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Aug – Sep 2021

Poland

A 16-day adventure by skip's retirement travel Read more
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    August 27, 2021
    skip's retirement travelskip's retirement travelPoland

    Royal Lazienki Park

    August 28, 2021 in Poland ⋅ ☁️ 15 °C

    This is the estate and Royal park of the last king of Poland before Poland was partitioned among Russia, Prussia and Austria which lasted until 1918 when Poland was reestablished as a republic led by Marshal Pilsudski who lived in the Belvedere Palace shown in the 1st picture.
    The 2nd picture is of the 1st building built in the park and was the king's residence while the palace was built. It became a guest house. The 3rd picture is the summer palace. The residence palace/castle was in the old town (see another post).
    The 4th picture is the orangerie, about the largest I've seen.
    The 5th picture is of a small amphitheater by the lake. It was designed after temples of antiquity, including damage to the old temples.
    The last picture is a look at one small area of a very large park.    Read more

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    Jewish Ghetto area

    August 28, 2021 in Poland ⋅ ☁️ 16 °C

    The Jewish ghetto in Warsaw is famous in Polish history as the neighborhood where the Nazis walled in up to 500,000 Jews. At the time, Warsaw had the 2nd largest Jewish population in the world after NYC. Poland provided protection, and was a center of religious tolerance and freedom for centuries. By the end of the war, almost all 500,000 had been killed, most at Treblinka.
    The ghetto was destroyed by the Nazis. These pictures are of memorials in that part of the city where the ghetto had been. The 1st picture in said to be known to Jews worldwide and is the memorial of the uprising in the ghetto in 1942. The 2nd is of the simpler 1st memorial to those who revolted.
    The 3rd picture is of the stature of Jan Karski, the journalist who gathered evidence of the Holocaust early in the war, but no one believed him as it was too horrific. He remained in the US and taught at Georgetown.
    The last 2 pictures are of the Polin, the museum of the Holocaust in Warsaw. The entryway is said by the architect to represent the parting of the Red Sea. The last is of the mezuzah at the entrance to the Polin. It is made from a brick from the foundation of one of the demolished ghetto buildings that was excavated at the site.    Read more

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    Old Town, Warsaw

    August 28, 2021 in Poland ⋅ ☁️ 16 °C

    This is the original part of Warsaw. It was destroyed in world war 2 and rebuilt on the original gothic and baroque foundations using original materials as much as possible.
    The 1st picture looks across Castle Square named for the home of the last king of Poland at the end of the 18th century that lies along one side. The 2nd picture is inside the castle courtyard. If you look closely at the red wall (which remained after the bombing), you will see a multiple coat of arms. This has the white eagle of Poland and the armored knight of Lithuania dating to the time when the 2 countries were combined. The 3rd picture is also in the castle square and is the statue of the king who moved his court from Krakow to Warsaw. The 4th picture is of the barbican or city gate in the double medieval city walls. The 5th looks along the city walls with the guard space and/or killing ground in between.
    The last picture looks across the market square around which the old town developed as most medieval towns did.    Read more

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    St Ann's Church

    August 28, 2021 in Poland ⋅ ☁️ 17 °C

    This is the old church closest to the castle, dating to the 15th century. The 1st picture looks at the church from Castle Square of the old town (see another post). The oldest part of the building is the brick apse to the left of the picture.
    The 2nd picture is of the nave and the 3rd is of the chancel. A close look will show that there is a double chancel behind the altar. This is where the cloistered monks worshiped keeping them separated from the people.
    The 4th is in a hallway to the former monastery. The ceiling has very unusual architecture. Pictures 5 & 6 are at the left side of this hall. The 5th picture is rare inlaid wood at the entrance to the sacristy which is the last picture.    Read more

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    Warsaw

    August 28, 2021 in Poland ⋅ ☁️ 17 °C

    Warsaw is the capital and largest city in Poland. There is so much here that I am providing several posts. This is just an introduction to the city.
    The 1st picture is of a landmark building. It is the Palace of Culture and Science. If you have been to Moscow, you might recognize Stalin's wedding cake architecture, as it is called. This building was a "gift" from Stalin to the people of Poland. Of course it was the tallest building and a reminder of the Soviet presence. The building to the left of the Palace is a new building under construction. The look of Warsaw is changing. In fact, the 1st building to be taller than the Palace of Culture and Science is only now being built. The 2nd picture show several buildings of various ages all together.
    The 3rd picture is of the Presidential Palace.
    The 4 picture is of one if many plaques line this around Warsaw. After the 2nd Warsaw uprising (the 1st was the Jewish ghetto uprising), Hitler ordered the destruction of Warsaw and it's people. The plaques are located where the local people were executed. The only difference is the number cited. This one says 50 were killed at this spot. I'm told there is one citing 550 deaths.    Read more

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    Olsztyn

    August 29, 2021 in Poland ⋅ 🌧 16 °C

    Olsztyn is a small city with a famous connection that I'll get to shortly. The 1st picture is the upper gate to the city and is the only part of the medieval walls I saw. The 2nd picture is the back of that gate. The mosaic is a gift from Pope John Paul II during his papal visit. The 3rd picture is the exterior of the Church of St. James where the Pope visited. I was surprised to see the scallop shell symbol of Santiago de Compostela, linking this church to the cathedral all the way at the west end of Europe on Spain. BTW, I didnt get to see inside the church as I visited on a Sunday, and there were back to back to back masses, precluding a tourist visit.
    The 4th picture is actually about the famous historic connection. This is a a statue of Copernicus. He worked here in charge of the castle in the 5th picture and made many of his astronomic observations from the tower shown.
    The last picture is unusual. This is a carving of a female deity that is a memorial to the pre-Christian warriors who died in battle but were not buried in their home towns.    Read more

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    Swieta Lipke

    August 30, 2021 in Poland ⋅ ☁️ 15 °C

    The story is told of a criminal facing execution who had a dream of the Virgin Mary. He was told to make a carving of Mary, and he was to place the carving in the 1st linden tree he saw after being released. When the carving was found in his cell, he was exonerated and released. He placed the carving in the tree and left.
    The tree became known as the Holy Linden or Swieta Lipke in Polish and became associated with many miracles. And the small town took that name.
    After the original tree died, a church dedicated to Mary was built. It is one of the finest baroque churches in Poland.
    The 1st picture is of that church, and the 2nd is a detail of the gate. The 3rd shows part of the cloister and the decoration, similar to frescoes. The 4th picture is a mosaic of Mary within a linden tree placed on the outside of the rear wall of the church. The 5th and 6th pictures are in the church itself.
    There is still an active Jesuit monastery here at what is the 2nd most important Roman Catholic pilgrimage site in Poland after Czestochowa. I will visit Czestochowa later on.    Read more

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    Organ at Swieta Lipka

    August 30, 2021 in Poland ⋅ ☁️ 16 °C

    The church at Swieta Lipka (see another post) has an historic organ of about 4,000 pipes. It was played in a mini-recital while we were there. This video captures a bit of the organ music and is a panoramic view of nave. What you see is mostly originally as this church was not destroyed during the war.Read more

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    Wolf's Lair

    August 30, 2021 in Poland ⋅ ☁️ 17 °C

    This is probably Hitler's most well known military headquarters. It was here that all activity on the eastern front was directed, and it was here that the failed assassination attempt on 20 July 1944 took place.
    Interestingly, this place was never discovered during the war until the Soviets over ran the site after the German military had destroyed all evidence.
    When the Soviet army came through here, they blew up everything. The pictures I've included are remains and reconstructions of the bunkers that made up the 2.5 square kilometer site. It was, for all practical purposes, a small village unto itself.
    The 1st picture is Hitlers bunker. The 2nd is of the remains of the building where the assassination attempt took place, and the 3rd is a recreation of that space just before the bomb went off.
    The 4th picture is inside remains of a bunker. The 5th is a restored bunker where the Wehrmacht headquarters were located. Notice the rebar loops at the top. These were connection point for camouflage netting. The last picture is some reconstructed camouflage over a pathway.    Read more

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    Grzycko

    August 30, 2021 in Poland ⋅ ☁️ 17 °C

    This is a a small town where we have our 1st encounter with the Teutonic Knights, a medieval order similar to the Knight Templar. After the crusades, they settled here and built dozens of fortifications in this region. There will be more posts about the Teutonic Knights.
    The 1st 2 pictures are of the reconstructed and adapted fortress the Teutonic Knights built here. It is now the hotel St. Bruno. I can attest to this being a very nice hotel. I stayed here.
    The hotel is named for St. Bruno, one of the first monk evangelists to come to this region to attempt to convert the local pagans. He was martyred in 1009. In 2009, a cross was erected in his name on a hilltop overlooking a lake nearby. That is the 3rd picture.
    The last picture is taken from the bridge over a canal that connects 2 lakes in the region. The canal is active with recreational boaters, and the bridge opens to allow boats to pass. This picture also captures a bit of the town    Read more

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    Elblag-Ostroda Canal

    August 31, 2021 in Poland ⋅ 🌧 14 °C

    Overland Canal is another name for this facility opened in the 1860s that was built to move merchandise more efficiently between the 2 cities it is named for. A major product was timber, an important export from this region in the 19th century.
    This is also a good place for engineers to geek out. It may be the only canal built like this. Instead of locks to raise and lower shipping, they have a ramp system. The canal proceeds to an earthen dam. The canal boats slip into a cable driven trolley that lifts the boat up on tracks to the top of the dam and then on down the other side until the boat again floats and heads off under its own power. The greatest elevation change at one of the ramps is 23.5 meters.
    Another interesting point about this system is that it is still driven by water power only, just as it was in the 1860s.
    The 1st 2 pictures look at the mechanism that moves the canal boats on the ramp. In the first are the 2 wheels that move the cables. This is a counter balanced system where one trolley moves in each direction. The 2nd picture is a wider view. The building farthest to the right and which sits low is where the water wheel is that drives the system. Each individual ramp has the same system. BTW, the electric service you can see is used for lighting only.
    The next 2 pictures show the trolleys. One is an empty trolley and the other looks along the side of the canal boat as it is being carried by the trolley.
    The 5th picture is one of the canal boats. The canal now operates as a tourist business only. Transport of goods now uses more modern and efficient modes.
    The last picture is a look at the scenery along the canal    Read more

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    Mickiwicz park, Oliwa, Gdansk

    September 1, 2021 in Poland ⋅ ☁️ 16 °C

    A large park in the Oliwa section of Gdansk. The park had 2 distinct sections: one designed in the french style, the other side in the less formal English style. Between the 2 is a religious site.
    The 1st picture is of the Abbot's Palace that housed the abbot of the Cistercian Monastery until the region became part of Prussia. The Cistercians were developers of the region, building mills, granaries and more. Their church, near the palace which is the cathedral dedicated to the Trinity and Holy Mary, is shown in the 2nd picture. The 3rd picture is an unusual tall, round glass building housing palm trees. The last 2 pictures are views of the park.Read more

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    Sopot

    September 1, 2021 in Poland ⋅ ☁️ 17 °C

    Sopot is adjacent to Gdansk and is sometimes called the summer capital of Poland. It is a seaside town on the Baltic Sea known for health spas, beaches and pier.
    The 1st picture looks back at the shore and town from near the end of what is said to be the longest wooden pier in Europe. The tallest tower to the left is a Lutheran church. The next tallest, nearer the center, is a working lighthouse. The clinic in is also visible.
    The 2nd picture is of the spa/clinic using natural, highly mineralized water recognized by a surgeon in Napoleon's army who established the site. It is still in operation.
    The 3rd picture is the Crooked House located on Monte Cassino Street. This is not a touched up photo. The house was built that way. The street is named Monte Cassino in recognition of the Polish Army's significant role at Monte Cassino in Italy during World War 2.
    The 4th picture is also related to Polish Army units in WW2. Wojtek the bear was adopted by II Corps and became their mascot. He was enlisted as a private, participated at Monte Cassino and was promoted to corporal.
    The 5th picture looks along Monte Cassino Street, and the 6th is the main square near the pier and beaches    Read more

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    Gdansk

    September 1, 2021 in Poland ⋅ ☁️ 18 °C

    Gdansk was known as the free city of Danzig under the auspices of the League of Nations between the 2 world wars. However, much of our familiarity with Gdansk is tied up with Solidarity, Lech Walesa, and the stand against Communism. The 1st 2 pictures relate to this. 1st is the European Solidarity center built where it all began and the 2nd is the shipyard where Lech Walesa worked. Gdansk/Danzig has been a major ship building port for centuries. Even U-boats were built here.
    In the world war 2 museum (see another post) is the reconstruction of the damage to the city. So most of what we see is reconstructed. Notice that the architecture looks Dutch. That is because Dutch engineers were brought in to help develop the area, much of which is below sea level. As another Hanseatic port, those influences are not surprising.
    The 3rd picture is of the main street today. It was decided to focus the reconstruction on the golden age of Danzig during the Hanseatic era. The 4th an 5th pictures are old buildings that mostly survived the war located on granary island. The last is the Neptune Fountain, a central landmark in the old town.    Read more

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    Gdansk Basilica

    September 1, 2021 in Poland ⋅ ☁️ 19 °C

    This is the main church in Gdansk, dedicated to Mary, and it is one of the 3 largest brick gothic churches in the world. Building began in the 14th century, replacing an earlier wooden church on the site. Although now a Roman Catholic church, St. Mary's was Lutheran from the reformation to World War 2 when the large German population fled.
    The 1st picture is the nave looking towards the high altar. The 2nd picture is a closer look at the high altar dating to the 16th century.
    The 3rd picture is of what is probably the most famous artwork associated with this church. It is The Last Judgment by Hans Memling. The original is now in the national museum.
    The 5th picture is of a visual representation of the 10 commandments. Most people in the middle ages were illiterate. So pictures were used for their edification.
    The last picture shows some of the original frescos uncovered during restoration work following the destruction if world war 2.    Read more

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    Museum of 2nd World War

    September 1, 2021 in Poland ⋅ ☁️ 16 °C

    This is an extraordinary place, and I happened to visit on the 82nd anniversary of the beginning of world war 2, commemorating the date when the German army began their attack on Poland. Gdansk (or Danzig as it was known then) was where it all began.
    The museum traces conditions from before the war right up through the fall of the Iron Curtain, which is when many Poles consider the war to have finally ended.
    I have no way to capture the extent of what is here. There are exhibits about occupations of Germans, Italians, Soviets, Japanese, as these are all part of the war. The Holocaust is here in all it's gory detail. My pictures here are an inadequate glimpse at the place.
    1st is the museum itself. 2nd is a statue commemorating the postal workers who fought the Nazis and we're eventually executed. The 3rd picture is of a reconstruction of what the main street looked like after the Soviets overran the city.
    The 4th is an original Enigma code machine. The museums make much of the fact the the Poles were the ones who cracked the Enigma code and passed their work on to Bletchley Park.
    The 5th picture is of a famous photo of Polish woman grieving over her sister who had been gunned down by a strafing German aircraft while she was harvesting potatoes.
    The last picture is of another memorial to those postal workers. Art students created a series of hand prints where the workers were lined up against the wall and executed.    Read more

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    Malbork Castle

    September 2, 2021 in Poland ⋅ ⛅ 17 °C

    Originally called Marienburg by the Teutonic Knights who built it beginning in the 13th century. It is said to be the largest castle (52 acres) in the world by land area, and I can believe it. This became the capital of of the Teutonic Order upon their move from Venice perhaps promoted by the treatment of the Knights Templar. It is considered a classic example of a medieval fortress.
    Because there is too much here for a single post, this post look at exterior features. The next post looks inside a few of the buildings.
    One of these famous items at Malbork is the 8 meter tall statue of Mary that is covered with glass tiles the make it glisten and visible for miles. This is my 1st picture.
    The 2nd picture looks along the outer wall and outer moat (now dry) of the Middle Castle, the largest of the 3 sections. The 3rd picture is of the courtyard of the Middle Castle.
    The 4th picture is of the counterweights on the chain to lift the drawbridge over another moat into the Upper Castle. The 5th picture looks along the covered walkway on an inner wall. The last picture looks back across the river to capture a view of most of the castle. A portion of the lower castle used for servants located to the left of the picture didn't quite fit.    Read more

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    More Malbork

    September 2, 2021 in Poland ⋅ ⛅ 17 °C

    I had said the this post would be interior photos. The exception is the 1st picture the looks to the palace of the Grand Master taken from the Upper Castle. The 2nd picture is the major refectory in the Grand Master's palace.
    The 3rd looks along the part of the cloister of the upper castle. The section was restricted to the knights who were also monks. The secular members were restricted to the Middle Castle. The 4th picture is the door to the chapel in the Upper Castle/monastery. This is original. The 5th picture is of a portion of the chapter house of the monastery. And the last picture is of the well in the upper castle.    Read more

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    Torun

    September 3, 2021 in Poland ⋅ ⛅ 21 °C

    This is another Teutonic Knights town. In this case, they expanded the town (dating to the 8th century) by building their castle in the 13th century and the town built up around them. Torun is a well preserved example of s medieval trading and government town and is now under UNESCO protection. It doesn't hurt that this where Copernicus was born.
    The 1st picture is of a granary just inside the old walls. The 2nd picture isn't a trick. The tower is leaning. There are too many local legends about this to relate. The local clay soils and differential settlement just aren't interesting enough.
    The 3rd picture is a a boy playing a fiddle. This is a similar story to the Pied Piper of Hamelin (see another post). In this case, it was frogs. The fiddler led the frogs away, saved the town, and married the mayor's daughter.
    The 4th picture is of part of the old market square with the old town hall and a building of Copernicus University visible. The 5th picture looks at some of the ruins of the Teutonic Knights castle.
    The last picture was taken along the street while I was standing in front of Copernicus' house. It is a typical street. Of interest is the sign to the left advertising Piernicki. Piernicki means gingerbread in Polish, and this town is famous for its piernicki.    Read more

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    Torun gothic churches

    September 3, 2021 in Poland ⋅ ☀️ 22 °C

    Torun has 3 medieval gothic churches. There are many others in town, but these are the most significant. You will note thay while the buildings were built on the gothic style, most of the interior decor is Baroque. It also seems like much of the decor doesn't fit the space. Much of the Baroque furnishings were brought from other churches. After reformation, this region became protestant. So the iconoclasts destroyed the decor. What is here is from churches damaged and not repaired.
    The 1st 3 pictures are of St Mary's church in the old town. This was built by the Franciscans. Notice the 3rd picture where frescos have been exposed. These were recently found during renovation work when paint was removed. This is an excellent example of the work of iconoclasts covering ornate decor.
    The 4th and 5th pictures are in St John's church. This was built as a city church, not by a specific order. I find it interesting that the church is dedicated to 2 Johns: both the Baptist and the Evangelist.
    The last church is St. James that was built by the Dominicans. There is only 1 picture as this church wasn't open.    Read more

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    Poznan

    September 4, 2021 in Poland ⋅ ⛅ 18 °C

    Poznan is the 5th largest city in Poland and the site of the oldest diocese in Poland. Poznan was a fortified city between 2 rivers.
    In the 10th century, the local ruler was baptized which was followed by the start of the 1st cathedral in Poland. And the city outgrew its walls
    What's known now as the old city was built as a new walled city to accommodate the growing population.
    Poznan was heavily damaged during world war 2. So most of the pictures show reconstructions. The 1st picture looks at a portion of the market square, said to be one of the largest in Poland. The 2nd is of a statute of goats. It is said that a couple of goats escaped and ran up into the top of the city hall where they started butting each other on a balcony. It was enjoyed so much it became part of the city. There's even a glockenspiel that remembers this that I didn't get to see.
    The 3rd picture is in the nave of the cathedral and what is claimed to be the most beautiful baroque church in Poland. The 4th picture is the very recent reconstruction of the castle.
    The 5th picture is of typical narrow medieval houses built this way as taxes were a function of the width of the house. Most had shops on the ground floor and accomodations above.
    The last picture is of Freedom Square. In 1918 when Poland was reestablished as its own country after 123 years of partition, Poznan was left as part of Prussia. Paderewski gave a speech here that prompted an uprising that resulted in this region joining Poland.    Read more

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    Cathedral Island, Wroclaw

    September 5, 2021 in Poland ⋅ ⛅ 13 °C

    This is one of the 20 islands of this city: this one entirely owned by the church. There are 6 churches here, including one built on top of another (really). It seems a Duke and a bishop were at odds over who was in charge. Finally, the duke moved across the river with the authority to build a church to his family's patron saint: Bartholomew. During excavation, they found a root shaped like a crucifix, Jesus included. So the bishop insisted that the new church be called Holy Cross, but it was already promised to St. Bart. In the end, St. Bart's was built, and Holy Cross was put on top.
    The 1st picture is of the cathedral from the side, and the 2nd is in the nave. The 3rd is that double church.
    The 4th is some 13th century artwork: one sculpture and one bas relief. The 5th is a seminary that is still active, and the last was a medieval orphanage.    Read more

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    Wroclaw

    September 5, 2021 in Poland ⋅ ☀️ 17 °C

    I have been refraining from pronunciation posts, but this one is a good idea example of Polish. As best as I can transliterate this, it is "Vdrawtswav". The dr indicates a rolled R. I'm still struggling with pronunciation here
    Wroclaw is a large city in central Poland described as having 5 rivers, 20 islands and about 120 bridges. It has a very complex history that's way too much for this post.
    The 1st picture is a look from one of the many bridges across the junction of 2 of the rivers.
    The 2nd picture is of a main building of Wroclaw University. This was founded in the 13th century as a Jesuit academy. The 4rd picture is in the old jail. The courtyard is now a pub. So I chose not to take a picture of that. The faculty of archaeology has offices here. The 4th picture is of medieval butchers street. The statues in the foreground remember the many animals who gave their lives for these businesses. The 5th picture is simply a side street in the old town.
    The last picture is fun. Wroclaw has a thing for gnomes. They're everywhere. This one is at the old jail. The story is that this guy shaved his beard against the gnome code. His punishment was to sit chained here until his beard grew down to the sidewalk. To give an idea of the fun: right across the street is another gnome sitting on a scooter as a pizza delivery guy, flat box and all.    Read more

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    Market Square, Wroclav

    September 5, 2021 in Poland ⋅ ☀️ 18 °C

    This is the 2nd largest market square in Poland after Krakow (see another post to come). Wroclaw was about 70% destroyed in world war 2. So most of this is restoration.
    The old town hall was in the center and is in the 1st picture. This is a 1 handed clock. One hand tells the time. There is another hand, but this one be points out the season. If you look closely, there are 4 symbols in the corners. These are said to be Egyptians symbols for the seasons. That other hand is pointing to late summer. After a trial, sentences were declared from one of those windows. If there was punishment, it was exacted right there, up to death by beheading. If not death, sentences were carried out at the pillory in the 2nd photo.
    The 3rd and 4th pictures are a couple views of the market square. Note the white building in the background of #4 with the 5-stepped gable. This was owned by wealthy Dutch merchant as indicated by a 5 story attic. The attic is where goods were stored and a huge attic indicated wealth.
    The last picture from the market square in Wroclaw is a nod to my friends at Aidan's. We sang these very words many Sunday evenings.    Read more

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