A Day-by-Day blog of The Polish Mission's trip to Poland 2010
Tuesday, September 7th, 2010
With over a week left to go here, it would make no sense to make a declaration on the most moving, or the most powerful experience we've had. So I won't. But I'll be personally very hard pressed to imagine a more sobering and so immensely powerful as our trip to the Auschwitz-Birkenau State Museum today.
Marcin's relationship with the museum as a professional photographer and close friend allowed us to gain unprecedented access to several areas of the facility, some of which are strictly off limits to all visitors. The first part of our day-long visit was a private tour of the conservation laboratory. There we met department head Aleksandra Papis, and proceeded to be amazed by a premier artifact conservation program. With a staff of 14 or 15 that encompasses only the brightest minds in the field, the department utilizes some fantastic technology and science to keep the artifacts from deterioration. As an example, our guide, a Chemistry Phd., explained the long process involved in chemically removing the dirt and mold from the camp hospital records while keeping all the pencil and ink handwriting intact. Upon completion of the process, they use a giant non-invasive scanner to record the items before and after conservation. Mike and I updated our wish lists after we saw a demonstration--it was pretty cool.
The next part of the tour was a private look at the archives, a discussion with the head of the Digital Repository Krzysztof Antończyk, a viewing of the art collection, and tour of artifact storage. It was particularly interesting to view artifacts pertinent to the Polish Mission's collections, such as Adam Grachowski's digitized documents and the paintings of Jan Komski. After taking time to tour the section of Auschwitz dedicated to Polish inmates, we proceeded to view the gas chambers and crematoria before our last stop: the private summer garden of Rudolph Höss, commandant of Auschwitz. Guarded by tight security, this chilling exhibit of inhumanity struck all of us with emotion as we pictured the deranged Höss playing with his dogs, socializing with guests over fine cocktails, and teaching his children, all while the darkest moments in human history played out only meters away behind the camp's walls.
With very heavy hearts, we arrived home feeling very tired. We were very lucky today to receive not only an indescribable Auschwitz experience, but also to have the assurance that the story is being preserved there by the work of a cutting-edge group of people with crystal-clear focus.
A tired feeling came over us as we returned, and so our party turned in early for the night.
Monday, September 6th, 2010
Remember what I wrote earlier about Warsaw traffic? The same goes for Kraków. Luckily for us, the surprise construction and ensuing jams didn't keep us from our meeting with the History Chair, History Vice Chair, and Library director of Jagiellionan University. After a LONG meeting, we're happy to report that our new relationship with them is off to a great start! The Chair is a specialist in medieval history, so he was naturally very interested in our manuscript collection. Also of special interest was our historic campus, and our new relationship with the Walter Reuther Library at Wayne State. We're looking forward to fruitful cooperation with Jagiellionan University in the future, and to hosting the Vice Chair at The Polish Mission in a couple weeks. Afterward, they were kind enough to treat us to lunch, Kraków-style.
A quick stop in the "rich stalls" in Kraków's main market square was next on the agenda. Originally used for selling high-end goods in earlier times, they now host a multitude of small vendors who specialize in souvenirs. Never have I seen so much amber jewelry and so many animal hides in one place. After getting some souvenirs for family back home, we embarked on the most challenging task of the day: trying to remember where we parked.
While walking through town in search of our silver Skoda, we stumbled upon a military antiques dealer. As we walked through their shop, I couldn't help but be reminded of our museum rooms. When I informed them of some of the items in our collection, they offered their consultation services and were kind enough to share some resources on Polish antiques with yours truly! What luck!
Our last stop was certainly the most moving. We each had the honor of paying our respects to President and First Lady Kaczyński, and Marshal Józef Piłsudski at Wawel castle. Being up close to the remains of one of Poland's greatest military heroes, and two of her most respected leaders was an amazing experience that we'll all treasure.
Off to bed.
Sunday, September 5th, 2010
Everything we thought we knew about the known world has been a ruse. There really isn't a sun in Poland; what we saw yesterday was only a fake to give people hope. Sorry for being melodramatic, but yet again, we are under dark skies and our clothes are soggy. Today was a day for fun and touring anyway, so luckily, it was only our street clothes that got wet.
After Mass at the charming local church of Św. Małgorzaty, we all rushed to an important meeting at the Żywiec brewery, just about a half hour from Bielsko-Biała. Okay, it really wasn't an important meeting, but we really wanted to tour the brewery! We had a chance to go through their museum, which is highly interactive, with an English-speaking historic interpreter. The brewery with ancient origins has a very rich past, like Polish Mission. Through a very dynamic program and obvious high sensitivity to the importance of their historic artifacts, the people at Żywiec have made a very attractive and fruitful addition to their operation. And of course, sampling a beer less than two days off their production line, in which they use water from the local Beskid mountains, didn't hurt the experience either. Na zdrowie!
Being Sunday and all, we had a special stop on our grand tour in store.
Maybe another half hour away was the town of Wadowice, which many of you may recognize as the home of Pope John Paul II! We had the beautiful privilege to tour his home and see some amazing JPII artifacts and photos. Even though it was late in the day, people were constantly streaming into the crowded apartment to come a little closer to the life of one of the greatest Poles to have ever lived. After a special viewing of his vestments, skis, and even his stove, we visited the church where he worked in God's service next door. The majesty of that place was astounding, and we were all very fortunate to have the opportunity to be there. After we each took some private time, we departed for home, with grey skies on the horizon.
Thus endeth yet another day on this Polish Odyssey. As soon as this ignoramus behind this blog can figure out how to post photos, you'll get to see some pretty nifty snapshots. Until then, colorful prose (or lack thereof) will have to suffice!
Seeya!
Saturday, September 4th, 2010
Still busy! Today we toured more of Szczyrk, and met up with some of Marcin's old friends who were curious to hear about our projects. Once again, we dined at the prestigious and beautiful Orle Gnziado, only this time outdoors at a barbecue! Far from the traditional American outdoor- this Polish grill served open kiszka, Russian pierogi, the standard link of kielbasa, and a piping hot beer with sweet syrup. It was about as appetizing as it sounds. In addition to that life-changing culinary experience, we needed a little snack to get the beer taste out of our mouths, so we took our business to a small cheese-stand in town, where the local smoked cheese hit the spot quite nicely. While in town, we were lucky enough to visit the oldest Church in Bielsko-Biała right after a wedding. The recent ceremony guaranteed our access to the church built in 1800, which is usually closed to the public. Needless to say, the interior was breathtaking, and although it shared similarities with other Holy places here in Poland, it's small size and charm set it in a class of it's own. With the weather turning sour again, we hit the road back home to catch up on email and take in a little Polish TV.
Friday, September 3rd, 2010
Cheesecake and engine blocks. That pitifully artful combination characterized our morning as we had a meeting with Wanda Strozyk, president of MOZ NSZZ Solidarność at the local Fiat plant. After a comprehensive tour of the factory where they produce 3 different types of engines, including a newly-developed 2-cylinder type for the Fiat 500. The record production for the newly renovated factory is a heavy 3.290 in one week! The purpose of our meeting was to network between local Solidarność organizations and the Reuther Library at Wayne State University, and an exciting and pleasant meeting marked our success! Wanda and her office were excited to hear about projects at Wayne State, and contributed some fantastic materials to Wayne State and Polish Mission's archives! Among the donated items were copies of the local Solidarność newsletters, some commemorative souvenirs, and even a very old souvenir cap that will be fantastic in Wayne State's displays. After a proud shot of us behind their relic Solidarność banner, we bid adieu to get to our next appointment.
A quick death-defying drive led us to Wyższa Skoła Administracji, a university in town where we met with Mme. Renata Rosowska, Polish senator to the European Union, where she informed us of her interest in our cooperation with Wayne State University, as well as their upcoming Solidarność exhibit. A quick tour of the campus ended the business par of our day, and for the rest of the night we enjoyed each others' company exploring downtown, and attending a local concert.
Thursday, September 2nd, 2010
It's about 10pm now, and with a full belly of home-made bigos, and half a glass of Żywiec left to go, I can report on the day. We finally discovered the scientific rarity that had been eluding us through our entire trip here; there IS a sun in Poland, despite what our findings up to this point have proven thus far. It's been a brisk 16 degrees or so in the daytime (that's about 60 degrees Fahrenheit for those of you still on the imperial system), and just a bit chillier at night. Bielsko-Biała has officially declared a state of emergency due to the flooding caused by the almost constant rain. Luckily for us, we're on high ground; I'm not sure there exists such a thing as flat ground over here!
We took off to Krakow early this morning to pick up Ceil Jensen at the airport, thus completely extracting the entire Polish Mission staff from the USA. Let's hope the place doesn't burn down. After some strong coffee and a little touring in downtown Krakow, we all met with the United States Ambassador to Poland David Warner, to discuss our plans for developing long-term overseas influence for the Polish Mission. He was very interested in our ideas, and asked us to keep him posted on PM's affairs. After that, we hit the road back to Bielsko-Biała to make a surprise appearance at the commemoration of Bielsko-Biała's own Solidarity movement! It was fantastic affair with a small but powerful exhibition of several rare documents, a music performance by guitarist Michał Mańka, and lectures by two university professors. At the event's close, Mike, Marcin, and I had the honor to sign Bielsko-Biała's City Chronicle, which is a record signed by all the famous guests to the city over it's entire history. We wrote our thoughts on the commemoration of Solidarity on the same pages that preserve the personal greetings of Lech Wałęsa, and Pope John Paul II!
That's all for now--more meetings tomorrow!
Wednesday, September 1st, 2010
Today began with strong coffee in a Soviet disco. Honestly! We toured a blossoming operation at Orle Gniazdo, just outside Bielsko-Biała in Szczyrk. The old 1950s-built hotel, which was originally the resort center for the workers of Nowa Huta, is now a premier vacation spot replete with renovated accommodations, an organic local culinary program, and even new ski slopes! The hotel itself has a very 1950s atmosphere, and the disco and private quarters once exclusively hosted high-end communist leadership. The leadership there was wonderfully kind to provide us with a home base for making calls and emailing, and from there we were in contact with the secretary to the President of Poland, Wspolnota Polska, and the current Solidarity leader for Fiat automotive, just to name a few. After some exhausting networking (don't laugh--it's possible), we hit downtown Szczyrk for a tour of Marcin's old hangouts.
While snaking between mountains and bluffs, we saw what was once the highly confidential resort hotel for the top Soviet officials. Now, it's a true peoples' resort! Entering through a very tight and hidden one-way street where you can see the remnants of two separate guard posts, the giant expanse can be seen nestled nicely behind some lush hills, completely unseen until when you're very close. Our travels also took us to Biały Krzyż, high in the mountains. Now this was something else entirely. It embodied the rich hand-hewn folk Polish romance you only see traces of in books and on television! Stepping in the doorway, you see instantly that the entire structure was hand-made, from the ceiling to the windowsills. As we sat to have a special hot wine around the indoor fire-pit used for grilling fish, we were greeted by the local security staff, the old black dog. Because I forgot to ask what his name was, I shall call him Buster. Buster looked to be about 150 years old, and his disposition matched his age as we paid him the fee for entry: a scratch on the head.
It is chilling to remember the events of 1939. 4 am this morning marked the 71st anniversary of the Nazi invasion, and to be here in Poland now is very moving. Army group Biała, commanded by Brigadier General M. Boruta-Spiechowicz, was the Polish force in the area here, and it consisted of only two relatively small forces of mountain troops, the 1st Mountain brigade and 21st Infantry division. Just on the other side of the border (not far from here at all) stood the German 44, 45, and 7 divisions of army group south, commanded by Colonel-General G. Von Rundstedt and numbering a total of 886,000. All in all, the German forces outnumbered the Poles 2.3 to one, in a military campaign unmatched in tragedy.
This happened here. Amazing.
Tuesday, August 31st, 2010
The sun has set on our second day in Bielsko-Biała, and 2/3 of the party has turned on for the night. Today after a much-needed sleep-in and a delightful spread of Polish delicacies, we made arrangements for the next few days. We confirmed our meeting with the former polish ambassador to Saudi Arabia, and Ambassador David Warner and Iwona Sadecka at the US embassy. Exciting stuff to say the least!
Despite the constant rain, we toured a soggy downtown Bielsko-Biała, taking in some coffee at a old-fashioned and classy cafe, and some good art at a local art gallery. Everyone we meet here is very friendly, and business in Bielsko-Biała is booming. As the city with the fastest growing economy in Poland, it's exciting to see blossoming enterprise almost everywhere you look, especially cultural institutions like galleries and small cafes.
It occurred to me that earlier that we're visiting Poland at a very important time. TV stations are full of coverage of the events and controversy surrounding the celebration of the Solidarity movement in Gdansk, and tomorrow marks the 71st anniversary of the 1939 Nazi invasion. Needless to say, we're all eagerly taking in these important current events. Mike is especially attentive to the Solidarity news, wherein the legacy of Lech Wałęsa's heroic and ground-breaking defiance of the Soviet system is still passionately debated from a variety of perspectives. I eagerly await tomorrow when I'll see how Polish people remember the start of WWII. It's one thing to know a thing or two about powerful historical events, but to see how they live on in the popular memory of the home country is another thing altogether. We're all very lucky to be be so close to this amazing history. With that thought, I'll say goodnight.
Currently the Polish Mission staff is out of the office for a trip to Poland! Marcin, Ceil, and JJ are hard at work promoting The Polish Mission from their new home base in southern Poland in Bielsko-Biała. We'll have acess to email, but we won't be back in the USA until September 17th. Check the blog below for regular updates!
Today, 125 years later, we have the opportunity to experience and celebrate how Fr. Dabrowski's dream has unfolded and been realized. Since 1885, over 3,000 priests have been educated and formed through the combined programs of Sts. Cyril & Methodius Seminary, St. Mary's College and St. Mary's Preparatory.
