St. Joseph's Church in Podgórze district, Cracow Poland summer 2014

St. Joseph's Church is in the back of Rynek Podgórski (Podgórski Market Square).  This church was built between 1905-09 on the site of a previous church from 1832. The separate bell tower behind the church dates back to 1832, from the old church. The interior of the church has been recently renovated.

Here is a picture of the outside of the church from last summer (2013). There is so much work being done on the square now, so it is all dug up and not very pretty.

The priest of this church was very concerned when the ghetto was being built and his Catholic congregation was forced out of Podgórze to make way for the ghetto and its Jewish inhabitants. No one would worship there anymore.

Around back is an old bell tower. We were there when it was ringing at noon.

The wall with doors below the bell tower used to be bunkers during WWII.

The main altar shows St. Joseph holding baby Jesus.

There are various side chapels with altars. This one is especially nice. Mary is giving someone a rosary.

I like all the woodwork in this altar.

Zakopane - Gubałówka

We took a day trip to Zakopane from Cracow with a Polish friend of ours. The bus from the main bus station in Cracow cost 30 złoty round trip (around $10). We bought the tickets from the driver. We were dropped off at the bus station in Zakopane. 

We walked down the main street called Krupówki (a veritable tourist trap) and actually found a decent sit down restaurant called "Watra". It is a brewery and restaurant. Its speciality seems to be fish (trout and others). We all ordered something other than fish - ie. pierogi and pyzy (potato dumplings) filled with meat and served with a meat gravy. The food was very good and not that expensive. 

After eating we headed towards the funicular that would take us to the top of a mountain called Gubałówka.  It cost 14 złoty one way (uphill) or 20 złoty round trip. We opted to walk back down.

Here is the transport.

Once you get up to the top you hit a flat walking trail. It was full of tourists, amusement park rides and kiosks with food and trinkets. Ignore these and just look across the valley at the village of Zakopane and the surrounding mountains.

The clouds were stunning that day. Here one cloud looks like smoke coming out of the mountain top.

Across the way was a mountain called Giewont. I can recognize by the hump and the cross on top of the mountain (barely visible this day).

I like the architecture from this area. The steep angled roofs prevent snow from collecting on the house in the winter time. Here you can see the style as I am walking down the trail towards Zakopane.

Once we got down to the end of the tourist road up on Gubałówka we were able to walk in the forest away from the crowds. I found a cow on a lead in the yard of a ski and snowboard rental shop/residence. The cow was antsy, but still posed for me. 

The trail back down to Zakopane is a steep one. The views going down are fantastic. The trail basically follows the funicular line down. Here is a view going down.

First Cadre Company and Polish Legions 1914-18 in Poland - exhibit in Cracow Poland

In early August 2014 Cracow celebrates the centenary of the foundation of the First Cadre Company, a volunteer army of 144 formed by Józef Piłsudski in Cracow. This was in reaction to the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand in June 1914 and the outbreak of WWI. Poland at that time was not its own country. Its land had been divided up between the Austro-Hungarians in the south (including Cracow), the Russians in the east and the Prussians in the west. Various volunteer armies formed in Poland, basing their political allegiance on their location. The Polish legions formed in the south were allied with the Austro-Hungarian army. They wanted to operate independently of Austrian authorities, yet still be their allies. It was a fine line to tow.

On August 6, 1914 the First Cadre Company left for combat from Cracow and marched to the Russian partition around Michałowice. They knocked down a border post and kept going towards Kielce, a city in Polish territory.

The Polish legions were comprised of men with varying backgrounds. All were volunteers. There were artists, doctors and tradesmen. They all felt a call to volunteer for the legions and they filled many different roles in the organization. 

A group of Legion soldiers founded an amateur photography society at the Carpathian (mountains) Front in 1914. They wanted to document what was going on at the front and in daily life as a soldier.  This was the beginning of Polish war reporting.

In the Museum of the History of Photography in Cracow (Józefitów street) there is currently a special exhibit on photographs taken by Polish Legion soldiers. They show all aspects of life as a soldier- from pictures in the trenches and at the front to pictures with local citizens, parades and lounging around.

Many soldiers took pictures. Three names stood out as photographers in this exhibit - Jan Włodek, Tadeusz Pawlas and Leopold Rudke. It was Jan Włodek's family that donated 100 photos from their private collection to this museum. The collection contained his photographs as well as photographs by others (including Pawlas and Rudke). 

I was very surprised to see pictures of Marian Żegota Januszajtis. He was lieutenant colonel in one of the volunteer.  A good friend of mine is related to him.  According to her he was the youngest officer in the Legions. He ended up following Polish government officials to London and helped form the Polish government in exile (during WWII). Members of his family still live in London. The pictures of Marian in the museum were taken in the Ukraine. Here are the 2 photos of Marian.

Marian is sitting down with a cap on.

I asked a guide at the museum about these photos of Marian. She said that the photos were part of Jan Włodek's collection, but photographed by Leopold Rudke.

Jan Włodek had an interesting background. He was a member of the automobile unit of the military in the Legions. In other words he got to drive the fancy Fiats around. He was also an amateur photographer. In 1917 he created a Polish diplomatic agency at The Hague. I am not sure what they did. He was also involved with a committee for refugees and POWs in the Netherlands during WW

He became a professor at Jagiellonian University in 1936 and was arrested in 1939 as part of the Nazis roundup of Jagiellonian professors. He was sent to Sachsenhausen concentration camp. In 1940 he was released from the camp. Shortly thereafter he died of poor health.

Another of the famous 3 photographers, Tadeusz Pawlas, was trained as a doctor. He volunteered for the Legion. Later in 1945 he started the Medical Academy in Gdańsk.

Leopold Rudke, who took the photos of Marian Januszajtis, was also a doctor and volunteer for the Legions.

Another interesting character in the Legions was Stanisław Janowski. He was an artist - a painter, stage designer and lecturer at the School of Drama in Cracow. He also volunteered for the Legion.

Famous leaders of the Polish Legions included Józef Piłsudski, Władysław Sikorski,Józef Haller and Friedrich von Bernhardi.

Some of the soldiers and military leaders of the Legions continued their military service after WWI and became part of what became the official Polish Army.

In 1918 Poland regained its independence and became a country again.

Apteka Pod Orłem (Pharmacy) in former Jewish ghetto Podgórze, Cracow Poland

Last summer I wrote quite a bit about this museum. The pharmacy was incorporated into the ghetto during WWII and was a place of refuge and medications for the Jewish people of the ghetto, as well as a link to the world outside the ghetto because of the phamacist's connections. This summer I want to add a few new details about the place.

Here is a picture of the outside of the museum. It is on the corner in the Plac Bohaterów Getta in Podgórze.

Here is a photo as you enter the museum. It is set up like a pharmacy with the counter and medicines behind it.

The museum is set up with many drawers and cabinets to open to find out more information about the pharmacy and the ghetto.

In addition there are several multimedia stations where you can tap on a screen to see photos and learn more about individuals, organizations and events during WWII.

One exhibit case contained various drugs such as luminal and strychnine. Luminal was used to drug children in the ghetto when they needed to be transported from one location to another quickly and quietly. Not sure how they used strychnine. 

There was a back room used as a laboratory. Here medicines were made. The photo below is where these medicines were made - a glass cabinet supplied with electricity, water and gas plus an exhaust duct for ventilation.

The back door you can see around the corner of the cabinet was used as an escape route for many who lived in the ghetto and were being actively pursued by the Germans. It led out to a back area of the ghetto.

There used to be an "isolation hospital" (for people with infectious diseases) on Kopernika Street in the center of Cracow that served non Jews and Jews before the outbreak of WWII. When the war started, the Germans said that no Jews can be treated there anymore. One of the doctors at the hospital, Aleksander Bieberstein, left to start an isolation hospital for Jews at 30 Rękawka Street in Podgórze. It was incorporated into the ghetto. Later when the ghetto was reduced in size (during the process of liquidating the ghetto) the hospital was no longer in the ghetto. The hospital was then moved to Zgody Płac 3. This building no longer exists. (From what I remember Zgody Plac is now what they call Plac Bohaterów Getta. The pharmacy is located on Plac Bohaterów Getta.)

Dr. Aleksander Bieberstein wrote notes about his patients in the hospital. He saved them over a long period of time. They were "lost" (destroyed) at some point. He reconstructed the information and wrote a book about his patients. The book's title is "Zagłada Żydów w Krakowie" or "The Destruction of the Jews in Cracow", published in 1986. I asked about this book in a bookstore in Kazimierz, but they did not have it. It is too old. Maybe it would be in a rare book store.

In the "Duty Room" (the pharmacist's office) there is a display that includes information about Samuel Stöger, an owner of a mill in Podgórze. His brother was deported from the ghetto and was later killed. His wife and young son died during the liquidation of the ghetto. His family experienced tragic losses. In 1946 he was a witness in the trial of Amon Goeth, one of the most vicious SS leaders in Cracow.

I would recommend visiting this museum. It is not a huge one and only takes a few hours to see.

Be sure to catch the film with interviews of ghetto survivors (at a station with headphones).

Dom Śląski, Pomorska Street, Cracow and Gestapo Prison Cells- revisited

In summer 2013 I visited this museum for the first time. I wrote about it in the blog. Today I will add a few new things I learned while there.

The same permanent exhibit was there- "People of Krakow in Times of Terror 1939-1945-1956".

Here is a photo of the exhibit announcement that is on the wall as you enter the courtyard.

An interesting image of a pistol shape cut into pages of a book caught my attention. Edward Heil, a commandant of the Grey Ranks (most likely part of the Polish underground movement), cut out this hole to conceal his pistol. The book was called "Die Wehrmacht" (the army in German).

There was a mock-up of an SS interrogation room. In one exhibit case there was a gas mask. The German interrogators often put the gas masks on their victims and would clog the air intake valve. The victim would choke or lose consciousness. At the same time the victim might be beaten. This was particularly cruel punishment.

Profiles of selected victims and torturers during the German occupation in Cracow (1939-45) were featured in the museum. One victim was Irena Odrzywolek, a young prison guard at St. Michael's prison. She helped smuggle weapons to Polish Underground Army soldiers in that prison. They were able to escape, thanks to her. She had to then flee from her job. She went into hiding and was eventually caught, put on "trial" and was executed by firing squad. She was almost 26 years old then. This happened in 1946.

Another interesting section of the museum was about a referendum and vote to consider adopting Soviet - style Communism in Poland. The referendum was in 1946 and the vote in 1947. The referendum was like a poll to determine the political mood of Poles. There were 3 questions asked - do you want to abolish the senate, do you want consolidation of the economic system based on agricultural reforms and nationalization of the basic sectors of the national economy, and do want more secure borders in western Poland (consolidation of western border). The general mood in Poland was acceptance of these ideas. The vote was rigged, but the general feel was positive towards the Communists. Members of the opposition were arrested, assassinated and persecuted by the Soviets.

The Communists secured their foot in the door in Poland.

In 1947 there was a trial of members of the Polish Underground (opposition). It was very much for show. Here is the text about it.

Likewise there was another show trial in Cracow in 1953 dealing with Polish priests who were accused of spying for the Vatican and having contact with political émigrés who opposed Communism. The accusations, especially about spying, were absurd. Here is the text about it.

Next to the museum are 4 Gestapo prison cells where victims were interrogated before being sent off to a prison such as Montelupich or St. Michael's. They were holding cells. Some of the prisoners wrote on the walls. Here is an inscription by 2 Poles with their names, date and time held in the cell and the words "not guilty".

What surprised me were 2 inscriptions in German. On one I could not decipher the whole thing. The other I could mostly. It was so spread out that I had to take 2 photographs to capture the whole message.

"Hier sitzt ein Reichsdeutscher, warum ??  (Ist das was neues?) Weil e....polizei geholfen hat ??? Ich Jolio F. (zu spät erfahren). 

"Here sits a native (?) German, why?? (Is this something new?) Because (he) helped the ....police??? I am Jolio F. (Learned too late). 

The statement "Is this something new?" Is surely meant ironically. (Almost like "what else is new?!)

I would certainly like to know the story behind this guy Jolio.

Nowa Huta 2014

Last summer I wrote about Nowa Huta in this blog, but now I visited some new places there this summer.

The first is the Dom Kultury (a place for youth to participate in music and art activities outside of school) at Fort #49 called "Krzesławice". This fort was built from 1881-1886. During this time Cracow was under Austrian rule. The Austrians built many of these defense forts all around Cracow. During WWII this fort was a collection point for intercepted reports of the activities of the German army. The Germans wrote in a code called the "Enigma code". There were 3 collection points in Poland of these reports. This fort was one of them. 

The fort was not used for warfare in 1939. Between 1939-1941 the Nazis executed many Poles here. 440 to be exact. There were most likely mass graves dug here for the corpses. 

Here is a photo of a memorial statute dedicated to those who perished at the fort during WWII.

To the left in the background you can see a bit of the fort.

The fort has several buildings. The front building has been restored and is now the cultural center for youth. The building behind it is still in ruins. I am not sure what the plans are for this building.

We walked behind the back building and saw small individual buildings that were on higher ground. These were places from whence they could shoot and defend the area. They were pretty much in ruins. The whole back area was grassy and meant to camouflage the fort.  The fort is northeast of central Nowa Huta.

Next stop was the steelworks. This place is guarded and very much off limits to visitors. From the street you can see the sign for the steelworks and the chimneys on site. Off to both sides are administrative buildings. We got about as far as the inner courtyard before we were approached by a guard. One of those buildings is supposed to be taken over by city council offices in the near future. Then it will be more open to the public.

Here is the sign at the steelworks.

In our wanderings around Nowa Huta today we saw a black "trabi" (or trabant - an East German car used by the Soviets). It was obviously part of a tour (a "Crazy Guy Tour", according to a tour guide friend). There were 3 passengers (all middle age guys) in the trabi. It looked straight out a movie. Our friend said they drive you around and serve you vodka. I am speechless.

The Lord's Ark Church was built roughly between 1967-77.  It was originally supposed to be built near where a cross stands, a little ways down the road closer into town. The Soviets initially agreed to church's location near the cross, then changed their mind about allowing it to be built. Eventually permission was granted, but only for a part of the planned church. So the church ended up being built in sections over the span of 10 years. The outside consists of pebbles set in concrete with a wooden ark as the roof.

Here is a close up of the pebbles.

The inside of the church consists of a chapel downstairs and the main sanctuary on street level.

Distinctive in the sanctuary are a tall sculpture of the crucified Christ (by a Cracovian sculptor) and the colorful side stained glass windows. The colored windows are relatively new. They used to be clear glass like the front windows.

A view towards the main altar. Note the outstretched Christ sculpture and the colored side windows.

Here is a view from behind the altar.

The picture below is the cross at the site of where this church was to have been built.

Now there is a small church near that cross (to the left of the cross) that was built about 10-15 years ago. The church is small because some of the original land intended for the church way back when had been sold. Now there is a school on some of that land. 

The old part of Nowa Huta is laid out like a semi-circle. The tallest buildings (apartment buildings) make up the outside of the semi-circle. They are tall in order to protect the buildings inside the semi-circle.

Inside that semi-circle would be shorter apartment buildings, schools and doctors' offices.

In the Plac Centralny during Communist times the buildings were built to have large windowed luxury goods stores on street level and apartments for the big-wigs (Communist Party Leders) above the stores. It was all show back then. Now there are shops still on street level, but they do not carry luxury items. An apartment above the shops must cost quite a bit.

Other places worth seeing in old Nowa Huta include the "Café Stylowa" and the spot where Lenin's statute loomed over the old part of the city. The café is on Aleja Róż, on a corner of an intersection. It was a very fashionable place to eat back in the day. The best place in town. The inside is still decorated as it was 30-40 years ago, elegantly. Further down Aleja Róż, not very far, the street level dips down. That is where Lenin's statue stood. The spot is not marked, so you have to be told where to look.

Also on Aleja Róż, in the district called "Słoneczne", is a museum about the history of Nowa Huta. This small one room museum has a lot of information about various topics in Nowa Huta's history. The exhibits change. Last summer there was a different one. This year it is about the fight for independence vs. Communist rule, starting in the 1950s. The texts were all in Polish, but you can ask for a booklet with the texts in English. Many historic photos went along with the texts. After visiting the museum we were able to go out and see some of the places mentioned.

In the early 1950s there were plans drawn out to build a city hall building with a tower and a community center in the form of a rotunda. These plans were not realized. On old photos you can see the plans. The site of city hall was north of Aleja Róż in an area that looks now looks like a park. The community center was to be in the center of the "Plac Centralny".

I recommend a trip out to Nowa Huta. It is easily accessible from downtown Cracow via bus or tram (about a 30-40 minute ride). It is helpful to stop by the museum on Aleja Róż first to get maps, as I am not aware of any tourist offices. 

Łagiewniki Revisited - Sanktuarium Bożego Miłoserdzie and Centrum Jana Pawła II in Cracow, Poland in 2014

This summer I revisited one of my favorite places - Łagiewniki's churches. I believe I already wrote about this place last summer, but there is surely some new information in this blog entry.

Take the tram #8 in the the direction of Borek Fałęcki (south of central Cracow) and get off at the stop "Sanktuarium Bożego Miłoserdzie" to reach a famous modern Catholic church in Łagiewniki. Cross over to the other side of the street and walk about 1/4 mile up the hill. You can see the church tower from the tram stop. The church follows the teachings of Sister (Saint) Faustyna, a nun who had a vision of Christ with rays of light coming out of his heart. Her message based on the vision was one of mercy and compassion towards all. The image, often referred to as "the sacred heart of Jesus", is shown in this painting of Sister Faustyna's vision. Nuns who follow sister Faustyna's teachings live and worship on the grounds of the sanktuarium.

"Jesus, I trust you."

Pope John Paul II was a fan of Sister Faustyna and supported her way of thinking. He dedicated the church (Sanktuarium) on August 17, 2002 while he was pope.

The outside of the sanktuarium consists of a main building (płace of worship) and a separate tower.

Photography is not allowed inside the church, thus no photos here. The main altar has a tree sculpture and a metal globe, containing religious vessels. The stained glass windows have modern designs in shades of blues and yellows. It has a spacious feeling inside.

You can ascend the tower by stairs or elevator (for a small monetary donation). The 360 degree view of Cracow from up top is amazing. From the tower on one side you can see Wawel castle. Here it is zoomed in (in the background).

On another side from the tower you can see the brand new (one year old) John Paul II Center, consisting of a park, church and museum so far. More construction is underway. This center is opposite the sanktuarium. Here is a picture of it zoomed in from the tower.

Here is a view from ground level of the John Paul II Center.

In the lower level of the church in the John Paul II Center is a chapel "in the round". Paintings that include Pope John Paul II encircle the back of this chapel.

Around the outer corridor of this chapel are many smaller chapels. The most ornate one (and my favorite) looks like it was taken out of the Wieliczka salt mine with its salt carvings and salt chandeliers. Here is a salt carving of "unbelieving Thomas" on the side wall.

The most unusual chapel has a sculpture of a book (the Holy bible?) open to a page where there is a drop of Pope John Paul II's blood encased in a glass circle.

The upstairs church in this building (street level) contains amazing mosaics in the front altar, side walls and small chapels surrounding the main sanctuary. Here is a view of the front and sides of the sanctuary. All if those images are mosaics.

The day we visited this sanctuary, a young Polish man was being ordained as a deacon and was soon to be sent off to serve in a church in Denver, CO. The archbishop of Denver was present and presided over the ordination mass.

Here is an example of a mosaic in a side chapel with Peter denying Christ.

Near the Sanktuarium (modern church with tower) is a small chapel dedicated to sister Faustyna. Her remains are there. No photography is allowed inside, but here is a photo of the outside. Note the international flags along the side wall. They accompany a painting with the words " Jesus I trust you"  in many languages.

A trip to Łagiewniki is always a breath of fresh air. It is a quiet place to walk and reflect. The grounds are huge, so you can get in a nice walk there. Be sure to check out the cemetery of sisters who have died there plus the 12 stations of the cross path.