Poland Part 2 - Northern Region

Our final stops in Poland, and for the 2022 trip, were the Baltic cities of Gdansk and nearby Gdynia.  See map on previous post.  Gdansk is only 78 miles to the Russian border of Kaliningrad, a non-contiguous part of Russia on the Baltic between Poland and Lithuania.  Because of Poland's proximity, history of being partitioned by Russia in the 1700s, and then invaded by Russia in 1939, there is great antipathy toward their eastern behemoth.  

Poland would like to "wipe out" Putin

I'm sure those politically aware during the 80s remember the end of Soviet Union began in Gdansk when employees in the Lenin Shipyard created the workers union Solidarnosc, or Solidarity.  Solidarnosc was a broad anti-authoritarian social movement, using civil resistance to advance worker's rights and social change.  In 1981, one year after its founding, the union represented 30% of all working age Poles.  Lech Walesa, leader of Solidarnosc and eventually President of Poland, said Pope John Paul II and his 1979 visit to Poland was significant factor in creating the movement.  The Pope was beyond the reach of the Communist regime and is considered by many world leaders to be one of the main causes of the downfall of Communism.  A factor that Polish citizenry remains loyal to the church.

Award winning graphic for Solidarnosc.  

All the letters are crammed together to show solidarity.  

Gdansk is a charming city which we enjoyed as much as Krakow.  However unlike Krakow, and more like Warsaw, it was significantly destroyed during WWII and its historic center completely rebuilt.  

Destroyed historic Gdansk.  Note Tower Gate in distance on left. 

View of same pedestrian walk and Tower Gate in photo above.  

Our modest hotel was just before the tower gate to the right.  

Rebuilt historic center and pedestrian walk looking opposite direction toward the waterway and docks.

Along the waterway it can feel like Amsterdam with its rebuilt historic port buildings for loading and unloading ships.  Being a workers town, there were many Guilds to support and influence for the seaman and longshoremen.

Modern apartments with historic ships.

Historic warehouse with cantilevered roof for hoisting from ships.

Elaborate Guild Hall with benches and cubbies along wall for meetings attendees.

The accoutrements of Guild office holders.

Note the Amber in the chain.  To be discussed later.

While the shipyards are still there, the area is being gentrified with the centerpiece being a fabulous new museum to Solidarnosc.  The museum is made from Corten steel that purposely rusts, but only up to a point and then protects the steel from further rusting.  Very appropriate material for a shipyard.

The modern shipyards

Solidarnosc Museum.  

Note model in foreground and the immense tower next to museum.

Three towering Anchors in the form of a crucifix in memoriam to those murdered in the strike.

The corten museum

Memorial to the strikers and workers.

Exhibit recognizing Pope John Paul II

Lech Walesa signing historic agreement.

Exhibit on the relationship between the Soviet Union and Polands leaders

In addition to the Solidarnosc museum there is an excellent WWII museum.  However, unlike western Europe and American WWII museums which briefly summarize the war as:  Germany invades Poland, Britain and France declare war, Japan bombs Pearl Harbor, America enters the war, Allied troops land on Normandy, set back at Battle of the Bulge, WE WIN!  the Gdansk museum took us five hours to go through - quickly, and only the last 20 minutes covered the West's involvement.  So much took place on the eastern front with so many sacrifices the west barely recognizes.  

WWII Museum.  

Took five hours to review the history exhibited.

Exhibit displaying Finlands heroic defeat of Russia in the winter campaign. 

No love lost for them either. 

Poland had more civilians killed as a % of population (18%) than any other country, and third in total numbers (5.7m).  

Soviet Union was second as a %, and the most in total numbers (14m civilians and 13m military).  

USA is second from the last in military and last for civilian deaths, both as a % of population. 

We took a day trip to Gdynia about a half hour train ride NW of Gdansk to visit a friend's son and his wife.  In the late 70s my then girlfriend worked at a landscape company and met their landscape architect, Sandy.  Her husband David was from a Wisconsin farm family. Our shared midwest heritage and mutual love of adventure we became good friends and did a fair amount of climbing together, both on our own and through the Mountaineers.  Sandy was from New England and before I left for graduate school in 1980 they moved to an island off of Bath Iron works in Maine.  There they bought an 80 acre property with a 1726 unaltered saltbox house - the first non-family owner.  David became one of the town's leading attorneys and Sandy maintained a landscape design firm, raised sheep and was a community activist.  Despite the cross-country distance we've kept in continual contact since then.  I always enjoy my visits to their special place.  Beautiful, if harsh winters.  

One of my favorite places just outside Bath Maine.

But I digress.  Sandy and David's first child Ian studied Architecture where he met his wife Zosia from Poland.  After graduating, they wanted to live more responsibly and built their own home and learned about sustainable farming in Maine.  They eventually moved to Gdynia in her home country where Ian went back to his dad's farming family roots while Zosia owns and runs a deli based on their sustainable products.  Though we'd never met as adults, the lovely couple treated us like old time family friends, showing us their city and having a delightful lunch.  

Robin, Bill, Zosia, and Ian overlooking the Baltic.

Beyond - Sweden

Zosia and Ian's Deli with farm fresh produce and homemade meals 

Vegan Sushi that you couldn't tell the difference.  

Our last day in Gdansk we discovered an Amber museum.  The Baltic is known for its amber, and Poland is the largest developer of the resource.  Amber was formed 45 million years ago when forests suffered catastrophic events and were buried.   The Greeks and Romans used to import it for their jewelry and developed the Amber Road from the Baltics to the Mediterranean.  It is the national stone of Poland.

Interior of Amber Museum

45 Million y.o. insect encased in amber.

Before departing we did our typical ambling around to discover areas not in the guidebooks or tourist attractions.  

Gentrification around shipyards.

Abandoned industrial buildings.

We hope some will be repurposed as they have lots of character. 

We discovered this upscale restaurant in repurposed building surrounded by industry, gravel and parking

After dining we met the restaurateur/developer 

who is ahead of the curve on developing the area.

Poland Part 1 - Southern Region

As previously mentioned, Chicago, where I grew up, was a collection of ethic communities that immigrated from the nineteenth and early twentieth century.  One of the major ethnic group were Polish, arriving since 1837.  Every region and ethnicity in Chicago seems to have pejorative jokes about a competing group and one of Chicago's favorites were the Poles.  Growing up, of course I knew nothing of their history and culture and accepted this narrative until a young man.  Then, when preparing for our travels to Poland we deepened our understand of a surprisingly rich culture and tragic history.  

Chicago's ethnic 'hoods in 1950

From the sixteenth century to the eighteenth century Poland and Lithuania formed a commonwealth - in part to be economically and politically stronger against their agressive neighbors to the North (Sweden) and east (Russia). It was one of the largest monarchies in Europe; with dual heads of state.  

Polish Lithuanian Commonwealth at Peak 1629

However, by the end of the eighteenth century its stronger neighbors to the west, east and south, Prussia, Russia and Austria/Hapsburg partitioned the commonwealth among themselves.  Poland ceased to exist as a sovereign nation.   After WWI they obtained their independence again, however within thirty years they were taken over by their former nemesis Russia, in the form of the communist Soviet Union.  Since 1989 have they struggled to throw off the oppressive bureaucracy and become a beacon of freedom and model of economic reform.  Sadly, for the past decade or so they are backsliding under the Law and Justice party led by Andrzej Duda who is slowly dismantling the checks and balances of democracy.  Nevertheless, they continue to be a supporter of the EU and NATO, and denounce Putin and the invasion of Ukraine.

Our Poland travels were to Krakow (bottom center), 

Auschwitz (called Katowice NW of Krakow), 

Warsaw, and Gdansk (top center)

We flew from Prague to Krakow.  Krakow first came to my awareness in the movie Sophie's Choice while I was in graduate school in my late twenties.  The main male character Nathan, played brilliantly by Kevin Klein, was revealed to be schizophrenic toward the end of the movie.  He was incredibly devoted to Sophie, played by Meryl Streep, a survivor of the Auschwitz death camps.  However, he was obsessed with the Nazi crimes and the Holocaust.  In one of his crazy episodes he questions how Sophie survived the death camp shouting "Go back to Krakow baby.  Back to Krakow".  It was then I realized the city was central to the Nazi invasion of Poland and the Holocaust.  The city is also central to the movie Shindler's List, by Spielberg.  Shindler's metal works factory was in Krakow

Shindler's factory, now a memorial and museum

Product of Shindler's factory

Oskar Shindler remains controversial.  He saved hundreds of lives and he was a Nazi Party member.

Some question whether he helped Jews in order to have a plausible story should they lose the war.

Yet, Israeli government named him Righteous Among Nations and is buried at Mt Zion in Israel.  

Krakow dates back to the seventh century and was the official capital of Poland until 1596.  It has traditionally been one of the leading centers of Polish academic, economic, cultural and artistic life.  It is well known for its UNESCO World Heritage Site of the Old Town and Castle.  It is also a short train ride to infamous Auschwitz.  

We stayed in the Old Town, compact and delightfully preserved having be spared German bombing when they captured the country and Allied bombing during WWII liberation.  It's central feature is the Market Square, arguably the most beautiful in Europe

Market Square, originally built in 1257 after a mongol invasion destroyed the city.   

In 2005 the plaza was removed and discovered many artifacts and skeletons from the Medieval Period. 

You can tour the underground and artifacts. 

Our second day we signed up for a tour of the Old Town.  Our guide Tomas was a tall goateed Pole with an engaging dialogue and great knowledge of history.  

Tomas in front of Barbican (Fortress Gate)

He also explained the religious contrast between Poland and Czech Republic I previously wrote about.  While Czech Rep is one of the most secular countries in Europe its next door neighbor is among the most religious - and Catholic.  During the communist control of Poland, the Catholic Church became a buffer between the people and the oppressive regime, despite the governments push for secularism and imprisonment of high ranking clergy.  In 1978 Karol Jozef Wojtyla was elected Pope John Paul, the first non-Italian in over 450 years, and the only slavic pope ever elected.  He encouraged Poles to opposed communism and fight for their freedom.  In 1980 he supported the Solidarity movement in Gdansk (to be discussed later).  In 1989 communism fell after they overwhelmingly elected the Solidarity Union party as the government, and Russia declined to intervene.  For Poles his support for their freedom and their history of Catholicism kept them steadfast in the faith.  

Mosaic of Pope John Paul replacing window in public building

Statue of Pope John Paul

Our guide Tomas was so enthralling with his stories that when we heard he was giving an evening tour of the Jewish Ghetto we immediately signed up.  

Main square in Jewish Ghetto with restaurants and memorials.

Historic Synagog in Jewish Ghetto

When walking around the square we went into the local bookstore and met the very old and very engaging jewish owner.  He recommended several books, but we were traveling.  However we purchased one, the true story written by Jan Karski called "Story of a Secret State - my report to the world".  His story as part of the resistance and a spy.  He personally related the atrocities to Roosevelt and Churchill.  Well worth the brief read.  

Here sits a brave man!  Jan Karski in Kraków.

Tomas was able to bring to life (and sadly the death) of Krakow's WWII history and the systematic murder of the Jewish population. One of the more memorable stories was of a six year old Jewish boy forced into the Ghetto.  His mother was taken (and eventually died in the death camps) and his father was distraught.  Seeing the Germans coming the little boy grabbed his fathers hand and led him across a bridge to safety in the Ghetto.  The little boy was Roman Polanski.  I'll mention him again in Warsaw.  

The other story he related with more frustration is the number of German businesses that supported the Nazi, and are still in business today.  Some used human hair, "unquestioning" its source, to weave fabrics or blankets for the army.  When watching WWII movies/documentaries I have always marveled at the SS and Nazi uniforms which were, from a fashion standpoint, beautiful.  It was clarified when Tomas explained that Hugo Boss was the designer for the regime, and the company is now a leader in Haute Couture fashions.     

The following day we took a day trip to Auschwitz.  There has probably been enough written about the horrors there, and further description will not duplicate a personal visit there.  But some images may convey some of the sadness and atrocities.  

Arrival was by train loads, in cattle cars,

often freezing in winter.  

Entry gate with infamous "Arbeit Mach Frei" (Work Makes You Free)

Mostly women, children and the elderly.  

Men work worked to death.  

Rooms filled with thousands and thousands of

shoes, or glasses, or luggage...

Shaved heads of women turned into army blankets

The camp was located in a working town.  

The arriving US general made residents walk through the camp to see the horrors they willingly ignored.  

While most were gassed or died of starvation some were shot at this wall. 

The "Final Solution" - the crematorium.  

Our final day in Krakow we revisited some of our favorite places in Old Town and in the Jewish Ghetto.  Both of us enjoyed Krakow more than Prague.  While Prague is a lovely city with lots of history and things to do and see, it felt like an outdoor museum as times, similar to Venice, Florence, or other over touristed and well preserved cities.  Krakow felt real.  There is a sizable youth population and the bars and restaurants around the Ghetto were hopping with locals rather than tourists.  

Bridge from Old Town to Jewish Ghetto.  

Fun sculpture of acrobats on wires.

Wawel Royal Castle, Old Town

Our last city in the south was Warsaw.  There's really not much of interest here.  If reminds one of modern Frankfurt with a dabbling of Soviet buildings (if you're familiar with Moscows Seven Sisters of Stalinist times).  

Stalinist Building on far left, and modern Warsaw on right.   

Historic Old Warsaw that was used as reference to rebuild after WWII

Rebuilt Historic Old Warsaw

Favorite son of Poland Nicolao Copernico, a scientist and priest.

Theorized the sun was the center of our solar system, not the earth. 

He waited until near death to publish his theory.  Martin Luther called him a fool.   

Saturn, one of the planets surrounding the statue. 

My own Norma Rae

Their Old Town, or Old Warsaw, was completely destroyed during WWII.  Post war, it was the first attempt to completely rebuild a historic city core and was designated a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1980.  To get a sense of the complete destruction of the city see Polanski's The Pianist, with Adrian Brody. 

Warsaw after WWII

 Next Post:  Poland Part 2 - Gdansk