Polska!

When I first told people around me that I was going to Poland for the Eid holidays, there was more than one raised eyebrow. To start with, it made me a little sceptical, but my mind was made up, to visit.

The country wears its charms lightly – so much that it doesn’t draw the attention of the average Euro-tripper. But step in, venture into its heart and you’ll find medieval cities, fairy-tale castles and untouched wilderness, served with an invigorating shot of vodka.

We drove over the Polish border from Prague, headed to Kraków, the second largest and one of the oldest cities in Poland. We had hired a private car from Prime Tours Kraków, who also helped us organise our other tours around the city – I have nothing but high praise for them! However, if one was looking for a budget option (since fuel is not the cheapest in the EU), there is an overnight train that runs from Prague to Kraków Główny Osobowy (the central railway station) – and is said to be pretty convenient.

I was, as always, quite impressed by the fact that we could just casually drive into one country from another with Europe, with not even as much as a check post. It makes me think as the World War II and post War era, where Poland found itself in the middle of almost all epic fights that happened in the region and marching militia – whether of the Poles themselves, or the German Nazis or their Communist cousins were the most common sight. Nearing the end of World War II, the advancing Soviet Red Army pushed out the Nazi German forces from occupied Poland, pulling it even deeper into chasms of economic and political instability. It is even more intriguing to know that it has only been around 20 odd years since Poland has been a true republic – even in the 1980’s, the Communist regime had a stronghold over Central and Eastern Europe. Most of the cities and little towns we crossed or stopped at didn’t look very different from War-era movies, but for a sense of serenity.

We had driven all morning from Prague on a foggy morning and crossed beautiful meadows and highways lined with bald trees, to reach Kraków by noon. The city was sunny and full of life – with some old and crumbling buildings contrasted against the lofty Wawel Castle. Located on the banks of the Vistula River, Kraków acts as a stop for all the tourists looking to visit Auschwitz and related sites that form a part of the country’s rich history. We had scheduled the day for a look around the city, and didn’t even wait to check in, to get started. Leaving our bags at the Novotel Centrum Kraków, we met with our guide for the day Marta (must not confuse her with our most wonderful Warsaw guide, Marta Rzeznik – Marta seems to be the Pooja/Neha of Poland) and started our walking tour through this old city.

We started with the former Jewish quarter in Kazimierz, walked through almost the entire old town area and concluded by dusk at the charming main Market Square. Throughout the six-seven hours that we were constantly on our feet, we were fed history and even more history. Unlike Warsaw, Kraków survived most of the wartime aerial attacks and having being the official ‘royal city’ of Poland, there was simply too much to take in!

For almost seven hundred years Kazimierz was inhabited by a large Jewish community. It was founded as a separate town south east of medieval Krakow, where Jews had the right to settle down. Kazimierz subsequently became famous as a Jewish cultural centre. In 1941, German Nazis established a ghetto south of the Jewish locale, which was liquidated on March 13-14, 1943 (also known as Operation Reinhard). As I mentioned in a previous post dedicated to the Holocaust, those deemed able to work were transported to the Kraków-Płaszów concentration camp while around 2,000 Jews were killed in the streets. Any remaining – were sent to Auschwitz and Belzec. This is the premise of the Steven Spielberg’s 1993 film ‘Schindler’s List’ and if you have watched the movie or read anything about the subject, it would move you to walk the narrow streets of Kraków, knowing what happened here a mere 50 years ago.

Getting back to our tour, we walked around the old Jewish district, and Marta was even kind enough to take us to one of the remaining Jewish places of prayer which conduct service in Kraków – the 16^th century Remuh Synagogue. Baba sat down on one of the benches, donning a kippah while I felt a chill down my spine at being able to even stand in a room that had endured so many atrocities over four centuries.  Attached to the synagogue is the peaceful Remuh Cemetery where lay many old tombstones with Hebrew inscriptions. We were also told that the cemetery was badly damaged by the Nazis and countless tombs were destroyed and that many of the tomb fragments have been collected and arranged onto a wall, which has become known as the Wailing Wall. As it was my first visit to a Synagogue and Jewish cemetery, a lot felt foreign. What roused my curiosity most was that there were no flowers or wreaths on the tombstones, but rocks. Of course I asked why it was so, and was told that in Judaism, it is believed that souls continue to dwell for a while in the graves in which they are placed and these stones help keep the soul in their resting places. These stones are also markers of one’s visit to the tomb as you would remember from the end credits scene of the aforementioned Schindler’s List.

Marta also told us about the Jagiellonian University is a research university founded in 1364 by Casimir III the Great. It is one of the oldest universities in the world, and we were walked around its various campuses. As the Sun set, we stood in the Collegium Maius – the University’s oldest building, dating back to the 14th century, wondering how it could have possibly lasted. Next, we headed on to our final destination for the day -the 13th century Market Square in the Old Town which is the largest medieval town square in Europe and one of the most striking I have laid eyes on. The heart of the square is dominated by the Cloth Hall, rebuilt in 1555 in the Renaissance style which is now a souq of sorts dotted with souvenir sellers and makes the most interesting place to shop for memorabilia in the city. Tired as we were, we stopped for some Pierogis (dumplings), Gołąbkis (cabbage rolls), sausages and beers, promising to come back to the square again. 

The next day was spent entirely at Auschwitz and Birkenau – more on that here. We walked down to the Market Square for dinner and to sit at the Church of Our Lady Assumed into Heaven (also known as St. Mary’s Church) in the Square. It is from one of the towers of this church that here that the city’s famous bugle call – is played every hour on the hour. One of Kraków’s most enduring traditions, the tune ironically breaks off mid-melody in honour of the mythical trumpeter who was shot in the neck while belatedly warning the city of Mongol invaders – most amusing!

On day three of Kraków, we were headed to the south, to see Poland’s highest mountain range – the Tatra. But not before making a short stop. We drove right to the borders of Slovakia (I know for sure because Omantel sent me a “Welcome to Slovakia” text) as we would be rafting (leisure, not white water) on the Dunajec River which is a natural border between the two countries. Starting from the Pieniny National Park, which is a sight for autumn-starved eyes, we floated on wooden rafts as the river changed character from nobly quiet, to shallow mountain rapids. It was as dreamy as it gets, eyeing the towering cliffs and breath-taking limestone rock formations while curious emerald breasted ducks drifted idly alongside. It’s the only time I’ve felt like I was a part of what was one of my favourite animated films from my childhood – Pocahontas – as yellow leaves glittered gold under sunbeams. 

Heading on, we drove to destination next – the ski-town of Zakopane which is located at the foot of the Tatra Mountains. It was mostly a quiet little town with a boulevard, where we stopped for lunch. Damien, our guide and driver for the day, told us that it is bustling with energy between December and March when all winter sports enthusiasts make the most of the snowy peaks. We stopped at Chocholow – a historical village famous for the traditional wooden Highlanders’ cottages and then drove to the top of Mount Gubałówka (1123 m) from where the sights were stunning. I’ll let the pictures do the rest of the talking…

We drove back the four hours from Zakopane with Damien telling us amusing stories of the political scenario in the country and how the England vs. Poland World Cup qualifier which was played earlier in October 2014 was an absolute riot! Allow me to indulge you – the Warsaw National Stadium roof was left open with a rain prediction and the pitch was so waterlogged that the game had to be cancelled. People has travelled from across Poland, booked tickets months in advance and were so agitated that some of them got onto the field and ran around, doing victory laps, skidding across the drenched grass with Stewards chasing them! I looked for the video and here’s what I found!

Our three days in Kraków passed in a flash, and it was time to catch the train to the capital city of Warsaw, in no time. Waiting for our EIC from the Central station in the morning, I was breathing out clouds and keeping an eye out for the arrival of our train to Warszawa Centraln. We only had a couple of days in Warsaw and I wanted everything to work like clockwork!

We were met at the Radisson Blu Centrum by our very lovely, apple-cheeked guide – Marta. I had researched a lot to find the perfect person to take us around this historic city and had corresponded with her frequently over email to fix everything. She was most prompt on emails, and I had already taken a liking to her. We had split the itinerary into two parts – the first day would be historical Warsaw, and the next day, we would explore the City’s Jewish past.

Unlike Kraków, Warsaw is more widely spread and the tour was party by car and the other was walking. Our first stop was at the Palace of Science and Culture – in other words, the massive building that you can see wherever you are in downtown Warsaw. A gift from Stalin, it is despised by most locals – especially because a Jewish community was shoved out to make place for it – a memorial still stands.

Next, we drove to the Royal Castle and Royal Route – the historic way which connected the official and summer residences of the Polish Kings in Łazienki and Wilanow. The castle was burnt to the ground in a German Nazi bomb raid in 1939 was reconstructed from the ashes subsequently. We bought tickets and walked around inside the redecorated opulence that this royal residence was. A special feature was the Royal Apartments in which King Stanisław Augustus Poniatowski lived. They consisted of the Canaletto room, in which several painted views of Warsaw by Italian maestro Giovanni Antonio Canal are on display. These are such striking landscapes complete with individual buildings and landmarks that it is said that during the reconstruction of the city, planners refers to his works to maintain authenticity.

We then strolled around old town admiring the various forms of architecture that could be seen, as well as the lovely old town square where the mermaid of Warsaw sat, before getting back to the car and driving around the Embassies district and other popular sights.

Next, Marta took us to see the pearl of Polish 18^th century art – the beyond beautiful Royal Łazienki Park with its star attraction – the handsome Frédéric Chopin monument. The largest park in Warsaw, this would be a must-see any time of the year, but I think we were the luckiest. The trees were a brilliant auburn, with greens and yellows peeking through – you have to see it to believe it.

The Palace on the Water, summer residence of the last Polish king is also a part of the park and while we didn’t enter the premises, it made a postcard perfect picture at dusk with the orange in the sky.

The last stop for the day was the Church of the Holy Cross’ which was very special because it is the resting place of Chopin’s heart. Added to the church in 1882 his heart was sealed in an urn and then placed behind a tablet bearing his likeness – a request that he had personally made. I had always thought he was French, and hence curt – and it was a welcome discovery.

Tribute to Copernicus, the Polish genius

The Champs Elysses of Warsaw

Where Chopin’s heart lays

On our last day in Warsaw, we had the morning free and after breakfast decide to explore the city on foot. I was aiming to get to the Saxon Garden (erstwhile Saxon Palace and grounds), which was also home to the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier – a monument much like the Amar Jyoti Jawan in New Delhi. The Tomb is constantly lit by an eternal flame and assisted by a guard post by the Representative Battalion of the Polish Army. The changing of the guard takes place every hour, and it was quite a sight to see the retreating guards march away toward the nine-metre cross in the square – which marks the spot where Poland’s beloved Pope John Paul II returned to Warsaw for the first time after being made pope.

Frank Underwood was advertising in Warsaw.

Autumn in all its glory

Love!

Tomb of the Unknown Soldier

Retreating guards

Tribute to Pope John Paul II

Whatte bunch of dears

Backpacker parents of mine..

That beautiful dog!

We meet Marta soon afterwards, and she was taking us around whatever little remained of the Jewish parts of Warsaw. A little back story is necessary here.

At the time Hitler chose to expand Germany’s territories under the revolting excuse of providing ‘living space’ for the German people, Warsaw’s Jewish population numbered 350,000 and growing. Yet within six years Warsaw’s thriving Jewish scene was all but wiped from the map, with over 90 percent perishing either in the Ghetto or the gas chambers of Treblinka. By 1940, Jews were forcibly penned into an area that already housed most of the Jewish population following which the ghetto occupants were ordered to build a wall around the ghetto. Spanning 18 kilometres and enclosing 73 of Warsaw’s 1,800 streets, the area was carved into a ‘small’ and ‘large’ ghetto, the two linked by a wooden bridge standing over Chłodna Street. It was a bit of a ridiculous sight – if you sit down to imagine it. The street between two sides of the bridge was not ghetto area – here is a picture to explain.

The bizarreness of Choldna Street

Of course, the conditions within the Ghetto were deplorable and by 1941, over 100,000 died of starvation alone. It is no wonder that of the 800 ghettos scattered around the Third Reich, Warsaw was the largest and also the deadliest. Marta took us to see the little that remains of these walls, with some bricks being lent to Holocaust museums in the United States and Israel. She also took us to one of the buildings that used to be a part of the large Ghetto; it was barely standing and was pock-marked by bullets – a rather harrowing sight.

The remnants of the Ghetto wall

In memory

Inside one of the ghetto buildings

Bullets.

Later in the same year, the first deportations to death camps began. Around 265,000 Jews were harried to a waiting area known as Umschlagplatz, from which they were loaded into cattle wagons destined for the Treblinka gas chambers.  A monument stands here today with the 400 most popular Jewish-Polish first names, in alphabetical order from Aba to Żanna, engraved.

Tearing ourselves from here, Marta drove us to Ghetto Uprising monument – a tribute to the Jewish resistance of 1943 which was painfully crushed. Opposite it is the newly opened Museum of the History of Polish Jews, which from reports that I have read – is truly spectacular. It opened on October 28 this year and we missed it by a couple of weeks only. But Marta took us inside and told us what it would be about – not just the history of Jews during the Holocaust, but before and after that dark time.

The striking Ghetto Uprising memorial

Our last visit would be at the Nożyk Synagogue – the only surviving pre-war Jewish house of prayer in Warsaw, Poland. Built in 1898-1902, it was restored after World War II and while we couldn’t go in, it made the perfect end to a day dedicated to the Polish Jewry.

Later that night, we asked Marta to join us for dinner. Since she mentioned that she fancied Indian food and Baba had gone simply too long without the cuisine of his choice – we settled on Bombay Masala, and ate dal, butter chicken and naan! She dropped us off at the hotel and we said goodbye and invited her to soak some Sun in the Sultanate.

We had to leave early next morning, and didn’t really have time to say a proper adieu to the city but Poland pulled at some heartstrings. The country survived centuries of conflict to emerge as a proud, independent nation, ready to assume her new role in modern history and I feel most privileged to have been able to visit at this time, meet so many of its charming people, absorb its diverse past and bring back memories I will treasure for a lifetime.