Democracy Demonstrated, Poland Dec 2019
The team has had a walk out from Beadnell to Bamborough this week but I have had a few days in Gdansk, Poland with an old colleague and friend Frank Aniolkowski.
A short explanation:
Frank's dad fought with the 1st Polish Armoured Division during the Second World War which liberated parts of France, Belgium and Holland in 1944. For reasons that would take too long to explain there is a sizeable Polish community in Breda, Holland, including apparently a Polish school.
The commander of the division, General Maczek, was stripped of his citizenship by the communist Polish Government, the British would not grant him a military pension and he worked as a barman in Edinburgh. He died in 1994 at the age of 102.
A memorial to him was erected in Gdansk after the fall of communism. On the 25th anniversary of his death Frank and two people from Breda were to place a wreath at his memorial, one reason for our visit.
Frank had never met the two others but we had fixed a meeting place close to the memorial and at the agreed time the two of us were there. A few minutes later we saw Chrissie, an elderly lady, walking towards us, recognising our "Friends of the 1st Polish armoured division" badges. Her husband, Adrian, was looking for a place to park but he soon appeared.
Memorial to General Stanislaw Maczek
Adrian, he explained, was the son of one soldier from the division and had been brought up in Breda. He worked as a consul for Polish people. His wife, Chrissie was Polish born but had gone to Breda and married Adrian. Some twelve years ago they sold up in Holland and moved back home to a village, Nadole, some fifty miles out of Gdansk.
The private ceremony over the couple invited us to have lunch and after driving around for a time we found a small Polish restaurant. Over a proper Polish dinner they invited us to visit their home and we accepted.
On the way we called in at Gdina to see the maritime museum.:
I've seen this tall ship before on the River Tyne
Johnny Depp was not around
WW2 Polish destroyer, the Blyskswica. (Apologies if not spelt correctly)
Visit over we headed off to their bungalow in Nadole, a village close to a lake. First, although it was dark, we were invited to walk the dog on the edge of the lake. (this lake is part of a scheme which produces hydroelectricity during the day and pumps it bback uphill at night when demand is low)
Back at the bungalow Adrian said he would have to miss the village meeting but his wife insisted we all went. About fifty people were sitting round tables in the hall, tea and cakes were provided. Frank and I were invited to sign in but we declined, the reason soon being obvious. The meeting was for the election of a mayor and a committee.
A lady made a speech, of course I didn't understand, but it soon became clear that two candidates were standing for the post of mayor. A young lady sitting at a table with laptop and printer inserted their names into a proforma. The voting slips were distributed, crosses were placed and papers were put in a large locked but transparent box. Once they were all collected the box was un locked, votes were counted and a returning officer announced the winner, who was loudly applauded.
Next, after some discussion, six candidates were chosen for the committee. Once again the young lady inserted names to a form, printed them off and people put crosses against five names. Again the box was opened and this time the count took longer but eventually a committee of five was duly elected and returned.
At this point Frank and I thought we would return to our hosts', have coffee and go back to Gdansk by train. We were wrong, we went to the local restaurant and had a bowl of sausage and egg soup.
Meal over we returned to the house, had coffee and some delicious Polish cake. Adrian then decided to take us some miles to the station. It was dark there was snow on the road and he drove fast. At one point a deer ran across the road, I was probably as scared as the deer.
We got to the station with minutes to spare and returned to our hotel in Gdansk, having observed democracy at work.
The rest of the time we spent in Gdansk and Sopot.
View from my hotel window. The shipyards, formerly the Lenin Yards, are famous for the "Solidarity" movement led by Lech Walenska, later president of Poland.
Gdansk is an ancient city, once part of the hanseatic league. After the first world war Gdansk or Danzig as it was known to the Germans who lived there, became a Free City. It was the site of the first battle of the second world war as Nazi troops fired on the Westerplatte Plateau and also on the city post office. After brave resistance the Poles surrendered . The city was badly damaged and towards the end of the war it was also bombed by the RAF and USAAF as the shipyards were used to construct U-boats and V1 and V2 rockets.
Much of the old city has been beautifully rebuilt and restored to its former glory.
Gdansk, the old city. Mostly brick too. Several churches were having their interiors restored and many of their paintings were being replaced. They had been lost or stored in communist days.
Not surprisingly there is a Museum of WW2 which covers the whole conflict, not just the Polish experience. Fascinating and depressing at the same time. We spent at least two hours in it.
The war museum. The exhibition is underground, above are offices.
There is also the Post Office Museum which commemorates the brave defence of the building which was a bit more than a post office at the time, more like an intelligence centre.
Memorial to the defenders of the post office above. They were all killed in the battle or executed after. Post office below, lighter areas are where the brickwork has been restored.
Not surprising, as it is December there was a Christmas Market. Stalls burdened with food of all descriptions and for all tastes; sausages, breads, cakes, gingerbread, I could go on.
Hoots mon, there's a moose loose above this hoose
Gdansk, Gdynia and Sopot are three cities close together. We took a train to Sopot which boasts the longest wooden pier in Europe. Built in 1827 by one of Napoleon's doctors it has a marina attached and a restaurant, closed.
The beach and pier at Sopot. Sopot is a resort city with fine 19th century hotels. Amber is found in the area and made into jewellery. We looked for some without success.
And there is a statue of Woitjec, the soldier bear who was used by one regiment to carry ammunition. He finished up in Edinburgh Zoo but I have heard he is buried in Berwick on Tweed.
Soldier bear Woitjec
And finally a few other things to look out for if you visit this fascinating city.
The food, a carnivores heaven with so many different ways of serving it. Find a restaurant and share the meat for two platter, Sample the pierogis, the schnitzels and the wonderful cakes on sale in small bakeries that always sell coffee too.
Visit the market, three floors of everything from a paper clip to a three piece suit, more sausage, ham, bread, fruit, vegetables, and an apse!
Fairly modern market and ancient apse inside.
Market interior.
And a few more pictures.
Inside a post office
Tree with woolly jumper
The team has had a walk out from Beadnell to Bamborough this week but I have had a few days in Gdansk, Poland with an old colleague and friend Frank Aniolkowski.
A short explanation:
Frank's dad fought with the 1st Polish Armoured Division during the Second World War which liberated parts of France, Belgium and Holland in 1944. For reasons that would take too long to explain there is a sizeable Polish community in Breda, Holland, including apparently a Polish school.
The commander of the division, General Maczek, was stripped of his citizenship by the communist Polish Government, the British would not grant him a military pension and he worked as a barman in Edinburgh. He died in 1994 at the age of 102.
A memorial to him was erected in Gdansk after the fall of communism. On the 25th anniversary of his death Frank and two people from Breda were to place a wreath at his memorial, one reason for our visit.
Frank had never met the two others but we had fixed a meeting place close to the memorial and at the agreed time the two of us were there. A few minutes later we saw Chrissie, an elderly lady, walking towards us, recognising our "Friends of the 1st Polish armoured division" badges. Her husband, Adrian, was looking for a place to park but he soon appeared.
The badge.
The three of them laid flowers and lit candles and stood in respect for the general.
Adrian and Frank
The private ceremony over the couple invited us to have lunch and after driving around for a time we found a small Polish restaurant. Over a proper Polish dinner they invited us to visit their home and we accepted.
On the way we called in at Gdina to see the maritime museum.:
Visit over we headed off to their bungalow in Nadole, a village close to a lake. First, although it was dark, we were invited to walk the dog on the edge of the lake. (this lake is part of a scheme which produces hydroelectricity during the day and pumps it bback uphill at night when demand is low)
Back at the bungalow Adrian said he would have to miss the village meeting but his wife insisted we all went. About fifty people were sitting round tables in the hall, tea and cakes were provided. Frank and I were invited to sign in but we declined, the reason soon being obvious. The meeting was for the election of a mayor and a committee.
A lady made a speech, of course I didn't understand, but it soon became clear that two candidates were standing for the post of mayor. A young lady sitting at a table with laptop and printer inserted their names into a proforma. The voting slips were distributed, crosses were placed and papers were put in a large locked but transparent box. Once they were all collected the box was un locked, votes were counted and a returning officer announced the winner, who was loudly applauded.
Next, after some discussion, six candidates were chosen for the committee. Once again the young lady inserted names to a form, printed them off and people put crosses against five names. Again the box was opened and this time the count took longer but eventually a committee of five was duly elected and returned.
At this point Frank and I thought we would return to our hosts', have coffee and go back to Gdansk by train. We were wrong, we went to the local restaurant and had a bowl of sausage and egg soup.
Meal over we returned to the house, had coffee and some delicious Polish cake. Adrian then decided to take us some miles to the station. It was dark there was snow on the road and he drove fast. At one point a deer ran across the road, I was probably as scared as the deer.
We got to the station with minutes to spare and returned to our hotel in Gdansk, having observed democracy at work.
The rest of the time we spent in Gdansk and Sopot.
Gdansk is an ancient city, once part of the hanseatic league. After the first world war Gdansk or Danzig as it was known to the Germans who lived there, became a Free City. It was the site of the first battle of the second world war as Nazi troops fired on the Westerplatte Plateau and also on the city post office. After brave resistance the Poles surrendered . The city was badly damaged and towards the end of the war it was also bombed by the RAF and USAAF as the shipyards were used to construct U-boats and V1 and V2 rockets.
Much of the old city has been beautifully rebuilt and restored to its former glory.
Not surprisingly there is a Museum of WW2 which covers the whole conflict, not just the Polish experience. Fascinating and depressing at the same time. We spent at least two hours in it.
There is also the Post Office Museum which commemorates the brave defence of the building which was a bit more than a post office at the time, more like an intelligence centre.
Not surprising, as it is December there was a Christmas Market. Stalls burdened with food of all descriptions and for all tastes; sausages, breads, cakes, gingerbread, I could go on.
Gdansk, Gdynia and Sopot are three cities close together. We took a train to Sopot which boasts the longest wooden pier in Europe. Built in 1827 by one of Napoleon's doctors it has a marina attached and a restaurant, closed.
And there is a statue of Woitjec, the soldier bear who was used by one regiment to carry ammunition. He finished up in Edinburgh Zoo but I have heard he is buried in Berwick on Tweed.
Soldier bear Woitjec
And finally a few other things to look out for if you visit this fascinating city.
The food, a carnivores heaven with so many different ways of serving it. Find a restaurant and share the meat for two platter, Sample the pierogis, the schnitzels and the wonderful cakes on sale in small bakeries that always sell coffee too.
Visit the market, three floors of everything from a paper clip to a three piece suit, more sausage, ham, bread, fruit, vegetables, and an apse!
Market interior.
And a few more pictures.
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