8 Cool Things to Know about WROCŁAW, POLAND

Just like visiting New York City won’t tell you everything about the U.S., we plan from time to time to escape city life and explore our own backyard so that we can better understand Poland as a nation (and of course have more adventures!). Our first weekend trip earlier this month took us to the fourth largest city in Poland, after Warszawa, Kraków, and Lódź. We loved visiting this quirky and fun town.

      1.      THE NAME - What’s in a name?

Surprise, Wrocław is pronounced ‘Vrat-swav’. Yes, Polish is hard; believe me, we know. But it hasn’t always been this way. To simplify its long history, Wrocław has changed hands more times than Hillary has been asked about Benghazi. Originally a trade stronghold along the Amber Road route, it was first absorbed into Czech Bohemia, then Poland, then Bohemia, then Poland, etc, until it was enveloped into the Austrian Habsburg dynasty. Then came the Prussians, followed by Napoleon, then the Prussians again, and we can fast forward to ‘Breslau’ entering the German Empire as its third largest city, after Berlin and Hamburg.

2.      THE POPULATION - So folks with German ethnicity still live here?

Not anymore, actually. Lower Silesia – including Wrocław, its capital – passed to Poland under the terms of the Potsdam Conference in 1945. The city’s German population was expelled and Eastern Poles fleeing territory annexed by the Soviet Union moved in. The majority of the population came from Lwów, Poland (present-day L’viv, Ukraine). So while German restaurants are a ‘nie’, Ukrainian restaurants are a ‘tak’. Interestingly, due to the size and prominence of the universities in the city, 1 in every 7 residents is a registered student.

3.      THE TREASURES - So, no bierhallen or lederhosen?

We were sad too. Fortunately the Poles from Lwów brought many treasures with them from the east, including the Ossolineum library and our favorite, the Racławice Panorama painting. 

The Panorama is a truly colossal painting (49 feet high and 374 feet long) illustrating the 1794 Battle of Racławice during the Kościuszko Uprising. It’s a curved painting that lines a round room in the east of town, and visitors get to stand in the middle of it and observe different dimensions of the battle. The size and the props that are carefully laid out in front of the canvas truly give the impression that you are standing in the midst of the combat between Russians and Poles.

4.      THE HANGOUT – Market Square (and Salt Square)

Many, many Polish old towns (stare miasta) are laid out in a similar way: a large open-air square (rynek) closed-in by narrow, colorful buildings containing shops and apartments, with the town hall (ratusz) in the middle. As a former major trading town, Wrocław has a truly enormous market square, the second largest in Poland (after Kraków). It had to be moved once when the sellers and traders no longer fit, and even after that an additional small square (Plac Solny, Salt Square) had to be added off its southwest corner. Sellers were arranged by good: salt sellers in Plac Solny, cloth in the middle, amber in the rear of the square, etc etc.

Today, the Rynek is the center of life in Wrocław. 20-30 bars and restaurants fill the first floor of the colorful buildings, with patios spilling out into the square. There’s a fun brewery, Spiż, in the middle, with beer garden tables out front. Globalization shows its face with the Burger King and McDonalds, but there are enough Pierogarnia and Polish kawiarni (cafes) to hold their own. There are also many banks, art sellers, a pharmacy, candy and ice cream shops, and a grocery store. We had the best time sitting outside Spiż, watching students cutting across the square; friends meeting at the Fredro monument; children playing in the fountains; and tourists taking pictures with the small hidden bronze gnomes (more on that soon!).

      5.      THE TOWER: St. Elizabeth’s Church 

      A stone’s throw from the Rynek we found St. Elizabeth’s church, where the prominent (read: wealthy) 15^th and 16^th century Wrocławians attended Mass, or Service, depending on where we are in Reformation history (ask Bryan if you want to know more!). We climbed the top of its 300 foot tower for amazing cityscapes. Fortunately it was only after our climb that we learned the tower had collapsed in the 16^th century – either because God was displeased with the church’s move to Protestantism (Catholic view) or because God wanted to grant the church a miracle (Protestant view) by protecting everyone from its collapse.

6.      THE GNOMES (Krasnale)

One of the most fun experiences in the city was searching for the ubiquitous bronze gnomes that are sprinkled around town in doorways and alleyways, on lampposts and in shop windows. These ‘krasnale’ are found doing a variety of activities like drinking coffee; riding motorcycles; taking money out of the ATM; and, my favorite, washing clothes in the Oder River. We had a little gnome of our own (Radagast from Talinn) that we brought along for the fun of it. Next post we’ll include more shots of Radagast with the other gnomes about town! Don’t worry, we did not manage to find all 370 of them.

However, these gnomes are more than just a kitschy tourist gimmick - they exist as symbols of the city’s anti-communist ‘Orange Alternative’ movement ‘that used absurdity and nonsense to stage peaceful yet subversive protests’. When the militia would paint over anti-establishment graffiti or art, students would quickly paint orange gnomes over the fresh white paint. Hundreds dressed up as gnomes on International Children’s Day on June 1, 1988, and at other protests, orange gnome hats were passed out to passerbys. Since the fall of Communist, gnomes have remained a proud symbol of Wrocław’s spirit and resistance to the old regime.

7.      A RARE SIGHT: The Lamplighter on Cathedral Island

      

     

 

Another fun oddity in Wrocław: the city is one of only two in the world that still keeps a lamplighter on the payroll. Reachable only by crossing one of the city’s 120 bridges, Ostrów Tumski (Cathedral Island) – home to the city’s iconic two-towered cathedral and at least four other churches – is made romantic by its cobblestoned, gas lamp lit streets. We happened to be exploring the island around dusk and followed lit lamps until we caught a glimpse of a dark figure in a top hat and cape, briskly walking from lamp to lamp to set them alight. It was a marvelous sight!

8.      Neon

Although typically viewed as a symbol of Western commercialism, neon played a big role in Poland following Stalin’s death in the late 50’s. Stark Socialist Realism became a style of the past and city authorities sought an inexpensive way to brighten the grey urban landscape – enter neon. Much of the bright signage remains for reasons of nostalgia, and we enjoyed the colors and creativity (not to mention the 80’s feel) of the city’s still-neon landscape.

"Good Evening in Wrocław!"

Błogosławienego święta wszystkich świętych! (Have a blessed Feast of All Saints!)

The Feast of All Saints on 1 Nov and the Feast of All Souls on 2 Nov are two of the most sacred and popular holidays in much of Slavic Europe, but perhaps nowhere more so than in Poland. Poles travel long distances to be at home with their extended families on this national holiday. After attending Mass, families travel together to the city's cemetery to pray for and honor their deceased relatives. Along the way they purchase candles of all shapes and sizes to light and place on the gravestones in the cemetery. Due to the great number of participants, the city of Warsaw sets up dozens of extra tram and bus routes just to bring people to and from its numerous cemeteries. On Sunday afternoon we went to northeast Warsaw to Cmentarz Powązkowski (Powązki Cemetery), the oldest and most famous cemetery in Warsaw, in which over a million Poles are interred. As soon as we got off the tram we were in a massive crowd of people shuffling along outside the cemetery walls, buying candles, flowers, and snacks from the vendors.

Once we got inside the walls, we wove through the densely-packed rows of monuments, most of which were over 5 feet tall, elaborately carved and decorated, and represented several generations or entire families. The few main paths were packed with visitors, and the smaller unpaved paths crisscrossing through the monuments were uneven with stone shards and tree roots. We were instantly amazed at the incredible size of the cemetery, the thousands of visitors, and the millions (literally) of candles decorating the monuments.

Catholics believe that on these two days, if you say a prayer over a gravestone and light a candle to leave there, the prayer will remain with the deceased until the candle goes out. Families would leave candles and flower arrangements on their relatives' monuments, creating a beautiful spectacle of color and light throughout the cemetery. Poles also believe in placing a lit candle on any grave that does not already have one, so that every soul represented in the cemetery has a prayer said for them. As a result, every monument had at least one candle, most had several candles, and many monuments had more than a dozen.

We walked through the monuments for about an hour, and then after a coffee break, during which the sun set (at 4:00pm!!!), we bought two candles and headed back into the cemetery to see it after dark. Every stone was aglow with candlelight and the monuments with several candles appeared as if on fire. It was a powerful and beautiful sight, and in the peaceful darkness we could feel the weight of the prayers, charity, and love settling throughout the cemetery.

The paths were still crowded as people avidly searched for family plots and lit their candles. After a long search in the dark we managed to find two monuments still without candles. We lit ours, said our prayers, and headed home on the crowded trams. What an unforgettable experience! All holy men and women, pray for us!

Warsaw Restaurant Week!

You read that right: Warsaw has Restaurant Week. Two per year, in fact, and this past Saturday wrapped up the Winter round. If you know me well, you know that I REALLY like sampling a city's foodie spots. After all, if we are going to pay for a meal out it might as well be one of the best (or most interesting) ones. DC spoiled me in this regard, but as it turns out there is plenty for me to go off in our new city too. These restaurants are rarely obvious and sometimes buried on back streets that seem purely residential. But they're here, so I will find them!

We're early in our stay and I haven't gotten a full grasp of the Warsaw Foodie websites yet (argh Polish!), but we've been slowly making the rounds. Best in show pre-Restaurant Week: Kraken Rum Bar. No, we didn't get the photographs of normal humans with uninteresting tattoos on the wall. Yes, it was a little ridiculous to have the t-shirted chłopiec loudly translate everything on the chalkboard menu, skipping the words he didn't know in English. Yes, we almost missed it when he called our number ("eight!") because we were waiting for "osiem". But Bryan's fish curry was out of this world, and my shrimp sandwich with some heavy cilantro and pineapple slaw was downright tasty. Not to mention the whole spot was kind of like sitting in a redone garage with all your coolest friends. Facebook "like".

RESTAURANT WEEK 

3 courses for 39zł ($9.99)

Ready, set go!

LUNCH: MOMU Gastrobar

First, this place was decked out for Halloween in a place where Halloween is pretty fringe. Points. Second, it's a concept that we tend to like - global street food. Not terribly unique but they kept it interesting. Wedged in between our chicken satay and orange tapioca pudding was the Mo'Ramen Burger (photo). It's basically a cheeseburger with pan-friend ramen rounds for buns. It was pretty strange but we liked it well enough. More than beef ramen than ramen-bunned burger, but who's complaining.

Verdict? The Mo'Ramen Burger is exactly the sort of dish we'd expect to come out of Poland's NYC during Restaurant Week, and we were happy to see that fresh and new culture taking root here.

Mo'Ramen Burger

DINNER: Z57

We ended up here because the male wing of our dinner companions has a weird fetish about fruit touching his food and this menu passed the test. The restaurant is in up-and-coming (slooowly) district Sasha Kępa on the opposite side of the city from our home in Ochota, so we got on the yellow 9 tram and sliced through the city, over the river, and past the holographic Stadion Narodowy (National Stadium). This was my first time crossing the Visła!

Verdict? Nice dinner! We enjoyed the company (a fellow Fulbright researcher and his fiance) and the wine; I got my pumpkin fix (soup: krem z dyni); we all enjoyed the rib roast beef; and our friend got to eat around the fruit syrups on his Pawlowa dessert plate (photo).

Pawlowa (Meringue)

Needless to say the food scene in Warsaw goes way beyond your standard polskie pierogi, and we're loving all of it.

More on this soon!

Cześć z Warszawy! (Hi from Warsaw!)

It's hard to believe that we've already been in Warsaw for five weeks, but October has been a beautiful time to explore this young, vibrant city and settle in for the next nine months. We've met a lot of friendly people, seen some amazing sights, and eaten some incredible food, all helping to make Warsaw feel like home.

Nasze mieszkanie (our apartment) is in Stara Ochota, about a kilometer to the Southwest of the city center. It's in a pleasant neighborhood near the Technical University, with tons of shops, restaurants, and transportation options just a few feet away.

Centrum (the city center) is marked by several tall skyscrapers - a rare thing in Europe - and the Soviet era Pałac Kultury i Nauki (Palace of Culture and Science), the city's most prominent landmark and a harsh reminder of Stalin's former influence. Instead of tearing it down after 1989 however, the citizens of Warsaw decided to reduce its prominence by building their own skyline around it.

Most of Bryan's research is done at the Uniwersytet Warszawski (University of Warsaw), on a beautiful campus on ulica Krakowskie Przedmieście - the main street of the Royal Route leading to the Zamek Królewski (Royal Castle). These 19th-century gates lead off the street into the oldest part of the university campus.

At the end of ul. Krakowskie Przedmieście opens the Plac Zamkowy (Castle Square) and the entrance to the Stare Miasto (Old Town). This medieval and Renaissance-era section of Warsaw was completely destroyed during WWII but was meticulously rebuilt after the war, creating the only UNESCO Heritage Site in the world that is a complete reconstruction. Today it abounds in museums, shops, cafes, and restaurants, as well as beautiful reconstructions of residential, commercial, and military buildings, including the Archikatedra świętego Jana (Archcathedral of St. John), seen here above the first row of houses.

Very near to the Stare Miasto, we found the only English-language parish in Warsaw, located here at the Kościół świętego Pawła (Church of St. Paul), a beautifully reconstructed Baroque church. Because it's the only English-language Mass offered in the city, our fellow parishioners come from all over the world and form a passionate, active, and eclectic congregation.

One of our favorite things to explore has been Warsaw's numerous parks, all of which are beautifully assembled and quite extensive. Our favorite so far has been Park Łazienkowski (Royal Baths Park), the former grounds of the royal summer palaces. Here is the North Pond of the Pałac Łazienkowski (Baths Palace/Palace on the Water), with the Palace in the background. It's been beautiful to watch the parks' personalities change as we move through the fall season.

Do widzenia (Goodbye) for now, and thanks so much for reading! We promise a lot more to come as we explore our new hometown and the numerous other beautiful cities Poland has to offer!