Krakow and Rybnik, Poland                                                               May 25, 2007

It's been almost six years since I wrote about Poland and my family history, and 4 years since I last visited my dad's home town of Rybnik. Things have changed a lot, and I expect they continue to change rapidly.

The growth of the Internet, the prevalence of cell phones, and Poland's entry into the European Union have resulted in more International interest and involvement in Poland.  Four years ago, finding someone who spoke English in Rybnik was difficult; today much less so.  Students 20 years ago were learning Russian as their second language in school; today it's English they learn.  The triumph of the Solidarity Movement over the Communist regime is now 18 years old.  (It was being celebrated while we were there and this poster shows some of the students who were involved.)  Although there have been ups and down along the way, Poland is economically flourishing today with change, growth and renewal are evident everywhere.  Most obvious are the many new freeways and new airport terminals, as well as the upgrading of buildings and stores.

Rybnik has noticeably blossomed in the last four years -- all the shops in or near the town center are rented out, with a new up-market Pizza Hut and a Rosenthal China shop on the Old Market Square downtown.  Facades on some buildings are being renovated, and there are some fancy new buildings. The just opened "Plaza" shopping mall (containing about 200 stores, a multiplex movie theater, and more -- and looking very much like a new US mall) recently opened a few blocks from the Square.  A second mall, "Focus," (420 shops plus office space) is scheduled to open in October a block from the other side of the Square.  WOW -- this is growth, and nice growth!    Moreover, the hotel on the square, Hotel Rynkowy*, where we stayed, had a number of foreign speaking clients besides us.  Pretty impressive.

We were in Rybnik for business and needed to stay over the weekend, so  we spent a couple of days in Krakow, Poland's crown jewel city.  It's huge main market square, Rynek, originally designed in 1257, is one of the largest medieval squares in all of Europe.  The square is collared with outdoor cafes and restaurants; inside there are a dozen horse-drawn carriages trotting along, several tourist tour vehicles, bicyclists and walkers, many Polish, many visitors strolling around.  It's even possible to rent a gyroscopically-controlled "IT" or Segway.  There is a church and a long enclosed shopping galleria inside the Rynek.  Wander out in any direction for a few blocks and you'll reach the shaded calm of a narrow band of forest/park that marks the edge of the old fortified city.   A nice place to people-watch on a warm summer's day.

The Rynek is also the place for entertainment.  The assortment on the weekend we were there ranged from traditional dancers, to singers and modern dance groups.  There were college departments displaying their wares, an outdoor theater showing a film about Solidarity and one evening 3 parachutists dropped in as part of a show.

Many areas around the Square have already been renovated; painting and cleaning transforming the splendid old buildings into the glorious structures of their youth.  Krakow was not bombed in WW II, so its not a matter of rebuilding, as was the case in Warsaw, but rather of bringing things up to standard.  Krakow feels very much like a grand old European city, with the flavor of Vienna or Brussels or Munich, though bringing out its essence will require a few more years of simmering.  Prices for apartments in the heart of town were over 4000 Euros per sq. m., a quadrupling of price in the last 4 years.  I expect this growth will continue as more properties are renewed.

Before WW II Krakow, like Katowice and Warsaw, was home to a large thriving Jewish community.  The Nazi occupation resulted in the annihilation 1 million? Polish Jews.  However, today, the old Jewish section of Krakow, Kazimierz,  is undergoing a revival.  The old cemetery is there to see, as is a small ancient Synagogue.  There's also the factory where Oskar Schindler made in enamel.  Although not yet an historical or tourist attraction, it is being converted into an art gallery.  Today, the draw is the music and bohemian atmosphere; the old Klemzer sounds echoing through the narrow streets at night.

One interesting attraction about 20 minutes from Krakow is the Wieliczka Salt mine, the largest in Europe.  Nine levels underground (3 are open to the public) with interesting salt sculptures, a carved cathedral and even a restaurant and event center.  Entry requires traversing about 400 steps through a narrow wooden stairwell down a salt shaft; it was a long way to the bottom and looking down the narrow center opening quickly made my head spin.  Coming back up is not for the faint of heart either; the elevator that brings visitors back to the surface is a caged, open-air contraption that again traverses a mine shaft.  It barely has room for the10 people who are jammed into each of its cages at different levels.  As we rose to the surface, the air swirling into the cage made it feel like a fun-park ride -- the kind I usually avoid!  Still, the trip up was fast, and the salt mines were fascinating.

Wawel Castle, the medieval home of Polish kings, overlooks the broad Wisla River and is a short walk from the Old Market Square.  We wandered over on Monday morning around10 o'clock to discover that all the tickets for the special places inside the castle --the royal chambers, the cathedral, etc.-- were already sold out.  Next time, we'll book ahead!

Poland is clearly "up and coming".  There's been lots of progress in the last few years, and Poland's joining the EU has spurred even more.  Come now if you want to see the "before," rather than the "after".

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*Details: Hotel in Rybnik, on the square -- The Hotel Rynkowy is perhaps 2-3 stars and has reasonable rooms.  We reserved their apartment, which included a small sitting room and a bedroom.  A typical full European breakfast is included in the rate.  As our rooms overlooked the square, it was a bit noisy, as the weather was warm and there are people about at just about all hours.  It's not a problem, if you keep the windows closed at night.