The winning design in the competition for a new sports and entertainment hall. Architect: Piotr Łabowicz
H
ip design magazine Wall-
Although it’s heartening that maga-
paper turned its attention
zines (and architects such as Libe-
to Poland in its September
skind, who himself has Polish roots)
issue. Whilst enthusing
are showing an interest in the Polish
about the country as a dynamic place
scene, the Krakow Post feels that Wall-
for new development, the monthly
paper’s overview sold the Poles short.
was less effusive about home-grown
Bearing this in mind, we thought it
architects. “Local talent is sparse,”
only sporting to publish some of our
the magazine postulated, “and until
own picks of new projects in Poland.
recently, known more for its technical
These buildings, chosen solely from
capabilities than its creativity.”
within Krakow, are naturally just the
tip of the iceberg (further afield, we
The author of the article went on to wax
might mention APA Kuryłowicz As-
lyrical about a number of international
soc., Bulanda & Mucha, KWK Promes,
architects building in Poland, including
to name but a few). Yet in spite of
uber-trendy figures such as Daniel Libe-
the small context, we believe that
skind and Zaha Hadid. In the accompa-
the Krakow designs signal that the
nying list of “seven architects reshaping
home-grown scene is in rude health.
the country,” only one Pole slipped onto
Not least, they reveal that architects
the roster (at the very bottom), in this
from both the mature and the younger
case Wojciech Obtulowicz, creator of
generations are setting the standards.
the Warsaw Uprising Museum.
Tastes are sure to vary, but Krakow –
Tricks at the Oscars
Above: Register Office Building by Michał Szymanowski Studio 5
The Polish Film Institute has
selected its candidate for the
2009 Academy Awards. Sztuczki
(Tricks) tells the tale of Stefek,
a young boy who tries to track
down his absent father. However,
as it turns out, Stefek’s efforts to
reunite his family – by a series of
tricks – land him with much more
than he’d bargained for.
Sztuczki is the second feature
film by Andrzej Jakimowski, who
won earlier acclaim with Zmruz
Oczy (Squint Your Eyes - 2002).
His latest movie has already
scooped awards at Venice, Tokyo, San Paulo and here on home
soil at Gdynia, where it won the
Golden Lion.
so long billed as a treasure trove of
Wallpaper was a little more forthcom-
historic architecture – will soon boast
ing on its website, where two Poles
a parade of modern marvels of which
were allowed to speak up for their
it should be rightfully proud.
In 2008, Andrzej Wajda’s dramatic film Katyń was the Polish
selection for the Oscar but it
failed to bring home the gold,
losing out to Austrian entry The
Counterfeiters.
peers. However, all in all, the Poles
were rather pushed to the periphery.
All projects were featured in the ex-
Singled out as especially beyond the
hibition “Krakow 2012,” organised
pale were those architects who came
by SARP (The Association of Archi-
of age prior to the collapse of the Iron
tects of the Republic of Poland). With
Curtain. In contrast, young bucks who
many thanks to SARP (Krakow), Mr.
had studied abroad were cited as the
Konrad Glos and Dr. Marta Urbańska
bright hope for Polish architecture.
for their kind assistance.
Above: An apartment house by Mariusz Twardowski and co.
16 Krakow Post OCTOBER 2008
www.krakowpost.com
nnn
Culture
Culture
Culture
Lanckorona Frozen in Time
Unique 19th century wooden architecture, delightful craftwork and above all peace and quiet – the hillside village of Lanckorona is of the
Małopolska region’s cultural gems.
Grażyna Zawada
D
riving about forty minutes southwest from Krakow
will take you back in time. Lanckorona is a village located 500 metres above sea level, on a forested hill
at the foot of medieval castle ruins, and to get there
you need to take the one and only minibus line from Krakow,
or simply jump in a car. Until 1934 the place was technically
a city, and it has kept an urban layout, with a unique, sloping market square and streets branching in four directions.
The market square looks like a miniature wooden city, with
a mosaic of very old and sometimes comically small timber
houses, still inhabited to this day. In one of the streets you
can find an old bakery famous for its delicious bread and pastries made in an original, ceiling-high furnace. What’s great is
you can knock at the door at any time and the bread will be
there for you.
Due to an extraordinary stillness and “nothing to do” atmosphere, Lanckorona is a mecca for artists, who come there to
rest and look for inspiration, as well as Cracovians coming to
enjoy a weekend rest. Fortunately, the village has not turned
into a tourist-cramped wooden Disneyland. Lanckorona may
disappoint those searching for sensational discoveries and
thrills, but it opens up for people who humbly approach new
destinations and want to take in a place just as it is.
“This is a place in which you cannot do anything by force;
here you can improve what already exists by bringing it out to
light and dusting off its natural beauty,” says Zofia Oszacka,
the borough leader of Lanckorona district. Oszacka has done
much for the region: during the past six years of her governance, Lanckorona has won numerous awards for the best local government in Ma ł opolska area and for the best use of EU
grants.
At first glance Lanckorona is a forgotten old village where
nothing happens – but that’s all up to the visitor. It’s a potentially magical place, a background for romantic walks, long
chats in a charming pavement cafe, learning handicraft or taking part in Lanckorona’s festivals – like the Angels in Town
Festival, where children dress up as angels and distribute
Christmas greetings and best wishes among the townspeople.
There is also Romantic Lanckorona, a festival for lovers, and
the Midsummer’s Eve Fair to mention a few.
Today, due to the enormous commitment of the borough leaders, the whole district - composed of five villages in total - is
flourishing with investments. New anti-slide road reinforcements, pavements, and a revamped sewage system are now
being developed, making the place visibly modernised. With a
cash injection from the EU, local Lanckorona associations have
started small businesses such as a souvenir shop, a cafe and a
tour service company to help promote their beloved home and
facilitate a stay in Lanckorona for future newcomers.
Read more about Lanckorona at www.lanckorona.pl
Lanckorona today / photo Grażyna Zawada
Krakow Post OCTOBER 2008 17
www.krakowpost.com
Culture
REEL LIFE
PHOTO OF THE MONTH
Rok 1612 (The Year 1612)
An Epic of Sorts
THEME: AUTUMNAL
Twelve months ago there were rumblings in the press that Russia was about to
unleash a virulently anti-Polish film. The project, commissioned by the Kremlin,
was to zoom in on the Polish-Muscovite War, a bloody conflict that culminated in
Polish invaders being expelled from Moscow in the autumn of 1612. This war may
seem like rather a long time ago now, but in 2005 the expulsion date was declared
a new Russian national holiday. Polish heartthrob Michał Żebrowski was promptly
branded a traitor for taking a part in the movie, and now, twelve months on, the
end result is playing across Poland. Was it worth all the fuss? In a word, no. Nevertheless, director Vladimir Khotinenko deserves credit for creating one of the most
spectacularly silly films of recent times, replete with unicorns, talking fish and a
hermit styled on Gandalf the Wizard. Rok 1612 starts promisingly enough with the
Polish forces arrayed across a valley on the edge of Muscovy. An insolent serf has
his tongue cut out, and the stage is set for a gritty historical drama in the style of
La Reine Margot. But pretty soon the unicorns pop up (it’s as if the screenwriter
sat down to write a slice of history then accidentally got side-tracked by Tolkien
and his tricks). Into the melée steps runaway peasant Andrei (played by Russian
Johnny Depp look-alike Pyotr Kislov), who quickly learns how to take on an invading army single-handed. Everything is shot with great gusto, and costumes and
settings are wonderful, but ultimately, Rok 1612 is unlikely to win any prizes for
profundity. Still, viewers with a sense of humour may love this film.
In Russian with Polish subtitles.
Nick Hodge
SHELF IMPROVEMENT
Hammer and Tickle by Ben Lewis
Laughter Behind the Closed Curtain
October’s Photo of the Month was taken by Marcin Jędrysiak, www.marcinjedrysiak.com
From October 2008, the Krakow Post together with the Academy of Photography begins its
year-long photography contest.
Each month, the Krakow Post will choose one picture from amongst those sent in by readers to
appear as the “Photo of the Month.” The winner will receive a free consultation with a lecturer
from the Academy of Photography. In October 2009, a Grand Prix winner will be chosen from
amongst the previous 12 winners, who will receive a brand-new Nikon digital SLR camera, as
well as a free course from the Academy in either English or Polish.
The goal of the contest is to entice all of Krakow’s residents – English-speaking as well – to use
photography as a means of artistic expression. The additional chance to receive professional
advice will no doubt be useful in further photographic experimentation.
Please send all entries for November’s “Photo of the Month” to
[email protected] by October 24th. All submitted
photographs must be taken in Krakow. The theme is open.
Grażyna Zawada
Q: Can you please explain the
uses of different forms of numbers, and generally when each
type should be used?
A: Collective numerals refer to a
plural form of a mixed sex group
(men and women together), and
young creatures (children, calves,
puppies), as well as nouns coming
only in pairs (“pluralia tantum”),
There are plenty more rib-ticklers in Ben Lewis’ new book, which styles itself
“ a history of Communism told through Communist Jokes.” And if you’ve ever
felt lost for words during a pub chat about the Soviet Bloc, here is a bottomless
source of anecdotes to make you seem like the brightest button at the bar. That
said, the obvious danger in penning a book about Soviet jokes is in trivialising
what was often no laughing matter. But the author doesn’t attempt to airbrush
the bitter realities. As Lewis reminds us, there were times when making a quip
was enough to send the joker to a forced labour camp (as it was, even the gulags
had their own brand of black humour). The author is genuinely fired up by his
subject, and he travels far and wide in his quest for illicit humour. Along the way
there are surreal encounters with Lech Wałęsa (who’s not in a joking mood) as
well as Jerzy Urban, notorious communist propaganda maestro. Lewis doesn’t
do justice to Pope John Paul II’s role in defeating communism, but all in all this
is a refreshing roam through the realities of Soviet life. The best jokes beam out
at us with their explosive, often heartbreaking grasp of the truth.
Nick Hodge
Language
Trips off the Tongue
Q: What stage comes between socialism and communism?
A: Alcoholism.
Q: Why, despite all the shortages, was the toilet paper in East Germany always 2-ply?
A: Because they had to send a copy of everything they did to Moscow.
Is Polish really that difficult? Or is that just a myth, an over-used excuse touted by lazy language students?
Let’s find out… Krakow Post introduces a series of brief lessons, which should prove useful when learning this beautiful
language, as prepared by a native Polish linguist and teacher.
e.g. “nożyczki” (scissors), “spodnie” (trousers) or “drzwi” (door)
(that’s why sometimes Poles say
“the doors are open” when meaning one door).
Collectives inflect like singular neutral nouns and are easily recognized: the first two end
in “-oje” and the rest ends with
“-oro.” e.g. “widzę czwor-o
dzieci” (I see four kids). Because
this is accusative, the ending is
the same as with a neutral noun,
e.g. “okn-o” (window). Collective
nouns are sometimes brushed off
by less educated Poles due to their
unusual structure, i.e. adding “g”
(or “gi”) in the instrumental to
the original root of the numeral: “nie ma czworg-a szczeniąt”
(the four puppies are not here),
“plotkuję o dwojg-u ludziach” (I
am gossiping about two people).
In the previous example, the first
is genitive and the second is dative. You must also check if the
endings of numerals are the same
as in singular neutral nouns, e.g.
“jajko” (egg).
Confused by Polish grammar? Send your query
to editor@krakowpost.
com, and our Polish
linguist may answer your
question in the next
edition of “Trips off the
Tongue!”
18 Krakow Post OCTOBER 2008
www.krakowpost.com
nnn
Culture
Culture
Culture
Music
Live Review:
The Post interviews Unsound founder Mat Schulz
Thymn Chase
Kraftwerk : Craft at Work
Robotic men / photo Duncan Rhodes
Skream / photo Shaun Bloodworth
Krakow Post: Where/when did you
get the idea for Unsound, and how did
you get other people interested in the
idea so you could pull it off?
Mat Schulz: The idea started in 2003,
when there were really not many festivals presenting this kind of music in
Poland. We saw a gap, and tried to fill
it. Although electronic, experimental and club music have always been
important in relation to the program,
Unsound has always aimed to be diverse. From the very beginning, Unsound was also about trying to connect East and West Europe, via music,
sound cultures and related visual arts.
This idea remains.
KP: How is the list of performers decided each year?
MS: We listen to a lot of new music,
and read everything from magazines
like The Wire to blogs, searching for
the latest tendencies in music. Then
we try to make interesting connections between different genres. This
means that we can put, for example,
club music in the same program as
work that could be described as postclassical. We also try to be as rigorous
as possible with the programme, so
that while it contains some unexpected elements and combinations it still
makes sense, according to its various
parts, and overall. We take risks, selecting artists that may not be so well
known here in Poland, which I hope
makes our festival unique.
KP: Who are you looking forward to
seeing the most at this year’s edition?
MS: Unsound this year has really
grown, due to some strong financial
support from the Krakow council. This
means that there are so many great
artists that it’s hard to pick one act.
I’m really looking forward to the Warhol Series, showcasing early Warhol
films with live music. We’ve wanted
to invite Max Richter for a long time,
and his show on the same night as
Hauschka’s group should be wonderful, a combination of electronic and
classical music. I think that Colleen,
Pan•American and Ben Frost, all playing in St. Catherine’s church, will be
extremely memorable as much for the
beautiful venue as the sounds. The
dubstep night should be great, as this
genre should really be heard in a club,
with a sub bass system that you can
feel physically, not only in your ears.
The Necks are an amazing band from
Australia. I could keep going, but if I
do so I will probably recommend the
entire program.
KP: Any surprises in store for this
year?
MS: Unsound is all about trying to
surprise, but if I have to select some
particular acts, then I could start with
Fuck Buttons. They’ve got a strong
following in other countries, but not
so much yet in Poland. They play
a mix of noise, tribal rhythms and
beats. I also think that Ben Frost may
cause a bit of a sensation. I saw his
show in Montreal at MUTEK festival,
and it completely knocked me out. It
was a mix of intricate, ambient electronics and often heavily distorted
guitar. Considering this concert will
take place in a gothic church, the impact should be even more powerful.
If you’re not familiar with the more
cutting edge forms of club music,
then you should also head to Manggha
on October 24th for Bruno Pronsato,
Thomas Melchior, The Sight Below and
others. This is really a world-class line
up that may make you rethink preconceptions you have about club music. It
would draw a huge crowd in Berlin or
London, for example.
KP: How does the Krakow edition differ from other cities, such as Lviv?
MS: Well, we haven’t done that much
in Lviv yet. The main Unsound city
outside Krakow is in Minsk, Belarus.
It’s a place that is extremely isolated, and as a result audiences are so
wildly enthusiastic that it is incredibly
inspiring. Most of the artists dealing
with this kind of music don’t expect
to be swamped by fans requesting
autographs on scraps of paper, but
that’s what happens there. In September this year Unsound conducted a
week of workshops and collaborative
projects in Minsk, bringing together
Belarus and Western European musicians. The results will be released on
a free online CD to be released by the
~scape record label in Berlin.
KP: I’ve heard rumours of a New York
edition – is Unsound planning to expand globally?
MS: The New York edition will take
place in 2009 and will entail an expanded version of the Warhol and music programme, which will also feature at Unsound this year. The project
is supported by both the Krakow
and New York Goethe Institutes. The
screening of Warhol’s Empire will take
place in both Krakow and New York,
an 8-hour film that will have a live
soundtrack played by the Berlin band
Groupshow. It’s a free event in Krakow
at Unsound, on the 18th of October, in
the Galicia Jewish Museum.
KP: Have any Polish artists really impressed at Unsound?
MS: I’m a big fan of Jacek Sienkiewicz,
who I think is Poland’s best producer
of minimal club music, and definitely
has his own voice. He’ll also play this
year, on the 24th in Manggha. I love
Mitch & Mitch, especially live. The
Complainer is always good fun. The VJ
team Pussy Crew is also great. There’s
a lot of excellent Polish music. This
year, I’m really looking forward to
seeing Małe Instrumenty perform on
the 21st; they usually use toys and
gadgets to create their music, but this
time will also play on huge self-made
instruments. It should be a lot of fun.
For more, visit >>
www.krakowpost.com
The big event this rather damp September was the 6th Annual Sacrum Profanum Festival. The profile of this fairly
new but groundbreaking festival is markedly different
from most other such events that exist in Krakow. Sacrum
Profanum pushes the boundaries and presents concerts
of contemporary and modern “classical music” as well
as groundbreaking pop and even electronic music from
the 20th and 21st centuries. While this year’s festival
certainly had numerous concerts of note (Stockhausen in
the Schindler Factory was fairly life-changing), I will cut
to the chase and get right to the legendary men-machines
themselves - Kraftwerk!
Kraftwerk’s sold-out, three-night stand at the Arcelor Mittal Steelworks in Nowa Huta was as historic as it was epic.
One of the truly amazing things about this mysterious
band is that they appeal to so many seemingly disparate
generations of fans. While riding the courtesy bus from
the gates of the Huta to the depths of the factory (of
course they couldn’t have chosen a normal venue), it was
fascinating and almost beautiful to see ageing rockers
standing next to conservative 50-somethings in suits who
were in turn standing next to a couple of high schoolers making out who were leaning on a 30-something
journalist who was deep in discussion with a babcia in
her seventies about what kind of music she was about
to hear. Few bands in the world can boast that kind of
demographic...
And the music? Let me begin by saying that the progressive historical irony of a German band singing in Polish in
a Soviet-built iron works was enough alone to send shivers down my spine. The fact that the band was Kraftwerk
turned those shivers into electronic shockwaves that
rumbled through my lower intestines from the plethora
of precision crafted synthesized beats and visual treats.
They performed a blinding and stunning 2 hour set which
included most of their global hits spanning their almost
40 year career. The quartet was as stoic as ever, and each
member dutifully manned their computer battle station respectively pointing, clicking, twisting and playing their
aging hearts out.
As boring as it may seem to watch ageing German men
ostensibly play solitaire for two hours, there was something enticing and intriguing about their stage candour
- almost a game to try and figure out who was making
what bleeps and which blurps when. The visual graphics
were of course much more of the spectacle then the band
themselves and they did not disappoint. The sound in the
factory was truly amazing and the entire building rattled
whenever they engaged the turbo uber bass. They treated
the throbbing crowd (and seated audience) to two encores
- the first of which was performed by their robot lookalike buddies (although the resemblance is a bit strained
since two of the members are no longer with the group
and the other two have aged severely since the robots
were completed in the early 70s), and the second encore
was performed by them but in their neon striped spandex
matrix suits.
I can honestly say the experience was once in a lifetime
and there is no question that Kraftwerk have left their
mark on Krakow for a long time to come.
Krakow Post OCTOBER 2008 19
www.krakowpost.com
Extra Post
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For sale: MacBook 2.4 GHz
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an Union
un
so
un
d
festival
CCitylife
itylife
Cra cow -lif e.c om
krakow POST
krakow POST
> posted
Concerts, exhibitions &
parties
/CL 7, 8, 9, 10
> spotlight
Unsound Festival
previewed
/CL 6
> reviews
Drop In, Fork Out,
Get Served
/CL 3, 5
> by night
Notes From the
Underground
/CL 2
Bruno Pronsato / photograph courtesy of unsound.pl
Crac ow -lif e.c om
Amos Poe
Andrew Pekler
Autistic Daughters
Banabila / Zenial
Ben Frost
Benga
Boxcutter
Bruno Pronsato
bshosa (detroitZDRoJ)
Colleen
dOP
Fuck Buttons
Galoppierende Zuversicht
Groupshow
Hanno Leichtmann
Hauschka
Jacek Sienkiewicz Presents Recognition
Jan Jelinek
Jorge Haro
Jørgen Knudsen
Kaspar Koenig & Simon Berz
Lillevan
Mark Templeton
Max Richter
Małe Instrumenty
Melchior Productions
Michael Nyman
Németh / Hess / Siewert
Nôze
nsi.
Pan American
Pinch
Skream
The Necks
The Sight Below
Tibor Holoda
Xiu Xiu
by night
CL2 Krakow Post OCTOBER 2008
www.krakowpost.com
Nightlife & Dining
Notes From the
Underground
Conceived under the silvery light of a full moon party in Ko Pha Ngan, raised
by lotus-eating hippies in Ibiza and suckled on the milk of Eric Morillo’s mixing nipple, Krakow Post proudly presents their nightlife correspondent… the
smooth, and ever-so-slightly-slippery, Slinky.
It seems there aren’t as many drunken
perverts in Krakow as the average night
out in Piękny Pies would suggest, given
the lack of volunteers hammering on our
editor’s inbox to take over my post. Or
maybe there are, but they’re all scared
of being chemically castrated by Donald
Tusk…? I, however, safe in the sanctuary of England’s green and pleasant
land, have no qualms about thrusting
my column upon the good citizens of
Krakow for one final explosive outing.
Welcome to Notes From The London Underground…
London. The big smoke. The city you can
never tire of (allegedly). The most cosmopolitan and happening metropolis on the
planet. It’s quite a shock to the system
I can tell you. F@ck the language, food,
television, ethnic diversity, pace of life,
the customs and mannerisms... I’m talking of course about the women. Yes, this
capital I call home has proved something
of a reality check for this shrimp-sized
Casanova, after enjoying the sort of female attention usually reserved for the
charismatic, good-looking or filthy rich.
These are clearly overrated qualities
from a Polish female perspective. In fact,
with the perspicacity of hindsight, I can
see that whilst I spent most of the previous three years bemoaning Polish girls’
awful taste in men, I probably should
have been thanking the Lord for his generous oversight. It’s only now when I
consider those curious fellows who you
see walking around on the Rynek, with
their schoolboy haircuts, ill-fitting High
Street clothes, and goofy mannerisms,
standing next to a stunning brunette with
cycki like watermelons and a dupeczka
you could crack nuts with - dressed like
she’s on her way to present Best Foreign
Feature Film at the Oscars - that I can see
a clear reflection of myself. I was not in
fact the victim of Poland’s female population’s bad taste in mating partners; I
was one of the main beneficiaries!
As it transpires, when I landed at Gatwick, both a literal and metaphorical
bump back to earth occurred. My mojo
was miraculously sucked out of me, in
much the same way that suntans disappear the moment you make it through
passport control. In this city of twelve
million people I walk around completely
anonymous, ignored by a staggering six
million women, my sexual presence reduced to parity with the paperboy and
flabby middle-aged accountants. In fact
the only reaction to my slinking along the
streets of London has been the odd surreptitious glance from the pretty boys of
Soho (I can’t tell you how grateful I was!).
As for girls: cuties avoid eye contact on
the elevators, shop attendants ignore my
attempts to flirt with them, waitresses
take my order without ado, barflies brush
me off with their body language. A far
cry from Poland! Whatever happened to
every other passerby shooting me loaded flirtatious glances, to shop attendants
who would coyly slip me love notes with
their phone number, to waitresses who
wanted to party with me at the end of
their shift and to lost creatures of the
night rubbing themselves up against me
in the hope I would notice them? Nothing! Not one teenager has come up to me
to tell me how cute I am, no fitties have
pushed me into a public toilet for some
tonsil tennis and not a single mysterious stranger has followed me all the way
home for some pasta and petting. Ok, so
it’s only been four days, but still.
But enough of this depressing talk. Let
me cast my mind back to those last autumnal weeks in Krakow (already taking
on a warm and nostalgic glow in the romantic realms of my memory), and dutifully give you the rundown of September’s sexiest soirées…. Totally Twisted
rounded off the summer season on the
7th with another boat party, and, after
I failed to get on board for the last edition, I was extra careful to arrive on time.
I was more than a little cynical about the
40 złoty ticket charge, especially as the
boat aspect of the party was due to end
at 11 pm, but it turned out to be money
well spent and with three free drinks into
the bargain the economist in me was suitably appeased. A warm breeze blowing
off the Wisła cooled the up-for-it crowd
as they stomped to some meaty electro sounds that regulars of Błędne Koło
will be familiar with, whilst enormous
queues to the toilets were circumvented
by balancing on a very narrow ledge and
splashing into the river. Easier for guys
than girls, and possibly why one of my
female friends (who shall remain nameless) ended up taking an ill-timed bath.
The following weekend saw the back-toback openings of Circus and Bonton Club.
They couldn’t be more different. Circus
is a vast space just begging to be filled
with students more concerned about getting their rocks off than their groove on,
leaving me ruing my ill-timed departure.
C’est la życie. Their launch party was
low-key but suitably debauched, and it
was I, surprisingly, who was left to look
after my colleague’s drunk family friend
when she overdosed on tatanka. Unfortunately, far from being allowed to take
advantage of the situation, I practically
had to fireman-lift her off the dancefloor
after she collapsed the moment she attempted to stand up unaided. Once the
over-lubricated lady had been packed off
to bed, it was all over to Kitsch, where
predictably I made all the same drunken
mistakes I make every week, followed in
the morning by a lengthy spell of selfloathing. Chastened by the night before,
Saturday was a sober affair at Bonton’s,
which despite attracting all the right
people failed to convince me that I will
be missing much in London.
Finally, on the 23rd, came the party we’d
all been waiting for, for various reasons… Slinky’s farewell bash at Masada.
Whether the manifold attendees were
celebrating or mourning my departure
is a question I didn’t dare ask, but the
important thing is they made me look
popular. No mean feat in the vast space
of this hip new venue in Kazimierz. The
enigmatic DJ Drift kicked off proceedings
(just who is he?), whilst Mehow attracted
the first feet onto the dancefloor, sizing
up the tastes of a diverse crowd. Fluowankaz and Minimal Jan weren’t to be outdone, and the party reached full swing at
way past midnight as various stragglers
turned up to bolster the numbers. And
so it just remains to say thanks to all involved in the organisation, thanks to all
who came, thanks for the presents and a
special thanks to Stu who lent me his deodorant (I was experiencing some decidedly unslinky perspiration issues).
Until we meet again, may the spirit of
Slinky be with you always…
by night photo of the month
“Beauty and the Beats ”
DJ Line @ Frantic
Supplied by mynight.pl,
the top website for clubbing photos.
Krakow Post OCTOBER 2008 CL3
www.krakowpost.com
DROP IN
G E T S E RV E D
For October’s Get Served, Krakow Post’s “Bar Person of the Month” jury searched high and
low in the cold autumn rain for the next individual who’s leading the fight for top service.
Metropolitan’s head barman, Paweł Okuniewicz, wowed our judges with his cheerful manner and wide knowledge of all things alcohol related. Whether it be a fine wine to go with
your meal or a cocktail at the bar, this man delivers something special at this popular
restaurant/bar. Michał Szatkowski posed the questions armed with the obligatory bottle
of bubbly...
Q: What do you do when you’re not working?
A: I’ve got quite a few hobbies. I collect coins from the Ukraine, and travel there quite a
bit. I also enjoy playing chess.
Circus
Q: Are you any good at chess?
A: We have a chess board here, I’ll give you a game and show you!
ul. Starowiślna 16
Maybe it was because the school term hadn’t started yet, but the grand opening of the much-awaited
Circus Klub was not the rocket up the city’s backside it could have been. Instead it was a raucous party of friends and cognoscenti who were dwarfed by the huge size of this former cinema
and its enormous dancefloor - the biggest in Krakow. But despite this slow start, far from fearing
for Circus’ future, it seems safe to predict big things ahead. Why? Because unlike 90 percent
of new venues which open in Krakow, Circus actually offers the city’s party-goers something
different to their existing options. Instead of another cramped cellar decked out with expensive baubles, Circus is a stripped-back affair which capitalises on its former incarnation as a
movie theatre. The seats have been ripped out of the auditorium to create a vast space for
drink-fuelled dancing and debauchery, a huge screen flashes gargantuan visuals as a backdrop
to the pandemonium, whilst upstairs punters will find a second bar full of ceramic animals for
that added cult factor. In short, Circus is the perfect place for students to spend their parents’
hard-earned cash on piwo and grope each other to the latest commercial cheese and retro hits.
Not one for the sophisticated party-goer, but for once a club owner seems to have realised that
the Mercedes-driving dance music-loving “elite” are far outnumbered by hormonally-charged
academics.
Duncan Rhodes
DROP IN
Q: What’s the best thing about your job?
A: I get to experiment with new drinks, mixing different flavours.
Q: What’s the worst thing about your job?
A: I sometimes feel like a priest or lawyer because people come to the bar and I overhear
some interesting stories, and I can’t tell anyone about them!
Q: Have you ever had any famous clients here?
A: Yeah, we’ve had quite a few here. Probably the most famous would be Andrzej Wajda,
the Oscar-winning film director who made the film Katyń.
Q: What’s your dream job?
A: I’d like to work as a negotiator for big international companies.
Q: What’s the best cure for a hang-over?
A: A drink called the “Liza Minnelli.” It’s 2ml olive oil, 40ml tomato juice, an egg yolk and
a shot of pepper vodka. It tastes disgusting but is a great cure!
Q: What’s the best thing about Krakow in the autumn?
A: We have the best nightclubs in Poland, and when all the students are back in the city
the atmosphere in them is great!
Q: What would you recommend I try here at Metropolitan?
A: We have a great caesar salad here, and to drink I’d recommend the espresso martini,
or the cucumber martini for something more unusual.
Bonton
Plac Dominikański 4
There’s something suspicious about the concept of a club/restaurant. Is it primarily a nightclub
or is it more of a restaurant? Can one set of owners realistically expect me to believe they
are both experts of gastronomy and of music and nightlife trends? Moreover, if I’m going for a
romantic meal do I want a load of drunkards raising merry havoc downstairs? And if I’m going
downstairs to get drunk and raise merry havoc do I want to deal with the disapproving look of
prudish diners on my way to the dancefloor? Whether the owners of Bonton have the answers
to these questions remains to be seen. They’ve created a good-looking, if not exactly unique,
venue, and they certainly managed to attract a fashionable and decent-sized crowd to their
opening party in September, inviting hip UK singer Dani Siciliano to get the party started. However, with Krakow’s clubbers desperate to experience anything different, pretty much any new
place can be guaranteed a good opening night - so long as they remember to post the event on
Mynight.pl and Last.fm. All-in-all an auspicious beginning, but, as with so many new venues, I
sense a happy ending is far from guaranteed.
Duncan Rhodes
Paweł Okuniewicz, October’s bar person of the month
www.restauracja-amadeus.pl
CL4 Krakow Post OCTOBER 2008
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
www.krakowpost.com
r e s t a u r a n t
delicious hungarian cuisine
ul. Grodzka 37, Kraków
tel./fax: (0) 12 422 04 69
www.balaton.k rakow.pl
Restaurant with unique temperament and Cracow atmosphere !
You can eat your dinner in one of the antique carriages…
Dishes prepared over a beech wood grill using old polish and Italian recipes.
(To restauracja z włoskim temperamentem i krakowską atmosferą!
Można tu zjeść kolację w jednej z karet, wśród uskrzydlonej łodzi
rybackiej i góralskich sań.
Kuchnia polska, włoskie pasty…i tiramisu!)
“Cherubino” ul.św.Tomasza 15, Krakow, tel. 012/4294007,
tel./fax. 012/4294147
www.cherubino.pl
Famous restaurant on the “King’s Road” from Wawel Castle to Main Square.
Traditional old polish cuisine using old recipes and charred beech wood grill.
(Restauracja z atmosferą średniowiecznego Krakowa,
na „Drodze Królewskiej” z Wawelu do Rynku Głównego.
Zapraszamy w kulinarną „podróż” do staropolskich smaków.
Ogródek z fontanną na dziedzińcu.)
Courtyard garden and medieval atmosphere.
ul.Grodzka 35, Kraków, tel. 012/4213999,
tel./fax. 012/4302113
www.podaniolami.pl
Krakow Post OCTOBER 2008 CL5
www.krakowpost.com
FORK OUT
Milk&Co.
Radisson SAS, Straszewskiego 17, (0) 12 618 88 88
Miód Malina
ul. Grodzka 40, (0) 12 430 04 11
Located on the Royal Route along Grodzka Street, Miód Malina was guaranteed plenty of attention from the start. But while many other establishments have struggled to regularly attract
the stomachs of curious passers-by, Miód Malina has managed to become a true favourite of
both visitors and locals.
Krakow certainly has no shortage of rustic-looking restaurants serving traditional food, but the
attempts are often clumsy and old-fashioned. Here in Miód Malina the atmosphere is warm, inviting, and at just the right level of elegance and sophistication. Contrasting the city-wide “CK
Browar Conundrum” of serving delicious food/drink in gorgeous surroundings and then mysteriously pumping the space full of pop and techno, Miód Malina has really got it on the mark with
a mix of European folk complementing the mood.
On to the food; there is really very little to complain about and actually quite a lot to praise,
with Miód Malina offering the ultimate accessible menu at prices that certainly won’t break
the bank. Traditional Polish must-haves are served alongside Italian staples, meaning practically every picky eater can leave this place completely satisfied. Behind the bar is a woodburning oven, multi-tasking away at baking the perfect pizza crust or crisping up a plate of
pierogi (no deep-frying here!). Other highlights include an incredible pasta with chicken, pear
and almonds, a mouth-watering steak with cranberry sauce, horseradish, and oscypek (smoked
sheep’s cheese), and delicious racuchy (apple pancakes) with caramel and vanilla sauce. Apart
from the food, the service at Miód Malina is impeccable and the owners must be doing something right as after almost two years, I still see the same faces zipping around the place, and
amazingly, still smiling. There’s something comforting knowing that these 20-somethings have
decided to stay here in the Old Town of Krakow rather than escaping off to Dublin or London
like their friends.
The success of Miód Malina has garnered plenty of attention from guide books, so in the peak
tourist season, expect this place to be packed full in the evenings. Even in the off season reservations are encouraged. The only downfall here is that with almost every diner around you a
tourist speaking loudly in English and genuinely trying to pronounce difficult Polish words (bless
‘em), things can get a little distracting. My suggestion is to come here for a late lunch or early
dinner in the afternoon to experience Miód Malina at its calmest hour and still be able to enjoy
the great views in daylight onto the cobblestoned streets of Grodzka and Poselska. A must-taste
for picky Cracovian foodies and curious weekend visitors alike.
Nestled in one of the calmest corners of the Old Town, the Radisson SAS is just a few steps away
from Wawel castle and right across the street from the Krakow Philharmonic. Among the dining options at the five star hotel is Milk&Co, an upscale yet informal restaurant serving traditional regional
dishes from Krakow and Małopolska. In October and November, Milk&Co is trying something different
by introducing some Asian flavors through their Taste Thai event. Chef Praphot Bunlua has brought
Thailand’s tropical beaches to our hitherto damp and dreary autumn in the form of sticky jasmine
rice, spicy curry, and crunchy stalks of lemongrass. Mirroring its national religion of Buddhism, the
best Thai food displays a careful equilibrium with searing hot curries balanced with coconut milk and
kaffir lime leaves. At Milk&Co you’ll be able to find Thailand’s most famous dishes including pad thai
(Thai fried noodles), tom khaa gai (hot and sweet chicken soup with coconut milk), and kaeng kari
kai (green curry chicken). In Thailand meals are unlikely to be served in courses, so the Milk&Co Thai
Buffet is an authentic and casual approach to this varied cuisine. The buffet is served Thursdays to
Saturdays from 6 to 11 pm and costs 120 złotys per person, which includes wine. An à la carte menu
is also available. Opportunities to sample the flavours of Southeast Asia in Krakow are few and far
between, so curious eaters are definitely encouraged to jump on this occasion!
Dana Dramowicz
Polskie Jadło
ul. Św. Tomasza 8, (0) 12 428 00 22
As a top tourist destination for hardcore traditional Polish food, Polskie Jadło has been resting comfortably on its laurels for quite some time. Where else do you get a shock introduction into the oft
uncomfortable world of Polish cuisine in the form of a complimentary smalec (dry rendered pork lard)
starter? An affordable lunch menu manages to draw in locals as well for such yummy treats as spinach
and bacon naleśniki (Polish crêpes) and placki ziemniaczane (potato pancakes or latkes) with sour
cream. Let’s hope the recent downturn in Krakow’s tourism doesn’t dampen Polskie Jadło’s zest for
the fatty and delicious.
Dana Dramowicz
Dana Dramowicz
Summer restaurant-boat located in the bend of the Vistula River
at the foot of the Wawel Castle.
Sitting on its upper deck, you will recall long-forgotten charms of life
on the Vistula River.
“…that honor goes to Cafe Camelot, which might just be
my favorite cafe in the world
(..go for apple pie)” David Streitfeld
“The Washington Post Travel”
(Letnia restauracja na statku na Wiśle u stóp Wawelu.
Siedząc na górnym pokładzie odnajdą Państwo dawno zapomniane uroki życia
nad Wisłą.)
Coffee house – gallery with the most romantic summer garden in Cracow.
The magical atmosphere of that place and original interiors dating back
to the XIII century.
(Galeria – kawiarnia z wyjątkowym ogródkiem w Zaułku Niewiernego Tomasza.
Jest miejscem spotkań niezwykłych ludzi, koncertów, kabaretów i recitali.
W galerii na piętrze wydarzenia artystyczne i wystawy fotograficzne.
W piątki kabaret „Loch Camelot”)
Galar “Pod Aniołami” Zakole Wisły,
Bulwary Wiślana vis a vis Hotelu Sheraton,
tel. 0691 44 04 03
On Fridays Loch Camelot Cabaret.
Cafe Camelot” ul. św.Tomasza 17, Kraków,
tel.012/4210123
spotlight
CL6 Krakow Post OCTOBER 2008
www.krakowpost.com
u n s o u n d
f e s t i v a l
every day 18-25.10
thurs.
23.10
14:00 //
Elektrownia Podgórska
15:00 //
Kino 18
Michael Nyman’s SUBLIME
Workshop - Acoustic
Instruments in Live Laptop
Performance
(Mark Templeton)
from Monday 14:00 //
Galeria F.A.I.T - installation
Kaspar Koenig & Simon Berz
sat.
18.10
SoundScapes 2 (Fat Cat label)
20:00 Hauschka
21:10 Max Richter
20:06 // Galicia Jewish
Museum
Warhol Series 1 - EMPIRE
Hanno Leichtmann
Groupshow
Jan Jelinek
Andrew Pekler
sun.
20:00 //
Manggha Japanese Museum
23:00 //
Pauza Cellar Club
SoundProof 1 - Circus Co.
22:00 bshosa (detroitZDRoJ)
23:30 dOP
00:30 Nôze
01:30 Tibor Holoda
19.10
20:00 //
Kino Pod Baranami
Warhol Series 2 - BLOWJOB
Németh / Hess / Siewert
fri.
24.10
20:00 //
St Katherine’s Church
Images courtesy of Coke Live Music Festival
mon.
20.10
20:00 //
Kino Pod Baranami
Warhol Series 3 - KISS
nsi.
tues.
Fuck Buttons / photograph courtesy of unsound.pl
21.10
10:00 //
Kino 18
Music Journalism Workshop
6th Unsound Festival
(17-25 October)
On October 17th at 6 pm at the Podgórze Elektrownie (power station), something unusual will
take place... strange sounds and images will fill
the 19th century building as renowned film composer Michael Nyman kicks off The 6th Annual Unsound Festival. Unsound is one of the more unique
and progressive music festivals that exist in Poland
and Central Europe. Every autumn Unsound showcases cutting edge artists from all over the world
that exist on the borders of different genres: classical, ambient, rock, clubbing and experimental.
This year’s edition is their most ambitious yet,
spanning seven days and nights and featuring such
radically diverse artists as Max Richter, Skream,
Benga, Ben Frost, Xiu Xiu, Pan American, Bruno
Pronsato, the aforementioned Michael Nyman and
even Fuck Buttons.
This year’s festival pushes the boundaries not only
musically and sonically but also expands spatially
into new eclectic and atmospheric venues. Apart
from the Podgórze Elektrownie, Unsound will
host events and concerts in Gothic St. Catherine’s
Church, Galicia Jewish Museum, Manggha Museum of Japanese Art & Technology and Kino Pod
Baranami.
There are many exciting events and curious concerts throughout the week, but perhaps the most
intriguing event is an eight-hour marathon show
performed by Jan Jelinek’s band Groupshow. The
band will improvise to Andy Warhol’s film Empire,
a static shot of the Empire State Building filmed
in 1965. The performance will start promptly
at 20:06, which was the exact time that Warhol
began filming in New York. This particular performance is free and will take place in the Galicia
Jewish Museum in Kazimierz. Empire is one of four
Warhol films being screened and reinterpreted by
musicians, audio artists and VJs throughout this
year’s Unsound, including screenings at the Pod
Baranami cinema. For a full listing of concerts and
events and to buy tickets for the festival, log onto
www.unsound.pl
Thym Chase
16:00 //
Kino 18
Warhol Series 4 - Amos Poe’s
Empire II
20:00 //
Manggha Japanese Museum
Warhol Series 4 - Amos Poe’s
Empire II
weds.
22.10
20:00 //
Manggha Japanese Museum
SoundScapes 1
20:00 Mark Templeton
20:40 Autistic Daughters
21:30 The Necks
SoundScapes 3
- Impossibility of Silence
20:00 Colleen
20:50 Pan American
21:40 Ben Frost
22:00 //
Manggha Japanese Museum
SoundProof 2 - FACTORY
22:30 Jacek Sienkiewicz Presents
Recognition ( ROOM 1 )
23:00 Jorge Haro ( ROOM 2 )
23:45 Banabila / Zenial ( ROOM 2 )
00:00 Melchior Productions
( ROOM 1 )
00:15 The Sight Below ( ROOM 2 )
01:00 Bruno Pronsato ( ROOM 1 )
01:15 Jørgen Knudsen ( ROOM 2 )
02:30 Galoppierende Zuversicht
( ROOM 1 )
sat.
25.10
20:00 //
Klub Studio
Dissolving Borders & Dubstep
Invasion
20:00 Fuck Buttons
21:00 Xiu Xiu
22:30 Boxcutter
23:30 Benga
00:45 Skream
02:00 Pinch
posted
Krakow Post OCTOBER 2008 CL7
www.krakowpost.com
The Month in Events
SPECIAL EVENTS
BAYIT HADASH: ENCOUNTERS
WITH JEWISH CULTURE
The Centre for Jewish Culture is celebrating its 15th birthday, and a rich programme
of events will see in the Jewish New Year,
which falls on September 29th. Throughout
October and November, visitors can make the
most of a series of exclusive lectures, literary debates, classical and Klezmer concerts,
and much more.
when - Throughout October
where - Centre for Jewish Culture,
ul. Meiseslsa 17
FESTIVALS
OFF CAMERA - 1ST INTERNATIONAL
FESTIVAL OF INDEPENDENT CINEMA
See “Silver Screening” insert for details.
when - 1st until 5th October
where - Various
UNSOUND FESTIVAL 2008
provided by Cracow-life.com
ORGAN DAYS AT THE PHILHARMONIC
A bankable fixture in Krakow’s autumn
calendar, Organ Days has been piping away
for over forty years now. This year, the
Philharmonic is laying on a trio of performances, beginning on Thursday 23rd with a
solo gig by Andrzej Białko. The following day, Jacek Kulig will play Puccini
and Respighi, accompanied by tenor and
bass. Wrapping things up on Saturday will be
a tribute to celebrated composer Roman
Maciejewski, whose Requiem provides the
main feature.
when - 23rd to 25th October
where - Philharmonic Hall, ul. Zwierzyniecka 1
ZADUSZKI JAZZ FESTIVAL
Shake off those autumn blues with a dash of
jubilant jazz. This stalwart of the rainy season is now in its 53rd year, echoing Krakow’s
long-running romance with the genre. Local
legends will be joined by a handful of special
guests from abroad.
when - 31st October to 3rd November
where - Various
See spotlight, CL 6.
when - 18th to 25th October
where – Various
Zofia Stryjeńska, Zólta spódnica (Yellow Dress), 1950. National Museum in Krakow
EXHIBITIONS
FIRST STEP...
coastlines to barren, snow-capped mountains, Ecuador is a country of wildly varied
terrains. At this special exhibition, which
comes under the patronage of the Ambas-
A hoard of contemporary classics can be
explored at the National throughout autumn,
including cuts from blonde bombshell Andy
Warhol and his mischievous protégé David
LaChapelle. With works from a dozen hot
names in the contemporary canon, “First
Step...” stands out as one of the most heavyweight shows of recent months. Krakow has
hit the jackpot thanks to Rafael Jablonka,
whose eponymous gallery in Cologne established him as a major international collector.
There are hopes that this show is the “first
step” in a more permanent relationship with
Mr. Jablonka.
when - Throughout October & November
where - National Museum, Al. 3 Maja 1
JEWISH ARTISTS IN KRAKOW 1873-1939
The Old Synagogue provides an atmospheric
backdrop to this exhibition. Polish Jewish
writers have won international acclaim, but
their painter peers have not been in the
spotlight to the same degree. This exhibition
showcases over a hundred and fifty works
by Polish Jewish artists. Figures such as
Zygmunt Menkes and Leopold Gottlieb
are already highly appraised by Polish art
historians, yet visitors can also enjoy works
by lesser-known talents.
when - Until 31st October
where - Old Synagogue Museum, ul. Szeroka 24
ECUADOR - CULTURE ON THE EQUATOR
Tom Vernimmen. “In-Between Worlds. Photographs of Nowa Huta,” Galeria Zderzak
From tropical forests and mangrove-riddled
Mark Templeton, unsound festival
sador to Poland Fernando Flores Macias,
visitors can discover an evocative array of
archaeological relics and handcrafted treasures. There are also films from the archives
of Borys Malkin. Find the show at the
A D V E R T I S E M E N T
CL8 Krakow Post OCTOBER 2008
www.krakowpost.com
quisite Ciolek Palace at the foot of the Royal
Castle. Fresh from renovation, and boasting
a royal roster of Old Polish art, the museum
is a splendid addition to the city’s cultural
orbit. Catch the show before it closes on the
12th.
when - Until 12th October
where - Bishop Erazm Ciołek Palace,
ul. Kanonicza 17
IN BETWEEN WORLDS
Belgian photographer Tom Vernimmen
has been pottering around Nowa Huta for
five years now. The fruits of his wanderings
can be enjoyed at this memorable exhibition at Galeria Zderzak. Vernimmen brings
to life a much maligned district, finding both
charm and grit, as well as a liberal dash of
the bizarre.
when - Until 18th October
where - Galeria Zderzak, ul. Floriańska 3
TRACES OF MEMORY
Adam Marczyński, Konkretcollage 62 (Detail)
museum’s subsidiary branch at the Esterka
House.
when - Until 31st January 2009
where - Ethnographic Museum
(Esterka Branch), ul. Krakowska 46
NIHON
Professional shutterbug Tomek Niewiadomski has been toing and froing from Japan for several years now, and this exhibition
shows the fruits of those sojourns. Niewiadomski collaborated with Japanese fashion
designer Yohji Yamamoto, but “Nihon” also
draws on his more personal encounters with
the people he met.
when - From 6th September
where - Pauza Gallery, ul. Floriańska 18/5
JAN III SOBIESKI
- PORTRAITS OF THE VIENNA VICTORS
Chiming in with the 325th anniversary of
the Relief of Vienna, the National is laying
on its own modest tribute to the monarch
who saved the day: Jan III Sobieski. The
portly king - one of the most swashbuckling
characters of his day - won the applause of
all Christendom when he helped repulse the
Turks from Vienna in 1683. This small yet
charismatic show is being hosted in the ex-
A wander around the once Jewish streets of
Kazimierz would not be complete without a
pause in the Galicia Museum. Founded by a
bold British photographer who had roots in
the region, the museum provides a vivid introduction to a 700 year legacy. Although the
Holocaust looms over the exhibition, “Traces of
Memory” is both a lament and a celebration,
finishing on a surprisingly optimistic note.
when - Throughout October
where - Galicia Jewish Museum, ul. Dajwór 18
ADAM MARCZYŃSKI
- BETWEEN METAPHOR & CERTAINTY
Born exactly a century ago, Adam
Marczyński was one of Krakow’s most potent artistic forces in the years following the
war. This exhibition focuses on his abstract
adventures between the years 1954 and
1963. Besides paintings, there will be a large
selection of prints and sketches on view.
when - 2nd October until 4th January 2009
where - National Museum, Al. 3 Maja 1
ONE OR TWO OR CROWD
Krakow’s newest art gallery kicks off its art
attack with an exhibition by Kristof Kintera,
the “enfant terrible of the Czech art scene.”
He’ll be spewing red oil across the room in
thick, gleaming dollops. Confused? Head over
to ul. Mikołajska to investigate further...
when - Until 21st October
where - Dominik Art Projects, ul. Mikołajska 5/2
SWEET MONDAY & OTHER STILL LIFES
Photoholics and alcoholics can enjoy a double whammy at Pauza this October, beginning with Pawel Zak’s surreal and witty
still lifes. The opening of the show is at 8 pm
on Friday 10th.
when - 11th until 31st October
where - Pauza Gallery, ul. Floriańska 18/5
THE PATH TO THE VATICAN
Echoing the election of the Archbishop of
Krakow to the throne of St. Peter exactly 30
years ago, this exhibition explores the contacts between Poland’s former Royal Capital
and the Vatican.
when - From 11th October
where - Krzysztofory Palace, Rynek Główny 35
ZOFIA STRYJEŃSKA (1891-1976)
Dubbed “The Princess of Polish Art” after her
triumph at the 1925 International Exhibition in Paris, Stryjeńska is being celebrated
this year in her first major retrospective
to date. Although by no means the most
talented or innovative of Poland’s pre-war
avant-garde, her work perfectly captures
the playful spirit of Polish Art Deco, with its
joyful championing of folk motifs. This wideranging exhibition delves into many aspects
OFF CAMERA
It’s inspiring to see ambitious new
festivals popping up at this time
of year, and this one looks set to
be a winner. Off Camera will be
showcasing over 120 independent
films from around the globe, with a
select number battling it out for a
grand prize of 100,000 Euros (not
to mention a cartload of kudos). In
tune with the independent accent,
the festival will be championing
the city’s art house and lone ranger
cinemas. The organisers are brimming with bright ideas, with intriguing tangents such as the tripartite
Glancing Back section, which shines
spotlights on Andy Warhol, Michael
Almereyda and the works of the
American Film Theatre. Meanwhile,
“Take it, all of you, and shoot it”
offers a 3000 euro prize for the
best miniature movie that’s shot
on a mobile phone. Find out more
from the festival’s official website.
www.capellacracoviensis.pl
when - 1st until 5th October
where - Various
when > 15th to 31st SEPTEMBER
www.offcamera.com.pl
Sobieski - at Bishop Erazm Ciołek Palace
silver screening
1st International Festival of
Independent Cinema
Ballast (USA, 2008) directed by Lance Hammer
Fri. 3rd Oct – KIJÓW 19:00 Ballast dir. Lance Hammer
Fri. 3rd Oct – BUNKIER 22:30 Lonesome Cowboys dir. Paul Morrissey
Sat. 4th Oct – POD BARANAMI 19:00 Travelling with Pets dir. Vera Storozheva
Sat. 4th Oct – POD BARANAMI 22:30 Correction dir. Thanos Anastopoulos
Sun. 5th Oct – ARS - REDUTA 16:00 Mister Lonely dir. Harmony Korrine
Sun. 5th Oct – MIKRO 19:00 Rocking Horse Winner dir. Michael Almereyda
FULL PROGRAMME AVAILABLE www.offcamera.pl
Krakow Post OCTOBER 2008 CL9
www.krakowpost.com
Travelling with Pets (Russia, 2007) directed by Wiera Storożewa at Off Camera Film Festival
of Stryjeńska’s career. Besides paintings,
there will be posters, book designs and stage
sets (Stryjeńska even designed the famed
Wedel Chocolate Shop in Warsaw).
when - 24th October until 4th January
where - National Museum, Al. 3 Maja 1
IN THE SHADOWS OF THE
IMAGINATION - ALFRED KUBIN
The supreme ICC continues its tributes
to Austrian masters, this time looking at
Alfred Kubin, often dubbed “the Austrian
Goya.” Ghouls, demons and strange apparitions haunt Kubin’s images, making him the
perfect choice to illustrate works by Edgar
Allen Poe, E.T.A Hoffmann and Dostoevsky. This show draws on the world’s
largest collection of Kubin’s works, which are
housed at Linz’s Landesmuseum.
when - 28th October to 27th January
where - International Cultural Centre,
Rynek Główny 25
OPERA, THEATRE
& DANCE
GROTESKA: CHILDREN’S THEATRE & MORE
Puss In Boots (Kot w Butach) will be bounding into Groteska this October. The premiere
is pencilled in for Saturday 11th, and there
will be plenty more performances throughout
the month. The Groteska Puppet Theatre has
won acclaim for its magical interpretations
of the classics, offering first class family
entertainment that’s full of fantasy. Also in
the programme for October are Little Red
Riding Hood (Czerwony Kapturek) and The
Ugly Duckling (Brzydkie Kaczatko).
when - Throughout October
where - Groteska, ul. Skarbowa 2
FILM
SALOME ON THE SILVER SCREEN
Kino Kijów kicks off the new season with a
live transmission of Salome direct from The
Metropolitan Opera in New York. Strauss’s
classic starts at 7 pm sharp Krakow time.
when - 11th October
where - Kino Kijów, al. Krasińskiego 34
FUTURE SHORTS FESTIVAL
Cinema in Five Flavours,
Kino Pod Baranami
Since starting in 2003, Future Shorts has
become a bona fide phenomenon, casting
its celluloid tentacles into dozens of cities around the world. On Friday 17th you
can catch 11 short films back to back. The
overarching theme of the October edition is
ambition, and cinephiles can enjoy cuts from
Swedish, British, Finnish, Canadian and German directors. Intriguing titles include Who
I Am and What I Want and Alex and Her Arse
Truck. The screenings start at 7 pm.
when - 17th October
where - Kino Pod Baranami, Rynek Główny 27
CINEMA IN FIVE FLAVOURS:
2ND FESTIVAL OF VIETNAMESE FILM
Kino Pod Baranami has a nifty proposal to
help spice up the late autumn gloom.
“Cinema in Five Flavours” brings you a tantalising taste of Vietnamese film, with prime
pieces by the top directors on today’s scene.
Six scintillating movies have been lined up
to transport you to sweltering Southeast
Asia, offering a golden opportunity to savour
some fresh perspectives. Drop by to Kino Pod
Baranami for more details.
when - 21st to 26th October
where - Kino Pod Baranami, Rynek Główny 27
Sobieski - at Bishop Erazm Ciołek Palace
LIVE MUSIC
4TH KRAKOW JAZZ AUTUMN
Two of Krakow’s hippest hangouts - Alchemia
and Klub Re - will be hosting this year’s Jazz
Autumn. Jazz stars will be jetting in from as
far afield as Mozambique, the U.S. and Japan
for some subterranean jam sessions. Amongst
the guests for October are Scandanavian outfit Atomic, the Charles Gayle Trio and
the Kazutoki Umezu Kiki Band.
when - Throughout October & November
where - Various
CL10 Krakow Post OCTOBER2008
www.krakowpost.com
CULTURAL PARTNERS
OPEN MIC NIGHT AT SZAFE
The Open Mic Night is a monthly event at
which performers can get on stage and share
their music. All musicians of all levels and
attitudes are welcome. Cafe Szafe (located
one block from Massolit Books) provides the
cozy stage, full PA system, and good beer,
every first Sunday of the month. A good time
is guaranteed, whether you come to play or
just to listen. From 7 to 10 pm.
when - 5th October
where - Cafe Szafe, ul. Felicjanek 10
CASPIAN
NINJA TUNE
PRESENTS: COLDCUT
JOURNEYS BY VJ
Krakow’s new Face2Face club is starting off
with an impressive line-up, featuring American instrumental rock band Caspian. Based
in Beverly, Massachusetts, the band has been
together since 2003, and has a full-length album under their belt titled “The Four Trees.”
Supporting Caspian will be Krakow’s own
international post-rock band New Century
Classics. Expect a night of epic melodies,
walls of sound and beautiful moments.
when - 23rd October
where - Face2Face, ul. Paulińska 28
Ninja Tune is bringing yet another hot party
to Krakow’s underground Pauza Club, with
Coldcut - a musical duo consisting of Matt
Black and Jonathan More from the UK. Supporting will be Mike Polarny & Hory
(Pompon.net). Visuals will be masterfully
handled by VJ Bankok & Mikee of Temporary Space Design. The party kicks
off at 10 pm. For tickets, e-mail dominika@
pauza.pl.
when - 11th October
where - Pauza Club, ul. Floriańska 18
THE KLEZZMATES
The Klezzmates kick back with a fresh
mixture of jazz, folk, ethnic and Klezmer.
Tickets are 20 złoty (12 złoty concessions).
when - 23rd October
where - Galicia Jewish Museum, ul. Dajwór 18
AUDREY & ANDY
Granted, both bands’ names start with the
letter “A”, both bands feature four girls singing and playing various instruments, and both
band names are names themselves - but this
is where the similarities between Audrey
& Andy end. Audrey is a post-rock band
from Sweden, playing melodies that vary
from poppy to dark, often in the same song.
Meanwhile, the indie pop of the Polish girls in
Andy is far from original, though the fun they
have on stage is pretty contagious.
when - 31st October
where - Lizard King, ul. Św. Tomasza 11a
CLUB MUSIC
MIDWEEK PARTIES
Another month and another exciting round
of Where2b parties. If you can’t wait for the
weekend check out Mixer on Mondays at Prozak, Today on Tuesdays at Ministerstwo, Black
Cherry on Wednesdays at Midgard and Sex
on Wax on Thursdays at Cien Club. Hangover
guaranteed!
when - Throughout October
where - Various Clubs
ELSA KRAKOW NIGHT @ PROZAK
Have your parents been pressuring you to
study law, when all you want to do is party?
Now’s your chance to snap up your very own
legal body, as future lawyers gather up to
get down at Prozak’s ELSA (European Law
Students’ Association) Krakow night for law
and administration students of Jagiellonian
University and Krakow University College.
You don’t have to be a student, however, to
enjoy the tunes DJ Lux will be spinning - but
it helps to act like one!
when - 2nd October
where - Prozak, pl. Dominikański 6
The best bar,
Been there?
restaurant or hotel
Done that?
review wins a trip for
Got the t-shirt? 2 back to the city.
www.cracow-life.com
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LADYTRON
Ladytron - one of the biggest groups on
the electronic music scene - will be hitting
Krakow’s Studio student club, promoting
their new album “Velocifero,” which includes
collaborations with Alessandro Cortinim
(Nine Inch Nails) and Vicarious Bliss
(Justice, DJ Mehdi). Sometimes electropoppy, sometimes synth-heavy, Ladytron’s
music will have the club’s dancefloor jumping
and fans’ eardrums reverberating well after
the concert. Tickets start at 65 złoty, and are
available online or at the club’s ticket office.
when - 18th October
where - Studio, ul. Reymonta 17
last page
Krakow Post OCTOBER 2008 CL11
www.krakowpost.com
Stars & Puzzles
SUDOKU
A S T R O S E LT Z E R
LIBRA (Sep 23 - Oct 22)
Unreliable people continue to be irritatingly unaware of how much trouble
they’re causing. You’ve been biting your tongue and escaping into revenge
fantasies; but, even that isn’t doing the trick. Play the waiting game and trust
that by mid-month all will be back to what you’ve come to consider normal.
Best bet for romance: an enthusiastically sensual Taurus or an unpredictable
Aquarius will love arguing with you.
PISCES (Feb 19 – March 19)
Although you probably dress
like a depressed missionary,
your brain glows with ideas,
visions and fantasies that
are worth their weight in
gold. This month, due to an
interesting set of circumstances, you begin to understand just how
valuable your insights and ideas are. Best
bet for romance: an intense Scorpio will
keep you on track, while a progressive
Aquarius will help keep melancholy at bay.
CANCER (Jun 21 – Jul 22)
Your hands-off philosophy hasn’t been
working. Letting people toddle along at the own pace,
you’ve discovered that too
many people are lazy and
unmotivated. Well enough of
that: you’re about to unleash
a brilliant plan that will put
others back where they belong - at your
feet doing your bidding. Best bet for romance: an easily-flattered Leo or a bouncy
Sagittarius will let you rule the roost.
SAGITTARIUS (Nov 22 - Dec 20)
If procrastination becomes
too tempting, there’s no
need to worry. Close friends
are determined to see you
succeed and will refuse to
play along with any of your
usual avoidance techniques. You may run,
but you won’t be able to hide. Best bets
for romance: sturdy Taurus will keep you
grounded, while a goofy Aquarius will keep
you chuckling.
ARIES (Mar 20 - Apr 19)
Your feverish brain won’t
accomplish much until midmonth, when you suddenly
develop a fresher perspective
on life. Relationships have
been particularly challenging, leaving you
dazed and confused by impossible to meet
demands. Ignore what you can’t fix and
take a holiday in your own fantasy world.
Best bet for romance: a quirky Virgo or an
independent Aquarius will hold your interest.
CAPRICORN (Dec 21 - Jan 19)
Professionally speaking,
you’ve been losing your grip,
forgetting to repeat your
“no one is to be trusted”
mantra. It could be that
you’re losing your touch, or
perhaps you’re merely waiting for something that warrants your eagle-eyed attention. By mid-month, you’ll be planning a
temporary sojourn in more exotic climes.
Best bet for romance: a malleable Pisces
will let run the ship, while an elegant Leo
will treat you like royalty.
TAURUS (Apr 20 - May 20)
Thrown off-guard by what
you consider unwarranted
criticism, you’ve been hiding
out, nursing a few psychic
wounds. The problem was
(and still is!) that you aren’t
always the best listener in the universe.
Dust yourself off, take stock off all your
wonderful qualities and try to pay closer
attention to what’s going on around you.
Best bet for romance: a half-mad Libra
or an intense Scorpio will feed your ego
while pushing your brain into full gear.
LEO (Jul 23 - Aug 22)
Love of detail and disdain for slip-shod
work keeps you at least one
step ahead of competitors.
This month, however, a
charmingly lazy type could
pull the proverbial wool over
your eyes in seconds flat.
Why? You’re growing tired of running the
show on your lonesome and are silently
crying out for some ego-stroking. Best bet
for romance: an emotional Cancer or a sly
Pisces will know how to push all the right
buttons.
AQUARIUS (Jan 20 - Feb 18)
A bit of your sparkle has gone
missing in action, adding a
strange world-weary cast to
your face. That is about to
change - and the sooner the
better. By the month’s end,
you’ll be shattering people’s
expectations and assumptions once again.
Best bet for romance: a sentimental Pisces
or a witty Gemini will prevent you from
succumbing to the tyranny of predictability.
GEMINI (May 21 - Jun 20)
Blessed (or, cursed, depending on one’s world-view) with
the capacity for detached
passion, you’re a quietly
contradictory piece of work.
This month, your enviable creativity will be both noticed and
rewarded. The only drawback is that you
could be the target of jealousy; after all,
most other people work harder than you
and get nowhere in the process! Best bet
for romance: a practical, but earthy Capricorn or distracted Libra will know when to
give you space.
SCORPIO (Oct 23 - Nov 21)
Lost in space without a map,
you’ve been astoundingly
distracted, aimless and illogical. That changes this month
as some pro-active cosmic
elements catapult you back
into the real world. Your busy brain will be
operating at fever pitch as you attack each
and every aspect of your life with grit and
determination. Best bet for romance: a sexually creative Gemini or a cool, calm and collected Libra will never take you too seriously.
Star-Signs drawn by Dominik Nawrocki
VIRGO (Aug 23 - Sep 22)
Are you feeling stuck in a rut? Have you
been dreaming about what it
would be like to live someone else’s life? Uncharacteristically bored, you may be
wondering if you’re actually
depressed. The truth is that
life has become too routine.
That said, the only person who can shake
things up is you! Best bet for romance: an
energetic Aries or a devoted Taurus will
take your well-meaning criticism in stride.
Krakow Post’s astrology column is for entertainment purposes only, and the Post is not responsible for any consequences incurred as a result
of this column. Written by Kerwin McLeister,
[email protected]
SUDOKU SOLUTIONS
To play: Complete the grid so that every
row, column and every 3 x 3 box contains the
digits 1 to 9. There is no guessing or maths
involved, just use logic to solve.