CONFRONTING the CRISIS the Spy Who Loved Poland Or a Time Machine

FREE FEBRUARY 2009 Edition 52 krakow POST ISSN 1898-4762 www.krakowpost.com

Troubled “Time Krakow Machine” Polish school system set for reform >> page 4 Krakow scientists survey Large Hadron Collider Poland Will Poland’s Foreign Minis- Grażyna Zawada ter be new head of NATO? >> page 6 The Polish press has written re- Feature peatedly that Polish scientists, including Krakow-based experts, Zakopane: a guide to were going to the Swiss Euro- the slopes pean Organisation for Nuclear >> page 10, 11 Research (CERN) to repair “the machine of death,” as some of Property the world’s media has called the Large Hadron Collider (LHC). High-rise skeleton to be The Krakow Post explains what fleshed out exactly local scientists will do in >> page 13 CERN. Sport “’Machine of death,’ that’s ridicu- Above: Installing the ATLAS calorimeter. Krakow scientists are working on the Large Hadron Collider lous,” chuckles Professor Michal in Switzerland (story left) / photo CERN Will Boruc bounce back Turala from Krakow’s Nuclear from troubled season? Physics Institute of the Polish >> page 14 Academy of Sciences (IFJ PAN), who works on a LHC experiment Culture called ATLAS. “We’d rather call the Collider a giant microscope, CONFRONTING THE CRISIS The spy who loved Poland or a time machine. To find out >> page 15 some details concerning the structure of the universe we want to celebrate the New Year in Krakow in to accelerate particles so they Krakow’s financial year under the comparison to previous years. emit radiation, then collide them inside and observe the effects.” microscope The report compiled by the Małopolska Tourist Organization (MTO) summaris- The LHC is a gigantic scientific ing last year reveals that Krakow was visit- instrument near Geneva, Swit- Beata Michalik ed by 7.5 million people, which is less than zerland, located about 100 metres in 2007, when 8 million visitors arrived in underground. It was conceived Krakow. According to MTO, the number with the aim of revolutionis- he world economic crisis, kow ceased to be competitively cheap in of foreign tourists decreased by 14 percent ing human understanding of the which fully manifested itself comparison with other cities. As a result, due to substantial currency fluctuations, an material world’s structure. It is a on the global market last year, the number of Germans, Americans, Ital- increase in fuel prices and difficulties for round particle accelerator (over has been the source of much- ians and French visitors, to mention just Eastern European tourists in getting visas. 16 miles in diameter) composed heatedT debate. The Polish economy, which a few nationalities, diminished. The most of superconducting magnets fro- until recently was experiencing an unprec- frequent visitors were still the British, who Adrian Tomasik, the manager of Academ- zen to a temperature colder than edented boom, is nowadays entering a constituted 20 percent of the total number ic Hotel Centre confirms this information: in outer space. Using super grid slowdown. The first symptoms of the ag- of foreign guests, but even this group, “Last year we evidently experienced the computers, physicists want to gravating situation can be noticed in wide- which has become notorious for “stag crisis from both directions – the West and use the LHC to study the small- spread redundancies, restrictions on pro- parties” and booze weekends, slightly lost the East. Tourists from the West did not est known particles, and possibly duction, limited possibilities of promotion, its enthusiasm due to high prices for such come because the currency conversion rate new particles created in the colli- an increase in prices and the weakness of essentials as beer, coffee, taxis or hotel ac- was not profitable for them. Therefore they > spotlight sions, using special detectors in a the Polish złoty. commodation. were choosing the countries of Southern number of experiments dedicated Europe where conversion rates were more Best Places of 2008 to the Collider. In the second half of last year, signs of the Grażyna Leja, a representative for the Tour- beneficial. We also had fewer Russian visi- crisis began to be felt in Polish cities, in- ism Affairs and Marketing Board of Kra- tors due to the introduction of Schengen At the beginning of January five cluding Krakow. The 2008 economic bal- kow, commented on the existing situation: visas,” he says. > posted scientists from Krakow’s IFJ ance of the city has turned out to be gener- “The fall in tourist activity can be observed PAN went to the CERN Institute, ally unfavourable. Tourism – a significant in the whole world. This branch is usually Since the British are the largest group of Events for February which operates the LHC, to work contributor to the overall local economy the first one to suffer the consequences of all the nationalities coming to the city, one on the Collider. However, they - was clearly most affected. any financial crises.” must also consider their country’s eco- were not supposed to repair it, nomic situation. The crisis of the financial as many media outlets suggested, The tourist industry noted a significant de- This was especially noticeable in Decem- system that hit Great Britain last year has but to inspect the repairs carried cline in the number of visitors to Krakow ber. Christmas stalls did not attract such ended 16 years of continuous economic out on the magnetic elec- as of last summer. A strong zloty com- a large number of customers as they used growth and has severely af- trical circuits’ connec- >> 4 bined with high prices for basic services to. During New Year’s Eve some hotels had fected British consumers. Many >> 3 tions by another group of associated with tourism meant that Kra- spare rooms since fewer foreigners decided households were forced to re-

2 Krakow Post FEBRUARY 2009 www.krakowpost.com News Krakow “

Now imagine a city without graffiti. Without some illegible scribbling Letters on the walls of public buildings, parks, or tourist attractions. Imagine To the editor a clean city, with its buildings as beautiful outside as well as inside. Dear Editor, on the walls of public buildings, parks, or tourist“ spaces. There should be laws that protect the 18th These are primarily services run by foreigners attractions. Imagine a clean city, with its buildings and 19th-century buildings in the centre from for foreigners. The onslaught of stag parties to Krakow is a wonderful European city, both to visit, as beautiful outside as well as inside. This alone cheap renovations in which their beauty is lost, but Krakow have meant an increase in strip bars, etc., or raise a family in. It is a beautiful unique flower could be an asset to everyone living here and an there are not, unfortunately, and Krakow’s cultural and to think that this increase in the sex trade here within the full bouquet known as Europe. If there attraction for those that would like to visit. heritage is in the hands of people who have their is caused by anything other than the presence of is a dark side to this wonderland, it can be summed Let us imagine the city of Krakow as a priceless greedy eyes on making some quick money from the English is very foolish. As for Polish women up in one word. ‘Graffiti!’ jewel, in a fine jewelry store. Let us take pride the recent influx of foreigners. Just stroll around being sucked into the sex trade in Britain, where This amateur form of self-expression puts an in our city and help out as much as we can, by the Old Town and see how many buildings are prostitution is nearly legal and brothels abound, it’s ugly coat on an otherwise beautiful city. Even cleaning up the graffiti around our neighborhood. currently advertising private apartments and rooms a sad reality, and it’s unfortunate that you simply the buildings with missing pieces of cement Let us help out the police by reporting vandals for rent by the day. As the original inhabitants, want to turn a blind eye to it. and old worn-out paint add character; looking when we see them, not turning the other way, students, and average people of Krakow are pushed more beautiful than this form of seemingly gang hoping someone else takes care of the problem. out of the centre of the city and replaced by tourists Annoyed influenced art. Finally, lets all work together to save the city we and foreign companies (the only ones who can ********** When I arrived here in Krakow four months love, and keep Krakow beautiful for generations to afford the inflated rent prices), this city will lose all ago I was anxious to get to know my new home. come. of its soul, and a lot of its gorgeous architectural To the Editor: There’s Hope Yet However, I was disappointed to see all the graffiti heritage. on just about every building I passed. I thought I Mark Adamson For the first time ever, a Polish head of state had left this kind of nonsense back in the U.S. ********** Natalia Wołkowa attended a religious service in a synagogue. Poland’s It is not just the old buildings that are being President Lech Kaczyński entered Warsaw’s Nozyk attacked by this form of vandalism. For example, Dear “Disgusted of Scotland,” ********** synagogue as the congregation and a group of the new construction in the underpass under Jewish children sang ‘Shalom Alecheim’ (peace be Rondo Mogilskie has recently been ruined with It was clear in the December letter that it was Dear Anna Maria Borek, with you). President Kaczyński lit a candle to mark graffiti by some moron and his spray-can of paint. addressing the stag party problem, which is only a the first day of Hanukkah. I believe this holiday Months of construction by an army of contractors summertime problem! Our city actually becomes I don’t understand your reaction to S. Gilroy’s season proves that people can respect one another’s are wasted because somebody felt that it needed an extremely enjoyable place to be in the winter letter. I was really thankful for S. Gilroy’s response religion since that is what all true religions teach some illegible scribbling on the side of the wall. months, due to the absence of these English to Tony R.’s letter, in the December issue. Tony their worshipers. Truly, there’s hope yet for all This serves little purpose other than ruining a men who seem set on degrading the Central and complained that Polish people working in England mankind to live in peace. beautiful addition to this beautiful city. Eastern European cities they visit (I could give don’t pay taxes, and that we somehow bring It amazes me that the local police are unable (or some examples of things I’ve witnessed, but they millions of złoty back to Poland with us. Well, I’ll Herb Stark unwilling) to do anything to stop this terrible would probably be deemed too coarse to be printed say that this is certainly not true, even if some of us Massapequa, NY crime. I do not know exactly what the punishment in these pages). Why aren’t they here in December? are lucky enough to get good jobs there, the fact of is for defacing public property. Whatever it is, Well, as we all know, it’s fashionable in England to the matter is that life there for us Polish is as hard as ********** obviously it is not working. I believe strict and go bar-hopping coatless, in only a short-sleeved it is for anybody, we pay for apartments while living harsh punishments should be enforced if anyone is t-shirt, regardless of the weather, so maybe that’s there, pay for food, and England is so expensive Re: Attitude of Britons to Polish ‘Immigrants’ caught doing this to any public surface. why they are afraid to come to Poland for their that it’s hard to save anything to bring back. As for Krakow Post Friday Jan 2 2009 In some cities in the U.S., violators are not only beer-and-sex tourism in December! Krakow Poles stealing jobs in London - please Tony, give forced to pay a hefty fine, they also have to clean is beautifully stag-party free at Xmas-time, and us a break, it’s you, the English, who are the native Dear Sir up the mess they left behind at their own expense. thus your so-called “research” is pointless and speakers of the countrys language, so of course However, their punishment does not end there. ridiculous. you have a bit of an advantage over us! We have to Although I have no right to speak on behalf of the They also have the honour of cleaning up graffiti study hard, do an MA first in English, like I did, British National Party, I feel I must take up with elsewhere in the city. Again, at their own expense. Signed, “Disgusted,” of Krakow before even going there to work, then usually we you the misleading aside on the BNP made in your The fines paid by these vandals would only help have to settle on jobs far below our qualifications. write-up on anti-Polish jokes (Debate: Should We Krakow’s revenue, and maybe pay for some I have friends whose nursing and teaching Humour The Humourists, Krakow Post, Friday much-needed repairs to the city, streets, and the ********** qualifications weren’t accepted in England and have Jan.2 2009). surrounding neighborhoods, without raising taxes to work at jobs far beneath them. Maybe there are on its honest citizens. Dear Editor, a few exceptions here and there but it’s generally The BNP has no animosity towards decent, law- As I said before, I arrived here from the U.S. four pretty dismal. I’ve gone to London two times to abiding immigrants themselves; and certainly no months ago. I was born and raised in Denver, I find it strange that two of the authors of letters to work during school breaks, and I can say I’ll never objection whatsoever to fellow Europeans living & Colorado. Not an extraordinarily large city, but the editor in last month’s issue deny the fact that do it again. I’d far rather work here where I feel working in Britain in manageable numbers. It does no small town by any means. For the most part, tourism is responsible for the swift tripling of rent like people appreciate me. There are way too many not, as you reported ”jump in and stoke the flames, it is a clean city. However, like all cities in the U.S., prices in Krakow in the past few years. They both people who look down on the Polish in England, generating more hatred and negativity towards the there is a darker side just beneath the surface. make flippant remarks about it (Anna Maria Borek and it upset me to read Tony’s letter and to see that Polish community.” On the contrary, membership The graffiti there is just as dirty, and just as ugly, & “Disgusted of Scotland”). They clearly aren’t there are people like that living here, too, who think of the Party itself is open to them, as it is to all as anywhere else in the world. If you took a walk informed about what is happening in Krakow. I all the Poles should be so thankful to the English. native Britons. In line with such a policy of working through downtown Denver, the one sure way you have basically spent my adult life in Krakow being And that any fluctuation in the English economy is with our friends across the continent, the BNP could tell where you were was the graffiti. If you did bounced from one apartment to another. No going to “bite our economy in the arse” (very nice, Chairman Nick Griffin recently completed a visit not see any, you were in a clean part of the city. A sooner have I found a great one, than the landlord Tony). I really hate this condescending attitude. to fellow nationalists in Hungary and the Czech place where people enjoyed shopping, restaurants, announces that he/she has decided to renovate my And learn our language if you want to live here! Republic (November 2008). theater, and culture. You felt safe walking through flat. I’m always welcome to move back in after the this part of the city no matter what time of day or renovation– if I’m willing to pay three times the Halina Kozłowska Poles are individually both liked and highly rated night. On the other hand, if the walls were marked rent price. I’m finding it harder and harder to find here, displaying a strong work ethic once typical of with graffiti you were most likely in the slums. A quaint, beautiful old flats in the centre complete ********** British workers before the destructive influence of place where crime runs unchecked. A place where with their original wooden doors, 19th-century the Labour Party encouraged laziness, greed and drugs addicts and alcoholics begged for change. details, wooden floors, etc., since they are all To Anna Borek: selfishness, and discouraged discipline and the A place where people fight for their very survival being destroyed by very hastily-done, cheaply striving for high standards. Please do not emulate everyday. executed renovations. Who are these renovations Where are you getting your facts? Polish people our own thoroughly dishonest & biased Press by Now imagine a city without graffiti. Without being done for, Ms. Borek? I hate to tell you this are not setting up agencies to promote stag parties misrepresenting British opinion. some political or non-political nonsense painted but in nearly every case the landlord’s plans are visiting this town. If there are any Polish-run stag on the walls. Without some illegible scribbling to convert them into holiday flats and business party services, they are definitely in the minority. M McGregor letters to the editor about krakow POST TheKrakow Post welcomes letters to the editor. Letters for publication should be signed and bear the signatory’s e-mail address and city of residence. TheKrakow Krakow Post is a monthly Nick Hodge, Culture Editor For advertising inquiries, publication published by Lifeboat Ltd. [email protected] please contact: Post reserves the right to edit letters. ISSN: 1898-4762 www.krakowpost.com Dana Dramowicz, City Life Editor Michał McSperrin-Kossak, Please send letters to the editor at [email protected], or by post at [email protected] Group Sales Manager Mark Bradshaw, Publisher [email protected] Krakow Post [email protected] Stuart Wilson, Design +48 (12) 421 4865 Ul. Szczepańska 7/4a [email protected] 31-011 Krakow Anna Spysz, Editor-in-Chief Printers, www.polskapresse.pl [email protected] www.krakowpost.com Krakow Post FEBRUARY 2009 3 News Krakow

<< Continued from 1 “I’m having my house built and I can feel diminished in all cities, including Krakow. employment. krakow FEIJ the effects of the crisis,” says Beata Gawor, Employers in Poland reacted immediately duce their expenditures and a substantial who has not been able to receive credit for by demonstrating much more caution in Some people are trying to predict future Where is your number of companies curtailed invest- four months. There are many potential engaging new employees. According to trends in the Polish tourism industry and ments. While some companies announced property buyers facing a similar situation, some experts the fear factor played a cru- economy and what further developments business? massive lay-offs, others announced their the great majority of whom constitute cial role here, since the situation on the in these fields will look like. “It is difficult Get your business seen in up to plans to follow suit. young people, who cannot afford to realise Polish labour market did not change in to judge,” says Adrian Tomasik. “However, 50,000 copies of Krakow’s only such a serious purchase without credit. such a significant way as to cause a fall in the reservations we have made allow us English-language newspaper! The difficult situation of British consumers vacancies. to have an optimistic forecast. The travel Distributed at over 350 top locations across the city including contributed to the decline in the number Real estate prices declined in all Polish agencies we cooperate with also have a lot the international airport and of foreign trips. The data revealed by the provinces and one of the most substantial Last year, some private companies also of bookings.” on-board flights to the US, UK, British Airport Industry shows that pas- falls was noted in Krakow. In December started to experience the first signs of a Germany, France & Scandinavia! senger numbers at Britain’s busiest airports the average price of a flat dropped below worsening situation, mainly due to a drop In addition, the London government pre- Question is... fell. During the last few months, passenger seven thousand złoty per metre. At 6,980 in orders for their services. “I haven’t been dicts that a flood of British tourists will can you afford not to figures were down by several percent com- złoty the price became comparable to that touched by the crisis yet,” says Adam Orc- again visit Poland this year since the złoty advertise with us? pared with the same period in 2007. The from November 2006. Last year, prices in zyk, a graduate of the Academy of Mining has become weaker. pound’s value against the euro and dollar Krakow fell by 11 percent. As opposed to and Metallurgy in Krakow. “However, the [email protected] tel: (012) 4291699 was the main reason why fewer Brits de- other Polish cities, in Krakow it was small crisis has hit a company which deals with Magda Nowak, an employee in one of the cided to fly out of the UK at Christmas. “bachelor” flats that felt the most significant goods haulage, where my uncle works. The outsourcing centres, is rather optimistic loss in value. In addition to flats, the aver- crisis abroad has led to a drop in orders for about the future. “It seems to me that Po- Krakow’s airport was also afflicted by the age price of a square metre of a building site product deliveries. As a result, Polish com- land will not experience the crisis in such a downward trend in the tourist industry. also dropped, by 12 percent. The areas in panies are not placing orders for transport- severe way as the U.S. or Ireland since our Statistics indicated a falling tendency as Krakow that noted the most significant fall ing goods abroad. In this way the crisis is companies have already begun to lead a of last spring, resulting in a loss of four were Śródmieście and Podgórze, whereas becoming more widespread.” careful policy, which can be seen with the percent of the total number of passengers Krowodrza was least affected. example of banks, which do not give such serviced at the end of the year. Balice Air- However, while numerous sectors of the a large amount of mortgage credits as they port managed to maintain quite a good However, difficult times for the real estate economy are suffering or are threatened, used to. We should not expect our eco- network of connections in the second half market manifest themselves not only in the there are some for which the economic nomic situation to improve this year, but of 2008 despite losing some airlines. fall of prices but also in the decline of the slowdown may have a brighter side. Even the situation should be more stable than in number of transactions. As a result there during difficult times people will have to 2008, because nowadays everyone is con- Tourism was not the only branch to suf- are several thousand flats to be sold and eat and clothe themselves. Some experts scious of the crisis and people will bear this fer due to economic problems – the fig- practically all new investments in Krakow claim that fast food producers will actu- in mind when taking decisions.” ures also showed a drop as far as the real have been suspended. Investors are wait- ally see gains, since in order to save money estate and construction industries were ing for an upturn in the economy, whereas people will resign from expensive restau- When the crisis started sweeping across concerned. The crisis has created a difficult some companies hope that such actions rants in favour of cheaper options. For the individual countries in the world, Poland real estate situation in the whole coun- like “the sale of the year 2008” will help same reason, chain shops like Biedronka found itself in a relatively safer situation try, mainly due to difficulties in receiving to remedy the situation. Some companies or Lidl, which offer cheaper products, can compared with other Central and Eastern credit. Polish banks reacted immediately have even introduced an option to allow benefit from the situation. Producers of European countries. And as news spread and put severe restrictions on giving mort- those customers who could not receive a chocolate such as the Cracovian company in late January that the UK was officially in gage credits, in an effort to avoid the fate bank credit to purchase an apartment. Wawel are also positive about the future, recession for the first time since 1991, Polish of American financial institutions. This since in difficult times people are likely authorities tried to reassure local companies introduced a requirement for customers to Likewise, the labour market did not re- to eat more sweets, which improve their and its citizens that Poland was still finan- provide a substantial down payment when main immune to the changing situation mood. Recently, they have begun to ex- cially viable. It remains to be seen if this will buying their apartment. in the global economic scene. Over the pand their product line, and are planning be enough to overcome the problems that last few months the number of job offers new investments and even an increase in Polish local economies are about to face. 4 Krakow Post FEBRUARY 2009 www.krakowpost.com News Krakow

KRAKOW IN BRIEF Head Start for Schoolchildren << Continued from 1 Wawel Raises Prices Victoria Ziarkowski engineers. The Wawel Royal Castle announced a rise in ticket prices The first grade will now be an obliga- have expressed their concerns about cation Katarzyna Hall had noted that “There are so many connections that just in time for the 2009 tour- tion for six-year-olds after a PO edu- schools being ill-prepared and flooded 2009 was the last opportunity to intro- there is no chance all will be work- ist season. Despite the castle cation reform changed the legislation with children. duce such legislation because 2003 was ing correctly,” says Andrzej Kotarba, already qualifying as one of the that previously made primary school the final year of a recession in births. a member of the Krakow team of en- most expensive museums in Eu- compulsory for seven-year-olds. But governing party PO altered the gineers. “Unfortunately, the Collider rope, the Wawel’s directors have wording, and the new legislation states The relatively low number of children is a prototype, having no equivalent decided to raise ticket prices to After many months of debate, Presi- that it is now the “right” of every six- eligible for first grade later this year in the world, so we must learn eve- cover the rising costs of main- dent Lech Kaczyński vetoed the edu- year-old to start their formal educa- made the initial plan to send all six- rything about it directly on it.” taining the castle. Starting in cation bill, as he’d promised to do at tion. year-olds to school this year possible, April 2009, visitors will have to the outset, but a majority vote of 254 but schools would not manage to find Krakow’s team is one of many to shell out 77 złoty, or almost 20 for, 146 against and eight non-voters, PO also came up with a strategy to help places for children in the future. have contributed to creating and euro, in order to see all of the overturned the veto on the 23rd of absorb the hundreds of thousands of operating the LHC since 1998, each exhibitions Wawel has to offer. January, bringing the Polish education children who will become eligible for Vice-Minister for Education Krystyna of them having a different task. The To put things into perspective, system closer to that of others in the school virtually overnight. Szumilas denied the accusations that Krakow team’s task was to create the Louvre charges 13 euro for European Union. the changes signified that PO was about 170,000 connections between their entire exhibition, while a backing down, stating that they were 9,500 electromagnets of which the ticket to the Hermitage will only The legislation also includes a three- the intentions of the ministry. Collider is built, and their casings. cost you just 8 euro. Why the year integration plan. As of September “ We don’t Since September’s malfunction the sharp rise in fees during a finan- 1st, 2009, children born between Janu- want parents Katarzyna Hall explains that the sof- connections have been rebuilt and cial crisis? According to Gazeta ary 1st and April 30th, 2003 will be eli- tening of the reforms was intended to need to be inspected before further Wyborcza, just maintaining the gible to attend the first grade, if their to be tricked assist the change. experiments can begin. castle’s free toilets costs 150,000 parents agree, and all six-year-olds will into sending złoty per year. Talk about flush- go to the first grade as of 2012. “During the first year, information Poles have contributed to the LHC ing money down the drain! their children about the change might not reach the in many ways: they prepared simula- The decision marks the end of many to unprepared parents and schools might not be pre- tions of physical processes, detectors’ Hey Now, Hejnał! months of debate in the Polish parlia- pared in time,” she said. possible feedback, as well as data Most Cracovians who spend a ment. schools... selection and recording algorithms, good deal of time in the Old ” “We also don’t want parents to be not to mention the very design and Town have grown accustomed Since the start of the New Year a tricked into sending their children to building of the detectors’ parts. to the hourly ritual that is number of amendments were made to They considered the option of giving unprepared schools.” the “hejnał” - the long bugle the reforms. schools a three-year period in which Poles have been present in CERN call that signals the hour and to prepare, so that the change would Ms. Hall also told journalists that the since 1991. CERN was established in makes tourists on the Market Formerly, the project stated that as come into play in 2012. They also toyed additional benefit of the time between 1954 by 12 countries; now there are Square instantly recognisable of September 1st, 2009, six-year-olds with the idea of gradual integration, now and the 2012 transition period is 20 member states. During the Cold (they’re the ones looking up would have to commence compulsory splitting the successive populations that at the 2011 election, the incom- War, Poles could only be observers, at the tower). But few are schooling, unless parents chose to hold of six-year-olds into groups based on ing government will be able to decide but currently about 30 Poles work aware that it is a member of them back for a year. their dates of birth, so that those born whether or not they want to keep the there full time, and seven Polish sci- the regional fire department in the first four months of 2003 would changed legislation, but she stays firm entific centres send their specialists that is actually behind the fa- But this had the opposition up in start in 2009, those born in the first to her claim that she has not softened to help operate the machine. Experi- mous trumpet - that is, until arms. The leftist coalition criticised the eight months of 2004 would start in her approach. ments carried out in CERN are of last month, when the duty of reforms, saying they were damaging 2010 and so on. The third option was a great importance to general tech- sounding the hourly call was much-needed work. period of optional attendance, that six- A PiS representative recently said that nological progress. State of the art handed exclusively to the mu- year-olds could join seven-year-olds in the “softened” reforms differ little to the solutions applied by the physicists nicipal fire brigade. As the 700 The Law and Order party (PiS) ac- the first grade, if their parents desired. existing education act of 2004. Article are adapted for improving various year old call was originally the cused the government of trying to 14 stated that six-year-olds physically aspects of everyday life. Examples of responsibility of the city guard force through the new legislation, The final decision was comprised of all and mentally mature enough could at- this include the use of Internet and (who would watch for invad- which it says is in direct contradiction three options. tend first grade, if their parents agreed. computer grids, miniaturization in ing armies or fires) it’s fitting to the current education environment This is effectively the decision that was electronics, low temperature tech- that the city’s fire brigade has and the will of many parents, who However, previously Minister of Edu- upheld in parliament. nologies and CAT tomography. taken over the reins. www.krakowpost.com Krakow Post FEBRUARY 2009 5 News Poland

Gas Wars: The Empire Strikes Back

Poland sails through gas storm

Adelina Krupski

midst the tension and insecurity and did not take any actions that would inter- ticipate in the setting up of a supervisory com- that spread throughout Eastern rupt deliveries to Europe. mission, having received consent from the EU and Central Europe during the re- Nevertheless, the repercussions of the dispute to send Polish experts to monitor the transport cently resolved Russian-Ukrainian were felt across Europe, which depends on Rus- of Russian gas via Ukraine. Agas dispute, Poland proved itself as one of the sia for one quarter of its natural gas. In turn, 80 countries less vulnerable to Russia’s economic percent of the Russian gas delivered flows via As Polish Minister of Foreign Affairs Radosław and political demonstration of power. Ukraine, while smaller pipelines run through Sikorski remarked during an interview on Belarus and Turkey. TVN24, “Poland wants to present itself as a Though also having reported substantial drops reliable transit country.” Emphasising that the in gas supplies, Poland was well prepared and Among the countries that suffered the most Yamal pipeline works at capacity, Sikorski sup- protected, as it continued to receive 84 percent harm as a result of the gas war was Bulgaria, ports the idea of a second link to it rather than of its gas imports from Russia via the Yamal- with 92 percent of its gas consumption sup- passing a pipeline under the Baltic Sea, a far Europe pipeline running through Belarus. plied by Russia via Ukraine and no access to more expensive option. alternative gas routes. In addition, Slovakia As Joanna Zakrzewska, spokeswoman for the declared a state of emergency, ordering a thou- On January 19th, Gazprom and Ukraine’s Polish Oil and Gas Company PGNiG, informed sand companies throughout the country to re- Naftogaz signed a new contract, agreeing that the Krakow Post on January 19th, “Prior to the duce gas consumption so that homes, hospitals Ukraine will pay the European market price, suspension of deliveries through the transfer and schools could obtain heat. $450 per 1000 cubic metres, but with a 20 per- point in Drozdowice on the Polish-Ukrainian cent discount until 2010. According to Ukrain- border, PGNiG redirected part of the gas, 5 The gas crisis not only confirmed Europe’s ian Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko, the million cubic metres per day, to Wysokoje on strong dependence on Russia, but also demon- reduced rate will allow Ukraine to switch to / cartoon Kasia Adamek the Polish-Belarus border. At this time we have strated its unity, as individual countries assisted market prices smoothly. In exchange, Ukraine 16 percent less gas flowing to Poland from the Accordingly, on January 7th, gas supplies were others by delivering gas supplies. Croatia, for will continue to charge Russia the same transit east than expected.” diminished for two Polish plants, PKN Orlen instance, received gas deliveries from Germany rate as in 2008 until the end of the year. Gas and ZA Puławy. The companies compensated and Italy, while Slovenia drew on supplies from flows toward Europe through Ukrainian pipe- Poland managed to compensate for the de- for the restrictions by drawing from their own Austria. Similarly, in response to a condition lines resumed the following day and industrial cline by utilising stored gas that had been ac- gas supplies, which they are required to main- proposed by Russia, Poland was ready to par- limitations were lifted. cumulated beforehand. “Since Russia notified tain. us in advance about possible disturbances in gas deliveries, making use of an early warning Triggered by a disagreement on gas prices and mechanism, we were able to conserve supplies. failure on the part of Ukraine to settle a $600 Thanks to this, at the start of the 2009, our stor- million late fee demanded by Russia, the crisis age facilities were filled at around 90 percent. escalated on January 1st, when Russia’s state- At the moment their level is still over 65 per- controlled gas monopoly, Gazprom, cut off cent,” Zakrzewska stated. supplies to Ukraine. Moreover, Russia accused Ukraine of siphoning off large quantities of gas As the winter grew harsher, hitting tempera- destined for European customers. tures as low as minus 30 degrees Celsius, daily usage of gas in Poland increased from 45 mil- In the midst of the gas crisis, Ukrainian Presi- lion cubic metres to 55 million cubic metres. dent Viktor Yushchenko met with President The Polish government responded to the rise Lech Kaczyński in Wisła, Poland, on January in demand by granting approval of the action 14th to discuss his propositions for Russia and to reduce gas deliveries to the largest industrial the European Commission. During the confer- recipients. ence, Yushchenko maintained that Kiev did not steal a single cubic metre of gas from Russia

Exotic touch of Bali full body massages & facials Special offer for February is 10% off all these treatments:

- Exotic touch of Bali - “Honeymoon” - Sekar Jagat Essence - Royal “Lulur” - Biokos alovera facial treatment - Biokos seaweed facial treatment Dharmata Massage Centre ul. Garbarska 5, Kraków telephone: 012/423 00 58 mobile: +48/669 689 886 email: [email protected] 6 Krakow Post FEBRUARY 2009 www.krakowpost.com News Poland

Pole to Lead NATO? Lustration Frustration POLAND IN BRIEF Bush Shuns Poland Anna Jarosz Ewa Spohn As now former American Presi- dent Bush prepared to leave of- he tenure of the present n 6th January the Institute used to discredit opposition by insinuation fice before Barack Obama’s Jan- secretary general of of National Remembrance rather than hard evidence. uary 20th inauguration, he failed NATO, Jaap de Hoop (IPN), a government affiliat- to make a goodbye phone call to Scheffer, ends in July and ed research institute charged Since it was first passed in 1992, the Lustra- President Lech Kaczyński, in a itT is hoped that the new head will be Owith investigating Nazi and Communist tion Law has undergone numerous chang- snub the Russian paper Vremia anointed at the joint summit in April. crimes in Poland, updated its website with es and generated a lot of controversy. In the Novostiey called “a real show of With the deadlines approaching, the latest tranche of records of over 1,000 early days, the process brought down Jan ingratitude towards Polish politi- candidates for the position come and current public officials compiled by the Olszewski’s government after the interior cal elites.” To add further insult go along with speculations on their Polish Communist Secret Police (SB) dur- minister was accused of tampering with to insult, a survey published in chances and on the states potentially ing the Cold War era. information for political reasons. More January showed that Poland supporting them. What has become recently, in 2006, the former Archbishop views the U.S. more favourably clear, however, is the challenge of the A few days later, General Kiszczak, the of Warsaw was forced to resign an hour than any other nation in Europe, role in the light of the current situa- former head of the SB between 1981–83, before his public installation ceremony with 53 percent of Poles hold- tion of the alliance. who is on trial for his role in initiating when it was revealed that he was an SB col- ing a favourable opinion of the martial law in 1981, admitted that he laborator. U.S. Poland ranked third overall After a relatively low-key period, ordered the secret police to record infor- amongst 22 nations surveyed, NATO is regarded to be in need of mation gathered by bugs and listening The Kaczyński twins, elected in 2005 on the behind India and the U.S. it- a dynamic politician with analyti- devices planted in suspects’ homes as if it ticket of cleaning up public service, passed self. Luckily, within days of be- cal skills; an individual of authority Foreign Minister Radek Sikorski meets British was coming voluntarily from the accused. the 2006 Lustration Law which gave the ing elected, President Obama who will help the alliance adopt a Foreign Secretary David Miliband, London, So it comes as no surprise that the current did make an introductory call to 21.01.09 / photo www.flickr.com/foreignoffice IPN new powers to investigate and publish new strategy on the member coun- government is signalling that it wants to records by setting up its Lustration Bureau. President Kaczyński. tries, in line with Article 5, describ- the mission in Afghanistan so critical abandon the largely discredited lustration It also required over 700,000 professionals ing the obligation to protect NATO for the new U.S. president as well as process and throw open all SB records to (including academics, diplomats, journalists Irish Millionaire Picks Poland countries in the event of an “armed for the entire alliance. public scrutiny, a move that is not entirely and teachers) to sign written statements on While in the past few years plen- attack.” The key aspects of the alli- popular with the Polish public. whether they had cooperated with the SB. ty of Poles have gone to Ireland ance strategy requiring revision are Appointing Sikorski to the position The International Herald Tribune described in search of work, it seems that relations with Russia and the mission of NATO secretary general would The term “lustration” has been used in Po- it as a “mad” law that “makes the McCarthy- Ireland is returning the favour in Afghanistan. What is equally often work to the benefit of Poland’s image land since 1992 to refer to the policy of lim- ites of the U.S. in the 1950s look like ama- by sending one of their own to mentioned when short-listing the on the global political arena. With a iting the participation of former commu- teurs at the practice of anti-Communism,” Poland. However, the man in candidates for the post is the place Pole at the helm of NATO the inter- nists in government and the civil service. and two months later the Polish Constitu- question has already made his of the new member states in NATO. ests and needs of Poland and other It is derived from the Latin lustrum, an an- tional Court judged key aspects of the law to millions and is looking for a dif- The Eastern European candidates for newer member countries would re- cient Roman and Greek ceremony of pu- be unconstitutional in the light of the Polish ferent kind of opportunity. Irish various NATO and EU positions have ceive required attention. What is rification. In Polish, lustro is also the word Constitution and the 1950 European Con- businessman Declan Ganley is the been regarded as under-qualified, more, Sikorski could help bridge the for mirror, so lustration suggests a self-ex- vention on Human Rights. founder of Libertas, a nationalist which resulted in alienation and feel- gap between the old and new mem- amination and reckoning. Unfortunately, Irish political party that is partly ings of unfair treatment. Bearing that ber states and act as a transatlantic unlike the Nuremburg trials and the South The requirement to sign statements was responsible for the rejection of in mind, the experts and media list player re-establishing consensus over African Truth and Reconciliation Com- dropped but the IPN has been publishing the Lisbon treaty by Ireland. His several Eastern European politicians security. mission, the Polish process for coming to the records of key groups ever since. This aim is to create a Polish subsidi- amongst the current candidates. terms with the past was compromised by includes those currently in public service, ary of the party. He has already Regardless of the decision, the fact the need for pragmatism and corrupted those monitored by the SB, functionaries of been in talks with some of Po- The NATO helm attracts prominent that two candidates from Poland are by political point scoring. SB files were not the communist security apparatus and those land’s far right parties, and is figures from Canada, Norway, Brit- being considered, Sikorski and former opened to public scrutiny immediately af- in positions of power during the regime. focusing on the European parlia- ain, Denmark, Holland, Bulgaria, President Aleksander Kwaśniewski, ter the fall of communism, government of- ment elections in 2010. Perhaps Poland and the Czech Republic. The is recognition of both their qualifica- ficials and civil servants were not removed The first records of public figures, starting not surprisingly, Ganley is a fan prime minister of Denmark, Anders tions and the need to have Eastern en masse from their positions and the need with the president and the prime minister, of President Kaczyński, stating: Fogh Rasmussen, and Poland’s for- European countries better represent- to get on with the task of reconstruction were made public in September 2007 and “What President Kaczyński is eign minister, Radosław Sikorski, ed in global organisations. However, overrode the need for reconciliation with the process has been sweeping through doing is in line with the Polish stand the greatest chances, according a lesson from the past that needs to the past. As a result, the original purpose government and the civil service ever since. tradition of defending Polish in- to the experts. Despite Rasmussen be kept in mind is that, more often of the process was diluted, its methodology In December 2007 the records terests and democracy.” >> 14 taking the upper hand thanks to his than not, the winner is not even men- was muddied and it became a political tool of those elected to parliament command of French, the Danish PM tioned in the media. is said to opt for a new position within the EU structures, which seems to Still, the case for Sikorski continues be working to the benefit of Sikorski. to gain ground. On 26th January, leading British paper The Daily Tel- Much as he is recognised in the West egraph published a major declaration and enthusiastically supported by in the Pole’s favour: Lithuania, the objection to Sikorski is not merely an unsatisfactory com- “For reasons of both history and mand of French. His mutinous stance strategy, they [NATO] should elevate towards Russia and new potential a Pole,” the paper proclaimed. “For- member states make it difficult for tunately, Poland has a distinguished him to gain the support of France, possible candidate in the person of Germany and the U.S., even with Radek Sikorski, the foreign minister, the help of his favourable view of the who... is uniquely qualified for the missile defence shield project. On the secretary-generalship. other hand, Sikorski’s experience and contacts in Afghanistan suggest he is “Poland deserves this honour,” the capable of meeting the challenge of paper added. www.krakowpost.com Krakow Post FEBRUARY 2009 7 News Poland

A Bloody New Year in Gaza Wojchiech Michnik

he conflict between Israel ...the more lost their lives and over 5,000 were The protests in Krakow, though de- less likely they will be to strike back. and Hamas turned into “ injured in Gaza (10 Israeli soldiers cidedly modest in scope, summarise But this strategy, even if understanda- open warfare on the 27th Palestinians were killed and 3 wounded, PAP re- quite adequately what supporters of ble from the standpoint of the Israelis, of December when Is- that die in Is- ported). the two fighting sides think about the has been strongly contested by others, Traeli forces launched Operation “Cast rael’s offensive, conflict. From one side is the com- including, rather obviously, the Pales- Lead.” The offensive was touted by the This death toll, along with the asym- mon accusation against Israel, claim- tinians. This was echoed by a Pales- Israelis as a means of preventing Ha- the better for metrical character of the warfare, ing that it disregards the lives of Pal- tinian observer at the United Nations. mas from targeting civilians through Hamas, as it seemed to shift the so-called world estinian civilians. According to this Riyad Mansour remarked that “this rockets fired from the Gaza Strip to- public opinion towards the Palestin- interpretation, Israel uses its standard collective punishment is inhumane, wards southern Israel. The Economist will ensure a ian side. Anti-war protests were held strategy of deterrence, which is based immoral and should be stopped im- referred to the present violence as yet constant flow of in a number of large cities around the on the notion that the more damage mediately. There is no jus- >> 13 another instalment of “the hundred newcomers ea- globe. Most of them – as Rzeczpos- that is inflicted upon its enemies, the tification for punishing 1.5 years war” between Arabs and Jews. polita reflected – condemned the Is- ger to join the raeli offensive in Gaza, although there As with the previous clashes between organisation. were also some protesters who sup- these adversaries, the current one ported Israel. Even Krakow witnessed sparked a series of disputes world- its own anti-war rally. On Thursday wide. The controversial issues includ- technologically superior military” January 8th, a small group of protest- ed proportional use of military force forces, fought against elusive Hamas ers gathered on the Rynek to call for by Israel, Hamas’ role in intensifying militias, which were virtually indis- a peaceful resolution to the conflict. the conflict, and the targeting of civil- tinguishable from the rest of the Gaza The participants were mainly from ians by both sides. These questions Strip’s population. This indicates in the “STOP War” organisation and stemmed not only from ideological some measure why so many civilians the Association of Polish-Palestinian differences or political sympathies but were killed in Gaza. But the issue of Friendship. They held Palestinian also from the specific way the current Israel’s “excessive campaign of bom- flags and pictures of dead civilians war has been conducted. bardment” is only half of the gloomy killed by Israeli bombs. There was also picture – the other is Hamas’ steadfast a small pro-Israeli group protesting Needless to say, it has been a conflict strategy of hiding among civilians. As nearby. “Israel does not fight against between a state and a “non-state” a result of these dubious - both mor- civilians but against Hamas” declared player. Regarding the war in Gaza, it ally and strategically - moves under- one of them. meant that Israel, with its elite and taken by both sides, over 1,300 people 8 Krakow Post FEBRUARY 2009 www.krakowpost.com Opinion

Debate Is the “new Cold War” just a load of gas? POLAND IN BRIEF Suicides Spark Investigation The unsolved death of Alexander Litvinenko, the war in Georgia, Russia’s extraordinary economic boom, and now the gas crisis in Polish Justice Minister Zbigniew Ukraine - the great bear has loomed large over the last 12 months. Indeed, journalists have had a field day bandying about notions Cwiakalski resigned in late January such as a “new Cold War.” Are such tags just irresponsible sensationalism, or should the West really be bracing itself for a funda- after a convicted murderer was found mental change in policy? James McNulty and Józef Mackiewicz consider the gas crisis in the light of Russia’s resurgence on the world hanged in his cell. The death marked stage. the third consecutive suicide from a trio of prisoners, all of whom were sen- tenced for the abduction and murder How many times have we seen this pattern: there is an It all happened on a beautiful January morning. As a result of Krzysztof Olewnik (1976-2003). Mr. abrupt break in gas supplies from Russia which affects of a crisis between Russia and Ukraine, Russia’s state-owned Olewnik was the son of a wealthy busi- Eastern and Central European countries, followed by dis- energy giant Gazprom cut gas supplies to more than half of the nessman from Płock. He was abducted belief and outrage in most of Europe’s capitals. The ques- EU’s 27 member states, leaving hundreds of thousands in East- in 2001 and held to ransom. The money F:tion of who’s to blame for the crisis seems to be obvious then. Russia. A:ern Europe without gas, and millions more with reduced supplies to homes, was paid but the captive was murdered Its imperial policy of energy blackmail is said to be responsible for eve- offices and factories. For three weeks, Gazprom ignored frantic EU pleas to nonetheless. Three men were convict- rything. So when the newest crisis began in early January, we heard the turn the gas on again, thus damaging the prestige of the Union. ed of the crime in 2008. However, the same drumbeat: the evil empire strikes again, delivering a brutally bleak subsequent suicides of the defendants midwinter. How convenient and yet how self-deceiving this explanation “Western media are painting a completely non-objective picture of ‘Russia - coupled with peculiar details from the is! Shuts Gas to Europe’,” said Vladimir Putin, Russian Prime Minister. As millions original investigation - have convinced of Europeans continued to endure freezing temperatures and emergency cuts many that there has been a cover-up. First of all, it is hard to understand where this ubiquitous surprise to heating, timid voices in Brussels suggested that Russia cannot be trusted. Prime Minister Donald Tusk has set up a comes from. After all, the gas wars between Russia and Ukraine (or commission to investigate the case. some other Eastern European countries) have become a steady feature Excuse me? of the European landscape. As Anne Applebaum wrote recently in The Infamous MP Strikes Again Washington Post, “Like every continent, Europe has its rituals. In the How can you possibly trust a country with no democratic traditions at all, The MP who offended thousands world- spring, the storks return to the Low Countries from their winter nests in that’s ruled in an authoritarian way by an ex-KGB agent? A country where wide by declaring that Barack Obama’s Africa. In the autumn, the French return to Paris from their beaches in corruption assumed systemic and institutionalised form, and where state of- election “marked the end of the civilisa- the south. And in the winter, the Russians threaten to cut off the natural ficials have ties to criminal organisations. A country where state-approved tion of the white man” has joined a cam- gas supplies to Ukraine.” Then shouldn’t the West get accustomed to this history books portray Josef Stalin, one of the most ruthless dictators in his- paign to block IVF treatment in Poland. winter tradition? tory, as a harsh but successful leader. A country where independent media are Artur Górski is one of 23 conservative MPs suppressed, and where people brainwashed by official venomous propaganda to have signed a letter of petition against Well, this raises the second problem with the so-called Russian dilem- agree with Putin’s claims that the collapse of the Soviet Union was the biggest “test tube babies.” At present, it is possi- ma. It is, in fact, a question of the Western approach, particularly the geopolitical catastrophe of the 20th century. A country where human rights ble to have the treatment in Poland, but European Union’s response to these cuts of energy supplies. If there is a are almost non-existent, almighty police officers are lords of life and death, the government has not drawn up legis- classic trait in Brussels-style policy-making, it would have to be the self- and where ultra-nationalist stormtroopers prowl the streets of Moscow in a lation on the matter, above all regarding pitying, finger-pointing and fruitless style of dealing with these energy hunt for people of non-Slavic appearance. A country where political murders the question of direct state funding. The crises that the European Union has shown for years. Russia appears to happen on a regular basis with no reaction from the Kremlin or the Orthodox signed opponents of IVF are all from the be an easy target to blame for some European states. It has a long history Church. How can you trust a country which has become, in the precise sense conservative Law & Justice Party. “We of bullying smaller and weaker countries, especially the former Soviet of the word, a fascist state? hope that our letter will help the party satellites that have been referred to in Moscow as a “near abroad.” Rus- to take the right stand, even though we sia, according to this stereotype, is also viewed as a barbarian country Today, Russia is desperately fighting to regain the international respect that are aware that there are MPs in the party where rules of logic simply do not apply. it enjoyed in the Soviet Union’s heyday. So should it still be feared as an “Evil presenting various approaches towards Empire,” or is that just a cliché preserved from the times of the Cold War? in vitro,” Górski said. Yet given that 1 in 5 This explanation – while great for shifting responsibility away from Polish couples have problems conceiving, Brussels and towards Russia – does not push the issue of energy sup- Russia may be a colossus on clay legs, waving a sabre while sitting on a wooden it is likely that Górski’s gang will be given plies any further. Not only does it vilify Moscow (which does not help rocking horse, but it still holds the gas pistol, which has replaced the nuclear short shrift. in achieving consensus), it deflects attention from the most important one. This is a clear and present danger to Europe, and no leftist moaning, such truth: that the EU’s common energy policy is a phantom. Consider for as Sting’s “I hope the Russians love their children too,” can change that pic- Resistance Heroine Dies example Germany’s double standards with its interest in building the ture. One of the last surviving couriers who Nord Stream pipeline. The Ukrainian role in the last dispute might be spirited information out of Nazi-occupied worth checking as well. Is it really so evident that Kiev is just an inno- So what does the wannabe empire do to gain political leverage these days? It Poland has died. Elżbieta Zawacka lived cent bystander hit by the ruthless energy superpower? turns off the gas valve. This message is as subtle as Nikita Khruschev’s shoe- an extraordinary life, serving as a profes- banging on the desk during the UN General Assembly in 1960. His memorable sor, freedom fighter, scouting instructor Europeans, instead of blaming themselves, again have trouble under- declaration “We will bury you” is clearly still alive today, being only slightly and ultimately as brigadier general after standing that Gazprom is in reality just another of Russia’s foreign pol- changed to “We will freeze you.” President Kaczyński promoted her in icy tools. It is not a question of being right or wrong, it is a question of 2006. During the war Zawacka travelled an economic and political model exercised in the Russian Federation. Is Since the last energy dispute between Russia and Ukraine in 2006, the EU has illicitly through Germany, France and liberal democracy and a European type of economy the only one allowed spent three years talking about producing a coherent energy policy. Nothing Spain to Great Britain, where she liaised in the world? Last time I checked, by all means no. But if some Euro- has been done so far. with the Polish government-in-exile. pean Union states, and that includes Poland, do not wish to do business Parachuted back into Poland as a com- with Russia and buy gas elsewhere, they are free to do so. Russia, on the Today, one of Europe’s best hopes for limiting its dependence on Russian gas mando, she fought in the Warsaw Upris- other hand, is not an evil empire that feeds on other countries’ misery. is the Nabucco pipeline project. The intended route for the Nabucco is from ing against the Nazis. After the war she Moscow wishes to do business and use its strategic natural resources. the Caspian Sea to Turkey and on to Europe through Bulgaria, Romania and became a teacher but in 1951 she was Trading gas for money is after all a two way street. Hungary, bypassing Russia. A strong advocate against this solution is Ger- arrested and tortured by the communist man ex-chancellor Gerhard Schroeder, Putin’s best friend and chairman of the authorities. She was released four years But this in turn would require that the EU’s policy of half-measures be shareholders’ committee in one of Gazprom’s sub-companies. His yearly sal- later in the so-called “thaw” that fol- changed into one, single-minded energy policy. So perhaps it’s really ary of over 1,000,000 Euro is clearly a consolation for being called a political lowed Stalin’s death. Zawacka eventu- time to start implementing a new energy security policy for the EU and prostitute. ally became a professor of Pedagogy in stop whining. As Dimitri K. Simes pointed out on The National Inter- Torun, the city of her birth. During the est webpage, the blame for the recent conflict is shared by all actors: In the long-term, the only positive outcome of the recent crisis may be that the eighties she cooperated with the Solidar- “Neither Ukraine, Russia, the EU or even the United States come out EU’s very impotence will turn into action and stiffen resolve on energy supply ity movement. She died just two months with their hands clean or their relationships intact.” If this crisis has not security. Otherwise, on another beautiful morning we may wake up again, as before her 100th birthday. taught Brussels a lesson, I guess nothing will. we say in Poland, with a hand in the chamber pot. And a very cold one too. www.krakowpost.com Krakow Post FEBRUARY 2009 9 Opinion Vae Victis – Woe to the Vanquished!

Szymon Urbański reflects on a grim discovery in northern Poland

ast October, construction a degree, but generally speaking the au- expellees not only German nationals death camps and Gulags, as forced la- workers unearthed hu- thorities turned a blind eye. Nazi prop- who lived in Eastern Europe long be- bourers and prisoners of war. The Ger- man remains at the site of a aganda disseminated graphic details fore the war, but also German colonists, man cultural genocide wiped away 40 planned luxury hotel in Mal- of incidents such as the Nemmersdorf who settled on occupied lands during percent of the pre-war intellectual com- bork,L northern Poland. Ultimately, it massacre, causing even more panic the war and were later expelled. Be- munity, including professionals and turned out to be a mass grave of nearly instead of boosting civilians’ morale. longing to the second group is the cur- clergy, not to mention the destruction 2,000 men, women and children who Terror-stricken Germans committed rent president of BdV, Erika Steinbach, of entire cities and the subsequent 45 had been bundled into a bomb cra- suicide as soon as they heard the distant whose reputation in Poland is close to years of post-war communist rule. To- ter. Malbork was the German city of echoes of Russian artillery. a bogeyman (or, should we say, bogey- day, anti-German bias remains strong, Marienburg until the end of World woman?); she is often depicted on mag- sometimes resulting in much more War II, famed for the 13th century Teu- The exodus of Germans from their azine covers wearing an SS uniform. harsh actions than, say, renaming the tonic Knights’ magnificent fortress, the eastern territories continued from poor German Shepherd dog “Alsatian,” world’s largest brick castle. The bodies the spring of 1944. During the early Although the German government has or changing the German family name are most likely those of German citi- months of 1945 the German Kriegsma- officially dismissed expellees’ property of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha to Windsor, zens (still unaccounted for in German rine launched “Operation Hannibal,” claims, there has been a notable trend which occurred in England in the wake archives) killed during fierce battles be- an emergency evacuation of civilians German prisoners being rounded in various German circles to diminish of World War I. tween German troops and the advanc- and troops from isolated East Prussia. up and searched by Red Army the Nazi crimes against humanity whilst ing Soviets. The fact that no remains of A vast fleet of ships transported an in- soldiers / from The Eastern Front in putting emphasis on the suffering of the There is also some controversy concern- Photographs, John Erickson clothes or personal possessions were credible two million people across the German nation. Recent German films ing the Malbork discovery. The local found, not even dental fillings, clearly Baltic Sea to Germany. Although the like Untergang (The Downfall), Anony- prosecutor closed the case rather quick- indicates that the victims were pillaged operation was a general success, a se- Ribbentrop-Molotov Pact and the subma (A Woman in Berlin) or Die Gustloff ly, stating that these people most likely by the Red Army. ries of disasters occurred. The Wilhelm sequent Soviet invasion. To compensate (Ship of No Return), although depicting died as a result of combat operations, Gustloff, the Steuben and the Goya, for the loss of the eastern lands, Poland’s the true horrors of the close of the war, famine, diseases etc., not as victims of All things considered, this gruesome each carrying several thousand refu- western border was moved far west- are devoid of any hint as to what exactly war crimes, although some of the skulls discovery is not a surprise, knowing the gees, were torpedoed by Soviet subma- ward to the Oder-Neisse Line. This was brought these biblical calamities upon had bullet holes in them, clearly indi- reality of the Eastern Front in 1944/45. rines. The sinking of the former luxury former east German territory, where them. cating an execution. The mayor hastily In revenge for the horrible atrocities cruise ship the Wilhelm Gustloff - with Polish citizens, themselves expelled ordered a quiet burial at the local cem- committed by the Wehrmacht and SS possibly as many as 9,000 fatalities - is from the east, were forced to settle. This Well, let’s quote Art Buchwald, the etery. After a few weeks, rains washed Einsatzgruppen in Soviet Russia since the worst maritime disaster in history. resulted in further massive expulsions American humourist, who wrote this away more and more bones, and the 1941, the Red Army showed no mercy On May 3rd 1945, just five days be- of ethnic Germans from these lands. It in the 1960s: “...I agree. The German investigation was reluctantly resumed. to their former allies turned invaders fore the end of war in Europe, the Cap is estimated that around 12-14 million nation suffered enough from Warner Polish and German officials and archae- - soldiers and civilians alike. Soviet in- Arcona and the Thielbek, laden with Germans fled during the war or were Brothers and MGM. I propose a new ologists began to work again on what fantry were encouraged by their com- concentration camps inmates, were dis- forcibly migrated afterwards from Po- movie, Stalag Hilton, with Henry Fonda turned out to be a mass grave. In the be- manders to loot, pillage and destroy patched by British fighter planes. The land, Czechoslovakia, Hungary, Yugo- as the camp commander and Doris Day ginning, however, the remains were un- every village and town, often murder- loss of life resulting from the sinking slavia and other parts of Central and as his wife rolling bandages for the Jew- earthed by a mechanical digger, hardly ing the so-called “Nazi reptiles.” of these five vessels, dubbed “the Baltic Eastern Europe. ish prisoners in the hospital. SS sergeant a subtle archaeological tool. Was it anti- Titanics,” added up to between 25,000 Glenn Ford rushes in screaming: ‘Herr German resentment that caused such Soviet troops marching west raped vir- and 30,000. The interests of the displaced Germans Kommandant! The prisoners are escap- solutions? Or perhaps the reasons were tually every German female, from lit- and their descendants are represented ing!’ Fonda replies: ‘Shut up. I’m in on more mundane, since such incidents tle girls to elderly women. Many were In the aftermath of the war, the Western today by the controversial Bund der the July ‘44 plot to kill Hitler!’ Ford says: cause unwanted delays in construction bestially murdered. It is estimated that Allies agreed to Stalin’s demands and Vertriebenen, or Federation of Expel- ‘Aren’t we all?’” and bad publicity. The project has al- some two million women were raped Poland’s borders were radically changed lees, known for its revisionist approach, ready being granted the ghastly epithet in the Soviet occupation zone between at the Potsdam Conference. Poland lost such as failing to recognise post-war From the Poles’ point of view, Poland of “The Skull and Crossbones Hotel.” 1945 and 1947, a number which sur- 40 percent of its pre-war territory to the frontiers, and attempting to claim pri- lost between 5 and 6 million people as a Whatever the reason, such discoveries prised even the Russian High Com- Soviet Union, lands which Stalin had vate property left in the former German result of the German and Soviet reigns prove that today, 70 years later, the demand. Some rapists were punished to already annexed in 1939 following the territories. German law recognises as of terror. They perished in massacres, mons of war are far from forgotten. 10 Krakow Post FEBRUARY 2009 www.krakowpost.com Travel

Destination: Zakopane NOSAL KASPROWY WIERCH GIGANT 13 km WITÓW-SKI B P ome winter, Krakow’s residents don’t have far to go to find peak snow conditions on the peaks. The P B C P B Krakow Post explores Zakopane, a winter paradise a P B P stone’s throw - or should we say, a snowball’s throw - P B B B BUDZOWSKI away. P WIERCH B CHAŁUBIŃSKIEGO Zakopane, Poland’s premier mountain resort, Tourists can visit numerous exhibitions and is one of the country’s most popular holiday local craft and fine art galleries. There are P destinations, both in the winter for skiing, also several artistic schools and, most fa- P KOZINIEC LIPKI P P and in the summer for hiking and camping. mously, The Stanisław Ignacy Witkiewicz B B B NA SZYMASZKOWĄB Until recently, Zakopane has been enjoyed Theatre. B B primarily by Poles and travellers from East- SALAMANDRA Czarny Dunajec Chochołów, Witów, ern Europe, but its splendid natural scenery, Mountain Culture is explored in The Tatra P world-class ski slopes, and great value-for- Folk Centre. Zakopane has become some- STASZICA money hotels and apartments means that it is thing of a mecca for mountain culture be- ANTAŁÓWKA P B quickly becoming a popular spot for visitors yond Poland’s borders, with the folk culture P P from further afield. of mountaineers from all continents being B B P celebrated at the annual International Festi- PARDAŁÓWKA B P P Although its local population is only about val of Highland Folklore every September. POLANA 30,000, the town is visited by a staggering B SZYMOSZKOWA two million tourists a year. Nestled in the But what’s the scene on the slopes? B RAILWAY heart of the Tatra Mountains - the peak of STATION the Carpathians a northeastern offshoot of Well, at the top of the list is Kasprowy Wierch. the Alps - Zakopane keeps its visitors happy. You can reach this summit by the cable car And they keep coming back. Perhaps the fact from Kużnice. However, be advised: this that the Tatra Mountains are the youngest al- peak is very popular, and queuing for three pine mountain chain in the world has some- or more hours to ride the cable car up is not thing to do with the energy around here? unheard of. Nosal is another top choice. With B B a chair lift and over 10 T lifts, you won’t be Zakopane is Poland’s highest town: its mu- bored. On a clear day the views are fantastic. B GUBAŁÓWKA nicipal region extends from 750 to 1000 m KOTELNICA above sea level. The highest peak in the area Next up is Gubalówka, which provides the of the town is Mt. Świnica which is 2301 me- closest slopes to the town. You can reach the DRAG LIFT SKI JUMP tres above sea level, with the highest peak top via the newly built railcar or one of many B in the whole of the Polish Tatras, Mt. Rysy, T-bar style lifts. In addition to a fantastic CHAIR LIFT reaching 2499 m above sea level. The cen- view of Zakopane and its surrounding envi- B SKI tral point of the town - the crossroads of rons, you’ll find slopes for all levels of skiers. FUNICULAR RAILWAY Krupowki and Kosciuszki Streets is 838 m Artificial snow and lighting keep the place B SNOWBOARD above sea level. humming for a long while. SNOWPARK CABLE CAR There are plenty of museums in the town, For those of you who prefer the horizontal CROSS-COUNTRY the most significant and oldest being The to the vertical, Zakopane is a cross-country HARENDA TRAILS B B BUS STOPS Tatra Museum. There is also the Natural skier’s dream. Try the Krokiew area by the B History Museum of Tatra National Park and massive ski jumps. Once again, if at all possi- P ICE SKATING B biographical museums of famous Polish art- ble, try to find some less travelled routes; the ZĄB N P PARKING ists, among them the great composer Karol peace and quiet will make those breathtaking Poronin, Nowy Targ, Kraków Szymanowski, the poet Jan Kasprowicz, and views all the more enjoyable. the artist Władysław Hasior.

SKI SLOPE "GIGANT" opposite Ski Jump “Wielka Krokiew” 34-500 Zakopane ul. B. Czecha e-mail: [email protected]

+48 (0) 602107207 also SLOPE FOR BEGINNERS

www.zakopanegigant.pl www.krakowpost.com Krakow Post FEBRUARY 2009 11 Travel

NOSAL KASPROWY WIERCH GIGANT 13 km WITÓW-SKI B P

P B P B

P B P P B B B BUDZOWSKI P WIERCH B CHAŁUBIŃSKIEGO

P P KOZINIEC LIPKI P P B B B NA SZYMASZKOWĄB B B

SALAMANDRA Czarny Dunajec Chochołów, Witów,

P ANTAŁÓWKA STASZICA P B P P For more tips, advice B B P PARDAŁÓWKA B P and info log on to P POLANA B SZYMOSZKOWA B Zakopane-Life.com RAILWAY STATION Thousands of pages and

B B reader reviews

B GUBAŁÓWKA KOTELNICA DRAG LIFT SKI JUMP B CHAIR LIFT B SKI FUNICULAR RAILWAY B SNOWBOARD SNOWPARK CABLE CAR CROSS-COUNTRY HARENDA TRAILS B B BUS STOPS B P ICE SKATING B ZĄB N P PARKING Poronin, Nowy Targ, Kraków

Organizator Pucharu Europy FIS 2009 w Slalomie Specjalnym Kobiet

FIS Ladies Slalom European Cup 2009 Organizer

KOLEJ KRZESELKOWA TRASY ZJAZDOWE SNOWPARK TARAS WIDOKOWY GASTRONOMIA

JAZDA DLA WYMAGAJACYCH!

l h (Track) � � ( Difficulty ) 900m 210m bardzo trudna/very difficult 1000m 210m trudna/difficult 500m 100m łlatwa/easy 250m 30m łlatwa/easy 100m 15m bardzo łlatwa/very easy 1200m 210m srednio trudna/relatively difficult

www.harendazakopane.pl CHAIRLIFT SKI & SNOWBOARD TRACKS SNOWPARK OBSERVATION TERRACE THE INN

12 Krakow Post FEBRUARY 2009 www.krakowpost.com Business & Technology

Limerick Logs Off, Łódź Logs On Groundbreaking Museum Gadget

Danuta Filipowicz Grażyna Zawada

ell, the American computer for Limerick. He also confirmed that the move or create significant capacity in a market on ould you like to have disadvantage of the device is that it can’t manufacturer and the world’s is part of a $3 billion cost reduction initiative the decline in the Eastern Economic Area,” a personal guide eve- be asked questions. “We wanted Sybilla number two PC maker, decid- that the company announced in 2008 as a re- Competition Commissioner Neelie Kroes ry time you enter a to be an aid for families with children or ed to move its manufacturing sult of a review of its global supply chain. told Reuters UK. In December 2008 Brussels museum? Thanks to enthusiasts of weekend trips, who don’t Dbase from Limerick in Ireland to its plant in ordered a detailed investigation into a Polish W“Sybilla,” a device invented in Krakow, have much time for thorough planning Łódź, the third largest city in Poland. The minimum wage in Poland is 317 euro government proposal that invested 52.7 mil- visiting any major site will become an and studying guidebooks,” says Olisze- per month, compared with over 1,560 euro lion euro into providing new facilities for Dell interactive adventure for guests of all wski. According to the Irish Times, all production in Ireland. at its new plant in Łódź. If they find the pro- ages. of computer systems for customers in Europe, posed subsidies are not compatible with state The device will no doubt turn out help- the Middle East and Africa (EMEA) is moving Dell CEO Michael Dell officially opened the rules, then the American investor will not be Sybilla is a complex system based on ful for museum staff, because markers to the Polish plant over the next 12 months. newest and most advanced Polish manu- able to receive the money. According to infor- Radio Frequency Identification tech- can easily be moved with the exhib- facturing facility on January 23rd. Paweł mation from the Commission the total cost nology (RFID), composed of an iPod- its, without changing any data in the Dell, one of Ireland’s largest corporate employ- Wojciechowski, head of the Polish foreign of the development is almost 90 million euro. like radio signal receiver and a small flash memory, which is especially ideal ers and its biggest exporter, said that it was cut- investment agency in Warsaw, stated, “I am The investigation will check if the proposed battery-powered transmitter called a for temporary exhibitions that travel ting 1,900 jobs in Limerick. The company will very pleased with the fact that Dell opted for subsidies could lead to a disproportionate marker that emits a signal in the form around a country. Sybilla can also be still continue to employ about 1,100 people in Poland, especially in the face of the global eco- distortion of competition. The duration of the of an identification number. Markers integrated with different multimedia Ireland. The workers in Limerick would con- nomic slowdown. The decision confirms the inquiry could last from six to 18 months. are installed very close to a particular devices to enliven a museum’s interior. tinue to coordinate manufacturing operations competitive advantage of Poland as attractive exhibit item, for example under a dis- Upon entering a castle’s courtyard tour- throughout Europe, as well as research and for investment. Projects from the IT sector do According to official company information, play case, and the receiver is handed ists can hear sounds of knights clanging develop new products. The Global Innova- create a solid base for future innovation devel- Dell’s new 37,000 square-metre manufactur- to every visitor entering a museum. their swords in battle or the sounds of a tion Solutions Centre and EMEA Command opment [which is] attractive for the country, ing facility represents a 200 million euro in- When a visitor moves around the mu- waltz in a ballroom. Innowacja Polska Centre will remain in Limerick. Likewise, the especially thanks to the competitive university vestment. 1,200 employees work in the plant. seum holding the Sybilla receiver and plans to use Sybilla for visiting vast open sales, marketing and technical support divi- education offered in the field [in Poland].” Complementing the successful Limerick- approaches a particular item from a areas, such as Krakow’s Market Square sions located in Cherrywood in the vicinity of based manufacturing operation, the Łódź certain distance, the marker’s signal is or the Kazimierz district. The first tests Dublin will continue to operate. However, the Financial Times describes this facility will initially produce the Latitude and received and a recording describing the have been successfully completed in the decision as “a blow for the Irish economy” and Inspiron lines of laptop computers, custom- item is played back. Visitors themselves Historical Museum of Krakow. Seán Corkery, vice-president of Dell’s opera- suggests that there are concerns that the 53 ised to meet the specific needs of retail and can choose to operate in manual mode, tions for Europe, the Middle East and Africa, million euro offered by Poland could breach business clients. The location of the new fac- and Sybilla will then show the name “Digital information reaches the recipi- said the decision to cut jobs was difficult but rules on state aid. The region of Poland where tory means that Central and Eastern Europe- of items located within a specified dis- ent much easier and quicker than any the right one if Dell is to become even more the factory is located qualifies for regional an and Nordic customers can expect at least a tance (this is to avoid information noise other, so there’s no doubt that introduc- competitive, according to the Irish Times. He help because of low living standards and high two day reduction of current delivery times. when a room is full of objects and en- ing multimedia to museums is inevita- also denied that Dell had planned to close unemployment. able equally comfortable sightseeing ble,” comments Michał Niezabitowski, manufacturing in Limerick when it built The Polish Information and Foreign Invest- even with a large crowd present). After the director of the Historical Museum the plant in Łódź, in 2007. “At the time, we The European Commission will check if the ment Agency and the Warsaw Voice daily one click on a particular item, Sybilla of Krakow. “Currently, the most prob- needed extra capacity and wanted to be close Polish government followed all the strict rules awarded Dell first prize for being the top plays back the name, and after a double able place where we could use a wide to our customers in Central and Eastern Eu- for regional aid. “We need to investigate all new site or “Greenfield” investor employing click a full, detailed description of the range of multimedia devices is Schin- rope,” he explained. The increase in sales of of the effects of this aid to verify that it con- the highest number of workers. Forbes also selected exhibit is transmitted. The de- dler’s factory in Zabłocie; however we portable notebook computers and the decline tributes to regional development and to en- granted the Major Investor of the Year Award scription will also be shown on the dis- don’t yet know whether it’s going to be in desktop sales changed the economic model sure that it will not reinforce Dell’s position to Dell. play to enable sightseeing for the deaf. Sybilla or some other system. For the time being, all technological innova- “Sybilla was created for tourists who tions are quite expensive, but when want to establish their own order of they become more common we will sightseeing or to stop at a particular definitely use them in other branches of exhibit and learn as much as possible our museum,” says Niezabitowski. about it,” stresses Marek Oliszewski, the maker of Sybilla from Cracovian com- In mid-December, the Historical Mu- pany Innowacja Polska. The company seum of Krakow presented the newly is owned by Prof. Tadeusz Uhl, who restored interior of the former Schin- came up with the idea of the whole sys- dler factory at 4 Lipowa St. – over tem and acquired money to complete two sq. km of exhibition space where it from EU Structural Funds. “Sybilla’s a new branch of the museum is to be flash memory, on which the descrip- opened this autumn. The display will tions are recorded, can be selected ac- conjure the experience of World War cording to visitors’ needs and interests. II-era Krakow, without over-glorifying It’s also easy to replace and update. the person of Schindler himself. Two We’ve even been thinking about [mak- rooms – a secretary’s office and Schin- ing] a ‘virtual stand’ through which a dler’s study – are to tell the story we visitor will load onto his receiver the know from Schindler’s List. However, version that is most interesting for him, most probably the grand opening will such as detailed data for connoisseurs not come to pass, because the team who or curiosities for kids,” says Oliszewski. designed the exhibit has been quarrel- ling over author’s rights: theatrical di- Sybilla can read signals sent by even rector Łukasz Czuj and stage designer eighty markers at one time, which is a Michał Urban accuse 3D graphic de- world record. The receiver is perfectly signer Wioletta Mazurek of submitting safe; it does not emit harmful waves the project signed with her name only that could disturb the operation of ar- and have announced a court trial to tificial pacemakers, for instance. One solve the matter. www.krakowpost.com Krakow Post FEBRUARY 2009 13 Property Post

Rising Out of the Ruins

Anna Spysz

ast August, the Krakow ley, the executive director of Verity Ultimately, both the building’s ex- Post reported on the pur- Development, at the moment “resi- terior and its height depend on chase of and early plans dential [property] is moving slowly, which of the plans are approved to develop Krakow’s and office is looking better, but who by the Municipal Department of tallest building. Now we knows what will happen in the next Architecture and the Małopolska return with more concrete details six to 12 months? The [current eco- Regional Office for the Protection Labout the fate of the long-unfinished nomic] crisis makes predictions very of Monuments (Małopolski Wo- structure. difficult.” jewódzki Konserwator Zabytków), headed by Jan Janczykowski. So far, The future “TreiMorfa” Tower, known The property is being developed by Mr. Janczykowski has decided to locally as “Szkieletor” (“Skeletor”), the Verity Development group, which allow 102.5 metres to be the height has stood naked for over three dec- includes offices in Germany, Belgium, of the tower. Mr. Bradley believes ades. But if everything goes accord- Poland and Italy and already has over it will be about three to four more ing to plan, by 2012 (just in time for 40 investments in Poland, primarily months until all of the permits are the Euro Cup) TreiMorfa will be a in Wrocław, where the firm’s main issued and work on the building multi-functional centre of commerce, Polish office is located. The TreiMorfa can begin. with a 24-storey tower surrounded by project is a joint venture between Ver- a group of lower buildings, in which ity and its local partner, the GD&K When asked about the cause of his offices, a hotel, and upmarket retail Group, with funds from an unspeci- initial interest in TreiMorfa, Peter outlets and a delicatessen will be fied Middle Eastern investor. Bradley mentioned the building’s located. Altogether, the complex of visibility on Krakow’s skyline as buildings will resemble New York’s In early January, the firm released part of the motivation: “TreiMorfa Rockefeller Center. concept artwork (see right) designed is a unique project. It’s unlikely that by the building’s chief architect, Pro- anything else will be built so high so In addition, the current plans include fessor Hans Kollhoff. The German -ar close to the centre of Krakow.” No a two-level underground parking lot chitect is considered one of the top 10 matter which concept ends up be- as well as residential spaces, though of his craft in Europe. The concepts coming the final project, it’s safe to the ratio of residential-to-office space vary in height from about 100 metres say that within the next few years, will likely be decided by the future to 140 metres. The current frame of Krakow’s skyline will certainly see market. According to Peter Brad- TreiMorfa stands 93 metres tall. an improvement. Concept artwork

<< Continued from 7

million Palestinians in Gaza because kill their own people,” while outgoing of the actions of a few.” On the other Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice hand, Hamas quartered its combat- said that the United States held Ha- ants in densely populated areas, very mas responsible for the outbreak of often using civilian infrastructure to violence in Gaza. hide its military resources. There have even been opinions indicating that But before the new president of the the more Palestinians that die in Is- United States was sworn in on Janu- rael’s offensive, the better for Hamas, ary 20th, the ceasefire had been an- as it will ensure a constant flow of nounced and Israeli forces began newcomers eager to join the organi- their withdrawal from the Gaza Strip. sation. Some commentators believe that this move was deliberately made before The Polish government waited until Barack Obama’s inauguration, as Is- January 5th to announce its reac- rael wanted to avoid disagreements tion. The first to address the issue with its most powerful strategic ally. It of the conflict was Minister of De- might also be suggested that perhaps fence Bogdan Klich, who declared on Israel had simply achieved its military TVN’s political show “Kropka nad i” goals in Gaza, and while being aware that Poland shares the stance of the of bearing the political cost of killing European Union, namely that there Palestinian civilians, had decided to should be an appeal to both sides in declare victory and go home. Interest- the conflict to stop the violence. He ingly enough, Hamas also called the added that although Israel had a right results of the struggle a success. to defend its citizens from rocket at- tacks launched by Hamas, its mili- However, the outcome of this war tary reactions were exaggerated. The seems to be much more ambiguous Polish, or broadly European Union, than both sides are willing to admit. reaction slightly differed from the ini- More importantly, in the wake of the tial American response. White House recent ceasefire, the peace process spokesman Gordon Johndroe pro- looks even more distant than it ap- claimed that Hamas “indiscriminately peared a couple months ago. 14 Krakow Post FEBRUARY 2009 www.krakowpost.com Sport Post

Boruc’s Blunders SPORT IN BRIEF by Daniël van Hoven Niedzwiedzki Gets His Medal The European Speed Skating Cham- Troubled season for Poland’s top keeper pionships, which were held this year in Heerenveen, Holland, produced Wojciech Galon some moderate success for both the male and female contenders from Poland. This was notable, especially t wasn’t so long ago that Polish since the level of Polish speed skating football fans could legitimately has been declining ever since Paweł claim to have one of the best Zygmunt and Jaromir Radke called it goalkeepers in Europe. After a quits some years ago. In Heerenveen numberI of sterling performances at the it was business as usual at the top of highest level for both club and country, the table. Dutchmen dominated, with Artur Boruc was seemingly destined champion Sven Kramer defending his for bigger and better things than the title successfully, winning three out Scottish Premier League. of four distances and ending in fifth on the 500 metre sprint. It was on But it has all gone pear-shaped for the that sprint that Polish skater Konrad 28-year-old since he excelled for Poland Niedzwiedzki surprisingly scooped a at Euro 2008. A series of off the field silver medal, thus qualifying for the incidents and personal problems have longest distance of the tournament, clearly taken a toll on the custodian’s earning him an honourable eleventh form, putting his place as first choice place in the final standings and quali- keeper with the national team and club fication for the world championships side Celtic under scrutiny. later this year. With the women it was no different. With the Dutch ladies out The eccentric Pole has been on a de- of form, German Claudia Pechstein structive streak of late. Shortly after won her third European All-round ti- Euro 2008, Boruc, along with na- tle. Pole Kasia Wójcicka performed tional teammates Dariusz Dudka and decently, finishing eleventh twice and Radosław Majewski, were suspended even scoring a very well-raced eighth from the national team for breaching a place on the nautical mile, deliver- curfew and going on a booze binge fol- ing her an eighth place in the overall lowing Poland’s loss in a friendly against Boruc on the field with Celtic / photo Brett Halverson ranking - her best performance thus Ukraine. far in her career. Wójcicka also qualified for the world championships. More controversy was soon to fol- Cup fourth round game against Dun- the best year” and rejecting rumours << Continued from 6 low. Having undergone knee surgery dee United. that he will drop him from the first Małysz Slowly Improving in Scotland, Boruc was granted time team squad. The Vierschanzentournee (The Four off by Celtic, which he used to return With the match locked at 0-0, the Celtic in the last election were published, reveal- Hills Tournament) could have been to Poland to recover from the injury. keeper raced out of his box to counter a Teammates have also leapt to Boruc’s ing that 10 MPs and three senators were described as a disaster for Polish ski- However, his intimate relationship with Dundee attack, only to completely miss defence, with Celtic left back Lee Nay- registered as collaborators by the com- jumping hero Adam Małysz, but his controversy continued, only this time an attempted left-foot volley clearance lor saying in January that the Pole is the munist secret services. All denied these performances also gave reason to be on home soil. During another alcohol- and leave Dundee striker Colin McMe- best keeper in Britain. charges and some voluntarily submitted hopeful. Slowly moving himself up the infused night out, he was pictured chug- namin free to roll the ball into an empty their own lustration statements. field, the Polish veteran started the ging beer, smoking cigars and kissing a net. The show of solidarity has reminded tournament in 27th place in Oberst- mystery girl in Warsaw. critics who have pounced on Boruc’s The most recent tranche of released records dorf on December 29th. Defending Although Celtic recovered to win 2-1, disappointing season that it wasn’t so included those of the president of the east- Olympic champion Simon Ammann It was later revealed that the object of Boruc’s blunder was the key talking long ago that his reputation was soar- ern city of Zamość, Marcin Zamoyski, and took the gold there. The most excit- the Pole’s affection happened to be Sara point after the game, as pressure began to ing. Since signing with Celtic in 2005, indicated that he was registered as a secret ing of the four was held in Garmisch- Mannei, a part-time model and former mount on Celtic manager Gordon Stra- the Pole has produced a string of stel- service collaborator in 1986 with the pseu- Partenkirchen on New Year’s Day, but contestant on the Polish Pop Idol, whose chan to drop the wayward goalkeeper. lar performances on the international donym “Count” (an apt choice as Zamoyski it became a huge disappointment relationship with Boruc has since been stage, and his ability to be a match win- is, in fact, a member of the Polish nobility). for Małysz, who edged no higher made public. What’s more, the mistake against Dun- ner not only gave him cult status among Zamoyski denies the charge. than 37th. Austrian Wolfgang Loitzl dee was one of a series of costly errors supporters, but also earned him the tag won the top prize, and he also took Following the birth of his first child in supplied by Boruc, in what has been a of the “Holy Goalie” in Scotland. With the revelations from General Kiszczak’s gold in his home game in Innsbruck, August, Boruc had undergone a high troubled season at best. trial it has come as no surprise that in late Austria, where his talented country- profile split with his wife, and his pub- The goalkeeper’s performances prior January 2009 the PO government signalled man Schlierenzauer came second. lic display of affection with Mannei During a league match against Hiber- to and during Euro 2008 even caught that they want to abolish the lustration bu- Innsbruck has always been good to drew outrage in Poland. He was soon nian in December, which Celtic coinci- the attention of the likes of Arsenal and reau of the IPN and open all records to the Małysz and he took revenge for the the subject of strong criticism at home, dentally lost 2-0, the error-prone keeper AC Milan, who were eager to sign the public. However, despite the lack of confi- earlier poor performance by finishing and a number of vile threats were made was the culprit in another embarrassing Polish international last year. dence in the effectiveness of the process and 15th there. The final jump was held in against him on online web forums. mistake. On this occasion, a seemingly the truthfulness of the records, a survey con- Bischofshofen and it was again Loitzl harmless, 45-yard effort by John Rankin Although whispers suggesting a poten- ducted for Rzeczpospolita showed that 59 jumping the furthest of all, winning There is little doubt that Boruc’s head- of Hibernian caught Boruc off guard, as tial switch to a bigger European league percent of people surveyed do not want the the 2008/09 edition of the Vierschan- line-grabbing antics have had a nega- poor positioning and a loss of footing have waned for the time being, there is Lustration Bureau of the IPN to be dissolved zentournee. Adam Małysz did not tive impact on his form, particularly proved to be fatal. little doubt that, if able to put a troubled and that 80 percent of respondents do not qualify, as he ended on a disappoint- for Glasgow giants Celtic. Last month, few months behind him and fulfil his want former agents of the communist secret ing 33rd position in the overall stand- the Pole was ordered by coaching staff Yet Strachan has refused to publicly massive potential, Boruc will appear on services in positions of public service. How ings. Fellow Pole Kamil Stoch finished to partake in additional training, fol- criticise these lacklustre performances, the wish list of some of the world’s big- the current government is going to square in 36th. lowing a costly mistake in the Scottish conceding only that Boruc “hasn’t had gest clubs once again. this circle remains to be seen. www.krakowpost.com Krakow Post FEBRUARY 2009 15 Culture

Christine: Femme Fatale Inspires Film CULTURE IN BRIEF The Bug Trainer Usually it’s Walt Disney who steals the limelight when it comes to anima- An exclusive preview of the forthcoming WWII epic by Agnieszka Holland tion pioneers. But Poles can proudly put forward one of their own in the Nick Hodge stop-motion realm. Władysław Stare- wicz (1882-1965) is on the verge of a major revival owing to new film The Bug Trainer. A joint Polish-Lithuanian venture, the inventive biopic uses hi- tech animation to bring its subject to life. Poland’s oscar-winning Se-ma-for Studio provides the animation wiz- ardry, and an English language version is currently in preparation. Starewicz himself (aka Ladislas Starevich), was born in what was then Tsarist Russia. He won world renown for his witty, stop-motion fables. After the Bolshevik Revolution, he continued his career in France. “His work is absolutely breathtaking, surreal, inventive and extraordinary,” says ex-Python Terry Gilliam: “This is where it all began.”

You Missed a Spot, Mrs. Bond For readers tired of hearing that being a Pole equals being a cleaner in London, Sean Connery reminds us of a rather different age. In his recently penned memoir, Being a Scot, the former Bond star reveals that during Concept artwork for the film “Christine: War My Love” / © 2008 SPI Film Studio. With many thanks to producer Raf Buks. the war his own mother used to clean for Polish officers, many of whom were ver the last few months, nary “Pauline Armand,” hiding out in stationed in grand Edinburgh houses. millions have watched the brush and winning over nervous “As kids we all liked them,” he says of James Bond batter his way locals. An uncanny charmer, she even the Poles, “especially when they put through a carnival of vil- managed to bring animals under her on exotic cabaret shows at the Palla- Olains in a bid to avenge his slain lover, spell, reducing teeth-gnashing Gestapo dium and handed out lead lapel badges the beautiful double agent Vesper Lynd. hounds to puppy-like devotion in her of Polish eagles.” For much of the war, Bond’s vendetta made for an entertain- presence (a factor which saved her life Polish forces were responsible for the ing on-screen caper – and a major hit at on more than one occasion). When defence of the Scottish coastline. Ever the box office. Yet an even more fasci- her companions in arms were arrested the snappy dresser, Connery fell very nating tale lurks behind the fiction. and hours away from the firing squad, much under their spell: “Always carry- Skarbek concocted an outrageous plan ing briefcases and wearing long tailored It seems that Bond author Ian Fleming to liberate them. overcoats, these Poles with their suave based Vesper on a real-life spy, Krystyna haircuts cut a dashing presence,” he Skarbek, a Polish femme fatale who ran “For her, mediocrity spelled death and a reminisces. Were these dapper chaps rings around the Nazis during the Sec- life half lived,” says producer Raf Buks. an inspiration for Sean’s 007? ond World War. Skarbek’s exploits have Indeed, friends joked that Skarbek become the stuff of legend, inspiring a could do anything with a stick of dyna- Toy Story slew of biographers and film-makers. mite, besides eating it. Marek Sosenko, “the king of collec- Small wonder then that the tale has now tors,” aims to launch a Museum of Toys been snapped up for a major motion Director Agnieszka Holland (Europa, in Krakow. The art dealer, who owns an picture. Europa, The Secret Garden, Washington antique shop here, began collecting in Square) has a string of international pro- 1978. His stash takes in teddy bears, “She was almost certainly the most ductions under her belt, and she’s even dolls, logic games, children’s books as remarkable female spy of the Second had a crack at shooting episodes of cult well as unique curios designed by cel- World War,” enthuses director Agniesz- U.S. cop show The Wire. Her big budg- The acclaimed biography of Skarbek (see Shelf Improvement, p.18) ebrated Polish artists. Until February ka Holland, who has taken up the reins et take on the Krystyna Skarbek tale, dastardly Hun.” Like Holland herself, “Christine harboured feelings of guilt 15th, much of the collection will be on the espionage epic. Christine: War My Love, will also be shot Skarbek was half-Jewish, and the war about her mother throughout her life, on display at Bunkier Sztuki. The pro- in English, and several stars have been ultimately severed her from the land of and despite all her efforts, resourceful- posed Toy Museum would echo similar “Intelligent, courageous, seductive and touted for the lead role. her birth. ness and immense courage she failed foundations in London, Brussels and bewitchingly attractive, men were will- to get her mother out of the Warsaw Prague, yet with a decidedly Cracovian ing to sacrifice everything for her and go “Christine was a shining member of pre- “She was the daughter of a Polish noble- G h e tt o.” dimension. The Sosenko family initially to any lengths to have and keep her.” war aristocratic high society, a beautiful man, a playboy and spendthrift (who hoped to open the museum under the and talented sportswoman,” Holland she adored), and a rich, depressive In her personal life, Skarbek had a string auspices of the city. However, it seems Skarbek’s cloak and dagger exploits saw expands. “Her achievements were ex- Jewish mother (her husband married of glamorous suitors, but she was unin- that the authorities got cold feet as a daring raids into occupied Poland, with ceptional and her exploits heroic.” her for her fortune), who irritated and terested in high society as such, likewise result of the predicted economic crisis. forays into Hungary, Egypt and Syria. slightly embarrassed her,” the director the pampered life of a kept woman. The family is now considering all prom- Parachuted into occupied France in That said, the story is far from being a continues. ising proposals for their toy parade. >> 16 1944, she masqueraded as the imagi- “tally ho” adventure about defeating “the “She was unable to maintain 16 Krakow Post FEBRUARY 2009 www.krakowpost.com nnn CultureCulture Culture

a permanent relationship, betrayed Poland in an effort to appease << 15 constantly on the hunt for Stalin. To add insult to injury, the Brit- change, excitement and ish authorities were not supportive of adventure,” says Holland. “She felt the their former star. Xan Fielding, one of constant need to test the genuineness Christine’s English comrades in arms, and emotional temperature of each new summed up the situation: love affair, in the end always choosing freedom and independence, even if the “After the physical hardship and mental costs for her were loneliness and finan- strain she had suffered for six years in cial insecurity.” our service, she needed, probably more than any other agent we had employed, Her relationship with her wartime em- security for life. [...] Yet a few weeks after ployers – the British government - also the armistice she was dismissed with a proved problematic. Skarbek was living month’s salary and left in Cairo to fend in British Kenya when the war broke for herself.” out, as she had married a Polish diplo- mat (and former Montana cowboy) with As a noblewoman and a decorated war prospects in Africa. When Poland fell to hero, returning to Soviet-occupied Po- Concept artwork for the film Christine: War My Love / © 2008 SPI Film Studio the Nazis, she sought sponsorship from land was out of the question. British Intelligence to launch missions the creator of Bond. the script hinges on this dramatic de- tine Skarbek is replete with mystery and back to her homeland. She was given the “She could not come to terms with the nouement in post-war London. Skar- paradox,” Holland concludes. identity of “Christine Granville,” a bogus end of the war, the latest in a long series She “remained to the end a charming, bek’s past unfolds through a series of journalist. Later in the war, this sparked of defeats for her homeland and for her witty and enchanting woman,” Holland flashbacks: “It is 1952, and Christine has “What actually motivated her? Patriot- suspicion amongst some Poles – why class,” Holland adds. affirms. been ill and drinking herself into obliv- ism, a virulent hatred of fascism, the lust hadn’t she fallen in line with the official ion,” says Buks. “Gordon, a 50-year-old for adventure, the need for extreme ex- Polish Underground? But VE Day was not the end of Skarbek’s Yet ultimately, this charm would pro- receptionist in the seedy hotel in which periences?” adventures. According to her biographer voke dire consequences from the most she is living inadvertently becomes her To make matters worse, when the war Madeleine Masson (and Ian Fleming’s unexpected of quarters – the final twist confessor.” All those elements were present. Yet ended, most Poles – Skarbek included own biographer Donald McCormick), in Skarbek’s tale sparks conspiracy theo- “Christine” took many secrets to her – felt that Churchill and Roosevelt had she embarked on a year-long affair with ries until this day. Raf Buks reveals that “The character and true story of Chris- grave.

FILM FLASHBACK A Lonely Woman (Kobieta Samotna) directed by Agnieszka Holland (1981)

What makes Holland such a good filmmaker is her ability, like Kieślowski, to demonstrate character very cannily through body language, dialogue and incidents in short poignant scenes. It gives a nice pace to her films.

One had hoped that the lonely woman of the title would find some solace, but when she does, it is fleeting and ill luck seems to haunt her at every angle. The view of life represented here is so dark and hopeless that one doubts it could be real. But of course, even 20 years after the fall of the Iron Curtain, one often hears the lament - “tu nic nie ma” (“there’s nothing here”)... Indeed, Holland comments that the script was inspired by diaries that she and her co-writer had chanced upon. The heroine is a single, desperate woman heading towards middle-age – walking on the black coals that lie in her one room, single-handedly looking after her young boy, whilst the whole neighbourhood seems murderously against her. Unfortunately, hers is a road to hell (although she has the kindest heart in the entire film) and it is paved with the twisted and selfish intentions of the other protagonists.

In trying to come to terms with what is presented here, the only solution I found is to view the whole film metaphorically as a cry of protest against the communist system – which twists the goodness out of everyday people, creating liars, ma- nipulators, threatening losers and violent, alcoholic lovers – these are the characters in the film. Even her young boy is not left untouched as he dreams of a soldier’s life gunning people down in the street, in a scene reminiscent of the 60s cult film If....

There is no respite for the woman. The day to day hardships are unendurable and her only crime is trying to be a good but single mother. It is as if she is being malevolently, sadistically punished by fate for missing her chance at happiness. Howev- er, it must be said, no one else is presented as happy either. Perhaps the Pessimism should be viewed as Absurdity instead?

Occasional references to the Solidarity movement show them as an impersonal political force ignoring the immediate needs of the everyday working individuals – a provocation that was teasingly deliberate. Perhaps we expect something happier from films nowadays and are suspicious of these glaring probes into life when it indecently shows its sickly underbelly. But this film is not meant as “entertainment.” The film shows a period in Poland’s recent history which needs to be remem- bered for all its subtle personal tragedies and not just the bare political facts. This is the achievement of the film. Whereas Kieślowski’s Decalogue ignored politics as a frame of reference, this film allows its presence even in such a personal tale. But in this world of inflated frustrations no-one comes out on top - the conclusions are bleak. This woman’s soul has been watered down; she dreams of the railway tracks that run beside her house as if, although she wishes to get away, the limited wits of her imagination will not allow her to see beyond the confines of her own dire fate.

A Lonely Woman reveals the skilful beginnings of Holland’s authorship - the talent which would go on to make Europa, Eu- ropa and Washington Square, amongst other more commercial films.

The film is available from Telewizja Kinopolska as part of a box set of Holland’s early Polish work, all with English subtitles.

Stuart WIlson About to get on his knees and beg / still from Kobieta Samotna www.krakowpost.com Krakow Post FEBRUARY 2009 17 Culture

Defying History?

Szymon Urbański reviews Edward Zwick’s Defiance

“As for the action which is about to be- and members of the intelligentsia were sues? Well, they simply avoided them gin, it takes place in Poland — that is, executed on Stalin’s orders in the Katyń completely. There is no reference to Nowhere.” Alfred Jarry presenting his massacre. About 10 percent of those pre-war Poland, the action is placed in play Ubu the King in 1896. murdered were Polish Jews, including some strange, wooded Neverland, the the Chief Rabbi of the Polish army, Ba- local population speaks Russian, and Long, long ago, in the dark ages on the ruch Steinberg. the main characters talk in a horribly- wrong side of an Iron Curtain, one of our accented English - substituted for Yid- favourite forms of defiance was mock- As it was, the Bielski family collabo- dish, perhaps? Tuvia Bielski, played ing the absurdities of the Soviet system rated with the Russian occupant; Tuvia by blue-eyed James Bond star Daniel by telling “Russian jokes,” particularly Bielski, who served in the pre-war Pol- Craig, makes noble declarations about of the “Radio Yerevan” series. Here’s ish Army, became a clerk in the Soviet only obtaining food from those villagers a classic one: “Question to Radio Yere- administration. After Nazi Germany who have enough to share; in reality, van: ‘Is it true that they give away cars broke off its alliance with the Soviets his men would often raid and plunder for free in Moscow?’ The radio answers: and attacked the USSR in 1941, the local villages for supplies, sometimes ‘Yes, it is true; however, not in Moscow Bielski brothers fled to the nearby for- killing resisting peasants, who only but in Saratov, not cars but bicycles, ests and formed an armed squad. Soon, willingly supported Polish partisans. and they don’t give them for free but hundreds of Jews found their way to sell them on subscription.’” the Bielski partisans. They established But is it at all feasible to show other- a well-organised camp in the Nali- wise brave Jews in a bad light and not That is exactly what comes to mind boki Forest, a vast woodland with few be immediately accused of anti-Semi- after seeing Edward Zwick’s epic film roads. The Germans rarely ventured tism? Defiance. It describes one of the lesser there, and the area became a base for known episodes of World War II: the some 20,000 Soviet partisans, as well The film tells a great story of survival story of a group of Jewish partisans led as soldiers of the Polish underground and resistance, and the Jewish fighters by the Bielski brothers, who escaped Home Army. The Bielski brothers cre- affiliated with the Soviets do engage in the Holocaust in Nazi-occupied Poland ated a sort of self-contained kibbutz combat with the Germans, even though and survived the war, protecting some called “Jerusalem,” with kitchens, a they never actually fought with tanks, 1,200 Jewish refugees in the forests. slaughterhouse, a mill and bakery, a as shown in the movie. Liev Schreiber and Daniel Craig star in Defiance/ photo Karen Ballard distillery, a field hospital, and even a According to the opening titles, it is synagogue. They provided neighbour- On the other hand, who considers Hol- performance as Zus Bielski is the only locaust? Were they afraid of the pre- based on a true story, although “in- ing Soviet partisan troops with food lywood films to be a credible source of highlight of the movie, clearly in the dicament of Steven Spielberg, who, al- spired by” would seem more appro- and alcohol, as well as guns repaired in historical truth? Unfortunately, that is running for an Oscar. though praised for Schindler’s List, was priate. Another piece of information their gunsmithing workshop. not a rhetorical question, since actu- widely criticised for Munich? Obviously, which flashes onto the screen tells us ally tons of people do, drawing their The film is too long, for the most part Hollywood must portray the Chosen Na- about the location of the events – “Be- After the Germans revealed the Katyń vague knowledge from the movies as if crawling at a snail’s pace, focusing on tion in eternal suffering, even when it larus, 1941.” This is one of the original massacre in 1943, Stalin broke off diplo- they were documentaries. the miserable conditions of the forest actually successfully defeats the Nazi sins of the movie. matic relations with the London-based camp, with people dying from hunger, oppressors. Polish government-in-exile, and soon Those who do not care much for in- cold and diseases in underground dug- The Bielski brothers were Polish Jews a small Polish-Soviet war broke out in tricate historical issues might at least outs and log cabins. Tuvia even has to Many war movies were made in the living near Nowogródek, a town in the Naliboki Forest. As of December expect a decent war movie, a sort of shoot his favourite white horse to feed communist-ruled People’s Republic of northeastern Poland. In September 1943, Polish Home Army soldiers had Fiddler on the Roof meets The Dirty his people. This is again questionable in Poland, most of them equally plagued 1939, following the Soviet invasion of to fight the overwhelming numbers of Dozen, but even that is not the case the light of the facts. with historical distortions, insinua- Poland, that area was annexed by the both regular German troops and Soviet here. The acting is at best mediocre, tions and lies. However, some of them USSR, and it became part of the Belar- partisans, including some members of especially the emotions on Daniel If the film-makers’ intention was to achieved cult status and people still ussian SSR. The NKVD (Soviet Secret the Bielski group. Craig’s face, which could be likened to show the otherwise unprecedented watch them today – because they are Police) task forces arrested thousands a brick. The supporting characters are and unknown case of Jewish defiance, simply good movies. Defiance, while of “anti-Soviet elements.” In 1940, So how did the scriptwriter and direc- completely overshadowed by the two why wouldn’t they go further and show due credit for showing an unknown and some 22,000 Polish prisoners of war tor deal with these controversial is- protagonists. All in all, Liev Schreiber’s them mighty in vengeance for the Ho- fascinating story, is not.

LIVE MUSIC

Barbara Morgenstern January 15th 2009 at Klub RE photo Mateusz Majewski Earlier this month, German songstress and queen of the performance very much on the talent of the musicians - album BM, which was released on the German female- genstern full of energy and humour. After an early mis- Berlin electro-pop scene Barbara Morgenstern paid Kra- Morgenstern’s skills as a pianist and vocalist and Ghosh’s focused Monika Enterprise label. While her earlier work hap of accidentally saying “przepraszam” rather than kow a visit at Klub RE. Having released her first material ability for original beats complementing the laptop’s was in many ways associated with the electronic pop of “dziękuję,” she jokingly continued apologising in Polish in 1996, Morgenstern has a rather extensive catalogue of clicks and bass lines. groups such as Dntel, Lali Puna, and B. Fleischmann, her after her songs, “just in case”, she claimed. And so while releases from which to perform and so it was no surprise music on BM is more organic and personal, concentrating it was a wonderful way to spend a Thursday night, after that her set at RE was an impressive length of over two Morgenstern began the show with “Driving My Car,” a song on her piano, voice, and little else. two hours (including two encores of five songs), this fan, hours. Performing seated behind her keys and laptop, she in which she sings in German, English, and strangely Polish no matter how ardent, was ready to go home and rest was joined by her regular performing partner Arne Ghosh - a nice surprise for those in the crowd yet unfamiliar with Even though RE was completely packed with fans, the her feet. on drums. Such an intimate set-up made the focus of this her newer work. This is the first track from her newest atmosphere remained personal and easygoing with Mor- Dana Dramowicz 18 Krakow Post FEBRUARY 2009 www.krakowpost.com nnn CultureCulture Culture

PHOTO OF THE MONTH REEL LIFE Milk Gus Van Sant gets political

From “butch” (Brad Davis in Querelle) to fantasising “fem” (John Hurt’s captivating Oscar performance in Kiss of the Spiderwoman) to “cute” (Matthew Broderick in Torch Song Trilogy and everyone in between (Antonio Banderas, Russell Crowe, Tom Hanks etc), we’ve seen it all in Hollywood’s “straight doing queer” parade. In Milk, Sean Penn does it “fey” - and we accept him in the role without misgivings. His handsome boyfriend, played by James Franco, is more “I just happen to be,” while Emile Hirsch, seen in last year’s Into the Wild, undergoes a total transfor- mation. Biopics tend to glamorise and depoliticise, but the opening documentary footage here addresses this. These are real events – early 1970s California - a dozen or so men manhandled by police into the back of a police van, some hiding their identity in shame of exposure of their sexual orientation (almost exactly 500 years earlier the same treatment was dished out to Leonardo Da Vinci – plus ca change..) Coloured in 70s-feel kodachrome, we follow Harvey Milk’s struggle to become the first openly gay man elected to U.S. office (San Francisco City Supervi- sor), and he holds our attention with a decent dose of warmth and humour, where the “Personal” is evidently very “Political.” He paid the ultimate price for his commitment to gay rights - meaning civil rights - and was eerily prescient about his assassination, recording a long statement beforehand. “If a bullet should enter my brain, let that bullet destroy every closet door,” is one quote which resonates. Worth watching as a companion piece to this film is the Oscar winning 1984 documentary The Times of Harvey Milk - try YouTube. Stuart Wilson

SHELF IMPROVEMENT Christine by Madeleine Masson Acclaimed biography of WWII spy

When this revised edition was rushed out in 2005, writer Madeleine Masson entered the Guinness Book Of Records as the oldest lady in the world to sell the film rights to a book. She was 93 at the time. Sadly, she’s no longer with us, but the book endures as a wonderful tribute, not only to her own talents, but to the extraordinary subject of this biography - Christine (aka Krystyna Skarbek - see main feature p. 15). As it turns out, Masson was ideally suited to writing the biography of an underground agent, as she herself had served in the French Resistance. She makes no mention of this in the book, but perhaps it is also why so many friends of “Christine” were prepared to cooperate on the project. And here lies one of the main strengths of the book. In depth testimonies provide the life-blood of the story, including those of Christine’s fellow agent and long-time February’s Photo of the Month was taken by Rob Purvis lover Andrzej Kowerski. Of course, one could level the charge of prodigious bias in this respect. However, readers are likely to agree that Masson has followed Each month, the Krakow Post will choose one picture from amongst those sent in by readers to appear as the “Photo of the advice of another colleague from SOE (Special Operations Executive), Vera the Month.” The winner will receive a free consultation with a lecturer from the Academy of Photography. In May 2009, Atkins: “Don’t diminish her by white-washing her faults. She was no plaster a Grand Prix winner will be chosen from amongst the previous 12 winners, who will receive a brand-new Nikon digital saint. She was a vital, healthy, beautiful animal with a great appetite for love SLR camera, as well as a free course from the Academy in either English or Polish.The goal of the contest is to entice all of and laughter, and she had tremendous guts.” This is very much the portrait that Krakow’s residents to use photography as a means of artistic expression. emerges from this vividly written book. Masson writes with great empathy for Please send all entries for March’s “Photo of the Month” to [email protected] her subject, and she has a flair for evoking a sense of place. Not all the myster- by February 20th. All submitted photographs must be taken in Krakow. The theme is open. ies of Christine’s career are uncovered, but the author does an impressive job of bringing to life one of the most fascinating agents of the Second World War. A riveting read. Nick Hodge Language Trips off the Tongue

Is Polish really that difficult? Or is that just a myth, an over-used excuse touted by lazy language students? Grażyna Zawada Let’s find out… Krakow Post introduces a series of brief lessons, which should prove useful when learning this beautiful language, as prepared by a native Polish linguist and teacher. Confused by Polish gram- Informal addresses in Polish mar? Send your query In an email, to address a person in vocative, e.g. ‘Cześć Marku,’; to address a complete stranger as ‘Witam’ indicates equality be- to editor@krakowpost. in a polite, yet unofficial way we the content that follows is to in a relaxed manner is ‘Witam’. tween people involved or even a com, and our Polish write the person’s name in the be started with a capital letter. This is more formal than ‘Cześć’ slight superiority of the person linguist may answer your vocative form and put a comma Remember that not using the and works well when you’re writ- writing, so it mustn’t be used in question in the next behind, e.g. ‘Aniu,’ ‘Tomku,’ vocative case is a grammatical ing to a person in business, e.g. official writing. edition of “Trips off the ‘Staszku,’. If you’re writing to a mistake! (Yes, this is one of the an Allegro or eBay user who you friend you haven’t seen in some rare occasions you need to con- want to ask a question or a help Next month – rude and not-so- Tongue!” time, add ‘Cześć’ to the name sider this case). The friendly way desk person. Be careful however, rude refusals www.krakowpost.com Krakow Post FEBRUARY 2009 19 Extra Post

Official Distributors MARKET EMPLOYMENT English Tutor Companies & Restauracja Pod For sale: Bass amplifier Business Centres Hon. Norwegian Dom Podroznika Krzyzykiem Express Holiday Inn 135 watt Laney Richter R3, used but in good Native American to teach English Conversation Consulate ul. Koletek 7 Rynek Główny 39 ul. Opolska 14 British-Polish ul. Mazowiecka 25 shape. Also other music gear for sale- please Contact: [email protected] Chamber of Drink Bar “Vis a Vis” Ristorante Da Pietro Flamingo Hostel Commerce Airlines & Travel Rynek Główny 29 Rynek Główny 17 ul. Szewska 4 contact [email protected] for more info/price. Caregiver British Petroleum British Airways Dynia Rooster Freedom Hostel Polska ul. Krupnicza 20 ul. Mikołajska 5 ul. Pomorska 2 I’m looking for a sleep-in carer for my auntie. ul. Jasnogórska 1 Brussels Airlines Duties: To take her a few times at night to the Edo Sushi Bar Ross Amores Cafe Giraffe Hostel For sale: Books Buma Square Crusing Krakow ul. Bożego Ciała 3 Rynek Główny 15 ul. Krowoderska 31 40 English books for sale. Biography, history, toilet. My auntie is compos mentis but needs as- Office Building ul. Basztowa 17 ul. Wadowicka 6 Faust Klub Sakana Good Bye Lenin film, Booker Prize winners etc. Hardback and sistant with walking and getting out of bed. El Al Airlines Rynek Główny 6 ul. Sławkowska 5-7 Hostel Contact: [email protected] Energoprojekt- ul. B. Joselewicza 23 paperback.Will accept one quarter of the retail Krakow SA Krakow Balice In- Galeria Kazimierz Showtime price for a quick sale. Anyone interested tel- ul. Mazowiecka 21 ternational Airport ul. Podgórska 34 Rynek Główny 28 Grand Hotel ul. Sławkowska 5/7 ephone Bob on 506520153. HOUSING Euromarket Office Lufthansa Airlines Globetroter Siesta Cafe Center pl. Szczepański 7/15 ul. Stolarska 6 Hostel Hocus Pocus Apartment to rent ul. Jasnogórska 1 Seekrakow ul. Floriańska 28 For sale: paintings for your home ul. Floriańska 6 Grill 15/16 Someplace Else 3 room apartment. Newly renovated, Central IBM BTO Rynek Główny 16 ul. Powisle 7 Holiday Inn www.graphicstuart.com ul. Armii Krajowej 18 Tourist Information ul. Wielopole 4 location on ul. Sobieskiego Office Herbaciarnia Square Pub Photos can be found at: International Paper ul. św. Jana 2 ul. Gołębia 1 ul. Grodzka 51 Hotel Amadeus For sale: Double bed Polska ul. Mikołajska 20 www.apartments-in-krakow.com ul. Lubicz 23 Bars & Il Calzone Srodziemie Lightly used Ikea double bed. 160x200cm Anes Restaurants ul. Starowiślna 15a pl. Wszystkich Sw. 8 Hotel Copernicus Krakow Tech Park ul. Kanonicza 16 frame with Sultan Hogbo mattress included. Lubicz Office Alchemia Inter Book Stalowie Magnolie SHOP Building ul. Estery 5 ul. Karmelicka 27/1 ul. Sw. Jana 15 Hotel Eden Stylish and ridiculously comfortable! Write for ul. Lubicz 23 ul. Ciemna 15 details: [email protected] Any Time Sandwich Bar Ipanema Szabla i Szklanka New Record Shop Symposium Craco- ul. Estery 16 ul. św. Tomasza 28 ul. Poselska 24 Hotel Floryan We sell second hand and brand new records (new viense ul. Floriańska 38 ul. Krupnicza 3 Aqua e Vino Irish Arms Pub Szara Kamienica For sale: oil heater and re releases). Apart from that we’ve got some ul. Wiślna 5/10 ul. Poselska 18 Rynek Glowny 6 Hotel Grodek Is your flat freezing? Buy my 2500 watt oil heater, Universities & ul. Na Grodku 4 street art, design, comics etc. -books. Some col- Schools Arka Noego Irish Mbassy Szara na Kazimierzu used only one winter, like new in box! 511906762 lectors sneakers, and few really cool T-shirts. We ul. Szeroka 2 ul. Stolarska 3 ul. Szeroka 39 Hotel Major Accent Language ul. Gdyńska 6 are new shop therefore we have only around 2000 School Art Club Cieplarnia Karczma Tajemniczy Ogrod ul. Lea 123 ul. Bracka 15 “Podworko Maryny” ul. Bratska 3/5 Hotel Pod Roza records but the number is growing everyday. Rynek Główny 9 ul. Floriańska 14 PERSONALS What’s important - everybody is welcome! DJs Bell Language Bagel Mama Tesoro del Mar School ul. Podbrzezie 2 Klub Internetowy ul. Józefa 6 Hotel Pod collectors and “regular people”! Rezerwat Winyli, ul. Michałowskiego 4 Planet Wawelem Please return my watch Balaton Rynek Główny 24 TramBar pl. na Groblach 22 ul. Miodowa 23/1, www.rezerwatwinyli.pl British Interna- ul. Grodzka 37 ul. Stolarska 11 When: 4am New Year’s Day. Where: Market tional School of Lemonday Hotel Rubenstein Square, between the large pile of vomit and the Craving real cheese? Krakow Baraka pl. Na Groblach 22 Trattoria de Cesare ul. Szeroka 12 ul. Smolensk 25 pl. Nowy 7 ul. Krupnicza 6 large pile of snow in front of Pod Jaszczurami. I British Cheddar, Stilton, Cheshire etc now Le Scandale Hotel Senacki available to order here in Krakow (biscuits not Empik Language Baroque pl. Nowy 9 Tribeca Coffee ul. Grodzka 51 saw you lying on the ground and your pretty face, School ul. św. Jana 16 Rynek Główny 27 though smeared in runny make-up, drew me in. I included!). Rynek Główny 5 Les Couleurs Hotel Stary Bohemia ul. Estery 10 Trzy BIS ul. Szczepańska 5 leaned in to help you up, and you mumbled some- [email protected] Gzegrzólka ul. Gołębia 2 ul. Krowoderska 70 ul. św. Tomasza 1 Lulu living Hotel Wentzl thing about jam. But it wasn’t until I sent you off Boogie Cafe ul.Dajwór 10 B Trzy Papryczki Rynek Główny 19 in the cab that I realised my watch was missing. RECREATION Maly Rynek ul. Szpitalna 9 ul. Poselska 17 Language School M Club Hotel Wit Stwosz Please return the 50 złoty cab fare and my watch, Kung Fu Classes Mały Rynek 3 Boom Bar Rush Klub ul. Tomasza 11a Trzy Rybki Restaurant ul. Mikołajska 28 ul. Gołębia 6 ul. Szczepańska 5 it was a gift from my dying grandmother. I left my Learn authentic chinese WingTsun kung-fu in Open Mind Massolit Books & Hotel PTTK Wyspianski number in your jacket pocket. ul. Bracka 1a/1 Budda Bar Cafe Vesuvio ul. Westerplatte 15 English, regardless of age, Rynek Główny 6 ul. Felicjanek 4/2 ul. Floriańska 38 gender or fitness level. Visit our website at: Pedagogical Ibis Krakow Centrum University Bull Pub Mechanoff Wedel Pijalnia ul. Syrokomli 2 Wanted: Date for Polish Wedding www.wingtsunkrakow.pl or call of Krakow ul. Mikołajska 2 ul. Estery 8 Czekolady I’m a single English male who has been invited to his ul. Karmelicka 41 Rynek Główny 46 Momotown Hostel Graham on 507122311. Bunkier Sztuki Metropolitan ul. Miodowa 28 best mate’s Polish wedding. One problem: I have no Poliglota Language Pl. Szczepański 3 ul. Sławkowska 3 Wentzl Restaurant School Rynek Główny 19 Nathan’s Villa Hostel date! Normally that wouldn’t be a problem (pulling Pl. Szczepanski 8 Cafe Camelot Miyako Sushi ul. Agnieszki 1 at weddings is practically guaranteed, right?), but as DIRECTORY ul. Tomasza 17 Rynek Główny 19 Wierzynek Restaurant Politechnika Rynek Główny 15 Novotel Krakow it’s my best mate from childhood, my parents will Krakowska Cafe Golebia 3 Mleczarnia Bronowice 24-HOUR POLICE STATION ul. Gołębia 3 ul. Meiselsa 20 Wisniowy Sad al. Armii Krajowej 11 be there and I need to prove to them I’m not just Prolog Language ul. Grodzka 33 screwing around in Krakow. I just need someone RYNEK GŁÓWNY 29 School Cafe Manekin Moliere Cafe Novotel Krakow ul. Bronowicka 37 ul. św. Tomasza 25 ul. Szewska 4 Wodka Bar Centrum to pretend to be my girlfriend for that one special tel: 012 6157317 ul. Mikołajska ul. T. Kościuszki 5 1. International Cafe Philo Nandu Internet Cafe night. You also have to pretend to work with me, 24-HOUR MEDICAL Training Center ul. św. Tomasza 30 ul. Wiślna 6 Youmiko Sushi Orbis Cracovia INFORMATION “CzyZyny” ul. Szczepańska 7 al. F. Focha 1 because I need to pretend I also have a job. Must be 2. Centrum Cafe Sukiennice Nic Nowego pretty, bilingual, and able to hold down vodka. RYNEK GŁÓWNY 29 “Sokrates” Rynek Główny 1/3 ul. Krzyża 15 Zblizenia Orbis Francuski pl. Nowy 8 ul. Pijarska 13 e-mail: [email protected] tel: 012 6612240 Jagiellonian University: Cafe Zakatek Nikita Bar ul. Grodzka 2 ul. Sławkowska 26 Hotels, Hostels & Radisson SAS 24-HOUR EMERGENCY 1. Campus Guest Rooms ul. Straszewskiego 17 SERVICE 2. Administration Coffeina Internet Nowa Prowincja SERVICES Building Cafe ul. Bracka 3 Abella Guest Rooms Sheraton Hotel ul. Lazarza 14 3. Dom Gościnny Rynek Główny 23/3 ul. Długa 48 ul. Powiśle 7 “Przegorzaly” Nowy Kuzyn Will Think for Drink! tel: 012 4222999 4. Institute of Camera Cafe Mały Rynek 4 Affinity Flats Tango House B&B European Studies ul. Wiślna 5 ul. Karmelicka 7 ul. Szpitalna 4 Quality proofreading service by a native Eng- TOURIST INFORMATION 5. Students Hostel Paparazzi Bar lish speaker – I proofread, you pay me in booze. Casa della Pizza ul. Mikołajska Andel’s Hotel Tournet Guest Rooms Ratusz tower, Rynek Główny Tischner European Mały Rynek 2 ul. Pawia 3 ul. Miodowa 7 Email to get my rates (in litres): tel: 012 4337310 University Piano Rouge ul. Westerplatte 11 Cherubino Rynek Główny 46 Angel House Trzy Kafki [email protected] ul. św. Tomasza 15 ul. Blich 6 al. Słowackiego 29 TRAIN INFO (PKP) in English AGH Pod Aniolami tel: 9436 Technical University CK Browar Pub ul. Grodzka 35 Apple Pie Apartments Trzy Kafki Premium Cheap translation, Polish --> English. al. Mickiewicza 30 ul. Podwale 6/7 ul. Wielopole 18 ul. Dolnych Młynów 9 www.rozklad.pkp.pl Pod Sloncem For rates, call Anna, 511906762 University of Club Clu Rynek Główny 43 ARS Hostel Zodiakus Hostel BUS INFO (PKS) Economics ul. Szeroka 10 ul. Koletek 7 ul. Augustiańska 4 ul. Rakowiecka 27 Property Krakow Musicians for Hire tel: 9316 Club Pod Jaszczurami ul. Cybulskiego 2 Atlantis Hostel Tutti Frutti Hostel Rynek Główny 8 ul. Dietla 58 ul. Floriańska 29 “Little Owl” – a musical duo (accordion & ban- EMERGENCY NUMBERS Consulates Prowincja tel: 997 Police Corleone ul. Bracka 3/5 Blue Bells Apartments Cultural Centres jo) is available for art openings and other events, American ul. Poselska 19 ul. Starowiślna 22 playing old-time European popular music. tel: 998 Fire Consulate Punkt Bunkier Sztuki ul. Stolarska 9 Cul-de-Sac ul. Sławkowska 12 Campanile Pl. Szczepański 3 Please call: (012) 421-60-29 tel: 999 Ambulance ul. Na Grodku 4 ul. św. Tomasza 34 Austrian Consulate Re Kijow Centre or email: [email protected] ul. Krupnicza 42 Cyrano de Bergerac ul. Krzyża 4 City Hostel ul. Krasińskiego 34 ul. Slawkowska 26 ul. Krzyża 21 German Consulate Red Rubin Kino Pod Baranami Buddhist Centre SEND US YOUR CLASSIFIEDS ul. Stolarska 7 Czekolada ul. Grodzka 25 Deco Hostel Rynek Główny 27 Need to get a message across? Looking for ul. Bracka 4 ul. Mazowiecka 3a Introduction to Buddhist meditation in English Hon. British Restauracja Hawelka Princes Czartoryski in Kazimierz. Every Monday from 7 to 9pm at love? Have a TV to sell or a puppy to give Consulate Del Papa Ristorante Rynek Główny 34 Dizzy Daisy Hostels Museum ul. św. Anny ul. św. Tomasza 6 ul. Pędzichów 9 ul. Pijarska 8 Sanghaloka Buddhist centre, ul. Augustiańska 4, away? Contact us for more details: near Dietla. More info: buddyzm.info.pl/eng [email protected]

/ photo Mateusz Majewski

Cracow-Life.com CL2 Krakow Post FEBRUARY 2009 www.krakowpost.com

highLifestyle &life Dining

of Valentines on the restaurant dinner table and amoured.” A reliquary (allegedly) containing asking for a sample of your girlfriend or wife’s a part of Saint Valentine’s skull has been kept Krakow handwriting, “just to be sure, kochanie,” is, in in a parish church for centuries. Apparently, most cultures, frowned upon. And especially in the relic is famed to this day for its miraculous Poland, where the women are, well, Polish. powers. Hopeful parishioners (some, no doubt, looking for a little Valentine’s magic) travel the Chronicles An English-Polish male friend once shared whole country to kiss its silver container. OK, with me the stereotype that Polish women were slapping your lips on a box with a bit of old twice as feminine as those from many other bone inside in the hope of finding the love of John Marshall is a writer and teacher who has had the great fortune to live in cultures: in looks and in character, traits both your life is a bit of a long shot, but don’t knock positive and negative. Romantic, certainly: it; it might be the only kiss you get this year! Krakow for several years. Krakow’s been good to him and, he hopes, he’s been you only have to look at the number of long- good to Krakow. Anyway, here’s something he wanted to say about Valentine’s stemmed roses proudly carried around on any Well, OK, perhaps things aren’t quite that bad. day...... one day by adoring girlfriends. But woe betide Maybe something less extreme is called for. any boyfriend or husband who is found roman- Given the heightened sense of boy-girl excite- Well, it’s that time of year again: Valentine’s Day. woman. This athletic archetype was usually tically-lacking this Valentine’s Day! ment that hovers, Cupid-like, over February February 14th, the night which lovers celebrate portrayed on posters, sleeves rolled up and with 14th, perhaps this is the night to finally banish and singletons dread almost as much as New folded arms, rosy cheeks fresh from the fields But what if you’re lacking more than a nice those winter blues and start the New Year with a Year’s Eve. Well, maybe “dread” is too strong a and leaning nonchalantly against an unfeasibly red rose? A partner, for example? Because, for bang. You arrive in the carefully selected estab- word. But you know what I mean. On that most large combine harvester, the size of which would some reason known only to yourself and half of lishment of your choice and suddenly you see romantic of nights, anyone who dares to appear have Lenin spinning with disbelief in his grave Facebook, you find yourself single this Valen- Mr. or Miss Right (or, less romantically, Mr. or in public without a significant other bearing a (that is, turning his body around very quickly, tine’s Day; available (merely awaiting the open- Miss Right Now). It’s February 14th, it’s now or classic Polish long-stemmed rose will be given as opposed to spinning cloth, which had, prior ing of your life’s next chapter), yet certainly not never. Take a deep breath, walk up boldly and – a suspicious, sideways look by the silent major- to The Revolution, traditionally been arduous, desperate (remembering just how life’s rich tap- providing you’re not a Pole - impress them with ity; that is to say couples. low-paid work for an unmarried young woman estry can easily tie you up in knots). What to your patchy yet amusing knowledge of Polish. [cf. spinster], and was therefore an outmoded do on the big day/night? Well, you could just She can only say “no,” right? But a quick word Valentine’s Day: not a good time to be single. symbol of the bourgeoisie’s repression of the treat it as any other day, whether that means of warning to the green ex-pat: “no,” as well as But you can’t always time these things, can proletariat). crawling around the Rynek Główny drunkenly “tak,” can in Polish sometimes mean “yes,” de- you? Well, you shouldn’t! I have a Polish friend on all-fours and crying for your mama (you pending on the situation and your standard of whose love life ebbs and flows not according to In fact, it wasn’t until the fall of communism in know who you are), or whether it means finally personal hygiene, neither of which I can actu- the procession of the moon and stars across the 1989 that Poles really took the Christian mar- finishing that matchstick model of the Wawel ally help you with. heavens but to the rather more mundane state tyr Saint Valentine to heart, promoting him Castle, before retiring early with the BBC Ship- of his bank balance and, were he to be in a re- within the pantheon of Polish saints. Previ- ping Forecast and a cup of hot chocolate. Please note that John Marshall takes no respon- lationship, whether he thinks he would receive ously, he had languished, largely unnoticed, as sibility for relationships either begun or broken or have to give more presents. This cynical and the admired yet not much loved patron saint of Or you could always take a romantic break in as a result of the advice contained in this article. arcane science of his includes many calcula- epileptics. Now, in his new romantic form, his Chelmno, northern Poland, a destination that However, he would be quite pleased if you hap- tions regarding Valentine’s Day, his and her story (whichever of the many versions is true) was recently rebranded as “the city of the en- pened to name your first-born son “John.” forthcoming birthdays, Polish namedays and, is celebrated in all the usual ways. of course, Christmas. One of the most popular and international Mind you, many relationships break up over signs of affection is, of course, to give the ob- Christmas. Perhaps it’s the imminent New Year ject of your desire flowers - usually red roses. or ruinous credit card bills that focuses hearts But be careful if the lucky woman is Polish: it and minds. Whatever it is, after the hangovers, is considered bad luck to proffer an even num- wound-licking and self-imposed exile that, for ber of flowers in your bouquet. Actually, this many, constitutes the month of January, by Feb- presents something of a problem. (Western) ruary there is an inordinately large number of tradition suggests twelve red roses for your true people sending and hoping to perhaps receive a love. Well, twelve’s an even number, so that’s Valentine’s card or two. out. Thirteen? I don’t think so. So what about eleven? What! Risk the suspicion that you Probably most Post readers grew up celebrat- couldn’t help slipping number twelve to some ing – or sometimes trying to avoid – Valentine’s rival for her affection along the way? Be careful, Day. For sure, in the West, advertisers and mar- reader, for the road to hell is paved with good keters have long cherished the tradition, giving intentions. as it does a warm tingly feeling to otherwise grumpy post-Christmas sales figures. However, Along with the flowers must go, of course, The in its modern form at least, Valentine’s is a rela- Card. Poles send Valentine’s cards just as other tively recent addition to the Polish year. nations do, with younger people exchanging by night photo of the month most and also specialising in the unsigned va- Prior to the fall of communism some twenty riety. For most of us, the later adult experience “Nurse Your Hangover” years ago, dewy-eyed Poles had nothing more is – at best - a one-card reality: the expectation Szpital @ Baroque - 17.01.2009 romantic to look forward to on the socialist cal- from both you and your partner that there will endar than Women’s Day: a Communist inven- be one, and only one, card waiting on respective Supplied by mynight.pl, tion celebrating the unflagging industry and (or shared) doormats come the 14th. Any more, the top website for clubbing photos. tightly-knotted headscarves of the sturdy Slavic and there will be trouble. Laying out a handful www.krakowpost.com Krakow Post FEBRUARY 2009 CL3 MY LIFE DROP IN

Every month, City Life’s “My Life” column will introduce a citizen of Krakow who we feel has made a positive impact on the city. This month, we interview Tomasz Gutkowski, the director of the annual Month of Photography in Krakow festival and of the Visual Arts Foundation, as well as the co-director of ZPAF i Ska Gallery at ul. Tomasza 24.

photo by Mateusz Majewski Pauza ul. Floriańska 18, pauza.pl

You may not visit Pauza every weekend, or even every month, but I can only imagine the massive outcry by Cracovians if this institution was to ever close down. Luckily, rather than closing down, Pauza continues to vertically expand and now includes a cellar club, a first floor bar, and a second floor gallery and cinema. The main draw, however, remains the original Pauza cafe and bar which is renowned for its cool clients and laid back atmosphere. The music is hip photo by Przemek Krzakiewicz / visavis.pl but remains unobtrusive during the week, switching to upbeat electronica on the weekends. Which part of Krakow do you live in and why? Another perennial bonus at Pauza are the prices and it’s certainly no surprise that with mixed On “the better side of Kazimierz,” on the other side of Krakowska Street; by controlled ac- drinks often under 10 złoty, the bar is constantly brimming with customers. Pauza also regularly cident. shows the work of artists (photographers in particular) - a trend which continues upstairs to the If you were crowned king of Krakow, what would be your first move? more avant-garde gallery and cinema. In the cellar below is Pauza’s newest addition: the Pauza I’d invite Christo and Jeanne-Claude [American artists] to wrap up Wawel. Club. An expensive sound system and a designated dance floor means this Pauza is all about the music, and true enough the club promotes the most cutting edge dance music around. There’s What’s one place tourists can’t miss when in Krakow? no doubt that at this cultural mecca experiencing a typical Krakow night is as easy as starting The Korona stadium and surroundings. from the top and working your way down. Is there anything that’s overrated about Krakow? Dana Dramowicz That it’s Poland’s cultural capital / That it’s still a cheap place for living. If you had to erect a statue to any Cracovian, dead or alive, who DROP IN would it be? Lem, Polański, Kantor; but I’m not sure if they want to be “statued”. Which Polish stereotype do you find the funniest? LaF That we have more twins (by percentage) than other nations. Plac Wolnica 7, lafklub.pl Where do you buy your clothes in Krakow? With no clue leading the way nor sign marking the entrance to LaF, you really have to Favourite: vintage stores. know where you’re going if you plan on visiting this new club. Through the entrance to What are some of your regular eating and drinking haunts in the city? Cafe Młynek, past the serious looking bouncer, and down the colourfully lit staircase is Kolorowa eating house, Baraka, Miejsce. where I found one of Krakow’s hottest party venues. With a minimal web presence, I What’s your biggest annoyance about living in Krakow? really didn’t know what to expect when I landed in this cellar club. But the décor was Pigeons and periodic outbursts of ill humour. surprisingly sleek and stylish with clean lines, colourful glowing lights, and illuminated slivers of photographs of Krakow. Another striking aspect upon first arrival was the clien- Where do you go to escape for the weekend? tele - confidently bubbly, fashionable, and decidedly female... Suddenly I understood the Warsaw [Tomasz is a real Varsovian living in Krakow through choice, stealthy physical and virtual public image behind LaF, though the necessity behind it is and he thinks that there is no better place to organise a photography festival.] undeniably unfortunate. But despite its quiet outer appearance, by the stoke of midnight What’s the best place to go on a long walk or bike ride in the city? LaF was crammed full of girls, and a few very well dressed guys, drinking, dancing, and Anywhere in Podgórze. generally letting it all hang out (though not literally, I might add). The atmosphere here Finally: pierogi or naleśniki? is friendly and sincere and the party is relentless - even as I was leaving late at night it Pierogi of course. seemed like the good times at LaF are just beginning. Dana Dramowicz

www...... ------... CL4 Krakow Post FEBRUARY 2009 ADVERTISEMENTS www.krakowpost.com

krakow FEIJ Should your business be here? Get your business seen in 50,000 copies of Krakow’s only English-language newspaper! Distributed at over 250 top locations across the city including the international airport and on-board flights to the US, UK, Germany, France and Scandinavia! Question is... can you afford not to advertise with us? [email protected] tel: (012) 4291699

restaurant

delicious hungarian cuisine

ul. Grodzka 37, Kraków tel./fax: (0) 12 422 04 69 www.balaton.krakow.pl

Restaurant with unique temperament and Cracow atmosphere ! Famous restaurant on the “King’s Road” from Wawel Castle to Main Square. You can eat your dinner in one of the antique carriages… Traditional old polish cuisine using old recipes and charred beech wood grill. Dishes prepared over a beech wood grill using old polish and Italian recipes. (Restauracja z atmosferą średniowiecznego Krakowa, (To restauracja z włoskim temperamentem i krakowską atmosferą! na „Drodze Królewskiej” z Wawelu do Rynku Głównego. Można tu zjeść kolację w jednej z karet, wśród uskrzydlonej łodzi Zapraszamy w kulinarną „podróż” do staropolskich smaków. rybackiej i góralskich sań. Ogródek z fontanną na dziedzińcu.) Kuchnia polska, włoskie pasty…i tiramisu!) Courtyard garden and medieval atmosphere. “Cherubino” ul.św.Tomasza 15, Krakow, tel. 012/4294007, ul.Grodzka 35, Kraków, tel. 012/4213999, tel./fax. 012/4294147 tel./fax. 012/4302113 www.cherubino.pl www.podaniolami.pl www.krakowpost.com Krakow Post FEBRUARY 2009 CL5

FORK OUT

Aperitif ul. Sienna 9, (12) 432 3333, [email protected]

Another day and another space along the cobble-stoned streets of the Old Town is converted into a shining new beacon to clubbing, dining or shopping. With a combination of apprehension and curiosity I headed over to the Mały Rynek to check out Oczko’s replacement - Aperitif.

Reading the menu outside was immediately a relief once I realized that at the very least I will not be reduced to looking for contenders for the best schabowy or pizza in Krakow (an eternally futile pursuit). Inside I browsed excitedly through appetizers, mains, and pastas and realized that Aperitif is taking quite a different approach to cooking compared to many other restaurants open in Krakow today. One might call it an apprehensive step towards fusion, as Aperitif introduces some new flavors An appetising dessert at Aperitif / photo by Mateusz Majewski (such as the teriyaki-cured salmon) while re-inventing some European classics we’re all accustomed to. Genji Premium Sushi ul. Dietla 55, (12) 429 5959, genji.pl Starting off the meal was a millefeuille appetizer- a pastry typically associated with layered desserts, such as the Polish kremówka. Aperitif’s savoury version was a tower with layers of eggplant, tomato, Inching Krakow closer to authenticity in sushi is Genji, where behind the sushi bar and on the floor you and oscypek topped with a basil leaf and wrapped in a single nearly transparent layer of (unfortu- can actually spot an Asian face or two. As if that wasn’t enough, these faces are in fact Korean which nately for the eye) placenta-like pastry, carefully placed in a shallow pool of olive oil with streaks of means that finally... I can eat Korean food in Krakow! balsamic vinegar. A wonderfully flavourful start, but a few more drops of balsamic could have probably helped cut through the fatty cheese. All the more reason to enjoy the fantastic house red. My goal in visiting Genji was more to try the kimchi (Korean spicy pickled cabbage) than the sushi, but I can imagine its fantastic reputation for the latter is well-deserved. The prices are comparable to Sa- Second up was a whole sea bream with tomatoes on the side, a zucchini gratin beneath, and a sauc- kana for example, and even though the chef is not Japanese one must concede that a Korean person is iere of sun-dried tomato sauce. I’m always in favour of whole animals or at least large chunks of a hundred times more likely than a Pole to be able to adequately understand and represent the history, them on my plate - in my opinion it’s important for omnivores to look their dinner in the face once ingredients, and cooking techniques of this far off area of the world. in a while. In fact the grinning fish was the highlight of this course by far, though without the pureed tomato sauce. Presumably the chef, quite rightly, didn’t want to cover the purity of the fish, but I just Upon arriving in Genji, I was invited to sit at one of the few casual tables by the sushi bar. It wasn’t can’t help wondering that if a sauce doesn’t arrive already on its destination- why is it even there? until my pre-meal trip downstairs to wash my hands did I discover the massive and elegant cellar space It’s the gastronomic elephant in the room, everyone from kitchen to diner knows it doesn’t need to of the restaurant, consisting of both private and shared dining rooms. I admit I was a bit annoyed I was be there, yet it mysteriously remains. never told about, let alone invited to this entire floor. Those who visit in the future are encouraged to visit the loo before choosing their table! Securing the spot as Top Unavoidable Food in Krakow (possibly soon to be added to the tome/menu at Horai?), pizza appeared on a separate menu from which my partner ordered pepperoni. Serving pizza Back upstairs I started off my meal with yaki gyoza (fried dumplings) and skewered yakitori chicken. must be in some sort of municipal guidelines, as even the server admitted it was not their speciality Both had a satisfying flavour and for once I simply had nothing to complain about. The gyoza were crispy nor their best food as it is not baked in a wood-burning oven. Astonished, I began to wonder why pizza but not greasy, and the chicken was succulent without being too heavy. Washing it down with a tiny cup was on offer at all, but in the end it was actually quite delicious. Skipping the usual salami, Aperitif of sake I moved on to the piece de resistance - dolsot bibimbab. has tracked down some real pepperoni and alongside the medium-thick crust it evoked the pure and simple approach of small-town American pizzerias. Nothing to be ashamed about at all. Bibimbab itself is second only to kimchi in its fame outside Korea, combining a collection of the country’s most typical ingredients into one deliciously hearty meal. A large bowl of rice is topped with sliced Finishing off the meal was the most pleasant surprise - a white chocolate parfait with poppy seeds vegetables, beef, and a fried egg. At Genji I ordered dolsot bibimbap, which is served in a stone bowl and raspberry coulis. Expecting a pile of ice cream in a glass (how simple-minded of me) I was pleas- and cooked as a whole. This means the egg is served raw as it cooks quickly from the food’s own intense antly surprised when presented with a stylish plate of two slices of pie-like ice cream each with a heat. The most important part of the dish, just like with the claypot rice of China, is the crust of deli- pressed layer of poppy seeds atop a layer of pureed raspberry suace. It was a truly wonderful combi- cious crunchy rice created by the heat along the inside surface of the bowl. Alongside this bowlful of nation of textures and flavours. goodies was a thick red Korean chilli paste called konchujang. Bibimbap literally means “mixed rice,” so after dumping a spoonful of hot sauce into my bowl I used a long metal spoon to jumble it all up into So while Aperitif may not appear to be groundbreaking, its innovative yet restrained approach to a wonderfully chaotic, yet somehow complementary, mess of flavours and textures. re-inventing classics is safe enough to not scare anyone off, and that counts for a lot. Along with the modern rustic interior, attentive service, and fair prices (two can dine and drink for under 100 The price of this dish alone may be a bit steep for what we are used to in Krakow - 45 złoty for essen- złoty), it seems to me that Aperitif may be the perfect place to bring your partner, foodie or not, for tially a bowl of rice is nearly the same price I’d pay for high quality steak. But let’s be fair - Genji has a romantic and delicious evening. made the vital step by not simply playing it safe with sushi, but by introducing the under appreciated cuisine of Korea to Krakow. Finally! All we need now is a Korean BBQ... Dana Dramowicz Dana Dramowicz

“…that honor goes to Cafe Camelot, which might just be my favorite cafe in the world (..go for apple pie)” David Streitfeld “The Washington Post Travel” Summer restaurant-boat located in the bend of the Vistula River at the foot of the Wawel Castle. Coffee house – gallery with the most romantic summer garden in Cracow. Sitting on its upper deck, you will recall long-forgotten charms of life The magical atmosphere of that place and original interiors dating back on the Vistula River. to the XIII century. (Galeria – kawiarnia z wyjątkowym ogródkiem w Zaułku Niewiernego Tomasza. (Letnia restauracja na statku na Wiśle u stóp Wawelu. Jest miejscem spotkań niezwykłych ludzi, koncertów, kabaretów i recitali. Siedząc na górnym pokładzie odnajdą Państwo dawno zapomniane uroki życia W galerii na piętrze wydarzenia artystyczne i wystawy fotograficzne. nad Wisłą.) W piątki kabaret „Loch Camelot”)

Galar “Pod Aniołami” Zakole Wisły, On Fridays Loch Camelot Cabaret. Bulwary Wiślana vis a vis Hotelu Sheraton, Cafe Camelot” ul. św.Tomasza 17, Kraków, tel. 0691 44 04 03 tel.012/4210123 CL6 Krakow Post FEBRUARY 2009 www.krakowpost.com

spotlightBest Places of 2008

• Wesele Restaurant • Art Club Cieplarnia • Pod Baranem • Showtime • Balaton • Art Club Błędne Koło • Baroque • Aqua e Vino / photo Mateusz Majewski / photo Wesele • Nostalgia • Eszeweria

• Hotel Stary • Galeria Krakowska • Hotel Ester • Lulu Living • Hotel Saski • Maruna Gallery • Hotel Wentzl / photo Mateusz Majewski • Pasaż 13 / photo Hotel Stary • Hotel Gródek • Galeria Kazimierz

• Jagiellonian University • Polish Aviation Museum • Medicover • Ethnographic Museum • Ambra Day Spa • Pod Baranami Cinema • Polski Hairdressers • Chaiyo • Museum of the History of Krakow / photo Mateusz Majewski • National Museum in Krakow / photo Paweł Szczęśniak

he number of bars, restaurants, Places hot list! Every year we compile meaning that when you see the circular hangars on a historic airfield, there’s nothing shops, museums, hotels, and ser- a ranking based on our readers’ online green mark of Cracow Life, you’ll know to quite like this swashbuckling blast from the vices squeezed into the little space reviews, recognising the businesses and expect nothing but the best. past. that is Krakow can sometimes be a cultural institutions that have excelled in the bitT daunting. Even though we try our best to last 12 months. Some of these venues have satisfied their With Best Places 2008 in hand you’ll never point our readers in the right direction, how visitors from year to year, but of course go astray within the city’s jungle of things to can you be sure you’re really getting the More selective than ever before, our 2008 there are some newcomers as well, with the do. And don’t forget to log onto best of the best? list is cut down to just 5 Best Places in each Polish Aviation Museum (see: City Life cover) Cracow-Life.com throughout 2009 to con- category. Each winner has received a plaque securing a spot as one of our Best Places tinue voicing your opinions on the best (and The answer is simple - Cracow Life’s Best and sticker to display in their establishment, for Culture in 2008. Spread over multiple worst!) in the city. www.krakowpost.com Krakow Post FEBRUARY 2009 CL7

postedThe Month in Events powered by Cracow-life.com

FESTIVALS club, a gallery, a shop and even a miniature cinema. (See Drop In CL3) Catch Michał VI INTERNATIONAL FESTIVAL Janica’s quirky portrait show before it OF PERCUSSION checks out on the 12th. Krakow will be chiming to a different tune when - Until 12th February this February, when a merry invasion of where - Pauza, ul. Floriańska 18 marimbas, vibraphones and other exotic instruments arrives in town. The event is SZOPKI NATIVITY SCENES Brighter than a polished rainbow and headswimmingly complex in construction, the Cracovian nativity scene takes years to master. Every December, locals attempt to outdo each other in a bid to create the finest Christmas crib. There are prizes for all age groups, and the best are now on show at the Historical Museum. Catch it before it closes on the 15th. when - Until 15th February where - Krzysztofory Palace, Rynek Główny 35

WOMAN Head upstairs from Pauza Bar for a multimedia show that combines pictures, words and sounds in pursuit of the fairer sex. Created by the three-pronged team of Renata Plaga, Tomek Sikora and Cezary Sku- biszewski, “Woman” premiered in Warsaw and will be running in Krakow until the 15th. when - Until 15th February where - Galeria Pauza, ul. Floriańska 18/5

Jacek Pelc, Festival of Percussion MASS COLLECTING The Bunker of Art has a jaw-dropping being hosted by Krakow’s Academy of show to savour this February. Robert Music, and it will be divided between their Kuśmirowski’s exhibition focuses on the Real Portaits, Michał Janicy, Pauza Gallery own concert hall, the Manggha Museum and addictive world of collecting. It’s a light- the Philharmonic Hall. See individual concert hearted excursion, drawing on the artist’s listings for precise coverage. own hoard of goodies, as well as that of when - 18th - 22nd February antique dealer Marek Sosenko - the king of where - Various Cracovian collectors. The toys here may one day make up a museum in their own right. 28TH INTERNATIONAL SHANTIES Such is the wish of the Sosenko family, who FESTIVAL lent scores of pieces for this show. The great blue wobbly may be hundreds of when - Until 22nd February miles away, but that hasn’t stopped shanty where - Bunkier Sztuki, Pl. Szczepański 3a lovers from staging this bonkers tribute. Now in its 28th edition, the frisky fest is due JEWISH THEATRE POSTERS FROM PRE- to kick off on February 19th. Groups from WAR POLAND across the globe will be dropping anchor in For anyone curious about Krakow’s Jewish Krakow, and gigs will be divided between the heritage, the Galicia Museum is a beacon of Stary Port pub and Rotunda Club. So inspiration. Besides a staggering permanent without further ado, it’s time to pick Polly exhibition and regular concerts and lectures, the Parrot a nice winter jacket, strap on the museum also boasts a superb programme your eye patch and get ready to let rip with of one-off shows. This month you can catch a some maritime madness. flashback to the dapper 1930s, when Jewish when - 19th - 22nd February theatre groups flourished across Poland. where - Various when - Until 28th February where - Galicia Jewish Museum, ul. Dajwór 18 EXHIBITIONS CECYLIA MALIK - CITY ICONOSTASIS PORTRAITS BY MICHAŁ JANICA Echoing the Greek Catholic and Orthodox Once a place where arty folks stroked their New Year, Zderzak is laying on a novel nod to beards (and stoked their bellies with liberal Byzantine tradition. Cecylia Malik has con- quantities of beer), Pauza now runs the bet- structed a full-blown iconostasis. However, ter part of an entire kamienica, boasting a rather than rendering a wall of saints, she’s CL8 Krakow Post FEBRUARY 2009 www.krakowpost.com

DON GIOVANNI Respighi’s Pines of Rome, Berlioz’s Mozart’s lively tale about an incorrigible Roman Carnival Overture and Verdi’s libertine is unveiled in a new production at Sicilian Vespers are amongst the classics Krakow’s opera house. Trying to get a seat at in store. Tickets 40 złoty. the building has been tricky owing to hype when - 6th February around the December opening. However, where - Philharmonic Hall, ul. Zwierzyniecka 1 with four consecutive performances lined up for late February, seats should be more easy CLASSICAL CONCERT: KARŁOWICZ & to snap up this time round. BACEWICZ ANNIVERSARIES when - 20th - 24th February 2009 sees the centenaries of two radiant where - Opera Krakowska, ul. Lubicz 48 figures from Poland’s musical past. 1909 saw the birth of acclaimed female composer FILM Grazyna Bacewicz and the death of Romantic genius Mieczysław Karłowicz. OBERHAUSEN ON TOUR 2009 The latter was killed in an avalanche aged The oldest short film festival in the world just 33, but he has recently been rerecorded will be showcasing recent highlights at by punk violinist Nigel Kennedy: “Effing several cities across Europe. Krakow is one Karłowicz, man... beautiful,” enthuses the of the lucky few, and cinephiles can settle lively Brit. in for a celluloid banquet at the redoubt- when - 7th February able Kino Pod Baranami. “Oberhausen on where - Philharmonic Hall, ul. Zwierzyniecka 1 Tour” starts on Friday 9th with a selection of Ira & Klezmers - promotional concert for the album Jewish Wedding the best international shorts of recent times. EVERYTHING IS MADE IN CHINA created a work based on the city of Krakow, MY NOWA HUTA: 1949 -2009 Over the weekend, there will be screenings Moscow-based post-rock band Everything is with 49 paintings detailing fragments of the Not everyone will be celebrating Nowa of outstanding films made on video camera, Made in China, one of the stars of last year’s old capital. Huta’s 50th birthday. Some regard Stalin’s as well as programmes of captivating new Opener Festival in Gdynia, are playing in when - Until 28th February gift to Krakow as “a bastard child of Com- German creations. All shorts will be shown in Krakow for the first time. Supporting them where - Galeria Zderzak, ul. Floriańska 3 munism.” However, today’s cultural luminar- their original versions with English subtitles. is a young local band called The Recycling ies are keen to look on the bright side of when - 20th - 22nd February Center. All in all, a great night for fans of THE ROAD TO THE VATICAN the Orwellian social realist town: “Living where - Kino Pod Baranami, Rynek Główny independent music. Thirty years back, a thunderbolt hit Moscow in Nowa Huta is like driving a Rolls Royce when - 9th February with the news that Krakow’s archbishop had amongst Trabants” enthuses art historian LIVE MUSIC where - Klub Pod Jaszczurami, been elected Pope. It was a key moment in Maciej Miezian. “Above all,” he encour- Rynek Główny 8 the Cold War, and an ecstatic day for Poles ages, “it is worth discovering Nowa Huta for CLASSICAL CONCERT: TRIPLUM across the world. This exhibition chimes in yourself.” This jubilee exhibition provides The Royal Castle will be welcoming the MARILLION with that anniversary, but explores the wider a perfect opportunity to do just that. The Triplum Vocal Quartet tonight. They’ll Brit post-rockers Marillion return with a relationship between Krakow and the Vati- show takes personal tangents, focusing on be soaring through “The Psalter of major bash at the Wisła Hall. Lead singer H is can, which stretches back many centuries. 12 key figures, including one of the origi- David.” Tickets are 40 złoty, and they can fond of sporting patriotic Polska t-shirts, and Hosted in a historic palace on the Market nal architects of Nowa Huta, Stanisław be purchased from the Philharmonic Hall or he’s virtually an honorary citizen now, having Square, the show is brimming with curiosi- Juchnowicz, and Solidarity priest Father the main Culture Office (ul. św. Jana 2). played the pagan Wianki concert two years ties, whether it be silken papal slippers or Jan Bielański. Audio-visual interviews are when - 2nd February ago. The lads are here to promote their new grand canvases recalling Polish diplomatic complemented by a host of photographs and where - Philharmonic Hall, ul. Zwierzyniecka 1 double album Happiness is the Road missions to the Vatican. documents chronicling the highs and lows of - clearly they haven’t tired of touring after when - Until 8th March the last 50 years. ORCHESTRA SINFONICA DI ROMA all these years. Curious fact of the day: the where - Krzysztofory Palace, Rynek Główny 35 when - 25th February - 9th September Rome’s finest will be touching down in band takes its name from Tolkien novel The where - Nowa Huta Branch of Historical Krakow on Friday 6th under the baton of the Silmarillion. FIRST STEP... Museum, os. Słoneczne 16 great Francesco La Vecchia. A dis- when - 9th February A treasure trove of contemporary classics tinctly Roman repertoire is in the pipeline. where - Hala TS Wisła, ul. Reymonta 22 can be found at the National throughout OPERA, THEATRE Winter,including cuts from blonde bomb- shell Andy Warhol and his mischievous & DANCE protege David LaChapelle. With works from a dozen hot names in the contemporary GROTESKA: CHILDREN’S THEATRE & MORE canon, “First Step...” stands out as one of The Ugly Duckling (Brzydkie Kaczątko), the heavyweight shows of recent months. Little Red Riding Hood (Czerwony Krakow has hit the jackpot thanks to Rafael Kapturek) and A Cobbler’s Tale (Bajka o Jablonka, whose eponymous gallery in Szewczyku) are amongst the treats in store Cologne established him as a major interna- this February. The latter is a charming retell- tional collector. There are hopes that this ing of the Krakow Dragon legend, complete show is the “First Step” in a more permanent with the canny cobbler who vanquished the relationship with Mr Jablonka. beast. All in all, ideal family entertainment. when - Throughout February Meanwhile, for those of you with advanced where - National Museum, al. 3 Maja Polish skills, Saturday 14th sees a witty take on today’s politicians and other people in the ICHIGO ICHIE - AN ENCOUNTER WITH public eye. See Groteska’s web page for a A BOWL OF JAPANESE TEA full programme from the master puppeteers. The old cliche runs that it’s the British who when - Throughout February are obsessed with tea. But few have ac- where - Groteska, ul. Skarbowa 2 corded the drink such grandeur as the Japa- nese. This exhibition unravels the mysteries THE BAT of chanoyu, the ancient Japanese tea Krakow has a brand spanking new opera ceremony. It’s the first show in what’s set house fresh for 2009, and February sees the to be a big year for the marvellous Manggha the fullest programme yet since Decem- Museum - 2009 marks their 15th birthday. ber’s grand opening. Things kick off with when - Throughout February Strauss’s classic The Bat (Die Fledermaus) where - Manggha Museum, on Saturday 7th. ul. M. Konopnickiej 26 when - 7th February where - Opera Krakowska, ul. Lubicz 48

Red Riding Hood, Groteska Theatre www.krakowpost.com Krakow Post FEBRUARY 2009 CL9

KLEZMER CONCERT: DI GALITZYANER- KLEZMORIM Award-winning klezmer band Di Galitzyaner Klezmorim will be playing a one-off concert at the Galicia Museum on the 10th. Founded back in 1996 by three students from the Krakow Music Academy, the group has gone from strength to strength, becoming a regular fixture on the international festival scene. Tickets 20 złoty. when - 10th February where - Galicia Jewish Museum, ul. Dajwór 18

CLASSICAL CONCERT: THE CRACOW PHILHARMONIC The Cracow Philharmonic Orchestra plays Beethoven’s Symphony No.6 in F Major and Lutosławski’s Orchestral Concerto. The Friday performance starts at 7 pm, Saturday’s at 6 pm. Tickets 25 zł. when - 13th & 14th February where - Philharmonic Hall, ul. Zwierzyniecka 1

GIRLS AGAINST BOYS American alternative band Girls Against Boys will be rocking it out this month at Manngha. Formed in 1988 in Washington DC, GVSB is often associated with the post-hardcore movement with includes such bands as Fu- gazi, though their own approach is decidedly more accessible in the style of indie rock. Girls Against Boys’ career reached a peak in the 90s, when their music was featured in many films, particularly the early work of American director Kevin Smith. Tickets 40-50 złoty. when - 15th February where - Manggha, ul. M. Konopnickiej

BUT IS THIS PERCUSSION? The Sixth International Percussion Festival kicks off today. There will be workshops in the morning, followed by a belter of a concert at 7.30 pm. Guests from far flung shores will be hammering away - Hob Beats, the Grove Brothers and the Gamelan Con- nection will be purveying percussion with panache. Don’t miss it. when - 18th February where - Music Academy, ul. św Tomasza 43

BACK TO ROOTS One of Krakow’s sleekest venues plays host to the second installment of the Interna- tional Percussion Festival. Today you can step into the wondrous world of the gamelan, Indonesia’s ancient percussive tradition. Also in store is long-time Jamiro- quai collaborator Sola Akingbola, whose Richard Strauss’s The Bat, Opera Krakowska recent solo album Routes to roots lets rip

Oberhausen Film Festival On Tour, Kino Pod Baranami Marillion in concert CL10 Krakow Post FEBRUARY 2009 www.krakowpost.com

CULTURAL PARTNERS

Cecylia Malik, Galeria Zderzak with Nigerian drumbeats. album Jewish Wedding. As always, she’ll FINALE OF THE PERCUSSION FESTIVAL when - 19th February be joined by ace clarinetist Leslaw Lic, The Philharmonic Hall will be playing host where - Manggha Museum, ul. M. Konopnickiej 26 who stole Spielberg’s heart when he was to the final shindig of the percussion fest. in Krakow making Schindler’s List. Mr Topping the bill is Hungarian hotshot Laszlo CLASSICAL CONCERT: THE CRACOW Lic was a child prodigy, and he’s one of the Sule, who’ll be performing a world premiere PHILHARMONIC last surving musicians to have played with a of Porto Concertino, his latest vibraphone Guest conductor from the U.S. Eugene Tz- Jewish klezmer band before the war. Classic voyage (7 pm). Back-up comes from Marcin igane guides the Cracow Philharmonic klezmer from a classy combo. Starts 8 pm. Blazewicz and his Concerto Rustico, through Verdi’s Overture to the Force when - 21st February and if you’re still hungry for more, why not of Destiny and Beethoven’s Symphony where - Cafe Camelot (cellar stage), ul. św. Tomasza 17 pop over to Podgorze, where Klub Dru- No.3 in E flat Major. Beata Bilińska karnia is laying on an after-party and jam plays piano. Friday at 7 pm, Saturday at 6 IMMANU EL session (ul. Nadwislanska 1, 9.30pm). pm - tickets 25 złoty. Led by identical twins Claes and Per when - 22nd February when - 20th & 21st Strängberg (yes, it’s a gimmick, but a where - Philharmonic Hall, ul. Zwierzyniecka 1 where - Philharmonic Hall, ul. Zwierzyniecka 1 pretty original one), this Swedish five-piece plays atmospheric music built on guitar and AND THEY WERE CREATED BY RHYTHM TRILOK GURTU keyboard soundscapes. As a young band from Eastcom, The Gudrumbra Duo, the The maestro from Mumbai plays Manggha. Jönköping, Sweden, Immanu el has toured Art Gore Special Quartet and the Next Trilok Gurtu, who’s been weaving his extensively around Europe, charming audi- Reflex Dance Group are amongst those spell for over two decades now, is one of the ences with their more pop-influenced take performing at the penultimate session of the star guests of this year’s Percussion Festi- on traditional post-rock. This will be their percussion festival. Starts 7.30 sharp. val. Head over the river to catch his unique second tour through Poland and their first when - 21st February brand of Indian grooves. The show starts at concert in Krakow, where they will take the where - Manggha Museum, ul. M. Konopnickiej 26 7.30 pm, with back up from Italy’s Arke stage at Face2Face. String Quartet - the perfect way to kick when - 21st February CLUB MUSIC off your Friday night. where - Face2Face Club, ul. Paulińska 28 when - 20th February ANTI-VALENTINE’S DAY where - Manggha Museum, ul. M. Konopnickiej 26 AND THEY WERE CREATED BY RHYTHM Anticipating this month’s Girls Against Boys Eastcom, The Gudrumbra Duo, the concert is Folia’s answer to the international KLEZMER CONCERT: IRA & KLEZMERS Art Gore Special Quartet and the Next holiday of schmaltz - Anti-Valentine’s Day AKA Legendary master of ceremonies Kazimierz Reflex Dance Group are amongst those Girls vs Boys. Prizes will be awarded for best Madej will be welcoming an inimitable lady performing at the penultimate session of the outfit as girls are encouraged to wear pink, to Camelot tonight, Irena Urbanska. The percussion festival. Starts 7.30 sharp. and guys black. With DJs DNN Squad and Dig- grande dame of Polish Klezmer is perform- when - 21st February ital Sin Team spinning dark electro, electro- ing a one-off concert promoting her new where - Manggha Museum, ul. M. Konopnickiej 26 clash and industrial, the party is sure to be a sultry affair. The best part - entrance is free! when - 13th February where - Folia Concept Club, Rynek Główny 30

COLD LADY RETURNS Cold Lady, the post-punk party that put B- Side Club on the map until it closed last year, is finally back in a new venue: Face2Face. DJs Kansas and Szczepi will be playing the best in indie and post-punk, from bands like Echo and the Bunnymen, LCD Soundsys- tem, Hot Chip, Interpol, Cool Kids of Death, and so on. Skinny ties a must. when - 20th February where - Face2Face, ul. Paulińska 28

Cracow-Life.com Trilok Gurtu and Arke String Quartet, International Festival of Percussion www.krakowpost.com Krakow Post FEBRUARY 2009 CL11

lastStars & Puzzles page

ASTRO SELTZER SUDOKU

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. AQUARIUS (Jan 20 - Feb 18) Get all the info you need and go for it! This is a month of making contacts, pitching ideas and refusing to take no for an answer. Struggling to break out of whatever box you’re in at the moment, you’re peeking around, wondering if there’s anything that will kill the dull pain of boredom. You’re about to be involved in a project that defies logic. Your best cities: Hamburg, Helsinki, Moscow.

PISCES (Feb 19 - Mar 19) CANCER (Jun 21 – Jul 22) SCORPIO (Oct 23 - Nov 21) Are you self-involved? Of Probably the most realistic sign At times, the best reaction course! Are you also a closet of the zodiac, you understand is no reaction. Intensely philanthropist who can’t stand that some people need to be emotional, you get into hot to see anyone suffer? You bet! manipulated for their own water when you act out of This month, you step into an good. This month, you’ll be fear or anger. This month, extremely difficult situation when you have to put indulging in some extraordinary manoeuvres to as things seem to be spinning out of con- your own needs aside to fix a nasty situation at keep people in line. Credit crunch, recession, trol, all your buttons will be pushed. Calm work. Then, I hope, you’ll sneak off for some well- hard times ahead? You’ll have none of that! In down and wait. Everything will be back deserved time alone. Your best cities: Alexandria, your book, those fears are for wimps. Your best to normal by March. Your best cities: New Jerusalem, Seville. cities: Amsterdam, Milan, Tokyo. Orleans, Liverpool, Washington, D.C.

ARIES (Mar 20 - Apr 19) LEO (Jul 23 - Aug 22) SAGITTARIUS (Nov 22 - Dec 20) Act now, think later. With no Criticism helps you hone Follow through with promis- time to waste and so many your skills and sharpen your es and everything will work things to do, you’re galva- brain. This month, opposi- out on its own. This month, nised, motivated and focused. tion from long-term allies you’ll be asked to perform To others, however, you will will shock you for about two a few simple duties that promise to lead appear arrogant, self-centred and remote. seconds. Then, you’ll strategise your way to more of everything: money, respect, Well, sometimes you can’t have everything! back to complete control of the situation. acclaim. The downside is that you’ve This is a month that demands dedication People are watching you. But, that’s noth- become astoundingly impatient and are to the tasks at hand. You won’t win any ing new. Your best cities: Chicago, Madrid, in danger of making some some rather popularity contests, but you’ll get exactly Rome. ridiculous decisions if left to your own what you want. Your best cities: Florence, devices. Ask a trusted friend for advice – Krakow, Marseilles. VIRGO (Aug 23 - Sep 22) and follow it! Your best cities: Budapest, A marvellous actor, you Naples, Stuttgart. TAURUS (Apr 20 - May 20) always seem to be cooler Feeling that you’re on the than cool. That, of course, CAPRICORN (Dec 21 - Jan 19) right path has liberated you. is a sham: underneath it Part of your success is due Anxiety has drifted away and all, you’re impatient and to looking at the big picture. you’re full of renewed faith astoundingly anxious. This month, you’ll Chuckling to yourself while in yourself. This month, you work like the devil to control emotions everyone else is in the grip of are being carried along on a wave of des- as you’re catapulted into the public eye. financial anxiety, you continue tiny that promises to bring you some place That will definitely be worth the effort: to make grand, long-term plans that will rather wonderful. Go with the flow! Your fame may not be far away. Your best cit- bring you more power and influence. This best cities: Palermo, Leipzig, Dublin. ies: Athens, Paris, Lyons. month, you will prove that you have no time for fear when you take over a project that GEMINI (May 21 - Jun 20) LIBRA (Sep 23 - Oct 22) no one else would touch with the proverbial A snap decision, made after consid- Typically suspicious of barge pole. Your best cities: Brussels, Ghent, erable confusion, will clear the air anyone who thinks you’re Delhi. and bring peace of mind. This could perfect, you’re nonetheless Krakow Post’s astrology column is for entertainment change your life and bring you in human and love your share purposes only, and the Post is not responsible for any contact with vital, enthusiastic of flattery. This month, you find yourself consequences incurred as a result of this column. people who will fall in love with your quirky uncharacteristically drawn to someone Written by Kerwin McLeister, [email protected] brain. The downside is that sudden changes who lays it on a bit thick. What starts off SUDOKU SOLUTIONS frighten others who are smugly stuck in the sta- as a relatively innocent flirtation could tus quo. Your best cities: London, Nuremberg, blossom into something serious. Relax and Melbourne. leave analysis to the professionals. Your best cities: Lisbon, Copenhagen, Vienna.

Star-Signs drawn by Dominik Nawrocki Valentine’s

alentine’s Day is often used as an you may need something more advanced up be like to dance with me?). Some guys may excuse worldwide for singletons to your sleeve. Time for some old-school com- be rendered speechless by a pretty girl ap- head to commercial nightclubs and pliments: “Czy zechcesz zaszczycić mnie proaching them, so it may be necessary at snog random punters. In Poland it’s chwilą swego uroczego towarzystwa?” this moment to gravitate towards notV much different. A number of clubs will (Would you care to honour me with your the dance floor and see if he be sporting so-called special events with precious time and charming company?) or follows. In Poland, men DJ Camembert or such-like laying down “Twoja uroda mnie olśniewa. are generally expected to disco and party grooves to hormonal young Jestem wprost bez tchu.” make the first move, but things. (Your beauty is dazzling. there’s nothing wrong with I am stunned and breath- being an assertive woman Romeos beware less...). If you meet with - some Polish men might though, pinch- great success then keep just find that refreshingly ing a Polish this one for breakfast attractive (especially the girl’s behind and time: “Wyglądasz świeżo nice, quiet types every girl proclaiming “get jak wiosenny poranek.” wants to take home to their your coat love, (You look as fresh as a mother)! So this Valentine’s you’ve pulled” spring morning). Day, go forth and captivate! will get you short shrift. Why not try Now, of course there are plenty of sin- And if you’ve already got a signifi- these chat up lines gle Juliets looking to meet their Romeo cant other and want to surprise them with instead? (and hoping for a slightly less tragic end) a romantic dinner, there are several prime on Valentine’s Day as well. If you happen spots around Krakow serving up meals for Let’s start with the classics: “Masz piękne to find your dream Jan or Jacek standing two on that special night (see below). But oczy” (You have beautiful eyes) or “Czy ch- in the corner looking deep and mysterious, make sure to call well in advance and make cesz tańczyc ze mną?” (Would you like to try this one for breaking the ice: “Cześć, reservations - or the only action you’ll be dance with me?). If the young stripling in the jestem ______. Chcesz może zatańczyc seeing this Valentine’s will be a cab’s tail- short skirt seems particularly hard to please ze mną?” (Hi, I’m ______. Would you may- lights speeding away!