between east and west

inside
OUR FULL GUIDE CL/9
October 2010
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Edition 72
ISSN 1898-4762
www.krakowpost.com
Krakow’s Pedestrian
Bridge Opens
The long-awaited pedestrian and
cyclist bridge linking the Kazimierz
and
Podgórze
districts
across
the Vistula River opened on 30
September after nearly two years
of construction. Officially called the
Bernatek Footbridge, the 38 million
złoty structure is named after Father
Laetus Bernatek, the Cracovian monk
who constructed the Bonifrater
Hospital in Krakow.
Photo by Brien Barnett/ brienbarnett.com
BETWEEN EAST AND WEST
Arrest of Chechen leader renews focus on Polish-Russian relations
It is hardly surprising that the British
historian Norman Davies chose to call
his two-volume work on Poland God’s
Playground. The country’s strategic place
on the European map means it has always
been in the front line of conflict of one
sort or another. Diplomatic and economic
leverage may have replaced guns and
bullets, but it is clear that Poland still
treads a delicate line between Russia to
the east and its fellow EU Member States
to the west.
When Akhmed Zakayev, Chechen
leader in exile, was arrested in Warsaw
last month and subsequently released,
it seemed publicly to set Poland and
Russia at loggerheads. Russia wants to
try him on terror charges, but the Polish
public prosecutor said Zakayev’s political
asylum status granted in the UK applied
across the EU.
The Russian news agency ITAR-TASS
reacted with a predictable, outraged
polemic, featuring the headline: “Exiled
warlord wanted in Russia arrives in
Poland without hindrances”, complete
building the relationship between Russia
and Poland. They insist that the affair
is a “minor hiccup” that is only to be
expected. Adam Rotfeld, the man with
the responsibility of curing such hiccups
on the Polish side, told The Economist
magazine that there would be no “longterm negative effects” on Russian-Polish
relations at the highest level.
It certainly isn’t the first time since
Polish independence that a case of
hiccups has shaken the public perception
of these relations.
>> 3
with a photograph of Zakayev resembling
a sort of demonic Rambo, bared teeth
and all. Gazeta Wyborcza was equally
strident with its triumphant headline:
“Zakayev Free”. Barely anyone noted the
quiet moderation of the Polish Border
Guard, whose spokesman Colonel
Wojciech Lechowski said simply that the
Guard would “follow the law” regarding
Zakayev’s future movements.
Yet it is with just this kind of reasoned,
pragmatic response that diplomats in both
Warsaw and Moscow intend to continue
Feature
Anthony Casey
2
Krakow on the cheap
The undecided
fate of Krakow’s
Płaszów
concentration
camp
4
Photo: Konrad Lackerbeck
News
5
More CCTV in Krakow
Business
9
Game & Mushrooms
Raising funds in Poland
Sport
10
New stadium unveiled
Page 3
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Pl. Mariacki 9
2
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Krakow Post | October 2010
News
Perspectives on Poland
Jamie Stokes
One Sunday afternoon last month
saw me on a long-anticipated visit to
the Krakow Under Nazi Occupation
exhibition at the Schindler Factory. A lot
of people have made positive noises about
this exhibition and I wasn’t disappointed.
It closely follows the highly successful
example set by the Warsaw Uprising
Museum - lots of original documents,
photographs and personal objects in
immersive settings enhanced with sound
effects and interactive elements. It’s a
long way from the glass display cases and
dusty corridors traditionally associated
with the museum experience.
If I were forced to offer a criticism, it
would be that there is an over-reliance
on long, written explanations and,
inexplicably and inexcusably, that the
English versions of these are far from
grammatically perfect. This is a fault that
infuriates me - it’s so easily avoidable
and so unnecessarily embarrassing in
an attraction that will draw millions
of English-speaking visitors. But I’m
probably the only person in the world
who is bothered by these things, so I’ll
shut up about that.
What I really want to talk about
is something that occurred to me as
I was weaving my way through the
elaborate fakery of the Podgórze Ghetto
exhibit behind a gaggle of American
tourists. There is something dizzyingly
disconcerting about the experience. The
venue for the exhibition, the Schindler
Factory, is famous because of the film
based on the book about the exploits of
its wartime owner and the Jewish people
who worked there. The weirdness sets in
when you realise you are inside a genuine
historical monument looking at ersatz
versions of the period that it represents.
There is even a reproduction of the ghetto
wall, real fragments of which are a few
hundred metres away outside.
Krakow on the Cheap
Top 5 ways to save while you stay.
The weirdness sets in when you realise you
are inside a genuine historical monument
looking at ersatz versions of the period that it
represents...
This is not a criticism of the exhibition,
I think it’s probably a sensible use for
a building that would otherwise be a
useless shell, but it is a striking example
of a phenomenon that is becoming more
and more common in Krakow — the
commercialisation of history. In many
ways the historical centre of the city
has become a parody of itself. The truth
is that the Old Town is, essentially, just
an exhibit. Real life stopped happening
there years ago. Almost every building
is dedicated to meeting the needs of
tourists either as an entertainment venue
or as a place to stay. Tourists wander
around looking at the charming streets
and buildings, blissfully unaware that all
they are seeing are the temporary homes
and hangouts of other tourists.
There are a few holdouts: an oldfashioned fur coat shop on Floriańska,
an inexplicable gardening shop on
Szpitalna, and the odd underground bar
that is still a genuine student hangout.
The university itself, the one institution
that continued to breathe life into the
ancient city, is moving en masse to a new
campus in the suburbs.
None of this amounts to a new
observation; plenty of people have been
wailing about the same thing for years.
Where I differ is that I wholeheartedly
support the phenomenon. Cities like
Krakow are at the forefront of a global
paradigm shift in the use of urban
space — from the city as industrial
and commercial centre to the city as
entertainment and leisure venue. It
looks scary and depressing from our
perspective, but when the story of
this century is written I believe it will
recognise this shift in the evolution of
the world’s “heritage” cities as profound
and influential. History hasn’t stopped,
it’s just taken a new and unfamiliar turn.
Jamie Stokes also writes for Polandian.
Because everyone could use some
advice on saving a złoty or two, we’ve put
together a few ways to keep your stay in
Krakow under budget, whether you’re
just passing through or looking into
staying a little longer.
1. Skip the hotel. Stay in a hostel or,
during the summer vacation months, a
student dorm.
When searching for a hostel, it is best
to do price comparisons, or let a hostel
booking service do them for you. Rates
range from 35-90 złoty/night, depending
on whether you’re sharing a room or
not. A little known fact among travellers:
during the summer months when
students usually head home, student
dorms (called “akademiki” or “hotel
studencki” in Polish) rent out their rooms
for short stays at bargain prices as well.
Try Piast, Żaczek, Nawojka, or Bydgoska,
all of which have information available
in English online.
2. Rent a bike! You can take a bike tour
of the town to familiarize yourself with
your new surroundings (such services
offered by bike rental places like Cruising
Krakow) or hop on a city bike at one of
the 16 automatic bike rental stations
around town. Student Hotel Piast also
rents bikes for 24 hours at a time with
prices as low as 24 złoty for students,
30 without student ID. If cycling is not
your thing and you want to avoid a 3045 minute walk across town, just buy a
15 minute tram ticket for as little as 90
groszy (discounted price for students,
elderly, and disabled). Otherwise, enjoy
this extremely walkable city as most do,
on foot.
3. For delicious and cheap traditional
Polish cuisine, eat at places marked
“bar mleczny” (literally means milk bar,
but denotes a formerly governmentsubsidized canteen), or a 24-hour
“pierogarnia” (specializing in, you >> 8
letters to the editor
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reserves the right to edit letters. Please send letters to the editor at [email protected], or by post to:
Krakow Post, Ul. Szczepańska 7/4a, 31-011 Krakow
about
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Printers, www.polskapresse.pl
Krakow Post | October 2010 3
www.krakowpost.com
News
Zakayev from page 1
In 1992 Boris Yeltsin, the then-Russian
president, showed good will by admitting
that Stalin and Hitler planned to carve up
Poland during the Second World War, and
that Stalin ordered the Katyń massacre
of almost 22,000 Poles. In 1993 the final
Russian troops left Poland, and Yeltsin
made a state visit to Warsaw. Russia and
Poland seemed, if not friends, at least on
nodding terms.
Relations cooled over Poland’s
admission to both NATO and the EU.
In 2004, the year that Poland joined the
EU, it also helped overturn the results of
a corrupt presidential election in Ukraine
- leading to the removal of Russia’s
favoured candidate and a victory for the
pro-Western Viktor Yushchenko.
This was followed by a scuffle over meat
exports from Poland to Russia. The latter
imposed a ban, which was lifted only
when Poland agreed not to block Russian
attempts to enter the Organisation
for Economic Co-operation and
Development (OECD) in 2007. By thta
time, Poland had sent Vladimir Putin
into a fury by agreeing, in principle, to a
request from the United States to install a
missile defence system.
Meanwhile, it was perhaps unnecessary
mischief for Warsaw to name a
roundabout in honour of Dzhokhar
Dudayev, the first president of the selfproclaimed independent Chechnya in
2005.
It is three years since the last major
“incident”, (the spat over the American
missiles), and there is no escaping the
fact that Poland is a strong and active
member of the EU, with increasing
influence. In the first half of 2010 alone,
Polish businesses invested the equivalent
of 2.3 billion euro in foreign markets –
mostly in Europe. The National Bank of
Poland said that was already more than
the total overseas investment for 2009.
Poland’s competitiveness in the European
market is the envy of many regional
neighbours, with only Estonia and the
Czech Republic scoring higher. President
Borisław Komorowski wants to further
strengthen Polish economic and political
ties with the rest of Europe, principally
by breathing new life into the “Weimar
Triangle” diplomatic agreement between
Poland, France and Germany. And this
month, the Polish Cabinet will discuss
the National Euro Framework Strategy,
with a view to drafting a plan for Poland
to adopt the euro as its national currency.
Strengthening military ties, General
Mieczysław Bieniek was sworn in as a
Deputy Supreme Allied Commander
with NATO at the end of September – the
highest post a Polish officer has yet held
within the organisation.
Poland’s increasingly close integration
with the EU may still irritate the Kremlin’s
hard-line traditionalists, but Moscow’s
moderates take a different view. In
collaboration with their counterparts in
Warsaw, they have arranged for Russian
President Dmitry Medvedev to visit
Poland in December. Medvedev made
a notably positive impression on Poles
when he came to Krakow for the funeral
of Lech Kaczyński in April. Indeed, in
spite of fringe conspiracy theories, the
Smolensk Tragedy saw something of a
thaw in Polish-Russian relations, with
much earnest talk of healing old wounds.
Matters may have cooled somewhat since
then, but both nations’ Foreign Offices
continue to work closely over border
crossings between Poland and the Russian
enclave of Kaliningrad. Crucially, both
parties have expressed hopes that these
talks will strengthen relations between
Poland and Russia, and that they will open
doors for Russia and the EU to cooperate
more closely. Germany and France have
been working to this end too, urging “an
elevated cooperation on security policy”.
The crux seems to be that, if Russia
really wanted to blatantly sour relations
with Poland - rather than rattle swords
in diplomatic spheres as it so frequently
does - it could do so only at the cost
of a rift with the EU as a whole. This is
something that Moscow’s pragmatists
understand to be neither economically
nor politically desirable, for either party.
Critically, while Russia deals with the
Caucasus and the southern edge of the
former USSR by military means, it uses
economic leverage in its dealings with
Europe. And the biggest lever that Russia
has at present is gas, as the Ukrainians
are so acutely aware of, (having had their
supplies cut off in the peak of winter).
The EU is pushing to bypass reliance
on Russian gas with a “solidarity bill”,
which would oblige the EU to intervene
if any one member declared a shortage.
More than one would trigger a state
of emergency. Polish MEP Bogusław
Sonik, representing the Civic Platform,
warned that Europe “cannot be reliant on
one supplier”. By one supplier, he most
certainly meant Russia.
On the other hand, Poland currently
receives 70 percent of its annual gas
consumption from Russia. And yet it
is facing a winter energy crisis because,
as the Krakow Post went to press, a
deal to ensure supplies from Russia
until 2037 had still not been formally
sealed. It hasn’t helped that Russia and
Germany have spoken of the possibility
of a pipeline between the two nations,
bypassing Poland. It is in the diplomatic
outcome of this issue, with its economic
intricacies, tripartite considerations,
and opportunities for Russia to exercise
real power, that a measure of the state of
Polish-Russian relations could truly be
taken.
4
www.krakowpost.com
Krakow Post | October 2010
NEWS
NEWS IN BRIEF
TEDx Hits Krakow
Ewa Spohn
On Friday, 15 October, Poland’s third TEDx
will take place in Krakow at the Auditorium Maximum on ul. Krupnicza, bringing
together experts from the worlds of technology, investment, design, farming, biology and diplomacy, among others, to talk
about ideas worth spreading. Speakers,
including a former British Ambassador to
Poland, a venture capitalist and founder of
computer giant Comarch, social entrepreneurs and an organic farmer, will have 18
minutes to present their idea. There are
no panel discussions, no questions and no
interruptions. It’s an intense day that usually leaves the audience both stimulated
and exhausted.
You may have heard of TED already. During
its 26-year history, the annual TED conference (the name comes from the merging
spheres of Technology, Entertainment and
Design) has become a mass phenomenon
thanks to its website, www.ted.com, where
all the TED talks are available for watching
and downloading. As its popularity grew,
the TED Foundation decided to create
TEDx, a programme of independently organised conferences that take place under
their patronage. To date, TEDx events have
been held around the world, from Algeria
to Kenya to the Virgin Islands, and earlier
this year, in Warsaw and Poznań.
TED enjoys huge interest in Poland and
many of the original talks have been translated into Polish by an army of volunteer
translators. TEDxWarsaw, held earlier this
year, attracted over 700,000 online viewers
from around the world, second only to the
Polish prime minister’s appearances.
TEDxKrakow’s theme is “Texting the Dragon”, which may be an enigmatic riddle to
anyone who isn’t from the Małopolska region, but refers to the way in which the
city authorities overcame a lack of funds to
pay the bills for Wawel Castle’s dragon to
breathe real fire. With this metaphor, the
TEDxKrakow speakers will explore the conflicts between innovation and tradition,
something that is a feature of everyday life
in Poland.
If you’re interested in attending, there are
still a few places left. Register at www.
tedxkrakow.com.
Płaszów: Place of Unrest
200 acres of negligence at former concentration camp
Grażyna Zawada
For 65 years, the grounds of the Płaszów
former concentration camp have not seen
a proper commemoration of the Nazi
genocide. Whilst major change seemed on
the cards in 2008, Krakow’s municipality
has now suspended the revitalization
program.
Płaszów owes its fame to the film
Schindler’s List. However, after the premiere
many tourists were disappointed with what
they actually saw on the spot. A quiet, vast,
undulating wasteland overgrown with high
grasses, weeds and the occasional tree is all
that is left of Konzentrazionslager Plaszow,
the Nazi concentration and forced labour
camp for the area during World War II. A
large yet lonely monument for prisoners
who perished there was erected soon
after the war, yet, as neighbours confirm,
there has not been a day when somebody
would not visit the place, whether Jewish or
Christian. Some are more appalled by the
scores of homeless carousing there, some
by Cracovians sunbathing and picnicking
on mass graves, not realizing fully the
history behind the place.
Unlike the newly-opened Schindler
Factory Museum on Lipowa Street, visitors
are not officially presented with anything
even resembling an exhibition about the
former camp and have to depend on a
guide, whether in person or a book. “Jewish
guidebooks include whole sections on
the Płaszów camp, and foreigners ask me
whether the ground is intended to become
a part of the Schindler Museum. What
can I say to them? The Krakow authorities
seem to be blind to their own interests
and do nothing to take proper care of the
Płaszów camp,” says Jan Grabiec, owner
of the so-called “Red House”, the villa at
22 Heltmana Street taken over by Nazi
Camp Commandant Amon Goeth. For
years he has tried to persuade the Krakow
authorities to buy the villa and arrange an
exhibition about the Płaszów camp there
together with his Schindler Foundation,
established to uphold the memory of
the Płaszów camp atrocities. “I keep a
guestbook with signatures of all visitors
coming to see the Red House to prove that
interest in the Płaszów camp and the Red
House is real,” added Grabiec.
“City authorities do not have any
intention of buying Amon Goeth’s villa,
as it used to be the seat of a war criminal,”
says Filip Szatanik, a spokesman for the
municipality.
“In my opinion, the Red House should
be somehow included in the revitalization
program to avoid it becoming a Mecca
for neo-Nazis,” says Professor Andrzej
Chwalba, a historian at the Jagiellonian
University.
It is not clear why the city has not made
progress with a development project. After
years of fruitless attempts the authorities
explained that lack of change was due to
the complicated legal status of the area,
while it continues to slowly deteriorate,
and has even been vandalised with antiSemitic graffiti, as happened a day before
the Krakow Ghetto liquidation anniversary
this year.
In 2008, the municipality held a contest
for a revitalization project of the Płaszów
camp grounds. The winning concept
by the Proxima project group included
illuminated niches in the main barrack
ground symbolizing prisoners, as well as
reconstructing the outline of the barracks
with limestone slates. A multimedia bridge
was to stretch over the grounds to enable a
good view of the place. According to Borys
Czarakcziew, a representative of Proxima,
the main idea was to introduce the tragic
history to contemporary Cracovians, many
of whom hold a rather murky idea of the war
history of Krakow, but the original project
was protested against by former prisoners
and Jewish community representatives as
interfering too much with the structure of
the Płaszów camp premises which, besides
being a site of wartime martyrdom, were
originally built by the Germams over a
large Jewish cemetery. According to Józef
Rosołowski, a chairman of the Political
Prisoners of Nazi Prison and Concentration
Camps Union in Krakow, it was also wrong
not to consult former prisoners in this
matter. A cemetery, he says, should be a place
of meditation, and illuminating graves with
electric light is not a part of Polish culture,
but rather a Hollywood fashion. Jewish
community leader Tadeusz Jakubowicz
insisted the project requires disturbing the
ground and thus violating Jewish law.
The project was revised in December
2008 following the suggestions of all of the
parties concerned, but it was not launched
due to several ownership issues, such as
positive prescription claims or a need for
a judicial trustee establishment. A ray of
hope appeared to emerge when a bill was
proposed to convert Płaszów’s status to
a government-protected Nazi genocide
area, similar to Auschwitz. “Taking direct
responsibility over Płaszów by the Ministry
of Culture and National Heritage was a part
of a bill developed in 2009 and coordinated
by Deputy Minister Tomasz Merta, who
died tragically in the Smolensk plane crash
this year,” says Iwona Radziszewska, a
spokeswoman for the Ministry, adding that
the bill still needs major consultation and
thus it has not yet been decided whether
or not the Ministry would take over and
revitalize the Płaszów camp ground.
In the meantime, the Community
Infrastructure and Waste Administration,
which is the municipal investor, and
the Architecture Department of the
municipality lay the blame for not
completing legal procedures earlier on each
another. It seems that deciding whether it is
all about prestige, historical truth or the 25
million złoty dedicated to the project might
prove even more difficult.
Krakow Post | October2010 5
www.krakowpost.com
More CCTV coming to Krakow
Beata Michalik
Polish
cities have begun
to follow the example
of Brits, who in the
80s
became fascinated with the possibilities
that closed-circuit television (CCTV)
technology brought. Scientists in Bytom
have been conducting research on stateof-the-art equipment – intelligent urban
monitoring – that is supposed to solve
the problem of delinquency.
Closed circuit television appeared in
the Warsaw Central Rail Station in the
70s and its aim was to combat petty crime,
the victims of which were passengers
travelling by railway. Today, cameras
are installed on private property, mainly
at shopping centres and banks. Due to
their implicit value, local governments
also place them in public buildings, on
stadiums, streets, interchanges and also
in schools and kindergartens.
“Thanks to cameras, an urban system
of monitoring cannot only show what is
going on in important points of the city,
but also signal in advance potentially
hostile people and situations,” claimed the
scientists from Bytom, who are working
on the technology that would enable
such monitoring. The specialists from the
Polish-Japanese Institute of Information
Technology, which has its own nonlocal department of IT in Bytom, are
commencing the research on innovative
solutions leading to an increase of security
in cities and local properties.
The project will last for two years and
its main outcome will be a system of
automatic identification of behaviour and
people as well as a method of detecting
dangerous situations. The technology is
characterized by the automatic recognition
of a person on the basis of his or her walk
and the assessment of the emotional state
of particular people judging from their
movements and gestures. The technology
will also allow for immediate detection of
atypical or dangerous movements of an
individual or a group of people.
The programming at the basis of the
system will enable it to single out any
situations that stray from an expected
pattern, and automatically flag them for
those behind the cameras to see. In this
way, the company controlling the cameras
will be able to react quickly enough to
prevent a crime or to search for people
or for characteristic behaviours in the
file of records on the basis of specific
movements and existing models.
An advanced technique will
be able to automatically detect
a given person (or group) and
keep track of their silhouette
within the supervised area,
allowing the system to notice if a
person who has committed a crime has
appeared in another part of the city.
In addition to university representatives
from the Polish-Japanese Institute of IT,
scientists and IT specialists from abroad
have also been working on this project.
“We will do our best so that the project is
successful due to its significant functional
values. We hope that thanks to our
cooperation with the scientific community
we will be able to enrich the service of
monitoring with new elements like the
recognition of people or the identification
of dangerous behaviours,” said Zbigniew
Szkaradnik, the chairperson of Silesian
Fibre-Optic Networks, a company also
cooperating with the scientists.
Bytom has one of the most advanced
systems of urban monitoring in the
region. However, it is not the only city that
utilises a high-tech system. For example,
Poznań has 161 cameras that act within
an umbrella system of monitoring and
enable the identification of people both
during the day and at night.
It is an error to think that only large
cities can afford monitoring systems, since
there are plenty of funds one may make
use of. Local governmental resources
most often finance the construction of a
monitoring system. It is possible, though,
to receive a subsidy from the European
Union. The costs of investment can also
be covered by the police, a private sponsor
or a foundation established for this aim.
The main benefits of the system are
as follows: a general decrease in acts
of vandalism in all monitored areas, a
drop in delinquency, evidence against
unfair compensation cases, a decrease in
shoplifting, a possibility to gain a body
of evidence in case of a crime, and the
increase of a feeling of security amongst
inhabitants. A real added value of the
enterprise is the training and employment
of the disabled and long-term >> 8
loNgcHamP reaDY To wear & accessories
A New Big Brother
loNgcHamP.com
News
Noble Place kraków boNarka ul. kamieńskiego 11
Your SPA, whenever you wish
Your SPA, whenever you wish
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October 2010
This Month’s Winner: Jean-Baptiste Bonnet
Want to see your photograph here? The Photo of the Month competition is open to all
readers, and can be entered by emailing your photo to [email protected].
For complete rules and regulations, please visit www.krakowpost.com/photoofthemonth
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Krakow Post | October 2010
REGION
NEWS IN BRIEF
by The Prague Post
Russia to Launch Drifting
Arctic Research Station
In an effort to support its claims for parts of the
Arctic continental shelf, the country is launching
a drifting research station. Artur Chilingarov, the
Kremlin’s pointman for the Arctic, said he will
head an expedition focused on gathering scientific data to back Moscow’s claim on Arctic territory. In 2008, President Dmitry Medvedev signed
a paper stating that the polar region, which is
believed to contain as much as a quarter of the
Earth’s undiscovered oil and gas, would become
a “top strategic resource base” by 2020.
Schwarzenberg Assures Israeli FM of
Czech Support
Czech Foreign Minister Karel Schwarzenberg
assured his Israeli counterpart Avigdor Lieberman of the nation’s support for Israel in the
Middle East peace talks on 20 September. The
two ministers met in Prague during Lieberman’s
one-day visit to the city. Lieberman, who told
Schwarzenberg that the Czech Republic was
one of Israel’s “most reliable friends,” also
met with Prime Minister Petr Nečas.
Bulgaria Investigates Deaths
at Children’s Homes
The Prosecutor’s Office is investigating 166
deaths in children’s homes, following a joint
probe with the Bulgarian Helsinki Committee
that uncovered a total of 238 such deaths in
the past decade, The Sofia Echo reported.
Charges of negligent manslaughter, bodily
harm and sexual harassment are being filed
against unknown perpetrators.
Prague City Council Backs Change
to Prostitution Law
Prague City Council voted to change the city’s
prostitution law 16 September. Under the
changes, prostitution would be decriminalised, paving the way for the introduction of
income tax and the enforcement of mandatory health check-ups for sex workers. To come
into effect, the rules require Parliament to
withdraw the Czech Republic from a 1950 UN
convention on human trafficking.
New Europe
News Network
Dalai Lama Visits Hungary
Life not easy but pure heart solves woes, Buddhist leader says
Ágnes Lukács, The Budapest Times
Tendzin Gyatso, the 14th Dalai Lama, left on how the country can recover from
Hungarians with a message of peace when its economic misery. “I have heard that
he departed from Budapest 21 September. Hungary’s economic situation is not too
The exiled Tibetan spiritual leader spent good but you mustn’t give up. Nobody
four days in Hungary teaching about the has said that life is easy. You have to work
path to inner calm and happiness. In his hard but with optimism. The solution won’t
lectures and discussions he also spoke simply fall from the sky,” he said with a
about the common ground between the smile. The whole country needed to join
world’s religions and even addressed the forces and work with confidence if Hungary
was to recover from
economic
crisis,
its plight.
which he attributes to
Asked whether he
Going on to speak
human weaknesses.
could
help
Hungarians
about the world
He received the title
crisis
of honorary citizen make the right decision economic
and its causes, he
in the coming local
of Budapest from
surprisingly gave an
city mayor Gábor
elections, the Dalai
answer as to how
Demszky, who spoke
Lama said that the
the crisis in general
of the impression
“right
leaders
act
with
can be solved: with
the spiritual leader
a
pure
heart
and
have
honesty and a pure
had already made
a vision before their heart, two concepts
ahead of his visit
rarely associated with
to Budapest. “For
eyes”...
the world of finance.
a moment a spirit
“Human weaknesses
of
peace
and
cooperation, where party affiliations and were essentially to blame for the financial
other differences play no role, prevailed in crisis: greed, speculation, ignorance and
the City Hall,” Demszky said, describing fear. It is necessary to operate in the world
the session when the council voted on the of business too with honesty, sense and a
pure heart, and then everything will turn
Dalai Lama’s honorary citizenship.
On 20 September the Dalai Lama visited out well,” the Dalai Lama told the press in
Parliament to speak to representatives of the Parliament.
Asked whether he could help Hungarians
Hungarian-Tibetan Circle of Friends about
questions of autonomy and life in exile. make the right decision in the coming local
The Dalai Lama said it was understandable elections, the Dalai Lama said that the “right
that there was no official meeting with the leaders act with a pure heart and have a vision
country’s political dignitaries. “It is not my before their eyes”. Finding out who satisfies
intention to cause difficulties for the country that principle was also the responsibility
or its politicians,” he said, in the knowledge of journalists. “People try to show their
that politicians generally do not want to rock best side to the outside world, but behind
the boat of their important trade partner, the facade their real face is hidden. You are
China. Accordingly the Dalai Lama also media representatives, so you should be like
spoke with great understanding about the elephants with huge trunks, with which you
can smell politicians, businesspeople and
quarrels between Tibet and China.
Those who attended his lectures could other personalities equally well from the
realise that the best advice is the simplest front and behind. And if you catch wind
advice. The Dalai Lama left Hungarians of something, then you most report on it
with a message of peace and his opinion honestly and objectively.”
CCTV from page 5
unemployed for positions controlling the
cameras.
To date, in areas within the range of
CCTV cameras there has been a radical
decrease in assaults, hooligan pranks,
thefts, destruction of property and an
increase in the obedience of the rules
of traffic. As a result, petty crime in
monitored regions of Radom fell by 50
percent, in other cities by 25-75 percent.
A CCTV system on an IP network is
the basic technology of modern urban
monitoring. 19 cameras in Bytom are
connected by fibre-optic cable thanks to
which the flexibility of the system has
increased. Because of modern technology,
the centre of monitoring may be placed
even several thousand kilometres from a
camera, without the loss of the quality of
the picture, which can be also observed
over the Internet.
The Polish-Japanese Institute of
Information Technology was established
in 1994 thanks to an agreement between
Poland and Japan. The urban monitoring
system will be one of the fruits of the
Institute.
Krakow on the Cheap from page 2
guessed it, various styles of pierogi),
and/or anywhere you see hordes of
locals stopping in for a meal.
4. Don’t pay more than eight złoty for
a beer at a bar, unless it’s a very special
brew. Though higher prices may seem
right to your home country standards,
it’s a rip-off here. Cocktails should be in
the 15 złoty price range.
5. Check for cheap trains, like the
InterRegio (IR), going to/from other
Polish cities, like Warsaw (40 złoty)
and Wroclaw (37 złoty)... but be sure
to board early to reserve a seat! An
even cheaper, albeit sometimes less
comfortable option is taking a bus.
Jordan and Eurolines buses can usually
get you where you’re going for less
than train/plane fare, while minibuses
depart the main bus station regularly
to places throughout the Małopolska
region.
Krakow Post | October 2010 9
www.krakowpost.com
Business
The Culture of Fundraising
in Poland
Agnes Sekowski
Using mechanisms available in the
American political and business climate,
Mary Daley Yerrick co-founded and now
directs the Vital Voices Global Partnership,
an international women’s empowerment
organisation. On 17 September at
the American Embassy in Krakow
she presented a talk on the subject of
fundraising for non-profit organizations as
it relates to corporate social responsibility
and public-private partnerships. Attending
Ms. Yerrick’s presentation were members
of various Polish non-profit organizations
with focuses ranging from the environment
to the fine arts. The executive chairman
of the Polish Fundraising Association
(Polskie Stowarzyszenie Fundraisingu),
Robert Kawałko, was also present during
Ms. Yerrick’s speech, and later spoke with
the Post about the future of fundraising in
Poland, as he sees it.
After becoming familiar with the U.S.
model for fundraising while abroad,
Robert Kawałko approached the U.S.
Embassy in Poland and told them his plans
to promote the same mechanisms here, in
the Polish market. When he was asked if
he wanted help in bringing funding from
America to the Polish non-profit sector,
he said he was more interested in building
a culture of philanthropy at home, within
Polish society. At the end of this meeting,
he was told by the Embassy staff that his
idea would probably not be possible. Even
so, he somehow managed to walk away
with his first donation of 3,000 USD from
the State Department and went directly
to register his organization. Since that
fateful day in 2003, he has expanded his
donor base to over 200 members and
relentlessly works to expand fundraising
opportunities in Poland. His organization
also works with other NGOs throughout
Central Europe, in Hungary, the Czech
Republic, and Slovakia, to exchange best
practices and find new ideas for funding
non-profit endeavours with the help of
EU funds. In November the European
Fundraising Association will host a
meeting of fundraising organizations from
15 European countries here in Krakow
with similar aims.
When asked what the impediments were
to fundraising in Poland, Mr. Kawałko
pointed out several factors. While the
trend of corporate social responsibility is
slowly spreading to Polish businesses, the
government cannot yet afford to offer tax
incentives to corporations for donations.
Unless
approaching
international
companies, the corporate donor is a
difficult one to pursue in the Polish market.
On the other hand, the government does
allow individuals to grant one percent of
their personal taxes towards a charity or
non-profit of their choice. This amounts
to about 500 million złoty this year, but it
is spread thin among thousands of vying
organizations. While this is a valuable
source of funding for some organizations,
less than half the population actually uses
this mechanism to redirect tax dollars.
Other countries, such as Slovakia, have
increased the amount of possible donations
to two percent per person, which Mr.
Kawałko claims is a step in the right
direction. This economic setting makes
private individual donations the most
viable means of providing a steady stream
of income to the non-profit sector.
What advice would Mr. Kawałko give
a fledgling non-profit when approaching
the daunting but inescapable task of
fundraising? First and foremost, an NGO
has to create a strategic plan of development.
In making this plan, its possibilities should
cover not only immediate needs, but
further goals, so no money is turned down
once the basic goals have been met. Next,
a database of potential private donors
should be created, drawing on personal
and business contacts, as well as other
stakeholders and even relatives. At this
stage, social media tools such as Facebook
and Twitter may be invaluable.
“Everyone you know is a potential
donor,” says Kawałko, and should
therefore be put in this database. After
compiling and ranking this list according
to potential, the organisation’s website and
professional image should be tailored to
reveal its needs to the public. According
to Mr. Kawałko, many organizations make
the mistake of trying to pretend they
are a perfectly operating entity on their
webpage by hiding what they are lacking
in order to accomplish their goals. While
creating a dazzling image of success, this
unfortunately gives potential donors no
reason to continue investing in such a
project.
Once an NGO has stabilised its social
capital by doing all of the above, it can
begin raising funds. He quickly adds, “The
first donors should be members of the
board of directors, because if they cannot
lead by example and show they have a stake
in the organisation, they probably cannot
be trusted to run it. Only once you have
given yourself, can you then ask.” This may
be something to keep in mind when then
searching for fundraising candidates to run
the campaign. In choosing a fundraising
workforce, a company should not limit
itself to the most obvious choices (often
young, cheap candidates, who can be
unpredictable). Consider using someone
big, a well recognized name, or someone
over age 50 (more predictable). Kawałko
quips, “the mothers of the most obvious
candidates can often have more potential”.
Lastly, he concludes, “Have patience! Do
not give up early in attaining your goals.”
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10
www.krakowpost.com
Krakow Post | October 2010
SPORT
SPORT IN BRIEF
“World’s Strongest Man” Beats Up
American “Butterbean”
Polish bodybuilder, strongman contest champion, and media staple Mariusz Pudzianowski
treated 44-year old former mixed martial arts
celebrity and globe of pale flesh Eric “Butterbean” Esch to a public beating on 18 September in Łódź. The brief fight was organised by
Polish MMA organisation Konfrontacja Sztuk
Walki, the largest Polish organisation in the
no-holds-barred fight game.
The two fighters were separated by a significant weight difference; Pudzianowski, 33,
weighed in at 118.6 kg (261 lbs), while Butterbean weighed over 200 kg (445 lbs).
In a video circulated by the promoters, the almost spherical Butterbean boasted that Pudzianowski was insulted when he heard that
the Alabama native had harshly critiqued Pudzianowski’s fighting technique, suggesting that
the Polish bodybuilder “fights like a girl”. The
Bean also boldly declared that he would knock
the Pole out. At fight time Pudzianowski, who
goes by the somewhat less illustrative nicknames “Dominator” and “Python”, proceeded
to almost immediately roll Butterbean onto his
back and sides, then punch the flailing former
boxer in the head until, seeing no way up, Esch
tapped out. The win was Pudzianowski’s third
in his career of four fights, and his second by
submission. Butterbean’s loss was his 20th in
120 professional MMA, boxing and kickboxing
bouts, not counting his championship professional wrestling career, which ended this May.
Cracovia Ice Hockey Off to Hot Start
with Imported Canadian Skills
Cracovia’s hockey squad is off to a strong start
in their winter campaign, with seven victories and only one defeat behind them so far.
The retooled squad most recently bested JKH
GKS Jastrzębie with an overtime 3:2 victory at
home, with goals coming from the familiar duo
of brothers Leszek and Daniel Laszkiewicz. The
sole Krakow hockey team leads the standings
with 18 points.
After conceding the championship in a sloppy
final last year to bitter local rivals Nowy Targ,
Cracovia sent a number of players packing and
lost several others, including offence men David Musiał, Michał Radwański, and Filip Drzewiecki, as well as key defenders Martin Dudaš
and Marian Csorich, and backup goalkeeper
Marek Rączka. As promised by the management, the team looked overseas to fill the
voids they left, bringing in two Canadian-Polish
left-handed-shooting dual citizens. 26-yearold Rafał Martynkowski arrived from the Ontario Hockey League, and made his mark on
19 September with three goals against GKS
Stoczniowiec Gdańsk, while 22-year-old David
Kostuch was recruited following his second
season on his university squad at Canisius College, and has made an even bigger splash with
five goals so far.
Elation and Frustration
Cracovia Stadium completed, Wisła dragging on
during partial opening
Thomas Crestodina
Opening day of the Cracovia stadium
Photo: Anna Spysz
Poland’s two oldest football clubs, KS
Cracovia and TS Wisła Krakow, both
celebrated at least partial re-openings of
their home fields in September after over
a year of playing as guests at other venues.
The modernised stadiums promise vastly
improved features and much larger capacities
than their previous versions.
While the Cracovia stadium, which for a
generation has been the lesser of the two, has
been completely demolished and replaced,
the Wisła stadium has been under ongoing
redevelopment for several years, with new
stands being added in stages. The closure of
the Wisła arena over a year ago was intended
to finalise that process, but design issues
have pushed the date back and left impatient
fans fuming. The more modest Cracovia
stadium, in contrast, was opened after only
brief delays and to fanfare that included a
ceremony featuring the city’s mayor, Jacek
Majchrowski, but comes at the same time
that reports have emerged that the club
may be thrust into a criminal corruption
investigation over how it miraculously
avoided relegation in the summer of 2009.
Now, as Wisła’s fans and players pine
for home, construction goes on and on.
Progress in the ongoing expansion of
handcrafted
tropical seeds
jewellery
necklaces, rings made from nuts, bags,
earrings, ceramic art, bracelets, hats
and more hand made art
their refurbished home, Henryk Reyman
Municipal Stadium, has run into more than
a few hiccups. It was initially announced
by city transportation and infrastructure
official Joanna Niedziałkowska, who also
headed the city’s failed bid to host Euro 2012
matches, that the grand reopening would
take place in June 2010, but problems with
the plans were uncovered with construction
well underway. Amongst a multitude of
other issues, the original designs foresaw the
two teams entering the pitch from dressing
rooms on opposite sides, which is plainly
contrary to UEFA rules. As a result of
repeated and sometimes drastic revisions to
the blueprints, the official inauguration has
since been postponed repeatedly, and the
current tentative date in late October also
looks doubtful, as whole sections are still
missing staircases and seats. More realistic
projections now put the opening ceremonies
in January. The project is also reported
to have run wildly over its budget of five
hundred million złoty. When completed,
the stadium is to have a capacity of just over
33,000, and will have cost at least seven
hundred million złoty.
The city authorities have, nevertheless,
reopened those stands that have already
been completed for two matches, and
the first crowd gathered to witness the
occasion of Poland’s 1:2 defeat at the boots
of Australia’s Socceroos on 7 September.
Wisła’s own fans, the “White Star Division”,
got their first chance to see the club draw
against Korona Kielce on 19 September. Not
least disappointed with the lack of a proper
home field on which to enjoy an advantage
are Wisła’s players, of whom Paweł Brożek
directly attributed the club’s failure to secure
the championship this spring to playing
away from home.
Cracovia, meanwhile, kicked off the new
era on 26 September with balloons, music,
and a much-needed victory. The former
stadium, which was little more than a
fenced-in depression with a bicycle track
and a grandstand, surrounded by a bare
steel fence painted red and white, has now
been supplanted by a modern, elegant,
rectangular building with amenities like
plumbing and a more secure, segregated
section for 350 visiting fans. The club has
mounted a city-wide advertising campaign
to bill the new venue as a safe, modern,
family-friendly environment to counter
public perception of its fans as an aggressive
and dangerous mob.
The opening ceremony for the Cracovia’s
Józef Piłsudski Stadium played to a joyous
and nearly full house of about 12 thousand,
including speeches from dignitaries, a
performance of the club anthem by sometime
Polish pop star and Krakow resident Maciek
Maleńczuk, and the release of thousands of
red and white balloons into the sky, followd
by a fireworks display. The team then went
on to slog its way to a rare victory against
Arka Gdynia, whose fans are allied with
Cracovia’s and shared in the celebration
of the new arena. It was later announced
that the city and club are in discussions
concerning the construction of an indoor
sports facility to be built next door.
Meanwhile, reports have begun to surface
of an investigation being opened by the
Central Anti-Corruption Service into how
the club avoided relegation to the first league
after the 2008/2009 season, when Cracovia
ended the season slated for demotion, but
miraculously avoided being sent down when
ŁKS Łódź was instead demoted on corruption
charges, allowing Cracovia to stay by taking
over the empty slot. The drive to investigate
Cracovia in the matter has been spearheaded
for months by the vice president of Łódź,
Włodzimierz Tomaszewski. The suspicions
hinge on the longtime association with the
Cracovia organisation of a key member of
the committee who made the decision to
revoke ŁKS’s top league license.
Krakow Post | October 2010 11
www.krakowpost.com
Extra
TRIPS OFF THE TONGUE
Grażyna Zawada
Have a Polish grammar question? Send it to [email protected]
Q:
A:
I have just started learning Polish and I wanted to know what
the least used grammatical case of Polish is, just not to focus
on less necessary things.
In frequency terms, the least used grammatical case is the
vocative (“wołacz” in Polish), and it is used when addressing
or calling people (e.g. “profesorze!”, “kobieto!”), or when
addressing objects or ideas, often in literature (like in poetry, for example:
“poezjo!”). The vocative is especially required in written correspondence
or official situations, however in everyday spoken language the majority
of vocative forms have been replaced by the nominative. There is also
another case that is required by a lesser group of verbs and thus less
frequently used in common Polish than the other cases, namely the dative
(“celownik”). In the majority of basic Polish courses these are presented
only in a limited, utility-focused range.
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HOUSING
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Available immediately, 130 sq. m right in the
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soundproofed windows. Perfect for a couple
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PERSONALS
German PR-Consultant in Hamburg, ancestors
from Poland, likes to get married to a
female, warm-hearted Polish Physician to
live in Germany. Myself, diligent, handsome,
open-minded, 1,83m tall, around 60 years,
vigor, blue-grey eyes, blond-grey hair,
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DIRECTORY
24-HOUR POLICE STATION
RYNEK GŁÓWNY 29
tel: 12 6157317
24-HOUR MEDICAL
INFORMATION
RYNEK GŁÓWNY 29
tel: 12 6612240
24-HOUR EMERGENCY
SERVICE
ul. Lazarza 14
tel:12 4222999
TOURIST INFORMATION
Ratusz tower, Rynek Główny
tel: 12 4337310
TRAIN INFO (PKP) in English
tel: 9436
www.rozklad.pkp.pl
BUS INFO (PKS)
tel: 9316
EMERGENCY NUMBERS
tel: 997 Police
tel: 998 Fire
tel: 999 Ambulance
We proudly invite children between the ages 1 ½ - 5, together with their parents,
to visit a newly open nursery called ¨Mali Zdobywcy¨.
Our house is located on Kadlubka street (between Ruczaj and Zakopianka
streets). Mali Zdobywcy is a special place where children can have great fun,
including educational games and lessons. Our staff maintain the highest
standards and our belief is that the key to making children happy is to recognize
their individuality and needs. Our program of events covers arts & crafts, music,
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English to the children, so English speaking parents can rest assured that communication will not be an issue. So, if you want your child to spend a wonderful time
during your busy working schedule, please come along to our place and I assure
you that you won’t be disappointed.
Contact details: Marta Kaleta-Mekonso, telephone 501057901
Ul.W. Kadłubka 4, 30-446 Kraków
October•10
Page 9
posted
Concerts, exhibitions,
& festivals /CL 6,7 & 8
lifestyle
Super Spuds
/CL 3
culture
The Forbidden Lens
/CL 4/5
2
Krakow Post
|
www.krakowpost.com / www.cracow-life.com
October 2010
Contents
KP: If you could live anywhere in Krakow,
I would erect the statue in front of Jazz Club
where would it be, and why?
Drukarnia, where he usually spends sunny
afternoons sipping his red wine and looking at
AB: I would live somewhere in the countryside
this beloved new pedestrian bridge connecting
(preferably in the mountains) and my house would
Kazimierz with Podgórze.
be connected with Krakow’s city centre with a
3
private ultra fast vacuum tunnel train.
Fork Out:
The Humble Spud
and drinking haunts in the city?
KP: If you were crowned king of Krakow,
what would be your first move?
4 Culture:
6
Tales from the
cutting room floor
Posted:
Events, Concerts
& Exhibitions
AB: The first decree of four points for the first day
Piękny Pies when I’m in a wild mood, want to
of my reign would be:
be a bad boy and have the two following days
1. All the bald police officers are obliged to explain
off to get well. I usually eat at home but if I want
their lack of hair.
to have something really good (I’m not the best
2. Neighbours met on the staircase who fail to
cook) I have sushi at EDO restaurant. They have a
reply to “Dzień dobry” would be penalised.
good atmosphere and the best Japanese cuisine
3. DNA of the dog poo found in public spaces
in town.
would be examined, the owner determined and
Flaw
11
AB: Kolory or Drukarnia to meet friends, have a
coffee during the day or a drink in the evening.
8 Review:
9
KP: What are some of your regular eating
Alexander
Bochenek
Club Life
Unsound
Aleksander Bochenek is a documentary
Fashion
Krakow Style
photographer born in Krakow who is
currently a member of Babel Images (www.
babelimages.com). He has lived and worked
as a photographer in Poland, Japan, and
Spain, where he graduated with a degree
in photojournalism from GrisArt Escola in
Barcelona. In his photography Aleksander is
mostly interested in religion, social injustice
and the moral condition of humanity.
Drop in:
ticket granted.
KP: What’s your biggest annoyance about
4. Residents are forbidden to thank drivers for
living in Krakow?
stopping at the pedestrian crossing.
AB: When it’s not me it’s the traffic. My friend once
KP: What’s one place tourists can’t miss
told me “you Poles love to wait in lines, it must
when in Krakow?
be a genetic thing” – there is certainly something
about it… Especially when it rains. I have the
AB: The prehistoric Krak Mound. Poles have their
impression that drivers consider their vehicles just
pyramids too!
as umbrellas and won’t move before the weather
gets better.
KP: Is there anything that’s overrated about
KP: Where do you go to escape for the
Krakow?
weekend?
AB: The food. There are not many places where
you can have tasty, healthy food at affordable
AB: I don’t escape the city for weekends. Saturday
prices.
and Sunday afternoons are the best time for me
to get on unfinished work.
After discussing their new project with them
Secret Cabinet
Giuseppe Sedia
I can hardly imagine Basia Lewandowska and
KP: If you had to erect a statue to any
Wojtek Skorupski would use the term “art
Cracovian, dead or alive, who would it be?
KP: What’s the best place to enjoy the sun
in Krakow?
gallery” to describe the place they managed to
put together in just a couple of weeks last May.
AB: Fred Gijbels, a very good friend of mine and
The name of their Kazimierz atelier comes from
a source of inspiration. He moved here from
AB: I would suggest a bicycle ride to Tyniec
the term used to qualify the secret collection of
Amsterdam a couple of years ago and now
along the Vistula river bank. The best time to do
erotic finds from Pompeii (displayed only to adult
he’s a true Cracovian. He used to be a teacher,
it is Monday afternoon when the bicycle path is
male visitors) in an isolated section of the Naples
journalist, politician – now he’s a photographer
almost empty.
Archaeological Museum.
and a newborn artist. Despite the fact that he’s a
But please put a brake on your silly thoughts,
bit older than me (some 35 years), he still surprises
the Secret Cabinet (ul. Joselewicza 2) has nothing
me with his fresh observations, joviality and loads
in common with your favourite sex shop (although
of energy.
KP: Finally: pierogi or nalesniki?
AB: Zupa pomidorowa (Tomato soup).
the mysterious pole in the centre of the room
has certainly seen dancing of the dirty kind in the
past).
“Our shows are conceived to last no more than seven days,” says Basia,
explaining that all these short exhibitions culminate on Sundays with a brief
auction of the works displayed during the previous week. “I can manage to work
once a week as a Polish and English-speaking art auctioneer,” adds Wojtek in an
uncomprimising tone.
I eventually understand that their short show concept is just part of a wider
plan aimed at proposing informal exhibitions without the tedious, self-consciously
sophisticated formality often seen at mainstream art events. “Why are inaugurations
Wojtek and Basia. photo: Giuseppe Sedia
almost always boring as hell?”, Wojtek asks himself, pointing out that Secret
reproductions of famous paintings including works of Van Gogh and Klimt.
Cabinet openings are strictly followed by all-night after-parties.
photos: Giuseppe Sedia
“This is a good place to experiment with new things in a friendly atmosphere,”
Apart from the ambition of becoming an established coffeehouse in Kazimierz
explains the Russian painter Lena Efremova while modelling a blob of clay in the
offering interesting blends of beans and absinthe, the Secret Cabinet puts on
palm of her hand. “If you don’t feel like attending our workshops you can always
various workshops devoted to ceramics, sculpture and weaving. The courses,
use our equipment and just pay the cost for the raw materials,” reveals Basia.
open all year round, are conducted by Basia and Wojtek along with the renowned
“We give participants an understanding of the techniques using a ‘learn by doing’
ceramics artist Stanisław Moskała, the sculptor Krzysztof Krzysztof and Teresa
approach,” adds Wojtek, showing me a ceramic card inspired by a pre-Columbian
Postrzednik for the weaving.
visual pattern made by one of their students.
The Secret Cabinet also provides a glimpse into the works and original
I’m glancing at an enigmatic human-shaped sculpture covered by cloth when
technique of Basia as a mosaicist. Using two-time burnt tesserae cut in slices
Wojtek unveils his plan to prepare a provocative street performance to be held in
off the clay and then covered with glaze, she is able to create original mosaics
Krakow at the beginning of October. “We already have an attorney ready to take
in gaudy colours permeated by her own symbolism as well as ceramic-made
up our case,” he says discreetly, fixing me with a conspiratorial smile.
www.krakowpost.com / www.cracow-life.com
Krakow Post
This month, Ewa Spohn writes
an ode to the humble potato.
|
3
October 2010
Fork Out
Ewa Spohn
Super Spuds
Photo: Fir0002/Flagstaffoto
Bagel shop & cafe
restaurant bagel sandwiches,
Freshly made N.Y.
wraps, salads
Authentic burritos!
Home-made soups, desserts
Beer, wine
, excellent
coffees!
www.bagelmama.com
ul. Dajwór 10, Kraków tel. 12 346 16 46
Open: Mon-Sat 9.00 till 20.00, Sun 9.00 till 19.00
This month’s column is dedicated to the humble
is that a dictionary of regional dialects published in
A recent decision by the European Union has also
potato, a staple of the Polish kitchen to such an
the early 1900s lists over 130 different names for
opened the door for the introduction of a genetically
extent that Poles consume an average 120 kg per
potatoes. There are also numerous regional dishes
modified (GM) potato developed by chemicals giant
person every year.
based on the potato, often unknown to Poles from
BASF. In March, it authorised the cultivation of the
neighbouring regions. While potatoes in a fire, new
Amflora potato in the EU, only the second GM crop
It wasn’t always like this. Potatoes came to Spain
potatoes with dill or potato pancakes are common
to be approved in the last 12 years. Amflora is a high
from South America over 500 years ago and quickly
all over Poland, not everyone from Małopolska
starch potato that has also been manufactured to be
became established as a source of food for people
will be familiar with the potato sausages (kiszka
resistant to antibiotics. It’s not for eating, but instead
and animals, being easy to grow, versatile and a
ziemniaczana) found in Podlasie in the northeast, or
it will provide a raw material for the animal feed,
good source of energy. Poland was no exception
even black dumplings (kluski czarne) from Silesia.
fertiliser, adhesive and paper industries.
and between their introduction in the 17th century
and the 1970s, when production was at its peak,
Over the last 40 years, Poles (and their animals)
This decision has caused controversy throughout
Poland became known as “Potato Land”. They were
have been producing and eating fewer potatoes,
Europe, where most consumers are against the
used to make everything from dumplings, noodles
prompting the National Potato Institute to look for
introduction of genetically modified organisms
and fritters to flour, bread and, of course, vodka.
ways of developing and encouraging farmers to
(GMOs). In Poland, the International Coalition to
grow newer, tastier and more useful varieties. There
Protect the Polish Countryside, like Greenpeace,
Encouraged by the clergy preaching the benefits
are great hopes that the growing love of chips and
is concerned that the Amflora potato’s antibiotic
of potato cultivation and consumption from the
crisps, the world’s favourite foods, will help convince
resistance could disrupt the ways in which harmful
pulpit, Poles embraced its versatility and different
farmers to grow potatoes rather than wheat, which
and beneficial bacteria in our ecosystems are kept in
parts of the country developed not only different
is more profitable and more easily stored. However,
check and are campaigning against the introduction
recipes but often completely different names for the
this won’t be of much help to the legions of small
of trial plantings. To this end they are organising a
tuber. Many will know that a ziemniak is also known
Polish farmers who can’t supply the large quantities
“GMO-Free Potato Day” and a series of events that
as a kartofel (from the German, kartoffel, as it came
and uniform quality that the big food processors
will take place across the country over the weekend
to Poland from Austria), but what’s less well known
demand.
of 8-9 October.
4
Krakow Post
www.krakowpost.com / www.cracow-life.com
| October 2010
photo: Tomasz Hudziec in the banned
Shivers. 1981
Courtesy of the Museum of
Cinematography in Łódż
f
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CULTURE IN BRIEF
Pornography Found in Translation
The much-coveted “Found in Translation” award
has gone to Danuta Borchardt for her rendering
of Witold Gombrowicz’s Pornografia. The
annual prize champions the finest translation
of a work of Polish literature into English.
Gombrowicz (1904-1969), who was considered
the enfant terrible of Poland’s prewar literary
scene, has been steadily winning over new
fans over the last decade, not least thanks to
Borchardt’s translations.
The translator, who worked for many years as a
psychiatrist, says she was drawn to the writer
by his “down-to-earth attitude toward life and
literature”.
Pornography is set during the Second World
War, but as is typical of Gombrowicz, the
novel takes a distinctly idiosyncratic approach
to the period. Two aging intellectuals, sick of
the brutalities of occupied Warsaw, travel to
the country in search of respite. They soon
become fascinated by a pair of village youths,
and attempts are made to engineer an amorous
entanglement between the younger pair. Things
do not go smoothly, and the realities of war
soon break in on the scenario.
Venice Charms Montreal Panel
Jan Jakub Kolski, whose recent films include
an adaption of Gombrowicz’s Pornografia, has
won the Special Jury Prize at the Montreal
Film Festival. The director scooped the award
for Wenecja (Venice), a film that explores the
loss of childhood innocence during the Second
World War.
Kolski’s film is based on a short story by
Włodzimierz Odojewski (b. 1930), a writer who
defected to the West in 1971, later working for
Radio Free Europe.
Wenecja tells the story of Marek, a young
boy from a landowning family who dreams of
travelling to the city of lagoons. When war
breaks out, his dreams, and the future of his
class, are thrown into jeopardy.
“My aim has been to show in my short stories
and novels a world that has passed by, so that
it does not fade from our memories as well,”
Odojewski reflected.
Michael Brooke
2010 marks the twentieth anniversary of
the abolition of state censorship in Poland,
a story that began on 7 February 1919,
when the Polish Interior Ministry issued a
formal Decree on Public Performances.
This imposed restrictions on depicting
sex, crime and the Polish military, and a
1920 follow-up added a laundry list of
proscribed subjects, including contentious
religious matters and “images of a nihilistic
and corrupting nature”. That said, men in
drag singing songs about sex appeal was
perfectly OK, as witnessed by hits such
as Upstairs (1937), featuring pre-war star
“Bodo”.
new steel town) or Herbalists from the
Stone Valley (1952, with wide-eyed
schoolchildren picking medicinal herbs
to win a projector to screen films about
castor oil production), this was one of
Polish cinema’s low points.
With the coming of war in 1939, Nazi
Germany imposed such strict censorship
that Poland’s film industry mainly made
moronic comedies. However, post-WWII
censorship dwarfed this in ambition, since
the communists sought to control every
aspect of film production from financing
to distribution. Everything was formally
vetted by officials from the GUKP (Główny
Urząd Kontroli Prasy i Widowisk, or Main
Office for Control of Press, Publications
and Public Performances), and Politburo
members sometimes took an active role in
either blocking projects at script stage or
banning them after completion.
In autumn 1956, Władysław Gomułka’s
administration made significant changes
to the censorship process. Now, the
treatment, full script and production
were supervised by industry officials.
Government representatives were only
invited to the kolaudacja, or pre-release
screening, by which time filmmakers had
had plenty of time to devise spurious
excuses for problematic material. For
instance, Wajda claimed that the ending
of Ashes and Diamonds (1958) showed
its iconic hero dying “on the rubbish
tip of history” for daring to defy the
communists.
The
notorious
Socialist
Realist
period (1949-56) forced filmmakers to
produce cheerfully upbeat work that
would be instantly accessible to the
masses. Experimentation was banned,
and so, ironically, was realism. While it’s
fascinating seeing Andrzej Munk and
Wojciech Has cutting their creative teeth
on drivel like Destination Nowa Huta!
(1951, an uncritical paean to the then-
By this stage, alterations to theme
or tone were generally impossible, so
“difficult” films were simply banned
outright. Since this list ran into double
figures by the 1980s, this was an expensive
method of censorship. Aleksander Ford’s
The Eighth Day of the Week (1958) was
an early victim, and Roman Polanski’s
short Mammals (1962) didn’t legally exist,
because he shot it using leftover film
Things thawed in 1954, which
emboldened Andrzej Wajda to make A
Generation (still Socialist Realist, but with
blurred edges) and several documentarymakers to shoot films labelled “the
black series” (czarna seria), dealing with
hooliganism, alcoholism, prostitution and
poor housing.
stock from other productions and couldn’t
produce receipts upon completion.
Polanski left Poland shortly afterwards,
leaving former colleague Jerzy Skolimowski
to play a cat and mouse game with the
censors. His debut feature Identification
Marks: None (1964) was made by
cunningly pre-planning film school shorts
so that they’d cut together afterwards.
Prevented from playing the lead in Barrier
(1966), he cheekily cast himself as the
face of a blood-donation poster and at
one point got star Jan Nowicki to wrap
one around his head. But when cuts were
demanded to a distorted image of Stalin
in Hands Up! (1967) and Skolimowski
personally protested to Zenon Kliszko,
effectively Gomułka’s number two, the film
was banned and Skolimowski was forced
into exile.
When Edward Gierek took over
from Gomułka in 1971, things relaxed
considerably - according to filmmaker
Jacek Bromski, “everything was halfhearted, everybody was winking at
everybody”. The films of the 1970s,
especially the so-called “moral anxiety
period”, were far more openly critical, and
projects such as Wajda’s Man of Marble,
whose script had been published in 1963,
were finally greenlit.
Production began in 1976, the year
after Wajda ruefully complained that “the
art of making a film in Poland is the art of
constantly giving up”. What changed was
the decision by Minister of Culture Józef
Techma to personally back the project. This
ultimately cost Techma his job, since Wajda
delivered a multi-layered masterwork that
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Krakow Post
|
October 2010
5
culture
photo: Krystyna Janda and Bogusław
Sobczuk in Man of Marble, the film that cost
Minister Techma his job
Courtesy of the Museum of
Cinematography in Łódż
not only explored 1950s censorship but
also lifted the lid on the hoops that 1970s
Polish filmmakers had to jump through.
Even before completion, it was such a
public cause célèbre that banning it would
have been politically embarrassing. In
1979, Krzysztof Kieślowski explored the
censorship process directly in Camera
Buff, in which a factory worker’s naïve
films of his colleagues come under official
scrutiny.
This period abruptly ended with the
imposition of martial law in December
1981. Recently completed films by
Wajda (Man of Iron), Kieślowski (Blind
Chance), Agnieszka Holland (A Woman
Alone), Ryszard Bugajski (Interrogation)
and Wojciech Marczewski (Shivers)
were banned, and future projects were
threatened, not least when Wajda’s “X”
Film Unit (which produced many key
“moral anxiety” films) was shut down
following a row over Interrogation. Many
Polish filmmakers spent the 1980s
abroad, while Marczewski fell silent for a
decade.
Marczewski’s comeback film, Escape
from the Liberty Cinema, was completed
in April 1990, within days of state
censorship’s formal abolition. Inspired by
Woody Allen’s The Purple Rose of Cairo,
it concerns a lugubrious film censor who
has to deal with the characters in a dismal
melodrama going on strike in protest at the
banal narrative that they’ve been saddled
with after heavy censorship. It’s often very
funny, but when the censor is confronted
by actors whose careers were ruined by
his often arbitrary decisions, Marczewski
betrays real anger at a system that stifled
so much talent.
But did things improve that much?
Holland
and
Kieślowski
wearily
acknowledged that economic censorship
imposed by the free market was ultimately
far more insidious. Because everyone
knew how the state system worked, it
encouraged a subversive conversation
between filmmakers and their audience.
The experience of watching Man of Iron
on pirate VHS in the 1980s was far more
potent than watching a pristine projection
of a commercial feature today - and while
no one wants to return to the bad old
days, there’s a sense that cinema truly
mattered back then in ways that are very
hard to recapture.
6
Krakow Post
www.krakowpost.com / www.cracow-life.com
| October 2010
Exhibitions
In the Footsteps of Krakow’s
European Identity
A space the size of a football pitch has been
transformed into a subterranean museum
beneath the market square. Since medieval
times, the ground level of the plaza has risen
about 3 metres, following fires and consecutive
rebuilding. However, all kinds of treasures have
been languishing down there, and this autumn,
all will be revealed in what’s set to be a stunning
addition to Krakow’s cultural galaxy.
when - Permanent
where - Cloth Hall, Rynek Głowny
The Photographs of Jacek Kubiena (1968-1994)
city and the personalities such as mayor Juliusz
At the same time, it evokes the specific spirit
Discovering Jerusalem (1857-1920)
Leo who made the changes possible.
of that picturesque city, once a melting pot of
Explore the Jerusalem of yesterday through this
when - Until 27th February 2011
cultures.
captivating show at the Ethnographic Museum.
where - Krzysztofory Palace, Rynek Główny 35
when - Until February 1st 2011
Designed to accompany the 20th Festival of
where - Galicia Jewish Museum, ul. Dajwór 18
Jewish Culture, the exhibition draws back the
Krakow Under Nazi Occupation 1939-45
curtain on a fascinating period in the history of
It has been three years in the making, but
Follow the White Rabbit
one of the world’s most remarkable cities. Over
it would be churlish to complain given the
Who says contemporary art’s not for kids? This
a dozen photographers are represented, thanks
end result.’Krakow under Nazi Occupation’
show is squarely aimed at pint-sized punters,
to the generosity of Abraham Madeisker, owner
takes visitors on a vivid journey through those
taking its inspiration from the legendary white
of a rare books shop in Jerusalem. Find the
traumatic years. Coupled with the symbolism
rabbit of Carroll’s classic. Visitors are encouraged
exhibition at the sister branch of the museum
of the venue itself (the former Schindler factory),
to step through into an alternate reality in the
on ul. Krakowska.
this is an essential stop on any Krakow heritage
footsteps of a certain bunny. A number of noted
when - Until 28th November
tour. Open Tuesday-Sunday.
artists are involved, their aim to create works
where - Ethnographic Museum, ul. Krakowska 46
when - Permanent exhibition
that echo children’s perspectives on the
where - Oskar Schindler’s Factory, ul. Lipowa 4
world, often based on specific autobiographical
The Paths of the Soul: Gustav Vigeland and
Polish Sculpture c. 1900
experiences.
Disobedient
when - Until 24th October
where - Bunkier Sztuki, Plac Szczepański 3a
Even today, there are still pockets of the Polish
countryside that seem to have one foot in
employee of the Ethnographic Museum, spent
Homeland, Education, Virtue - 100 Years of
Polish Scouts
several decades chronicling the authentic in
This summer saw the centenary of the scouting
Polish folk culture. In this beguiling exhibition,
movement in Poland. The organisation can look
visitors can savour not only portraits of country
back on a dramatic history, with many members
folk, but also cottage interiors and more general
taking part in the fight against the Nazis and
shots of village life and customs.
Soviets. Photographs from the Polish-Bolshevik
when - Until 11th November
War and the Second World War bring the
where - Ethnographic Museum, ul. Krakowska 46
legacy vividly to life. Meanwhile, there will also
the 17th century. Jacek Kubiena, a longtime
be a look at the origins of the movement, and
the founding figure, Sir Robert Baden-Powell,
whose idea took root around the world.
when - Until 7th November
where - Krzysztofory Palace, Rynek Główny 35
The Return of Jurry This major show - held jointly by Galeria Zderzak
and the National Museum - champions a painter
who has been denied the prominence he
deserves in the pantheon of Polish avant-garde
art. During the 70s, Jerzy “Jurry” Zieliński was a
legendary figure on Warsaw’s artistic scene. A
staunch anti-communist, he drew much of his
inspiration from Pop Art, creating a striking and
distinctive style before his life came to a tragic
end in 1980. Be sure to check both Zderzak
and the National for the full Jurry.
when - Until 10th December
where - Galeria Zderzak, ul. Floriańska 3
The floridly decadent fin-de-siecle era gave birth
According to a recent survey by an American
to some of Poland’s finest art, and the lion’s
academic,
share of it was created right here in Krakow. A
aggressive in the world. Food for thought as
Polish
women
are
the
most
key figure in Krakow’s bohemia was Stanislaw
you enter this exhibition, which presents Polish
Przybyszewski, a heavy-drinking, demonic
culture “from the perspective of women
philosopher who introduced local sculptors to
the works of Norwegian genius Gustav Vigeland.
rebelling against social and cultural
norms.” Eight lovely ladies have taken part in
The Scandinavian was influential on a crop of
the show, presenting a lively mix of painting and
bright young Polish artists, and at this show,
photography. Head over to the Bunker of Art to
visitors can admire Vigeland’s masterpieces
find out more.
alongside his Polish contemporaries. Promises
when - Until 15th October
to be a stunning show.
where - Bunkier Sztuki, Plac Szczepański 3a
when - Until 26th December
where - National Museum, al. 3 Maja 1
A City Not Forgotten
The images of southern Poland at the Galicia
Greater Krakow, Greater Opportunities
1910-1920
Museum make up one of the most compelling
In 1910, a grand plan was set in motion for the
the historic capital of this former Habsburg
British Bohemia - The Bloomsbury Group
integration of several suburban areas into Krakow
crownland now lies in the Ukraine. Lwów
The International Cultural Centre provides a
proper, ultimately leading to the construction
(Lviv in Ukrainian, Lemberg in German) was
portal to a parallel world this autumn. Step up
of the grand “Avenue of Three Bards”, which
considered by Poles as one of their four great
to the first floor and be transported to the world
would have something of the effect of Vienna’s
cities. Many assimilated Jewish families went
of British Bohemia one hundred years ago.
Ringstrasse (indeed, Krakow was a part of the
on to make their mark on the world stage. This
The curators have deftly recreated the dreamy
Austro-Hungarian Empire in those days). This
new exhibition evokes the intimate histories of
domestic interiors that once hosted some of
exhibition explores the development of the
families that survived the World War II hurricane.
Albion’s most dazzling talents, such as Virginia
records of Poland’s Jewish heritage. Yet
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Krakow Post
Woolf, Duncan Grant, Roger Fry and Dora
Carrington. Paintings, furniture and first
of Tchaikovsky, with guest performers from
Percussion Music. Mid-month sees a dash
edition books complete the picture. Well worth
Russia (15th, 16th). Wrapping things up we
investigating.
have the Organ and Harpsichord Days (26th-
when - Until 9th January
29th). See www.filharmonia.krakow.pl for a full
where - International Cultural Centre, Rynek Glówny 25
programme
when - Throughout October
The Gallery of 19th Century Art
in the Cloth Hall
where - Philharmonic Hall, ul. Zwierzyniecka 1
Krakow’s oldest public gallery reopened to
The Burning Hell & Vladimirska
great fanfare in September after a four-year-
Those in search of some alternative sonic
renovation. As it turned out, the results were
release should head on down to ‘The Beautiful
well worth the wait. Located in the Cloth Hall,
Dog’ this Wednesday. Topping the bill are
the revamped gallery boasts a horde of stirring
Canadian combo The Burning Hell, fronted by
canvases, many painted to “uplift hearts” during
Mathias Kom and his electric ukulele. They’ll
the period when Poland was wiped off the map.
be backed by local outfit Vladimirska, who do
Amongst the novelties are a rousing rooftop
a lovely line in “retro-circus-folk”. Recent
cafe and a hi-tech visitor centre where history
praise for the former should whet your appetite:
buffs can venture into the past via virtual reality.
“It’s rare to find a band that surprises, excites,
when - Permanent
makes you think, gets you dancing, and causes
where - Cloth Hall, Rynek Główny
unstoppable fits of laughter,” one journalist
Anne Seagrave
when - 6th October
Irish artist Anne Seagrave has won countless
where - Piekny Pies, ul. Sławkowska 6a/1
enthused.
awards, working in such diverse cities as
Barcelona, Belfast and now Krakow. This show
5th Jazz Autumn in Krakow
takes a sly look at the tradition of the self-
The wizards of Alchemia are smelting sonic gold
portrait. In over 75 paintings, Seagrave explores
this Autumn, and what’s more, they’ll be dishing
notions of how much personal identity should
some of it up for free. Jazz aces from far-flung
be recognisable to be a self-portrait..
destinations across the globe will be taking
.
when - 15th - 29th October
part, and there will be complementary concerts
where - Galeria Swiatlocien, ul. Fałata 2
at other intriguing venues around town. Night
owls will delight in the smoky decadence of
Opera, Theatre & Dance
Alchemia’s cellars, the ideal place to recount
stories of misspent youth, or to simply misspend
it if you’re a not so-studious-student. See www.
Opera Krakowska
alchemia.com.pl
Opera aficionados have a good mix in store
when - Until 30th November
for autumn. First in line is Puccini’s Madame
where - Various
Butterfly (October 2nd, 3rd, 5th), followed by
Rossini’s La Cenerentola (9th, 10th, 11th),
Puccini’s Tosca (17th), Strauss’s The Gypsy
Baron (23rd, 24th) and a performance of
Verdi’s Requiem to round off the month on
II International Royal Krakow Piano
Festival
This festival aims to bring the world piano elite to
Krakow for ten exclusive concerts of the works
29th and 30th. See www.opera.krakow.pl for
of Poland’s best loved composer. Of course, this
the full lowdown.
year happens to be the 200th anniversary of the
when - Throughout October
birth of Mr. Chopin, lending an added frisson
where - Opera Krakowska, ul. Lubicz 48
to the occasion. Look out for concerts at the
Groteska : Children’s Theatre & More
Manggha Museum and other exclusive venues.
For fantastical family entertainment, Krakow’s
For a full programme, have a browse through the
Groteska has been bearing the torch for some
official website at www.festiwalpianistyczny.pl
65 years. Throughout autumn, curious visitors
when - 25th - 31st October
can feast their eyes on such spectacles as
where - Various
Florianka Hall, Dworek Bialopradnicki, the
Pinocchio, The Ugly Duckling (Brzydkie
Kaczatko), Puss in Boots (Kot w Butach),
Don Quixote and Little Red Riding Hood
Film
(Czerwony Kapturek).
Polish Films In English
See www.groteska.pl for more info.
It’s not often that the chance comes up to watch
when - Throughout October
classics of Polish cinema on the big screen,
where - Groteska, ul. Skarbowa 2
yet with English subtitles. But Kino Pod
Baranami has some gems in the pipeline for
Classical & World Music
October. First up is Bartosz Konopka’s Oscarnominated documentary Rabbit a la Berlin,
about bunnies between the Berlin Wall (Oct.5th).
Krakow Philharmonic
On 12th there’s a macabre masterpiece with
The Philharmonic launched a new season
Mother Joan of the Angels (1960) about
on September 17th, and there’s plenty to
possessed nuns in 17th century Poland. Finally,
look forward to this autumn. October kicks
on 19th, is Antoni Krauze’s trenchant Weather
off with some percussive, Cuban accents
Prognosis (1982).
(3rd/9th), the latter being the 3rd Meeting of
when - Until 19th October
where - Kino Pod Baranami, Rynek Głowny 27
|
October 2010
7
8
Krakow Post
www.krakowpost.com / www.cracow-life.com
| October 2010
Other
Pieskowa Skała Castle
There are few finer autumnal prospects in the
region than that of Pieskowa Skała. Set in an
unspoilt wooded valley that erupts in glorious
gold and red hues, it’s the perfect day-trip for
October and early November. A spot of rain
shouldn’t matter as the castle has recently
emerged from a painstaking renovation. Run
under the auspices of Wawel Royal Castle,
its chambers take the visitor on an evocative
journey through the ages. Closed Mondays.
when - Throughout October
where - Pieskowa Skała
Art Station
Do you have a budding Botticelli in the family?
(Or rather Witkacy, to keep things nice and
local...) Because if you have an inkling that your
offspring may be of an artistic inclination, then
the National Museum has a superb series of
workshops in the pipeline. The programme,
which has been conceived for fluent Englishspeakers, provides 5 to 13-year-olds with
an introduction to great Polish painters,
complemented
by
a
practical
workshop
with qualified teachers. All art materials
are provided, and the sessions are hosted
at midday on the following Saturdays (16th
October, 20th November , 11th December and
8th January). The cost for an entire semester
is 100 PLN. Contact Anna Borejczuk at
[email protected] (12 2955651).
when - 16th October
where - National Museum, al 3 Maja 1
David Miller
At the Crossroads of Cultures
This event is being organised in cooperation
with the British Council, and it aims to open
up some parts of Cracow that normally escape
our attention. The historic districts of Kleparz
and Garbary take in many fascinating
monuments, and as with all parts of the city,
charming legends abound. A free walk with
erudite yet light-hearted guides will begin at
Kino Kijow at 3 pm on 2nd October. Later on
in the month there will be informal workshops
Flaw
By Magdalena Tulli,
discussing social and historical issues. The
translated by Bill Johnston
first is being hosted by the British Council on
20th at 5.30pm. Contact: stowarzyszenie@
krakowskaflorencja.pl
when - 2nd, 20th October
where - Various
In the spirit of presenting books that aren’t well known, this month I would like to put forward
the latest work of Magdalena Tulli, translated into English as Flaw. Published in 2006 in Polish,
under the title Skaza, Flaw is an enigmatic book. It takes place in a nameless town, in an
undefined time, and none of the characters have names. Instead, all we have are their social
functions: notary, maid, wife, student, waiter, newspaper boy. Even the stray dog isn’t a dog,
it is referred to as “mongrel”, or its social position in human society. The novel is the unfolding
of a single day in this nameless, timeless place, a town that is a sphere unto itself, in which the
integrity of that world is suddenly broken by an undefined crisis that leaves a crowd of refugees
stuck in the main square. What happens to the refugees, and the reaction of the townsfolk to
those refugees is the subject of this book.
The author, Magdalena Tulli, was born in 1955 and first published in 1995 with her book
Dreams and Stones. It immediately brought her critical attention, and in 1997 she won the
literary award of the Fundacji im. Kościelskich. Her later books, Moving Parts, and In Red also
won her nominations for the prestigious NIKE literary prize. Despite her critical success though,
she remains outside the Polish literary mainstream. Her novels aren’t novels in the ordinary
sense of the word. Her first book, Dreams and Stones, has no characters and no narrative; its
rather a lyrical essay on the city. Her later books have narrative, but are splintered and very self
aware. Flaw is her first novel that has cohesive narrative running the length of the book, though
still with frequent breaks in the story to describe the corrupt, perhaps communist-era workmen
who are building the narrative for us, and doing a bad job of it.
Flaw carries within it many references to World War II and the Holocaust. The undefined town is
definitely in Central Europe, though it could be anywhere in Central Europe. The time is definitely
pre-World War II, and the stock market crash at the beginning of the novel is reminiscent of
the great crash of 1929. And the refugees could be Jewish, though it is unclear, and Tulli
herself has pointed out that the word Jew is never used in the novel. What she is presenting
us is rather a psychological tale of “us” and “them”, the outsider and the local townsfolk, and
the fateful human tendency to lose all humanity once those lines have been drawn. She goes
through character by character, writing their inner monologues as they self-righteously respond
to the humanitarian crisis on the town square. They generally respond in their own self interest,
but everyone in a different way, depending on how they are affected or can benefit from the
refugees below their windows. Her character portraits are brilliant, and when you read the
monologues you can feel that she’s right, that she captured what a person like that would do
and think. Though obviously rooted in the historical experience of this region, this is a book that
is a universal parable that is still relevant in our times. Bill Johnston’s translation reads beautifully,
and recreates the lyrical dreamlike quality of the original text. Highly recommended!
www.krakowpost.com / www.cracow-life.com
Krakow Post
Unsound Festival
Horror:
The pleasure of fear
and unease.
|
Club Life
by Dana Dramowicz powered by
Monday - Mixer
music: Disco, 70’s & 80’s,
Funk, Garage, House
djs: DJ Mehow, C-men
08.10
Angelo Mike (Poland)
October 17-24
Various venues
9
October 2010
15.10
Cyberpunkers (Italy)
Tuesday - All you can
drink party
Wednesday - Retro Music Night
dj Alex
music: 70’, 80’,90’
disco house
Thursday - RNB 4 Life
music: rnb , hip hop, soul
A homegrown festival with a killer programme that takes place in our own gorgeous backyard
that is Krakow? How can Unsound NOT be the Krakow Post’s favourite music festival year
in year out? In January we named Unsound the Best Music Festival of 2009 and something
tells us that January 2011’s issue might not be so different. The lovingly curated week-long
event will, as usual, take place in several indoor venues across the city, from churches
(St. Katherine’s) to former factories (Fabryka club). This year’s “Horror” theme is set to be
interpreted quite literally, by such artists as Italian band Goblin (credited for composing the
soundtrack to Dario Argento’s horror film Suspiria in 1977), dark ambient pioneer Lustmord,
Zombie Zombie (playing the music of John Carpenter), and noise and doom metal groups
Monno and Shining. Other nights interpret the theme through more oblique angles, such as
on the Disturbed Calm and Darkness & Light evenings (see highlights below). The festival also
hosts several free events, including a series of installations in Fabryka club (“The Hidden”), a
music journalism workshop, three discussion panels, and a workshop and Q&A with sound
designer and film score composer Alan Howarth. For details on the festival’s many events
and for full ticket information, head to Unsound’s official website at www.unsound.pl
Silje Nes.
Disturbed Calm
21.10
Mice Parade
Darkness & Light
22.10
St. Katherine’s Church, Augustiańska 7
Kino Kijów, Al. Krasińskiego 34
The St. Katherine’s church events have proven
to be one of the festival’s many highlights of
highlights. Even with our memories still fresh
with Stars of the Lid’s transcendent performance
last year, we still don’t expect anything but
bliss from Canadian sound artist Tim Hecker,
who has created masterful soundscapes from
album to album for over 10 years. Swedish duo
Wildbirds & Peacedrums will close the evening
with a performance accompanied by a choir led
by Hildur Guðnadóttir, comprised of members of
Schola Cantorum Reykjavik Chamber Choir and
Krakow’s OCTAVA Ensemble. Their sound has
evolved at blazing speed since their first folk-indie
recordings, with their latest LP, Rivers, taking their
voice-and-percussion sound to the next level with
gorgeous, sweeping choral arrangements.
Multi-talented
Icelandic
musician
Hildur
Guðnadóttir will open this evening’s programme
at the Kijów cinema performing her compositions
on cello alongside Andre Vida on sax and Adam
Bryanbaum Wiltzie of Stars of the Lid on guitar.
Following Guðnadóttir will be a semi-improvised
performance from three European electronic
greats performing under the name Moritz von
Oswald Trio - Max Loderbauer, Vladislav Delay,
and the trio’s namesake von Oswald (of dub
techno pioneers Basic Channel). From light we
delve deep into darkness with the father of dark
ambient, Lustmord, who will perform his second
live set in 28 years. The last one took place at the
Church of Satan in San Francisco on 6.6.6. Dark
enough for ya?
Tim Hecker
Hybrids
22.10
Fabryka club, Zabłocie 23
Bass Mutations
23.10
Fabryka club, Zabłocie 23
The second of Unsound’s three club nights is Bass
Mutations, which celebrates the multi-faceted
sounds that have grown out of UK underground
club music and dubstep in particular. The more
experimental atmosphere of the second room will
host sets from New Yorkers Badawi and Dave Q,
grime producer Terror Danjah, post-Burial stepper
eleven tigers, and Spatial, whose productions
embrace a more minimal side of dubstep.
Opening the first room are Cracovians Supra1,
followed by an avant-dubstep all-star line-up:
Dorian Concept, Hotflush artists Joy Orbison
and Mount Kimbie, James Blake (Hemlock), and
FaltyDL (Planet Mu). We challenge you to find a
more impressive bass-oriented line-up anywhere
tonight!
Hildur Guðnadóttir.
World Premiere of “Solaris”
Polish Artists at Unsound
More ...
Kino Kijów, Al. Krasińskiego 34
Unsound has chosen the cream of the crop
in terms of presenting emerging as well as
established Polish musical acts to the world
audience who flock to our city for the festival. The
week is also a good time for us locals to take note
of the new music from Poland which may have
flown under our radars. Look for performances by
the following Polish artists at Unsound this year:
Zeppy Zep, The Phantom, SUPRA1, Eltron John,
Jacek Sienkiewicz, Anna Zaradny, Sza/Za, and
Baaba (who will be performing with Sistars singer
Natalia Przybysz).
2.10 - Countdown to Unsound w/ Untold,
Hopefully you’ve simply taken the last five days
as practice for the rest of the packed Unsound
schedule, as the serious brain-melting sonic
pleasure is not set to stop anytime soon. Set
your head and heart to 120 bpm for tonight’s
Hybrids programme at Fabryka, where techno
and house are the shadowy starting points for
the night’s performers. The second room will see
DJ sets from Krakow’s Eltron John, New York’s
Derek Plaslaiko, Warsaw’s Jacek Sienkiewicz,
and Bucharest’s Petre Inspirescu. The main room
will feature sets from UK-based Raime, Actress,
and Shackelton, Detroit-based Kyle Hall and
Mike Huckaby, as well as Oni Ayhun (one half of
Swedish duo The Knife, Olof Dreijer).
Daniel Bjarnason
24.10
The best was saved for last for this concert at
the Kijów cinema which will close the “serious”
side of the festival’s official programme. Unsound
stalwart Ben Frost is at it again this year, this time
in collaboration with Icelandic composer Daníel
Bjarnason (who will also conduct Sinfonietta
Cracovia on Unsound’s opening night). The duo
have created a new work inspired by Cracovian
writer Stanisław Lem’s science fiction novel Solaris
(1961) as well as its 1972 film adaptation directed
by Andrei Tarkovsky. Tonight’s concert will be the
world premiere of the Unsound-commissioned
work, and will feature accompaniment from
Krakow’s own Sinfonietta Cracovia.
Eleven Tigers
Redinho at Pauza
9.10 - Urban Soundz w/BBoy 3000,
Deformer, Suburbass, JT Labo, Nookie,
PFM, 6Blocc, Bunzero, & more at Fabryka
12.10 - Pleq at Eszeweria
14.10 - The Pharmacy w/Plum at Klub RE
16.10 - Kidkanevil at Forty Kleparz
17.10 - Julie Marcell at Forty Kleparz
28.10 - Vladimirska at Eszeweria
10
Krakow Post
www.krakowpost.com / www.cracow-life.com
| October 2010
Extra Life
ASTRO SELTZER
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.
Star-Signs drawn by Dominik Nawrocki
LIBRA (Sep 23 - Oct 22)
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.
Rarely aware of what you really want, you tend to focus on what you think you should have. Your cerebral
approach to desire will be turned on its head this month, when you find yourself desperately wanting something (someone?) you hadn’t previously considered. Learn to appreciate the world you’ve created in your
head.
SCORPIO (Oct 23-Nov 21)
side will be subtly and effectively expressed. You’re
for connecting with people.
in the process of carving out a secure place for
This is your month! Powerful
energies are buzzing around you,
PISCES (Feb 19 - Mar 19)
yourself in the world. Learn to appreciate your
and self-confidence will continue
If you’re not already working as a full-time ideas
ability to let go of negativity.
to increase as you attack one
generator, then you should be. This
problem
You’re
month, in your few idle moments,
slowly (finally!) learning to trust
you’ll dream up more than one
Only the most perceptive people
your razor-sharp instincts. Learn to appreciate your
wacky, ingenious idea. On the
can ever figure you out to any
obsession with the truth.
personal front, it looks like you’re
extent. Although appearing sweetly
taking a more relaxed approach to relationships.
affable, you nonetheless possess
And, that is the best way of safeguarding your
an indomitable will.
after
another.
SAGITTARIUS (Nov 22 - Dec 20)
CANCER (Jun 21 – Jul 22)
A perfect
Lost at sea, you’ve been riding the
mental health. Learn to appreciate your bizarre
example of the iron fist in the velvet glove, you get
waves of some intense emotions.
brand of intelligence.
what you want because that´s simply the way things
must be! This month, with your professional life
You’re experiencing a spiritual
housecleaning that will, hopefully,
becoming easier, you´ll decide to schedule time for
ARIES (Mar 20 - Apr 19)
Busily
of
some
unravelling mysteries, you’ve been
interesting twists and turns in store for you as you
finding your fellow humans to be
continue on your unusual path. Learn to appreciate
a curious lot. One thing in your
LEO (Jul 23 - Aug 22)
favour is that you always know
You’ve
There
are
your judgement-free relationship with the world.
solving
puzzles
and
some elegant self-indulgence. Learn to appreciate
prepare you for an eventful couple
months.
your need to love.
been
sorting
yourself
how you feel: knowing what to do with your feelings
out, cocooning, spending time
is another story. This month, while you come to the
with loved ones. Recent events
You’ve been showing your true
realisation that everyone is half mad, you won’t be
have conspired to force you into
colours. Dependability married to
quite sure what to with your share of insanity. Learn
imagination is a gift - one that you
to appreciate your gift of unparalleled enthusiasm.
CAPRICORN (Dec 21 - Jan 19)
yourself, to take a look at your
deepest feelings and desires. This could be an
incredible month if you give yourself a break and go
have in spades. This month, as you
continue to display your previously
with the flow. Learn to appreciate the enlightened
TAURUS (Apr 20 - May 20)
crusader within.
hidden qualities, you’ll be forced
Never perfect, but rarely totally
to dump some of the negative ideas you have of
hideous, relationships are meant
yourself. Learn to appreciate your ability to believe
to balance our missing bits. You,
in what can’t be proven.
of course, are perfect and need no
Whirling about, doing a thousand
complement. This month, despite
things at once isn’t your usual
VIRGO (Aug 23-Sep 22)
your awareness of your own superiority, you’ll find
style.
Career, reputation and your place
yourself entertaining the possibility of romance.
uncharacteristically manic, trying
in the big, bad world will be your
Learn to appreciate your visceral reaction to external
to keep up with your demanding
major concerns this month. It’s been
stimuli that others take for granted.
AQUARIUS (Jan 20 - Feb 18)
SUDOKU
This
month,
you’ll
be
life. That’s not a bad thing; like a squirrel considering
the long winter ahead, you’re instinctively taking
hitting you that most of your time
has been spent manifesting other
GEMINI (May 21 - Jun 20)
care of some loose ends before the really interesting
people’s ideas. You must learn to
It’s all about work, being super-
stuff happens. Learn to appreciate your incredible
run your own show, with your hopes and dreams
organised and staying focused.
problem-solving skills.
taking precedence. Learn to appreciate your talent
This month, your Machiavellian
Written by Kerwin McLeister, [email protected]
L
L
V E
F E
Dear Dr. Ovlowska,
Dear Dr. Ovlowska,
I met a lovely girl on Facebook, but
there’s one problem: she lives in Krakow,
and I don’t! She wants me to come visit her,
but I’m afraid that if I do she’ll pressure me
to stay. What should I do?
Cheers,
Internet Lover
Dear Internet Lover,
Facebook friends? Ah, the blessing and curse
of modern life!
Your Love Life as a foreigner anywhere in the world has tons of advantages but, let’s face
it, a number of challenges too. In this column the Krakow Post has invited the expert
Dr. Ovlowska to answer your questions on relationships and love in the context of
different cultures. Please send your love life queries to [email protected]
Europe’s most charming cities.
the city.
The curse? It turns out that your Facebook
This is your secret “Plan B”. You make your
friend is an unbearable old fog-horn who insists on
own sightseeing program so - if the worst comes
introducing you to her parents, smells funny and
to worst – you can always disappear in the bowels
wants to have sex with you in every doorway.
of the Wielicka salt mines or do a Crazy Trabant
But hang on a minute, you say you are “afraid
she will pressure you” - why would you allow fear
to dictate what you do or do not do? I don’t think
you really want to live a fear-based life, do you?
Instead, you tell yourself you are going to have
Tour of Nowa Huta to get away from the battle
axe with bad breath.
The moral of the story is: no risk, no fun.
And Dr. Ovlowska begs you to have faith in life.
Trust that all good things will come to you.
the best time of your life, and take the necessary
Countless people prefer to exist without love
steps to do so. You are in control, my dear. Figure
because they are too afraid to risk whatever
out if you can find one or two more Facebook
comfort they have. Of course there is no cut-and-
friends in Krakow before you leave. That will
dry method on how to gain love, but one thing is
be your emergency exit, if she turns out to be a
sure, if you stay at home... nothing will happen
serious pain in the neck.
at all.
Here’s the blessing: do something you wouldn’t
Spend an afternoon studying all you can find
have done normally. Pack your bags, come to
about Krakow and Poland. If you don’t fall in love
Challengingly yours,
Krakow and enjoy a wild couple of days in one of
with the girl, you definitely will fall in love with
Dr. Ovlowska
sudoku solutions
www.krakowpost.com / www.cracow-life.com
Krakow Post
FASHION: KRAKOW STYLE
in association with:
So far, in Fashion: Krakow Style we’ve had some crazy
Ania:
Shoes:
Atmosphere
Grey Top:
H&M
Scarf:
Vintage
Earrings:
Six
Jacket & Black
Bag:
from a shop in
Mazury
Hair:
DYI
it shows off Ania’s strong features.
colour-driven rebellious outfits and rock’n’roll looks, so this
time I got drawn to a subdued monochromatic style.
This outfit works thanks to the devilish details – edgy
I spotted Ania in front of Krakow’s uber-cool industrial
hair and ultra pink nail varnish, which breaks the
hang-out, Fabryka, and loved her outfit, based on a simple
monochromatic colour scheme. It doesn’t shout, but it
combination of black and grey. It evoked sophistication,
evokes an understated arty vibe with a touch of elegance;
understatement and subtle elegance with an attitude.
almost conservatism with a touch of edginess.
But, because shades of the same colour can risk looking
rather boring, this is also a good opportunity to play with
So, if you are looking through the window thinking grey
pattern and sprinkle some cutting edge details…
is boring, just remember there are many shades of grey
and you can always sprinkle a bit of pink on top!
Grey can be understated, edgy and exciting at the
same time and gives a superb starting point for unusual
accessories - here, quirky bow-like earrings from
Atmosphere draw the attention to Ania’s sharp cheekbones, strong eyebrows and a super stylish pixie crop
(think Demi Moore circa the Ghost era). Moreover, Ania
admitted that she finished the cut herself - simply with a
razor. The pixie cut takes guts and the payoff is how well
Who are you?
Woman
What makes life worth living?
Love and friendship
What is Krakow fashion for you?
Elegance with a sporty touch
|
October 2010
11
Galeria Kazimierz
Your SPA, whenever you wish
Health: Smile with Confidence
by Anna Siedlaczek
is brushing your teeth regularly and even
All around us there are tabloids
chewing gum after a meal during the day.
splashing out the perfect smile with
On the other hand, tartar occurs when
the whitest of teeth. So how can we
calcium is hardened after exposure to
maintain that perfect smile?
plaque. This is much harder to remove
than plaque, as a visit to the dentist is
What’s in a tooth?
required.
The anatomy of a tooth consists of
a crown and the root, which is situated
Tooth decay and gum disease
in the soft tissue known as the gums.
Tooth decay is caused by bacteria
The tooth itself is made up of three
demineralisation on the surface of the
distinctive structures: the enamel is the
tooth, which is a result of the acids
outer structure and the hardest tissue
produced by bacteria. Holes form on the
in the body, dentine gives the teeth their
tooth surface as a result of the continuous
colour and is the major part of the tooth,
loss of minerals from the enamel of the
and the pulp, which encloses the nerves
tooth. In the early stages of tooth decay
and blood supply to the tooth. Humans
the tooth may be repaired with the help
usually have 20 primary (baby) teeth and
of fluoride. Fluoride acts as a barrier from
32 permanent teeth.
the acids we come into contact with as
part of our diets. However, if damage is
So what are the best ways in
maintaining healthy-looking
teeth?
While brushing, keep in mind the angle
Yoga and Ayurveda Centre
ul. Friedleina 20/6
Cracow, Poland
www.yoga.krakow.pl
Cakrasana or
Wheel pose
too excessive a filling is needed to cover
and repair the tooth. A way to keep up
the fluoride protection is by the use of
fluoride-based toothpastes.
at which your toothbrush is being placed
in your mouth. Always remember to keep
Periodontal disease (Gingivitis)
it at a 45-degree angle, aiming the bristles
This disease occurs when the gums
of the brush towards the gum line. The
become inflamed due to the build-up of
joint between the teeth and gums is a
bacteria, which in turn produce toxins. The
perfect niche for bacteria to accumulate,
classic signs of gingivitis are red, swollen
so it’s very important to brush in these
gums, which bleed during brushing. Also
areas. It takes approximately two to three
bad breath, bad taste, teeth drifting apart
Cakrasana, or wheel pose. “Cakra” means
them above your head with palms pressed
minutes to thoroughly brush your teeth.
and loss of teeth are symptoms of this
“wheel”; in this asana the whole body is given
against the floor, fingers pointing to your feet.
This process should be repeated twice a
disease. The way in which gingivitis can
the shape of a wheel or half a wheel. This is one
Keep your thighs and inner feet parallel. Take
day (morning and before going to bed). If
be treated is by visiting a dentist who will
of the most challenging yoga postures. Don’t be
2 or 3 breaths. While inhaling slowly, begin
this doesn’t occur regularly we get a build
thoroughly clean your teeth from tartar
discouraged if you are unable to accomplish it
to raise the head, back and buttocks off the
up of plaque and tarter on our teeth and
and all of the bacterial build-up. The
right away. It’s worth giving it a try as we will be
floor while arching the spine. Continue to press
gums.
only way to prevent this disease is with
blessed with plenty of benefits: the wheel pose
downward on the hands and feet while raising
regular cleaning and flossing of the teeth
builds strong biceps, calves and a flexible back;
the hips and stomach as high as possible. This
What is plaque and tartar?
and gums, which should also be a daily
stimulates the nerves of the spine; and clears
will arch up the body off the floor. Stay in this
Plaque is the result of a build-up of
endeavour
the respiratory track. A feeling of lightness and
position for 15 seconds.
bacteria on your teeth. This mostly occurs
To
avoid
the
above
conditions,
freshness is evoked.
during the day after eating and drinking.
remember to have a regular dental check-
Lie down on your back with knees bent, feet on
To come out of the posture, ease yourself back
If not controlled, this build-up leads to
ups (at least once a year), so the dentist
the floor, lower legs drawn up toward your hips.
down, gradually lowering your body to the floor
conditions such as tooth decay and gum
can make a proper examination of any
Rest your arms close to your shoulder, and reach
and slowly straightening out.
disease. Ways to avoid plaque build up
potential problems that may be arising.