GOODBYE, KOCHANIE! - The Krakow Post

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GOODBYE, KOCHANIE!

www.krakowpost.com

Ma r i u s z

Bart left

his home-

town near

Wrocław in 2004, lured

to the UK by the oppor-

tunities it offered and

the buying power of one

pound to seven złotys.

This year he returned to

Poland, disillusioned by

the UK’s economic rot, a

succession of shorter and

shorter work “contracts”

and the increased cost of

living.

The UK’s economic boom

of the last decade has

come to a shuddering halt.

With a crash in house pric-

es and inflationary costs

in food, energy and other

staples, people are tight-

ening their belts. Poles

in minimum wage jobs

are among those feeling

the pinch of a consumer

spending clampdown,

while others employed in

construction are bearing

the brunt of a collapse

in new building projects.

With reports of Poles suf-

fering increased hardship,

it seems the honeymoon

is over for Polish emigra-

tion to Britain.

Mariusz used to wait in

west London to be picked

up by building gangs for

casual labouring work

when he didn’t have

anything more perma-

nent, but during the past

months even that source

has dried up. He noted, “It

definitely got a lot harder

and things got a lot more

expensive. It was harder

to get casual work and

without work it got lonely

for me. When I had prob-

lems, there was no one

who wanted to help.”

Providence Row, a home-

less charity in East Lon-

don, says that since last

year the proportion of

people it sees from East-

ern Europe has grown to

a third. This year they be-

gan working with Barka, a

charity which helps Poles

who have fallen

into hardship

UK “Recession” Hits PolesRobin Das

Above: The future Krakow Congress Centre, designed by Krzysztof Ingarden, is the largest edifice to be commissioned for the city since the 1930s. See page 15 for more buildings on Krakow’s horizon.

Krakow

Engineer from Krakow firmkidnapped in Pakistan>> page 4

Property

Where and howto buy>> page 13

Poland

More reports surface on CIA prisons in Poland>> page 6

Sport

Wisła cling on for Second Coming>> page 14

Feature

A guide to absentee voting in upcoming elections>> page 10, 11

Culture

Discover Polish architecture>> page 15

The city’s miserly promotional

budget for this year, coupled with

reckless spending, have left Kra-

kow broke. Krakow is the only large

Polish city that will not be advertis-

ing itself on CNN International to

140 million viewers.

In an article in the Polish daily

Gazeta Wyborcza, it has been re-

vealed that Krakow’s authorities

resigned from a gigantic advertis-

ing campaign for a bargain price on

CNN International. Krakow was to

show itself in several hundred ad-

vertising spots on the international

news channel for 900 thousand

złotys. According to CNN employ-

ees an identical campaign on a TV

station with fewer viewers would

normally cost more.

The weak dollar and the positive

approach of CNN bosses to Poland

led to budget prices being offered

for the campaign, which has the

potential of reaching 140 million

viewers worldwide. CNN offered

several hundred prime-time ad

slots to the authorities of Krakow,

Łódź, Gdańsk and Warsaw - only

Krakow declined.

What’s the reason behind the sud-

den offer to Polish cities? The com-

mercials are to form a background

to a weeklong series of CNN Inter-

national programmes focusing on

Poland under the banner “Eye on

Poland: Country at the Crossroads.”

The coverage starts on October

6th and runs through to October

12th. The station says it wants to

focus on the colour and contrast

of one of Europe’s fastest devel-

oping nations - from business and

politics to pop culture. There will

be numerous live broadcasts, and

programmes will run daily, with

each one devoted to a different

sphere of life: business, the Euro

2012 championships, as well as

relations with Russia and the USA.

Many interviews are also promised

with, amongst others, Nobel Peace

Prize winner and former President

Lech Wałęsa and current President

Lech Kaczyński. Talks with promi-

nent politicians, political analysts

and Central European commenta-

tors are also on the schedule. Short

clips showcasing Polish cities will

also be broadcast. Krakow, at least,

will be amongst these. A CNN In-

ternational film crew spent sev-

eral days here in August,

though unfortunately it

was raining heavily at the

Sorry CNN, Krakow’s BrokeKrakow can’t afford CNN ad space

John Walczak

>> 2

>> 2

krakow POST

Polish builders are returning home / photo Adelina Krupski

FREEOctober 2008

Edition 48ISSN 1898-4762

2 Krakow Post OCTOBER 2008 www.krakowpost.com

Re: “Ten of the Best for Poland” p. 14, Sept. ed.:

I feel I have to take exception to some of the state-ments made in the above article by Daniel van Hoven...

Though I’m not a gambling man, if someone had offered me a bet before the Olympics that Moldova would win more medals than China or that Mauritius would win more than the US, I think I would have taken it. However, under a much more equitable sys-tem for rating the accomplishments of the countries, I would have lost both bets. I thought of the new two-step system myself, but so did someone else and, even better, they did the work to summarize the nec-essary data. Then one of my trusty Kraków acquain-tances furnished me with that (unsolicited).

The system is very simple. It consists of assigning a point value to each kind of medal and then relating the total points to the population of the country. In my case, it was provoked by having to put up with the continual tedious unresolvable argument as to whether more total medals or more gold medals should determine the overall winner. A gold medal is worth three points, a silver two and a bronze one. Step two is to simply divide the population of the country by the number of points to figure out how many people it took to get a point. Voila!

Under this new, improved system, Moldova finishes in position #61, ahead of China in position #66 (!!), while Mauritius finishes in #41, ahead of the US in #45! As can be surmised from these results alone, the established methods of listing the countries undergo considerable shaking up! It actually took China 5,964,325.58 people to manage one point; this is more than the entire population of Moldova which, nevertheless, managed to secure a point. It took the US, with all its vast wealth, 1,381,021.12 people to gain each point, whereas Mauritius gained a point using only 1,274,189 people. Other falls from grace include Russia dropping down to #36 (from #3 in total medals), Great Britain dropping to #22 (from #4), Germany to #32 (from #6), France to #31 (from #7), South Korea to #26 (from #8), Italy to #39 (from #9, Ukraine to #33 (from #10) and Japan to #57 (from #11)(!) Of the, shall we say, “powerhouse” sports nations, only Australia manages to hold on to its position, slipping only one spot.

The new top five are: 1. the Bahamas (needing only 102,484 people per point), 2. Jamaica (107,859), 3. Iceland (152,184), 4. Norway (221,165) and 5. Slove-nia (223,079). Rounding out the top ten are: 6. Aus-tralia (231,460), 7. Bahrain (239,435), 8. New Zealand (260,841), 9. Estonia (261,521) and 10. Trinidad/To-bago (261,842). Unfortunately, my country (Canada) drops from #15 under the “total medal” system to #35 (1,006,445) and Poland drops from #21 to #46 (1,750,032). India finishes in #87 position, needing 229,599,180 people (!) to get a single point in the new one - but this is not last position because there were 117 participating countries that didn’t achieve any points at all. These would of course be ranked strictly in descending order of lowest population. As can be seen, it’s a very fine line between Olympic glory and total oblivion, with one solitary silver medal keeping #3 Iceland from that fate, and only one silver and a bronze keeping the Bahamas on top.

However, these mighty-mite countries then have to be the perennial favourites to win, since one medal can vault them to the top, which is somewhat absurd. For example, a very small country sending only one athlete could win everything. This leads me to the conclusion that any ranking system is meaning-less. The only real value is in the individual or team accomplishment. This makes for a very healthy anti-nationalism.

Jim Waite, Kraków

““

Though I’m not a gambling man, if some-one had offered me a bet before the Olym-pics that Moldova would win more medals than Chi-na or that Mauritius would win more than the US, I think I would have tak-en it.

about

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krakow POSTletters to the editor

The Krakow Post welcomes letters to the editor. Letters for publication should be signed and bear the signatory’s e-

mail address and city of residence. The Krakow Post reserves the right to edit letters. Please send letters to the editor at [email protected], or by post atKrakow Post

Ul. Szczepańska 7/4a31-011 Krakow

and can’t find a job a way to return

home to their families in Poland.

Dagmara Walczyk from Barka stated,

“Many may be unwilling to go back

because they don’t have a home to

return to or feel ashamed of coming

back to their little communities. If

they can’t or don’t want to return

they can stay in one of our centres

or other programmes depending on

what their problems are.” Dagmara

adds that Poles sometimes fall into

the poverty trap because they are

exploited by gangs, and there is a

lack of support from the Polish gov-

ernment for migrants.

For those who decide to make the

return journey, opportunities for

work now seem brighter as the

Polish economy grows, buoyed up

by large-scale building projects such

as the construction of stadiums for

the 2012 Euro championships. In a

global economy and a Europe with-

out borders, it seems there will al-

ways be winners and losers among

those brave enough to try to make a

better future for themselves abroad.

Speaking in the House of Commons,

MP Stephen Pound, whose constitu-

ency in west London is home to

one of the largest Polish communi-

ties in the UK, likened Polish emi-

grants to the British builders who

were thrown on the dole in Margaret

Thatcher’s recession hit eighties.

Many of those Brits moved abroad

to work in Germany. Pound termed

these workers the “Auf Wiedersehen

generation,”* the subtext being they

will go wherever and whenever they

have to to find work. No firm figures

exist for the numbers of Polish peo-

ple leaving the UK, but Krzysztof

Treczyński, at the Polish Embassy

in London, said: “There is an evi-

dent downward trend ...and if you

look at the numbers of air passen-

gers flying both ways, the trend is

decreasing.”

Ironically, there are many who fore-

cast that the Polish exodus could af-

fect the UK’s economy even more in

the long term. Jan Mokrzycki, presi-

dent of the Federation of Poles in

Britain, said: “The first thing that’s

been hit [by the UK recession] is the

builders. There’s no doubt about

it. Many aren’t prepared to wait for

the construction boom that’s go-

ing to happen for the Olympics in

2012.” Poles worked on Heathrow

Terminal 5 and there’s a worry that

the big building projects of the Ol-

ympic Games will suffer because of

a shortage of skilled Eastern Euro-

pean workers. The Polish plumber

and his blue-collar colleagues shook

up British builders with their work

ethic, reliability and low costs. In

anticipation of a dearth of bright,

young Poles able to plaster a wall

smoothly, industries, including the

body in charge of the Olympics, are

pouring money into training British

workers in basic construction skills,

such as how to use a digger.

But even for Poles who have good

jobs these are unsettling times.

Rafał Skarbek’s job as the head of

the Polish Somerset Community

Association, helping new arrivals

find employment and accommo-

dation, means he is well placed to

see what the future could hold for

Poles in Britain. He stated, “Now I

am split [about] what I should do

in the future. Should I stay, should

I go back to Poland, why [do] I think

like that? In Poland is all my family,

past, and maybe future. [However,] I

really do like England and I do love

my job.” For Rafał, who is proud of

his country and traditions, it’s poli-

tics and the way the country is run

that deters him from returning: “I

won’t feel optimistic about Poland

until people in government change

the way of communicating between

themselves and society.”

If Poles, like Rafał, choose to stay

in Britain there may be several rea-

sons, including a feeling of integra-

tion and that whatever the current

uncertainties, the UK still holds

brighter possibilities for them. For

others, like the clients at Barka,

their dream of making it in Britain

seems less than rosy.

*”Auf Wiedersehen, Pet” was a pop-

ular British comedy show about

Britons working in Germany in the

eighties.

<< Continued from 1

News Krakow

LettersTo the editor

time. “We don’t know how we’ll come

out on the screen,” Krakow officials

have said.

The situation should be cause for con-

cern for Krakow’s authorities; this cov-

erage should be backed up by a mass

advertising campaign, but for this,

Krakow has run out of money. Officials

from the City Promotion and Market-

ing Bureau can only despair, as their

budget this year was only four million

złoty, compared to 17 million allocated

by Łódż and nine million by Szczecin

(which is half the size of Krakow).

The director of the bureau said: “This

expenditure was not foreseen in this

year’s budget, and any money we had

left went to finance the “rescue” adver-

tising campaign on the National Geo-

graphic and BBC channels earlier this

year, after figures showed a 20 percent

drop in visitors to Krakow.” All this is

after city councillors spent three mil-

lion złoty on a mock battle and a se-

ries of other events to commemorate

the victory of the army of Polish King

Jan III Sobieski in the Battle of Vienna

in 1683.

“For that amount of money we could

have had three advertising campaigns.

This kind of opportunity is unlikely to

present itself again, [and] it’s difficult

to expect the TV station will want to

feature Poland again in the next few

years,” says the owner of a tourist

guide for the city.

Gazeta Wyborcza also brings to light

the fact that the decision against the

campaign was influenced by the Epoka

advertising agency, which would have

produced the Krakow commercial.

Their representatives persuaded City

officials not to promote Krakow on

CNN International in October because

viewers at that time will only be inter-

ested in coverage of the US presidential

elections.

“It’s crazy to miss out on such an op-

portunity because of the presidential

elections. The increased viewing of

television news is fantastic for the

three Polish towns that are advertis-

ing themselves. It’s a shame because

it’s too late for Krakow now. Besides,

I have the impression that those who

are worried about Krakow’s campaign

being crushed by the presidential elec-

tions are not differentiating one simple

thing. CNN International has news from

the USA, [but] it doesn’t dominate, un-

like American CNN where it is the main

feature,” said former Polish TV U.S.

correspondent Katarzyna Sławińska.

continued from 1<< Sorry CNN

Krakow Post OCTOBER 2008 3www.krakowpost.com

News Krakow

Following a decade of bureaucratic

wrangling, work on a €55 million

multifunctional complex, which in-

cludes a hotel, cinema and multi-

level car park has finally begun in

central Krakow.

Running along the back of the Pro-

vincial Public Library, in between

Karmelicka and Dolnych Młynow

streets, the project will occupy a

barren piece of land that was used

as a military training yard in the

1990s. Years of corrosion on the

gabled walls of the adjacent resi-

dential buildings will finally be

remedied.

Included in the concept is a four-

star Hilton Garden Inn with 190

rooms, an eight-screen cinema com-

plex and a car park for 500 vehicles,

along with bars, restaurants and a

variety of leisure facilities.

A lane linking Karmelicka and

Dolnych Młynow streets will also

create a walking path through the

centre of the complex, while the

“sleeping” Kochanowskiego Street,

currently closed off by a wall along

the land plot, will begin functioning

normally.

The commencement of work at the

site has been a complicated endea-

vour and the project has stalled

several times over the last decade.

Court proceedings, protests from

neighbours, delays in the issuing of

a building permit and land owner-

ship changes have all combined to

hold up the development, initially

set for completion in December

2002.

In 1998, the Krakow City Council

sold the land to a private buyer for

48 million złoty, one of the largest

transactions in Poland at the time

according to local daily Dziennik

Polski.

A year later, the land was sold off to

Warsaw-based company Portico Gal-

icja, which expanded the initial idea

of building a multi-level car park at

the site, and hired Krakow based ar-

chitect Ronald Loegler to design a

multifaceted concept.

However, due to complications in

receiving a building permit for the

site, Portico was forced to delay

construction until mid-2003.

With a building permit issued and

work poised to start in June of the

same year, neighbouring prop-

erty owners stepped in and filed a

case to the Provincial Administra-

tive court in Krakow, opposing the

scheme and successfully bidding to

annul the building permit.

The legal drama grew as Portico

lodged an appeal to the Supreme

Administrative Court in Warsaw,

which then overturned the decision

of the Provincial Administrative

Court, and once again paved the

way for construction to begin.

Thus, at the start of 2007, with full

building rights secured, it seemed

the bureaucratic rollercoaster had

come to an end. Yet, seemingly tired

of constant postponements, Portico

decided to sell the full rights for

the land to Irish property developer

Howard Holdings.

Now, the Cork-based company has

used its Polish trademark Howard

Property Polska to finally get con-

struction underway and begin de-

veloping what will undoubtedly be

one of the most modern complexes

in Krakow.

While traditionalists have expressed

concern that the new site will be

wedged incongruously amongst the

historic Carmelite Church and solid

20th century buildings on Karmel-

icka Street, the development is a

further example of the modernisa-

tion of the district just north of the

Planty.

It will also complement plans to

develop a multimedia information

centre opposite the Provincial Pub-

lic Library on nearby Rajska Street,

which will include a theatre, con-

cert hall and seminar room for up

to 400 people.

In recent years, a wave of modern

shops, cafes and bars have also

sprouted in and around the Karmel-

icka area, making it one of the most

crowded in the city and breathing

new life into what is generally seen

as a walking path on route towards

the Market Square.

With archeological works at the

multifunctional complex site now

finished, and a completion date

set for mid-2010, it seems that lo-

cal residents will have to get used

to the emerging modern flavour of

this part of town.

A Kingdom on KarmelickaConstruction of a €55 million investment on Karmelicka Street finally underway

Wojtek Galon

Once again there is talk of expanding Krakow’s bustling Balice Internation-

al Airport, affectionately re-ferred to by bureaucrats as MPL.

In early September an agree-ment was reached by the Małopolskie Regional Gov-ernment, the City of Krakow

and the local district council of Zabierzow to purchase a 33-hectare piece of land on which to build the long en-visioned new passenger ter-minal. According to the hard fought and long negotiated agreement, each of the three authorities will acquire an equal amount of money from the National Treasury for the specific purpose of purchas-ing the land.

This is an interesting com-

promise considering that the negotiations have been dominated by LOT Polish Air-lines, which owns the largest chunk of MPL with 85 percent of shares. The Małopolskie Regional Government holds close to 14 percent, the city of Krakow has about one percent, and the local district council of Zabierzow holds less than one percent of shares. Con-sidering the share dispersion one can only assume that LOT has really good negotiators.

As of September 29th, Bal-ice International had already handled 2 million passengers in 2008 and a huge car park is currently being construct-ed. The Krakow airport cur-rently offers 52 connections to 41 cities and is a port for 23 airlines - 12 traditional air-lines and 11 low-cost carriers. The new terminal that is to be built on the acquired land would service an additional nine million passengers per year.

Balice Expansion Agreement Reached

Thymn Chase

/ photo Anna Spysz

>> 4


News Krakow

On Thursday September 25th two markets came together at the Jewish Community Centre when George Nicholson, Trustee of London’s Borough Market, spoke about how a failing food market had been turned into one of Lon-don’s most popular tourist attrac-tions and the UK’s centre for ar-tisan food. The meeting was the first in a series organised by the Przyjazny Kazimierz Association to stimulate debate about how Plac Nowy, the last functioning food market in Kazimierz, could be developed.

Mr. Nicholson took the packed au-dience through the series of small steps that make up the Borough Market story. It started in 1995 with a cheese wholesaler rent-ing one of the cold, damp build-ings owned by the market, other wholesalers following, passersby asking if they could buy from the wholesalers, quarterly ware-house sales, a food festival that gave them the courage to start a monthly market and then the weekly market. This now draws 30,000 people every weekend and supports numerous other busi-nesses both in London and the countryside.

For the other panel members, Konrad Myslik, a journalist, and Dr. Beiersdorf, an art historian and former City Conservation chief, the critical differences between Kazimierz and Borough were that Kazimierz is not experi-encing a crisis of vitality, and also the difference in scale. A valu-able lesson was that a well-run and focused market can become an important asset.

Mr. Nicholson also met with man-agers of the Plac Nowy and Stary Kleparz markets and local coun-cillors. The Association hopes to find a way to involve him as a judge in the recently announced architectural competition for the redevelopment of Plac Nowy.

The next meeting in the series is scheduled for mid-December, fea-turing Carolyn Steel, architect, Cambridge University lecturer and author of Hungry City, a book about how cities’ need for food shapes urban design.

Marketing Food, London StyleEwa Spohn

On Sunday, September 28th, Piotr Stańczak was conducting a rou-tine visit to oil plants

in the Pakistani village of Pind Sultani, near Attock city, about 82 km west of Islamabad. Together with his two Pakistani drivers and bodyguard, he was ambushed by gunmen, who killed the three Pakistanis and kidnapped Mr. Stańczak. All that was left at the scene was the engineer’s com-pany car and the bodies of his Pakistani companions.

The engineer was working for Krakow-based oil company Geofizyka Krakow Limited, a unit of the Polish gas monopoly Polskie Górnictwo Naftowe i Gazownictwo S.A. (PGNiG). On September 30th, the company announced that it will be pulling out of Pakistan and bringing its 18 workers home. The company states that the kidnapping con-stitutes a breach of its contract with local authorities.

Leopold Sułkowski, the chairman of Geofizyka Krakow, told TVN Info, “Our contract was halted because I don’t think that any of

our employees could continue to work in such conditions.”

The kidnapping was condemned by Pakistan’s Foreign Minis-ter Makhdoom Shah Mahmood Qureshi. Speaking from New York, where he was attending the UN General Assembly session, he also expressed condolences for the families of the three Paki-stanis who were killed in the in-cident.

Foreign Minister Qureshi also spoke to Polish Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski by telephone, and assured him that the Paki-stani government will be working to ensure the safe return of Mr. Stańczak to his family. Danuta Paszek, the engineer’s sister, has made a plea to the kidnappers for the safe return of her brother.

While kidnappings for ransom are common in Pakistan, usu-ally the victims are well-to-do Pakistanis, not foreigners. More often, foreigners are taken by militants such as the Taliban, who have taken Westerners in the past. This is the first case of a Polish worker being kidnapped,

but Taliban militants kidnapped two Chinese telecommunication engineers working for Zhongxing Telecommunication Equipment in August. The Chinese workers have not yet been released, as the militants are demanding the release of some of their own col-leagues in exchange.

The Polish firm hopes this will

not be the case with Mr. Stańczak, and it is meeting with local police officials in the hopes of finding a solution. Polish authorities are also cooperating with Pakistani police, while Geofizyka Krakow has set up a crisis team.

At the moment, no individual or group has claimed responsibility for the kidnappings.

Krakow Company Pulls out of PakistanCompany leaves Pakistan after one of its workers is kidnapped

Anna Spysz

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News Poland

F:Amidst the media frenzy and public outrage surrounding the case of the

“Polish Fritzl,” Donald Tusk has seized the opportunity to gain public

support for his plans to make chemical castration a mandatory part of

repeat-offender paedophiles’ sentences.

Tusk’s use of the case to support his agenda muddies the waters: Krzysztof B. is

neither a paedophile by Polish law (the legal age of consent is 15), nor by medical

definition, which states that paedophilia is the recurrence of sexual urges towards

children of prepubescent age (in most cases this means 13 or under). Krzysztof B.’s

high profile crimes may lend sensationalist favour to Tusk’s cause but I shall not

refer to them.

In tackling the problem of paedophiles, we should not be led into a morally ground-

ed witch hunt in which all paedophiles are labelled as “evil” and “subhuman,” but

rather we must sensibly admit that these seriously ill people pose a very real threat

to the lives of Poland’s children. By extension we must also weigh up the damage of

paedophilic behaviour when determining what measures are reasonable in counter-

ing it.

Father and mothers need no persuading, and those with any imagination need little

more, to understand the absolutely ruinous effect a paedophile’s crimes can have

on a young life. Rape is rightly considered one of the worst forms of torture, not

just for the extreme physical pain it causes but for the lifelong psychological dam-

age it inflicts. Victims typically feel extreme depression, humiliation, lack of self

worth, are unable to enjoy healthy sexual relationships (often ruining their chances

of happy marriage, or long-term relationships), not to mention the possibility of un-

wanted children or the passing on of life-affecting sexual diseases. Rape of a minor

therefore can be considered akin to the torturing of a child, and the most abomi-

nable crime imaginable - whether you choose to blame the paedophile or not for his

unnatural urges. Living with the physical and psychological scars of sexual abuse is

a terrible burden for anyone to bear, let alone for a child whose young life should

be full of only joy and promise.

The solution? Well neither I, nor Donald Tusk, are suggesting we stamp down on

every first time sex offender with obligatory chemical castration, but if a paedo-

phile repeatedly offends and continues to destroy life after life, surely they sacrifice

some of their human rights? Ultimately we have to make a choice about who we

want to protect, our children or incurably ill sexual deviants. Chemical castration

(which many paedophiles have chosen of their own volition) provides a humane way

to deal with a group of people whose predatory behaviour consigns young children

to a shattered half-life of misery and unfulfilment. It may not be politically correct

to think about the victim for once, but when you balance countless children losing

their chance of happiness versus a few paedophiles losing their sex drives, only

someone with a very skewed sense of justice would argue against chemical castra-

tion.

A:The tragic and sickening events that occurred in Siemiatycze have quick-

ened the pulses and angered us all, and understandably feelings are

running high. Not the time for rash decisions, one would think. But, lo and

behold, up pops a sabre-rattling Donald Tusk, who, instead of calming the

furore, foolhardily declares that Poland will be the only country in the civilised world to

force chemical castration on convicted paedophiles and sexual offenders.

More is expected from a head of government; at times like these, rational debate should

be encouraged, not knee-jerk reactions that remind us of the incompetent (but endlessly

entertaining) days of the Kaczyńskis. Unfortunately, Tusk’s decision smacks of an at-

tempt to resurrect waning support.

Chemical castration is nothing new; many countries administer the treatment, but

only with the consent of the individual – to force it is a breach of one’s human right to

procreate. Many will argue that upon violating the human rights of their victim, a sexual

offender relinquishes their own, but as a modern society, long gone is the philosophy of

“an eye for an eye” - which Gandhi famously declared, blinds us all.

Let’s look at the facts: paedophilia is widely recognised by doctors and psychologists as

a mental illness (like schizophrenia) and as such, the sufferer - who more often than not

was themselves abused as a child - must be treated, not locked away and punished. They

are not driven by sexual urges, but by mental imbalances, rendering the use of hormonal

suppression by use of chemicals totally useless. As the American Civil Liberties Union

argues, “mandatory chemical castration... fails to treat the psychological roots of sexually

deviant behaviour,” a claim backed by sexologists across the globe.

Also, according to sexology experts in Poland, only one in 10 of those convicted of sexu-

ally abusing children are paedophiles, while the rest are simply primitive individuals

who are not ill, but depraved and demoralised, thus medical treatment is not required.

Therefore, if not sick, they must be treated as criminals, meaning: once tried, convicted,

and having served their sentence, they must be allowed to walk free. This is one of the

fundamental principles of a civilised society, and there can be no exceptions – no matter

how unpleasant the offence. Chemical castration, aside from its ineffectiveness, would be

an additional punishment for an offender who already paid the price for his crimes.

Furthermore, Tusk’s idea is formed on the presumption that the criminal will re-offend.

This would give the state the means to punish somebody for a crime they have not yet

committed, and would set a dangerous precedent. Suddenly the elaborately woven world

of Minority Report, where people are arrested and punished for “thought-crime,” is not as

outlandish as first thought.

The state mustn’t be allowed to exploit the hysteria surrounding the disgusting actions

of an individual by passing a law that has the potential to mutate into something more

sinister. Just look at the U.S. and Great Britain, where civil liberties are slowly and dis-

creetly being picked apart under the guise of “national security.” Do you want to live in a

society where you are told what you think, and accused and punished for something that

you may or may not do? I certainly don’t.

In early September, Krzysztof B. was arrested in the village of Grodzisk, near Siemiatycze, after allegedly imprisoning and raping his now 21-year-old daughter, Alicja B., since 2002. The daughter was forced to give up her two sons, aged three and 22 months, for adoption, and it is believed that Krzysztof B. is also their father. Though there are some significant differences between the case of Krzysztof B. and Austrian Josef Fritzl, the former has nonetheless already been dubbed the “Polish Fritzl” by the media. In response, PM Donald Tusk has pushed for legislation to require mandatory chemical castration for incorrigible paedophiles – below, James Sinclair and Robert Szmigielski debate the merits and downsides, respectively, of mandatory castration.

Chemical Castration - Humane or Insane?Debate

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News Poland

Poland: The 51st State?More reports surface on alleged CIA prisons in Poland

Robert Szmigielski

>> 8

Sergey Lavrov, Russia’s For-

eign Minster, arrived in

Warsaw on September 10th

to meet his counterpart

Radosław Sikorski and Polish Prime

Minister Donald Tusk. Despite the

somewhat cold relations between

the two neighbours of late - stem-

ming mainly from Russian opposi-

tion to the Polish-American missile

shield, the Russian-Georgian con-

flict and Poland’s role in supporting

Ukraine and Georgia - both sides

underlined strong economic and

cultural ties during the meeting.

As the official website of the Polish

Ministry of Foreign Affairs informs

us, the purpose of this working visit

was to discuss bilateral relations,

the situation surrounding the Geor-

gian–Russian conflict and the pros-

pects for EU–Russian relations.

“We do not see Poland itself as a

source of threats to the Russian Fed-

eration,” Minister Lavrov declared.

He also added that, “[even though]

we don’t agree on everything, we

appreciate dialogue.” One of the is-

sues that Moscow and Warsaw keep

disagreeing on is the future loca-

tion of elements of the U.S. missile

defence system on Polish territory.

And though Poland might not pose

a direct risk to Russia, the defence

shield, according to the Kremlin,

constitutes a threat. Similarly dan-

gerous from the Russian standpoint

is the further expansion of NATO,

which, as Lavrov put it, “harms Eu-

ropean security.” This latter remark

was countered by Mr. Sikorski’s re-

minder that NATO is an alliance of

free states, each of which enters the

organization of its own will.

Another topic discussed by Polish

and Russian officials was the cur-

rent situation in the Caucasus. How-

ever, it is worth noting that if some

strong words were exchanged, they

must have been spoken behind

closed doors. During the press

conference afterwards, the war in

Georgia was not the central subject,

as if the Polish and Russian delega-

tions had agreed that mutual bash-

ing in the spotlight of TV cameras

would not do much good for either

side. This was met with criticism

from some of the right wing me-

dia and commentators. Zdzisław

Krasnodębski, in his opinion piece

for Rzeczpospolita, compared the

position of the Polish government

towards Georgia to the one it had

taken towards Tibet: in the begin-

ning everyone seemed to be out-

raged by the events, but then we got

used to the new situation.

Regardless of the media hype sur-

rounding Mr. Lavrov’s trip to Poland,

this visit seemed mostly significant

in terms of its symbolic meaning.

Moscow’s goal was to show the rest

of the world, and especially the

European Union, that Russia is not

such a bad force in international

relations as the Georgian conflict

might have indicated. According

to Adam Eberhard, vice-director of

the Center for Eastern Studies in

Warsaw, Lavrov’s visit was aimed

at improving Russia’s image in the

European Union. From the Polish

government’s perspective, the fact

that Warsaw was the first EU capi-

tal visited by a high ranking Rus-

sian official since the outbreak of

war in Georgia sent a much needed

signal abroad: that Poland is the

crucial player in relations between

the European Union and Moscow.

The possibility to play this role has

long been on the wish list of Polish

policy-makers. But in order to be

listened to in Brussels (or Berlin and

Paris for that matter), Poland’s atti-

tude towards Russia must be mod-

erate. In other words, were Warsaw

ever to become a spokesman for EU

eastern policy, it must not present

the most hawkish approach towards

the Kremlin.

In an interview with Rzeczpospoli-

ta, Adam Daniel Rotfeld, Poland’s

former minister of foreign affairs,

said that Lavrov’s visit proved that

Russia has started to treat Warsaw

differently. The tone of talks has

changed and is now similar to that

used by the Kremlin during meet-

ings with states such as Spain, Italy

and France. This means, Rotfeld

argues, that Russia has come to ac-

cept the fact that Poland is a fully

independent nation, as well as an

integral part of the West. Therefore,

it is small wonder that Prime Minis-

ter Donald Tusk called Mr. Lavrov’s

visit “a step in the right direction.”

This appraisal seems to be

right on the mark because

it recalls an old rule of

Wojciech Michnik

From Russia With RealismRussian foreign minister’s visit to Poland strengthens the need for a debate over Warsaw’s policy towards Russia

Accusations that Polish land

and airspace were used

for the transportation and

detention of terrorist sus-

pects have been reignited recently

by a series of articles published last

month in Gazeta Wyborcza.

The first article, printed in early Sep-

tember, reported that Prime Minister

Donald Tusk received a personally

addressed letter from former Deputy

Prime Minister Roman Giertych - the

contents are believed to include clas-

sified information linked to the dis-

puted existence of CIA (Central Intel-

ligence Agency) prisons in Poland.

The letter - promptly handed over to

the public prosecutor’s office - trig-

gered the re-opening of the investi-

gation into the accusations that have

proved to be a thorn in the side of con-

secutive Polish administrations.

The story first appeared nearly three

years ago, when rumours that the CIA

had held terror suspects in former So-

viet European countries came to the

surface. An article published by the

Washington Post in November 2005

claimed that the CIA set up illegal

facilities as part of a “covert prison

system” following the 9/11 attacks in

New York.

Although the paper refused to speci-

fy the countries implicated, it stated

that in addition to Afghanistan, Thai-

land, and Guantánamo Bay, “several

democracies in Eastern Europe” were

involved in the CIA’s “unconventional

war on terror.”

Shortly following the article’s publica-

tion, the US-based Human Rights Watch

publicly said that, based on flight

records and other evidence, Poland

and Romania were the unidentified

European countries. Tom Malinowski,

the organisation’s advocacy director,

claimed that during September 2003, a

Boeing 737 leased by the CIA to trans-

port prisoners departed from Kabul

and landed at Szymany Airport, north-

eastern Poland, before continuing its

journey to Guantánamo Bay.

The European Commission swiftly

moved to quell the furore and dis-

missed the report, saying they had no

suspicions that the CIA was running

secret detention centres in Europe,

adding that there was no reason to

question the denials by Poland and Ro-

mania. Later, however, after newspa-

per and media outlets across Europe

carried out their own investigations,

the EU’s hand was forced and official

inquiries were launched.

Three reports materialised - the Coun-

cil of Europe and the European Parlia-

ment’s in 2006, and later, in 2007, the

European Commission’s – all of which,

based on circumstantial evidence and

anonymous sources, confirmed sus-

picions that Poland colluded with the

U.S. government.

In September 2006, after many ve-

hement denials by the Polish gov-

ernment - including rebukes by the

then PM Kazimierz Marcinkiewicz,

who declared the accusations to be

“groundless slander” - President Bush

admitted that the CIA did hold terror-

ist suspects at foreign locations and

defended their use, saying that se-

cret prisons, alternative interrogation

methods and military tribunals were

integral to keeping Americans safe.

Once again, no specific countries were

mentioned.

During the following months, the

storm surrounding the accusations of

illegal prisons based on Polish soil - to

the relief of the Polish government -

seemed to be subsiding. But following

a damning article written by New York

Times journalist Scott McShane, the is-

sue has re-surfaced.

In the detailed report published in

June, McShane claimed that the most

important of the CIA’s “black sites” – a

term used to describe Guantánamo-

like interrogation facilities based in

Europe – was located in Poland.

He also reiterated the accusation

made by Malinowski years earlier, that

the secret base was close to Szymany

Airport. According to McShane, a

military intelligence training centre in

Stare Kiejkuty was used to detain, in-

terrogate, and torture high-profile ter-

rorist suspects, most notably Khalid

Shaikh Mohammed, the man widely-

recognised as the mastermind of the

9/11 attacks.

Furthermore, McShane said that Po-

land was chosen primarily because its

intelligence agency was keen to coop-

erate, and because it had no cultural

or religious links to Islamic fundamen-

talists such as Al-Qaeda. “Poland is

the 51st state,” McShane was allegedly

told. “Americans have no idea.”

Crucially, McShane says he gathered

information from “credible” high-

ranking CIA officials – claims that have

been rebuked by Polish officials and

scrutinised by media outlets across

the country.

When asked by a journalist from Gaze-

ta Wyborcza about the existence of the

prisons following his acceptance of

Giertych’s letter, Prime Minister Don-

ald Tusk said, “I have nothing more to

add.”

To this day, both former President

Aleksander Kwaśniewski and his suc-

cessor Lech Kaczyński strongly deny

any involvement in the scandal.

/ cartoon Dominik Nawrocki

Poland may have to repay up to 150 million euro as a result of ir-regularities in the way that satel-lite imaging was used to establish areas eligible for EU farm subsi-dies between 2005-2006.

The mistakes were discovered during routine audits that the EU regularly carries out on member countries, and Poland is not the only country where irregularities have been uncovered. An anony-mous EU official has been quoted that in Poland’s case, there are no suspicions of corruption, just ad-ministrative errors.

The exact amount that the Polish government may have to repay will be decided after the Euro-pean Commission meets with Polish officials in December, but the maximum that a member state can be ordered to repay is 50% of farm subsidies received, depending on how serious the problem is. The Polish agricul-tural minister, Marek Sawicki, has stated that he hopes the amount to be repaid will be less than 500 million złoty, and that the map-ping system is complete and the method of establishing the size and location of areas eligible for subsidies is now compliant with the EU’s requirements.

However, whatever the amount, it will have to come out of next year’s national budget, not farm-ers’ pockets, as the government is committed to distributing the current package of EU funding.

Since joining the EU on May 1st 2004 until the end of 2007, the Polish Ministry of Finance report-ed 83.3 million złoty in funding

irregularities across the EU; 5.88 million złoty of this involved ag-ricultural subsidies.

Poland is known for a lack of transparency on the subject of farm subsidies. According to a summary prepared by farm-subsidy.org, a UK and Denmark-based non-profit organisation set up to promote transparency in the Common Agricultural Policy, Poland ranked 12th on the their transparency league table with a score of 27 percent, below Slov-enia (2nd), Slovakia (4th), Estonia (5th), Czech Republic (8th) and Latvia (11th). This low score was due largely to the limited amount of data for 2006 that the Polish government published on the web in 2007, and the fact that they listed it alphabetically, mak-ing searching and comparison cumbersome. The fact that the data was released at all only came about as a result of a high pro-file campaign for transparency initiated by a freelance journalist when his official request for in-formation was refused in 2005.

Nevertheless, farmsubsidy.org’s analysis of the Polish data shows that in 2006, Poland contributed 32 euro per citizen to the Com-mon Agricultural Policy and spent 56 euro per citizen. Of the total 807 million euro distributed di-rectly to farmers, 42 percent went to the top 10 percent of recipi-ents and some 1,150 million euro was spent on rural development, second only to France, which re-ceived 1,184 million euro.

Ewa Spohn

Poland to Repay Subsidies

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Breziński acquitted him-self with distinction at Harvard, and over the next few years estab-

lished a reputation as a rising star in the relatively new field of “Sovietology.” In the course of 1955 he married a charming and beautiful Wellesley gradu-ate named Emile “Muska” Benes, a scion of a distinguished Czech family. At the time, Brzeziński was working on a groundbreak-ing collaboration with Carl Friedrich examining the concept of “Totalitarianism” — offering the controversial thesis that the Nazi and Soviet systems that had divided Poland in the autumn of 1939 were essentially similar. Brzeziński, recalling the photos of Gestapo and NKVD officers smiling together after smashing what Molotov called the “bas-tard child of Versailles,” it was not really a debatable point.

But Brzeziński told his friends that he had no intention of becoming an absent-minded, pipe smoking “Mr. Chips.” He enjoyed teaching, but his aca-demic work in the ensuing years was almost invariably based on the larger goal of influencing American policy in the Cold War struggle with Moscow — and by extension reversing the stain of Yalta and relieving the plight of the Soviet occupation over East-ern Europe.

In the summer of 1953 the 23-year-old Brzeziński was on a trip through Europe when he stopped by the Munich head-

quarters of Radio Free Europe. He approached the secretary and, without an appointment, said he wished to speak with Jan Nowak-Jeziorański, the fa-mous wartime resistance leader and head of the Polish desk of RFE. Nowak-Jeziorański, some-what nonplussed by the audac-ity of his unannounced young visitor, was stunned when over lunch Brzeziński displayed an encyclopedic knowledge of the Polish underground resistance. After only two hours, he was assured that this young man would one day play a role in the liberation of Poland from the So-viet Union.

Brzeziński was unimpressed with the bravado of John Fos-ter Dulles’ promise to “liberate” Eastern Europe. After the Hun-garian fiasco of 1956, Brzeziński outlined a more moderate plan he referred to as “peaceful en-gagement.” This entailed mov-ing from a head-on rhetorical confrontation with Moscow, to a more active policy of “peaceful engagement.” This offered a far greater chance for success, and in the long run would be far bet-ter prepared to dilute the Iron Curtain and entice the captive populations with the political and economic attractions of the West. This approach was attrac-tive to a young senator across town named John Kennedy, who employed the young Harvard scholar to write speeches for his 1960 presidential campaign.

That same year Brzeziński wrote

his seminal Soviet Bloc: Unity and Conflict. This work provid-ed an in-depth look at the com-munist regimes in the postwar era, but perhaps more impor-tantly, signalled that “national communism” was spreading throughout the region — a force that may, Brzeziński thought, continue on to the Soviet Union itself. Brzeziński moved on to Columbia University where he continued to focus on the frag-menting nuances of the commu-nist world. New York City proved an exciting venue for a career as a policy orientated academic. Brzeziński was now associating with the grand old figures in the foreign policy “establishment” and writing widely discussed articles for magazines such as Foreign Affairs. Brzeziński’s primary concern was that many American strategists and politi-cians had come to view a divid-ed Europe as the natural state of international affairs.

Brzeziński was shocked and saddened by Kennedy’s death in 1963. Within a few years, his work Alternative to Partition ar-ticulated a plan to bridge the gap in an artificially divided Eu-rope. In 1966 Brzeziński moved into Lyndon Johnson’s State Department, where he was in-strumental in promoting LBJ’s “bridge building” approach to Eastern Europe. Brzeziński, ea-ger to motivate Johnson into giving a speech on the need to “engage” the Eastern Europe-an states, circulated a “white lie” that Robert

Former U.S. National Security Advisor Zbigniew Brzeziński has been one of the most vocal, and oft-quoted critics of Russia’s invasion of Georgia. Here, in the second of a three-part essay, Professor Patrick Vaughan reflects on the statesman’s lifelong engagement with the Soviet Union.

>> 8


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Brzeziński and the Bear Part II


News Poland

Wojtek Galon

Poland and Ukraine to Remain Euro 2012 Hosts

/ cartoon Kasia Adamek

Kennedy was about to give a very similar speech, and this would allow LBJ to trump his rival.

Brzeziński was thus dis-mayed when Johnson placed a budding détente with the Soviet Union above the pri-ority of weaning Eastern Europe out of the Soviet or-bit. In the summer of 1968 Brzeziński and his wife made a trip to Czechoslovakia to encourage the reforms in-herent in the Prague Spring. At the same time Brzeziński was troubled when Lyndon Johnson expressed an un-toward eagerness to convene a summit with the Soviet leaders in hopes of easing the situation in Vietnam. The American position provided an implicit green light to the Soviets, who sent troops into Prague to crush the wayward reform movement.

Brzeziński contributed an editorial that week in the Washington Post, describing the invasion as the death knell for the Soviet Union. “The invasion of Czecho-slovakia,” wrote Brzeziński, “will hasten the process not only of disintegration of in-ternational communism but in all probability also of the internal decay of the Soviet political system. Without a doubt, the more enlightened segments of Soviet society are as outraged and disgust-ed as the rest of the world. Before long, the contagion of freedom which is tempo-rarily being snuffed out in Prague will spread to Kiev and Moscow.”

Part III of “Brzeziński and the Bear” can be read in the November edition of the Kra-kow Post. Patrick Vaughan is a professor of history at the Jagiellonian University, Krakow. His forthcoming bi-ography, Brzeziński: A Life On the Grand Chessboard of Power, is due to be published in English and Polish edi-tions later in the year. Parts of “Brzeziński and the Bear” were published in the Polish Review.

continued from 7<< Brzezinski

UEFA has reaffirmed its

commitment to stag-

ing Euro 2012 in Poland

and Ukraine, but warned

both countries could still lose the

tournament if preparations fall fur-

ther behind schedule.

The decision came at a September

26th meeting of UEFA’s Executive

Committee in Bordeaux, and was

based on its review of a report by

experts on preparations for the 16-

team tournament.

Officials in Poland and Ukraine

must have breathed a sigh of re-

lief after speculation in the days

preceding the decision suggested

that the co-hosts could lose the

2012 tournament if the stuttering

progress made by both since be-

ing awarded the championships in

April last year continues.

Poland and Ukraine saw off a bid

from Italy and a joint candidacy

from Croatia and Hungary, but

have since struggled to tackle the

colossal tasks of upgrading stadi-

ums and modernising rail and road

infrastructure, airports, roads and

hotels.

While Poland has moved forward

in the last six months by securing

essential funding for projects, the

country still faces major problems

with transport infrastructure. Or-

ganisers have already conceded

that a number of the proposed

railway developments will not be

completed on time, while the Polish

government has staggered in up-

grading existing roads and building

badly needed new ones.

Meanwhile, a political crisis trig-

gered by squabbling between

Ukraine’s president and prime min-

ister, coupled with the September

collapse of the ruling coalition’s

government, has considerably

slowed progress and put extra strain

on the Eastern European country’s

aim to hold onto hosting rights.

While recognising that progress has

been achieved by both countries in

the last six months at an organisa-

tional level and in the advancement

of infrastructure, UEFA President

Michel Platini was quoted after the

meeting by uefa.com as saying that

the “progress is neither uniform

nor constant.”

Platini also underlined the impor-

tance of completing stadiums in

Warsaw and Kiev, saying that if

either of the cities’ stadiums were

not completed, then the country

in question would lose the right to

stage the tournament.

“Without Kiev or without Warsaw

[stadiums], we cannot have a tour-

nament,” Platini said.

Warsaw is to stage the opening

match in a new 55,000-seat national

stadium on the banks of the Vistula

River. The crumbling 10th Anniver-

sary Stadium that currently stands

on the site is slowly being torn

down and preliminary construction

on the new stadium is scheduled

to begin in early 2009 and finish in

2011.

The renovation of Kiev’s 80,000-

seat Olympic stadium, which host-

ed the football tournament at the

1980 Moscow Olympics and is to

host the Euro 2012 final, is another

major hurdle in Ukrainian prepara-

tions. Delays in finding a company

to reconstruct the stadium have led

to doubts that the necessary reno-

vations will be completed on time.

Despite the setbacks, Polish and

Ukrainian organisers continue to

put a positive spin on things, most

notably Polish FA President Michał Listkiewicz, who refuted claims

made in the German media that

he had said he was worried about

Poland’s readiness to co-host Euro

2012.

“Euro 2012 has been awarded to

Ukraine and Poland and there is

no reason for this to change,” List-

kiewicz told reporters after the

UEFA meeting. “What makes me so

confident? The progress we have

made.”

It seems that for now UEFA is hold-

ing him to his word, although Eu-

ropean football’s governing body

confirmed that there will not nec-

essarily be the same number of

venues per country and that the

number of stadiums to be used will

be a maximum of eight and a mini-

mum of six.

“If the progress is not even, there

may be more venues in one country

than another,” UEFA General Sec-

retary David Taylor said after the

meeting.

Poland has sought to extend the

number of host venues in the coun-

try, hoping that along with Warsaw,

Poznań, Gdańsk and Wrocław, ven-

ues in Krakow and Chorzów could

be used for the tournament. UEFA

has said that the final list of host

cities will be announced at some

stage in 2009.

Euro 2012 will be the first major

sporting event held in former com-

munist Eastern Europe since the

Moscow Olympics in 1980.

diplomacy – namely that it is dif-

ficult, or nigh on impossible to

achieve a consensus with a diffi-

cult partner (not to mention a foe)

if both sides refrain from talking to

each other. However, at the same

time, let us not forget that some

Polish and Russian security inter-

ests do clash (i.e. over the future

of Ukraine), and no talks can make

these differences disappear.

Certainly, Mr. Lavrov’s latest visit,

though not as significant as some

of the commentators would like it

to be, underscores the need for a

deepened debate over Polish policy

towards Russia. The need and readi-

ness for understanding Russia’s po-

sition (not necessarily accepting it)

and its role in international politics

after the war in Georgia, appears to

be an obvious initial move. In addi-

tion, Poland needs to embrace the

real strength of its power in rela-

tions with Moscow, a power that lies

within the EU’s framework. Acting

alone, or in a very small concert of

not-so-powerful states, is unlikely

to reap much success - as the dis-

proportion of power between Russia

and Poland is simply too huge - and

it might be read by some states as

pointless sabre-rattling. Perhaps

one of the most accurate assess-

ments of the visit was given by

Jacek Saryusz-Wolski, head of the

European Parliament’s Foreign Re-

lations Committee, who expressed

his satisfaction that “communica-

tion channels remain open for both

sides to explain their motives. It is

important that problems substantial

for Polish interests, but considered

to be lesser from the entire Europe-

an perspective, be resolved. Matters

not marked by extreme differences

should be discussed through dia-

logue.”

From this standpoint, one of the

greatest paradoxes of Polish policy

towards Russia derives from the

following choice: the harder the

approach Warsaw takes towards

Moscow, the less likely Poland is to

be able to influence the EU’s east-

ern policy. On the flipside, the so-

called soft approach might cause

two problems for policy-makers

in Warsaw. Firstly, Poland’s mild-

er rhetoric could be mistaken for

weakness by some of the Kremlin’s

hardliners; secondly, the argument

of being “too soft on Russia” is still

a powerful accusation that speaks

to the historical experience of many

Poles, and as such, will certainly be

exploited by opposing political par-

ties.

continued from 6<< From Russia

Sixty million zlotys will be spent on new military equip-ment for the Polish

army. According to Min-ister of Defense Bogdan Klich, this is the maximum sum Poland can afford at present.

By the end of this year the Polish air force will get the last of the contracted 48 F-16s, as well as two CASA cargo planes and five Her-cules transport planes. The air force will be equipped with modern anti-missile systems and a new type of combat training airplane. Its design is yet unknown, as the army has launched a tender for it.

As a part of the modernisa-tion of the navy, Klich has confirmed the completion of a multipurpose corvette, i.e. a light ship – Gawron. The already existing mis-sile boats will be equipped with water missiles, and waterfront corps with sur-face-water missiles. The navy will also get a new mine destroyer and a mod-ern submarine.

Surface troops will contin-ue testing a new type of ar-moured personnel carrier called the “Rosomak,” al-

ready used in Afghanistan.

Poland hopes also for the United States to sell Patriot missiles at a discount, as the Americans prepare to begin work on a military base in Redzikow near the city of Slupsk in the north of Poland. The U.S. wants their soldiers and employ-ees to receive tax relief in Poland, so a deal might be made. The Supplement of the Status of Forces Agree-ment (SOFA) would also include American soldiers not being called to account in front of a Polish court. According to the leader of the negotiation team, Vice-minister of Defense Stanisław Komorowski, finding common ground may take a few months.

The military base in Redzików is to be a part of the American missile defence system. It will be Polish property, built and run by American troops. The second base, newly negotiated, would include a Patriot missile launcher. One of the conditions un-der which Poland agreed to host the missile defence base was that it would get help from the U.S. for its regular army needs.

Grażyna Zawada

Polish Army Goes Shopping

Patriot missiles

The Universal Spyby Nick Hodge


Opinion

Over the past few weeks, Polish papers have been packed with rev-

elations about one Professor Aleksander Wolszczan. Until recently,

the professor was chiefly known for being the first man to pinpoint

an extra-solar planet. However, a Soviet spectre has reared its head.

The claim that a brilliant young astronomer collaborated with com-

munist secret police during the seventies comes as no earth-shat-

tering news. Revelations about alleged informants have become

an almost monthly occurrence in the Polish media. High fliers in

the arts and sciences are amongst the most regular players in this

carnival of compromised souls: writer Ryszard Kapuściński was un-

masked not long after he departed from this world, many more had

to face the music in person (although few showed grave remorse).

Time and time again it appears that a passport was the crucial fac-

tor. Today, when freedom of movement is largely taken as a given in

Europe, it’s hard to comprehend the lure of this seemingly mundane

document. But, if you speak to Poles of fifty and over, 99 percent will

tell you that even as late as 1980, no one believed that communism

would end (or at least not in their own lifetime). The system had

already lasted 40 years - eight times as long as the Nazi Occupation -

why shouldn’t it run for another 40? With this in mind, many decided

that coming to some kind of arrangement with the regime was a must.

You don’t have to be a militant anti-commie to concede that there

were aspects of Soviet life that weren’t exactly jolly. Those who

experienced it first-hand cite the frequent food shortages, the

epic queues for mundane items like toothpaste, and not least, the

tangible sense that towns and cities were rotting, owing to so lit-

tle money being invested. Being fed constant disinformation was

not exactly uplifting either. Thus, finding a way to transcend the

grubby reality was no mean feat (although the Catholic faith played

a huge part). However, for those born with academic or artistic

gifts, the concept of a creative career offered a glimmer of hope.

It’s accepted that becoming a full-blown professor was nigh on im-

possible if you weren’t arranged. Meanwhile, making it in the arts

was a tricky business if you weren’t prepared to play communist

ball. And invariably, just when you were beginning to make it in

your chosen career, one of the “smutni panowie” (sad gentlemen)

would appear. Yes, you could have your passport - you could take

your film to Cannes, you could perform your concerto in Rome,

you could do your teaching stint in London... But there was just

one small proviso. Put simply, you had to keep them informed.

It’s easy to grasp that for many ambitious young people, it was pos-

sible to convince yourself that you wouldn’t do anyone any harm.

You could just waffle a bit. Not say anything important. Yet be-

fore long, people had several years of informing under their belts.

In the case of Aleksander Wolszczan, not much has come to light about

specific people that he might have harmed, and no one is insisting

that he did cause direct harm to any of his peers. Indeed, Wolszczan

claims that when Solidarity began, he deliberately refused to offer

information on activists. The most memorable claim that anyone has

made about the astronomer thus far is that when his son was born,

he wrote a request to the Secret Police asking if he could have some

more money for his services. Allegedly, the powers that be complied.

At present, Wolszczan’s case doesn’t appear to teach us anything

new about the psychology of the informer. And it should be men-

tioned that no respectable voices are baying for blood. The pro-

fessor will not lose his honorary citizenship of Polish towns, and

he will not be cold-shouldered in academic circles. Neverthe-

less, as each new star is “outed,” the bravery of those who re-

fused to compromise shines through with ever greater radiance.

Undeniably, the judgements of today’s generation are de-

tached from the gritty realities of Soviet life. However, certain

facts remain. It’s worth remembering that even if Wolszczan

did not harm anyone through his dealings, the whole culture

of informing did cause damage, in some cases it ruined lives.

Scores of Poles were denied passports for refusing to play the

informing game. Dozens had their careers capped. Solidarity

activists - who had informers circling them in shoals – were ar-

rested and incarcerated. Some were beaten up, some were killed.

Thus it’s hardly surprising that there is some bitterness from those

that were kept down by the old regime. Journalist Bronisław Wild-

stein, one of the key movers in the “lustracja” campaign (the move-

ment to expose former collaborators), lost a close friend in the

notorious “Pyas Case” (Stanisław Pyas, a student in Krakow, was al-

legedly murdered by the Secret Services in 1977). Likewise, Father

Tadeusz Isakowicz-Zaleski, one of the “Solidarity priests,” was twice

beaten up, and his friend, Father Jerzy Popiełuszko, was murdered.

As Isakowicz-Zaleski recently discovered, several of the cler-

gymen who had been informing on him rose to positions

of great power in the Church. Thus it came as no surprise

two years ago when voices within the Church vigorously op-

posed the priest’s plans to publish his book on collaboration.

The question of whether former collaborators can hold positions of

authority today is not as straightforward as it might seem. As men-

tioned, no serious voices are claiming that Professor Wolszczan has

blood on his hands, or that he should be stripped of his credentials

as a teacher of astronomy. However, logic suggests that each case is

different. For example, the case of Stanisław Wielgus, the would-be

Archbishop of Warsaw is complex. Here is a man who until recently

held the power to stifle figures such as Father Isakowicz-Zaleski.

Was it sensible that he - a long-time informer - should maintain one

of the most hallowed jobs in the land? Many felt not, and Archbish-

op Wielgus was obliged to resign from his post in December 2006.

These issues are already more than familiar to the Polish pub-

lic, but to the West, they constitute a somewhat bewildering

Pandora’s Box. Poland did manage to effect a bloodless revolu-

tion in 1989, and for this is should be proud. However, there

were side effects. Poland did not start again from scratch. And

whilst a witch hunt is not advisable, those historians strug-

gling to reveal truths should not be halted in their tracks.

I am voting because I want my voice to count in an election that will have a significant effect on the

entire world. I am also voting because it’s my obligation as a citizen of the USA. If I want to critique the policies, politicians, and the government, then I should

also vote - because that’s one of the most basic ways to affect change. However, I worry about the news that electronic polling machines are being rigged, because this could seriously undermine

American democracy - if people don’t think that their vote will count (or that it won’t be counted correctly) they will stop voting.

It’s hard to say exactly how a democratic win in the US would affect Poland, but there’s always the hope that the visa requirements would be lifted or changed. That is actually long overdue. Hopefully, if Obama wins he’ll stop

the anti-rocket shield program, because that entire project will only cause problems by putting Poland in an awkward (and potentially threatening) position in the “new cold war” between Russia and the US. Russia

has already stated that if any American missile fired from Polish soil would strike their country, then they would have the right to attack Poland in return. Also, of course, if Obama wins fewer

Polish troops will die in the Middle East (McCain would most likely not withdraw coalition troops from Iraq and Afghanistan, and Obama has said that

this would be one of his top priorities).

Yes of course I am voting in this election. I think if you don’t vote then you have no

right to criticise the government. It is a civic duty to be a part of the process. Although sometimes American politics make me wonder how out of date the process of the Electoral College is and how honest campaign

funds in America are. I would like to see clean and free elections on a presidential level but even if they are not it is irresponsible to omit voting - it shows you don’t care and that is a problem.

The way the next elected president deals with the economy, the situation in Iraq, and foreign policy regarding Russia and Georgia will af-fect Poland. The next president should also revisit visas for the Poles, especially since the situation in America is not that lenient

towards illegal immigrants after September 11th, and since the economy is terrible there are a lot fewer people immigrating there to work. Maybe this government will realise Poles just want to go to

America to sightsee.

I am voting because for years the Re-publicans have been in office. Now we are actually in this

mess because of Republicans. If the Democrats are in office there can be change.

Poland is part of the EU so I don’t see how it would be affected. Polish politics are as bankrupt as American politics, and they have to fix their own

problems.

The general (presidential) elections in America are taking place on November 4th of this year. For all eligible voters, at first glance it would seem infinitely easier to buy a plane ticket and complete the registration and voting process in person. However, there are only a few steps to follow for eligible voters.

The first requirement is completing a Federal Postcard Application; this form allows voter registration and requests an absentee ballot. The form then has to be returned to a local election office.

The process complicates itself at this juncture because there are thousands of election offices in America and every state has different requirements. Other than the deadlines, they also vary so immensely that in some states you can register and request a ballot even by email or fax in relation to other states where you can only register or request a ballot via traditional snail mail. Some states will only accept a drivers’ license number as proof of citizenship, and in some other states all forms must be notarized (notarization can be done at a U.S. consulate or embassy). If the information is incomplete it will be rejected. If the process is started early enough the election office will contact the individual to correct the information. The sug-gested time for the entire process is 90 days.

If an absentee ballot is received in time it can be completed and returned to the election office in the U.S. to be counted. In this straightforward process many things can and usually do go wrong, especially when transmitting things by mail. The delays in mail transmittal have largely contributed to disap-pointing results of eligible ballots counted in the last election. As a result it has been simplified by two factors.

The first is if the voter does not receive an absentee ballot in time but an absentee ballot has been requested, the potential voter can complete a federal write-in absentee ballot. It is recommended by officials that the appropriate time to complete a FWAB is 30 days prior to the election.

The other factor is that if an absentee ballot has been completed but there is doubt that it will arrive on time it can be sent through the Express Your Vote programme through FedEx. The company has joined to help American citizens cast their vote and send ballot shipments from Poland for $23.50, including the ability to track the shipment. A small price for taking part in the democratic process.

In reality the only difficult part in registering to vote and requesting a ballot is finding out what the requirements are for each state. The non-partisan Overseas Vote Foundation and the Federal Voting Assistance Program have prod-

ded simplification of the process along. Both have helpful websites, respectively overseasvotefoundation.org and fvap.gov, that provide deadlines, requirements, and election office addresses by state, as well as other

helpful information. Additionally, the Overseas Vote Foundation has a help desk where emailed questions will be answered within approximately 24 hours.

Even though the task of registering and voting may seem daunting for Americans abroad, the tools that are available should make voting an option even for the less politically motivated individual.

For more information, and to register to vote if you are an American citizen living abroad, please visit www.overseasvotefoundation.org

The Krakow Post tells Americans and Canadians in Krakow how to vote but not how to vote.With reporting by Anna Bienkowska, Dana Dramowicz, and Anna Spysz.

KRAK THE VOTE!

ABSENTEE VOTING

David Miller, owner of Massolit bookshop

Special Report

For anyone who’s been living under a rock for the past few months (or is just more interested in Continental politics), change is on the way in the White

House - the American White House that is. The presidential elections are quickly approaching on November 4th. They happen every four

years and each president can serve up to two terms. For current President George W. Bush this means that he’s moving out of the oval office and someone else is moving in.

Perhaps this election has received so much coverage in in-ternational as well as national media because it is breaking ground on many levels. The Democratic candidate, Senator Barack Obama from Illinois, is of mixed African American and Caucasian heritage – a first. His vice-presidential run-ning mate is Senator Joe Biden from Delaware.

The Republican candidate is 72-year-old John McCain, sena-tor from Arizona; if elected, he would be the oldest person to

be elected president. His running mate is Governor Sarah Palin from Alaska. If the Republicans are elected she will be the first woman vice-

president in American history.

Though both parties’ campaigns have been courting voters for months, and debates between the candidates have already begun, many Americans are still undecided when it comes to which candidate will get their vote come November. On this side of the Atlantic, the Krakow Post has hit the streets and asked ordinary Poles as well as American expatriates their opinions on taking part in the democratic process and what effect American politics will have on Poland.

With all the fuss around the upcoming elections in the United States, it might be easy to miss

the fact that its northern neighbour Canada will also be electing its newest federal government this month. Current Prime Minister Stephen Harper has called the general election one year earlier than expected on October 14th, presumably riding

on his recent popularity in the polls in an effort to gain a majority in parliament. Harper, who is currently the head of a minority Conservative government, has stated his reason for

calling a snap election as a deadlock in discussion in the House of Commons resulting in a “dysfunctional” parliament.

The Canadian prime minister is not chosen directly by voters such as the American president, but is rather the leader of the political party that gains the most seats in the House of Commons. Canadians vote for MPs (Members of Parliament) from their electoral district, or riding, to represent them in Ot-

tawa.

So while the elections in Canada may not seem to be the most exciting news item on the menu, it may in the end result in a new reputation for North

America abroad. If Harper remains in power and Senator Obama wins the elec-tion in America, the world will certainly be confused with the United States as the

liberal alternative to conservative Canada.

Major party leaders:

Stephen Harper - Conservative PartyStéphane Dion - Liberal PartyGilles Duceppe - Bloc QuébécoisJack Layton - New Democratic Party

Elizabeth May - Green Party

How to vote:

If you’re a Canadian in Krakow, you can vote in the general election by mail using a special bal-lot. An application must be completed and sent by fax or snail mail to Elections Canada by October 7th and a special ballot will be mailed to your address in Poland. The ballot must be received in Ottawa by 6 pm on election day (October 14th). Requirements to vote include a photocopy of proof of identity and ordinary residence in Canada.

For the most accurate information and to download an application to vote by mail visit Elections Canada online at

www.elections.ca

I am voting because I want my voice to count in an election that will have a significant effect on the

entire world. I am also voting because it’s my obligation as a citizen of the USA. If I want to critique the policies, politicians, and the government, then I should

also vote - because that’s one of the most basic ways to affect change. However, I worry about the news that electronic polling machines are being rigged, because this could seriously undermine

American democracy - if people don’t think that their vote will count (or that it won’t be counted correctly) they will stop voting.

It’s hard to say exactly how a democratic win in the US would affect Poland, but there’s always the hope that the visa requirements would be lifted or changed. That is actually long overdue. Hopefully, if Obama wins he’ll stop

the anti-rocket shield program, because that entire project will only cause problems by putting Poland in an awkward (and potentially threatening) position in the “new cold war” between Russia and the US. Russia

has already stated that if any American missile fired from Polish soil would strike their country, then they would have the right to attack Poland in return. Also, of course, if Obama wins fewer

Polish troops will die in the Middle East (McCain would most likely not withdraw coalition troops from Iraq and Afghanistan, and Obama has said that

this would be one of his top priorities).

Yes of course I am voting in this election. I think if you don’t vote then you have no

right to criticise the government. It is a civic duty to be a part of the process. Although sometimes American politics make me wonder how out of date the process of the Electoral College is and how honest campaign

funds in America are. I would like to see clean and free elections on a presidential level but even if they are not it is irresponsible to omit voting - it shows you don’t care and that is a problem.

The way the next elected president deals with the economy, the situation in Iraq, and foreign policy regarding Russia and Georgia will af-fect Poland. The next president should also revisit visas for the Poles, especially since the situation in America is not that lenient

towards illegal immigrants after September 11th, and since the economy is terrible there are a lot fewer people immigrating there to work. Maybe this government will realise Poles just want to go to

America to sightsee.

CANADA VOTES (TOO)

Jule Land, PhD student

Anna Bienkowska, customer service rep.

With all the fuss around the upcoming elections in the United States, it might be easy to miss

the fact that its northern neighbour Canada will also be electing its newest federal government this month. Current Prime Minister Stephen Harper has called the general election one year earlier than expected on October 14th, presumably riding

on his recent popularity in the polls in an effort to gain a majority in parliament. Harper, who is currently the head of a minority Conservative government, has stated his reason for

calling a snap election as a deadlock in discussion in the House of Commons resulting in a “dysfunctional” parliament.

The Canadian prime minister is not chosen directly by voters such as the American president, but is rather the leader of the political party that gains the most seats in the House of Commons. Canadians vote for MPs (Members of Parliament) from their electoral district, or riding, to represent them in Ot-

tawa.

So while the elections in Canada may not seem to be the most exciting news item on the menu, it may in the end result in a new reputation for North

America abroad. If Harper remains in power and Senator Obama wins the elec-tion in America, the world will certainly be confused with the United States as the

liberal alternative to conservative Canada.

Major party leaders:

Stephen Harper - Conservative PartyStéphane Dion - Liberal PartyGilles Duceppe - Bloc QuébécoisJack Layton - New Democratic Party

Elizabeth May - Green Party

How to vote:

If you’re a Canadian in Krakow, you can vote in the general election by mail using a special bal-lot. An application must be completed and sent by fax or snail mail to Elections Canada by October 7th and a special ballot will be mailed to your address in Poland. The ballot must be received in Ottawa by 6 pm on election day (October 14th). Requirements to vote include a photocopy of proof of identity and ordinary residence in Canada.

For the most accurate information and to download an application to vote by mail visit Elections Canada online at

www.elections.ca

1. Not too closely.2. Yes, we might get more involved in some international conflicts.3. Barack Obama.

- Magda Wrzeszcz, student

1. No, I don’t like politics and I try to avoid political news, especially when they don’t affect me.2. Many things that happen in the States affect Poland. The U.S. is a big player and a lot depends on them.3. I’d probably vote for Obama, because I prefer the Democrats. I also know that from the start, Obama was against the war in Iraq. But I can’t vote anyway!

- Ola Sztąberska, marketing manager

1. Yes, since the candidates were confirmed, rather in-tensively.2. Yes - above all economically - the state of the global economy and financial affairs are in many ways depen-dent upon the U.S. As well as politically - political stabil-ity in the U.S. could help Poland to strengthen its politi-cal ties with the U.S. as a European partner. However, ultimately this depends upon how the Polish diplomacy handles the matter.3. Obama, because even though he is more of a “de-signed candidate” than McCain, he is capable of bringing a lot more to American politics - above all a modern way of thinking and the concept of a liberal state.

- Marek Kamiński, musician

1. So-so.2. Sure, the results of the election will have a global impact, after all, the U.S. is the strongest, right? The world’s economy and many essential military actions are dependent on the U.S.3. Obama - he understands the economy and now the U.S. needs an expert desperately, as well as a change in social mentality.

- Marta Firlet, marketing director

1. Yes.2. No.3. For me, voting for McCain is more a vote against Obama. In my view, McCain would be the lesser of two evils. I have not been convinced by the campaign Obama has been running – in fact he seems even shallower, more of a populist and emptier than most politicians. He seems to be trying to sway people to his side with easily pal-pable slogans and rhetoric of “change” and “progress.” Such a campaign, if I were an American citizen, would seem offensive and a downright insult to my intelligence. Although McCain’s campaign isn’t by any measure much more cerebral, it does seem to use less cheap one-line sound bytes. The fact that so much of the media and celebrity world openly support Obama only furthers my disapproval of him; some bimbo Hollywood starlet or self-righteous “journalist” do not have adequate respect in my minds for me to listen to their opinions. When it comes to the issues, both candidates are pretty vague and unspecific. I really don’t think anything much will change in Iraq, Middle America, or with the current eco-nomic situation no matter who wins. The U.S. is run by institutions, not individuals. Although the president tech-nically has a lot of executive powers, one would have to be pretty naïve to think he acts alone, without the sup-port and direction of numerous interest groups – groups that don’t change with each administration.

- Michał Długi, doctor with state health insurance company

The Krakow Post sought out some locals to get their take on the U.S.

elections. Poles replied to the following questions:

1. Have you been fol-lowing the American elections?2. Do you think the outcome will effect Poland? If yes, how?

3. If you could vote in the U.S. elections, who

would you pick? Why?

KrakowApartments

Stay in Style

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www.krakow-apartments.com [email protected]

phone +48 12 4214865 mobile +48 514973785


Krakow-based devel-oper Grupa Buma recently commenced construction of one

of its largest projects, Quattro Business Park. Over the next four years, this impressive building site located on Gen. Bora Komorowskiego Avenue will be developed into a mod-ern office complex consisting of four 14-storey buildings, totaling 48,000 square metres of class-A office space.

Designed by the APA Kuryłowicz & Associates ar-chitectural studio, the 150 million euro project will also comprise a 200-person con-ference centre, restaurants, medical clinics, and other small service shops. Addition-ally, the complex will include parking facilities allowing for up to 1,100 cars.

As the largest office project currently under construction in southern Poland, Quattro Business Park is to be built in four stages. While the first of the four buildings is sched-uled for completion in Decem-ber 2009, the second building

and multi-level car park are planned to follow in Octo-ber 2010. The remaining two buildings are expected to be finished in 2011 and 2012.

The whole investment was spread over four years with an eye to managing investment risk, explains Grupa Buma representative Piotr Michalski. “Due to the unpredictable eco-nomic situation, it is unknown whether Krakow will need so much space,” states Michal-ski. “However, splitting the investment into stages allows it to be accelerated or delayed as necessary.”

Professor Stefan Kuryłowicz, architect from Warsaw and designer of the development, states the idea behind the ar-chitectural character of the complex was “an object direct-ed towards a new kind of per-son who travels and is open to the world; such people will be deciding the future of Poland; a place where young people and progressive firms will feel at home.”

“This development is a confir-

mation of the repeatedly-prov-en thesis that, second to War-saw, Krakow is the place for construction,” states Deputy Mayor of Krakow Kazimierz Bujakowski. “The undertaking of such an investment, which commits itself to a strategy of development for the city, is strategically essential. It establishes the conditions for those firms who have in-vested here and are operating to expand.” During his speech at the opening conference on Sept. 4, Bujakowski focused on the changes Krakow has un-dergone over the last decade or so, specifically its growth from an industrial city to one that is service orientated.

According to Bujakowski, “Krakow has become a cen-tre for services: a centre for IT as well as accounting and business services. One of the crucial restrictions that deter-mines further investment by firms is restricted availability of commercial office space.” Bujakowski maintains that of the 240,000 square metres of office space Krakow acquired between 2005 and 2007, 95

percent is in use, a fact that justifies the immense scale of the Quattro Business Park en-terprise.

The plans and architectural renderings for the new office complex are certainly strik-ing, effectively transmitting the concept of a contempo-rary design. Moreover, for em-ploying an environmentally friendly approach, a façade of glass and tiles allows for natu-ral light to enter, cutting the energy demand of the build-

ings.

Since its establishment in 1991, Grupa Buma has com-pleted several office invest-ments in Krakow, such as Buma Square Business Park, Rondo Business Park and the ONYX office complex. The group has also built over 1,700 apartments and 270 single-family homes. More than 50 firms in Krakow rent space in buildings developed by Grupa Buma.

Business

Adelina Krupski

Quattro Business Park to Rise in Krakow

A model of the business park was presented at the press conference

photo / Adelina Krupski

Krakow Property

Property PostKrakow Post OCTOBER 2008 13www.krakowpost.com

Why buy in Krakow?

Current Property Offers

krakowGot a property for rent or sale?

Advertise it HERE in our dedicated property section! For more details contact:

[email protected]: +48 (0)12 429 1699

For the bright bucca-neers who swept into Cracow in 1989, pick-ing themselves up a

nice flat or two in the process, well, let’s just say that they’ve got a pretty fine investment on their hands. The prices for real estate were so low then that a Western pizza chain was able to set up shop in a magnificent palace at the foot of the Royal Castle.

Thankfully, Krakow has not been mongrelized by such scenarios. And whilst a fleet of Western hotels has sailed into town, the best are Polish-owned, as is evidenced by the marvellous palace renovations of the Likus chain.

However, although prices have gone up dramatically in the last ten years, the rates are still more than tempting for

investors. And if you’ve fallen in love with the city, you don’t have to be a millionaire to pur-chase a property here.

For big investors, there’s no doubt that owning a flamboy-ant fin-de-siecle palace could be a highly congenial state of affairs, just like in the good old days. And indeed, al-though there is no law yet for the restitution of property to Poles themselves, a good deal of the aristocracy have re-claimed their pre-war palaces. But having lost pretty much everything else after the war, they tend to live in a small apartment at the top, leasing out the rest of the property. Nevertheless, the new-old owners are often happy to sell a flat within their property. At this stage, prices are natural-ly at their highest within the centre of the Old Town.

However, these are not neces-sarily always the best flats in town. A quarter of a mile be-yond the Planty is a second ring-road, and between the two are some fine residential districts, generally built in the nineteenth century in a gra-cious eclectic style. They’re usually a little tattier than within the Old Town cen-tre, but prices are markedly cheaper.

More complicated for inves-tors are the properties that still have not been reclaimed, or those that are in the proc-ess of reclamation. The Kaz-imierz district is amongst the most colourful and popular in

Krakow, but it carries a tragic legacy.

Jewish properties were spread across the whole of Krakow sixty-five years ago, but the biggest concentration was in Kazimierz, as well as on the grand streets connecting the district with the Old Town, such as ul. Sarego, ul. Sebas-tiana and ul. Starowiślna. Pro-fessional advice is paramount if you are interested in buying property in these localities.

The law on purchasing a prop-erty in Poland states that citi-zens of EU countries, as well as Icelanders, Norwegians and Liechtensteiners, get the fast

track on buying property in Poland, although if you’re af-ter farmland or forest, things are a little more complicated.

However, as far as urban property goes, applicants shouldn’t encounter too many problems, whether you’re a citizen of one the aforemen-tioned countries or not. The latter groups have to apply for a special permit from the Min-istry of Internal Affairs, but this is generally forthcoming, provided you’re not a notori-ous criminal.

ul. Warszawska (ANGEL CITY)

48 sq m, 1 bedroom apartment,2nd floor, balcony, garage.Developer standard

Price – 590 000 PLN

For more details email:[email protected]

ul. Cybulskiego 2 (OLD TOWN)

55 sq m, 1 bedroom apartment,Ground floor with access to the gardenFurnished and equipped to high standard



ul. Filarecka

55 sq m, 1-bedroom apartmentground floor, unfurnished


For more details email: [email protected]

ul. Krakusa / Rękawki

64 sq m, 2 bedroom apartment,2nd floor unfurnished


For more details email: [email protected]

ul. Krowoderska (OLD TOWN)

52 sq m, 3-room apartment3rd floor, fully equipped and furnished



ul. Kordeckiego (KAZIMIERZ)

63 sq m, 3-room apartment3rd floor, newly renovated



ul. Bajeczna (DĄBIE) 65 sq m, 2-bedroom apartment,5th floor, new building, lift, parking space

Price – 500 000 PLNFor more details email:[email protected]

ul. Godlewskiego (BRONOWICE) 33 sq m, studio apartment,groundfloor floor, new building, parking space

Price – 230 000 PLNFor more details email:[email protected]

photo / Mateusz Majewski


Sporting Post

Cycling - Voigt Wins Tour of Poland

German Jens Voigt won the seven-day Tour of Poland which ended in Krakow on the 20th September. Dane Lars Bak was second overall, one minute 22 seconds behind, whilst Italy’s Franco Pellizotti came in third at 1:24. Australia’s Allan Davis was fourth at 1:27. CSC rider Voigt, 37, won stage six to Zakopane on Friday with a lone attack and defended his lead with the help of his teammates during the rain-soaked final stage.

German Robert Forster of the Gerolsteiner team won the 153-kilometre final stage from Rabka to Krakow, beating Alberto Cur-tolo of Italy and Yauheni Hutar-ovich of Belarus in a sprint finish. The Tour of Poland is Voigt’s 86th victory in his 14-year professional career. This year, Voigt won the Criterium International stage race for the fourth time and a Giro d’Italia stage.

Formula 1 - Debut in Singapore Results in Alonso Win

On Sunday 28th September, Fern-ando Alonso of the Formula 1 team, ING Renault, won the first ever Singapore Grand Prix. In a race which saw regular neutral-ising interruptions by the safety car, the Spanish Formula 1 world champion of 2005 and 2006 kept his cool and notched up his first victory of the season, coming in ahead of German Nico Rosberg and Brit Lewis Hamilton. While on the podium, Hamilton enlarged his lead over his direct competitors. Neither Ferrari’s Felipe Massa or defending champion Kimi Raikko-nen were able to score, likewise Polish star Robert Kubica. Kubica was cut off by Hamilton during the start, which threw the Pole back. A pit stop during a safety car situation resulted in a 10 sec-ond penalty, leaving the number three in this season’s standings, in eleventh place at the finish of what was the first ever Grand Prix held in the dark. McLaren’s Lewis Hamilton now leads the overall standings with 84 points, in front of Ferrari’s Felipe Massa with 77 and Robert Kubica of BMW with 64. There are three races to go in the 2008 F1 world championship, which will be held in Japan, China and Brazil.

SPORT IN BRIEFDaniël van Hoven

There were no surprises at White

Hart Lane on August 19th when

Polish champions Wisła Krakow

lost to favourites Tottenham

Hotspur in the first round of the

UEFA Cup.

Wisła can hold their heads high

though after a determined per-

formance gave them a realistic

chance of progressing into the

next round, with the teams due to

meet again for the second leg in

Krakow on October 2nd.

Having grabbed a crucial away

goal in the 2-1 defeat, and putting

up a respectable showing against

a north London club that’s not

short of cash (Spurs invested

around £70 million on new play-

ers this summer), Wisła needs

only a 1-0 victory in the return

leg to progress into the group

stages.

The visitors got off to a strong

start, maintaining most of the

early possession and applying

pressure on the Spurs defence.

However, they were restricted to

ambitious long range shots, all

of which failed to trouble Spurs

goalkeeper Heurelho Gomes.

It didn’t take Spurs long to find

their feet, as strong midfield play

by Jenas and Zokora saw them

counter Wisła’s positive start and

begin creating chances.

In the 23rd minute, Jonathan

Woodgate met a David Bentley

corner with a firm header that

was well handled by Wisła keeper

Mariusz Pawełek.

Pawełek was called into action

again in the 30th minute, bravely

coming off his line to deny Dar-

ren Bent, following some scratchy

Wisła defending.

It was never going to be long be-

fore Tottenham converted their

chances into actual goals though,

and in the 33rd minute the light-

ning fast Aaron Lennon ran at

the Wisła defence from the left,

squaring the ball to David Bent-

ley, who opened the scoring with

a swift left foot strike that gave

Pawełek no chance.

It was the England midfielder’s

first goal for his new club since

his £15 million move from the

Blackburn Rovers in July.

The ecstatic home crowd hadn’t

finished celebrating when Wisła

delivered what could be a tell-

ing counter-punch a minute later.

Following some excellent work by

Rafał Boguski and a gentle layoff

by Paweł Brożek, Czech playmak-

er Tomáš Jirsák produced a cool

finish to draw proceedings level

and send the 3,000 plus Wisła

supporters at the stadium into

raptures.

Wisła proceeded to take advantage

of the defensive fragility that has

seen Tottenham sitting bottom

of the English Premier League

table so far this season, and Wisła

midfielder Mauro Cantoro tested

Gomes once more before the end

of the first half, although his 20

metre drive was comfortably han-

dled by the Brazilian keeper.

Spurs came out strongly in the

second half, seeking to recapture

their authority by harassing Wisła

at every opportunity, and Pawełek

was again called into action when

he tipped over a fierce 15 metre

strike by Bentley.

Wisła’s disciplined play continued

to frustrate their opponents, yet

the Poles were not without their

luck after a Darren Bent goal was

disallowed for an offside decision

that was dubious at best.

Bent found relief in the 73rd

minute though, neatly nodding

in substitute Fraizer Campbell’s

cross and putting Tottenham

ahead once again after some

loose marking in the penalty box

by the Krakow defence.

With their tails in the air, Totten-

ham sought to extend their lead,

twice coming close through ef-

forts from Bale and King, with the

latter spoiling a good chance to

secure the home side’s first win

of the season in all competitions.

Although starved of chances in

the second half, Wisła almost

drew level with four minutes to

play when substitute Andrzej

Niedzielan rushed through on

goal, only to be denied by a last-

ditch tackle from Woodgate.

Despite the loss, Wisła’s brave

performance against a superior

Tottenham outfit puts them in

good stead to pull off an upset

when the sides meet again in Kra-

kow, a point that didn’t go unno-

ticed by the Krakow side’s coach,

Maciej Skorża. “We are waiting

with optimism for the rematch

in Krakow,” Skorża said after the

game.

The two-leg tie is now delicately

poised for what should be a scin-

tillating return match in Krakow.

Tottenham Hotspur 2 (Bentley

33, Bent 73) – Wisła Krakow 1

(Jirsák 34)

Tottenham Hotspur: Gomes,

Gunter (O’Hara 57), Woodgate,

King, Bale, Bentley, Jenas, Zoko-

ra, Lennon (Campbell 57), Gio-

vani (Assou-Ekotto 70), Bent

Goals: Bentley 33, Bent 73

Yellow Card: O’Hara

Wisła Krakow: Pawełek, Sin-

glar, Baszczyński, Cleber, Diaz,

Boguski (Małecki 73), Can-

toro, Sobolewski, Zieńczuk,

Jirsák (Łobodziński 61), Brożek

(Niedzielan 79)

Goals: Jirsák 34

Yellow Card: Sobolewski,

Małecki

Tottenham vs. Wisła / Photo by Ian Walton (Getty Images)

Wojtek Galon

Hope Still for WisłaWisła cling on for Second Coming

Hip design magazine Wall-

paper turned its attention

to Poland in its September

issue. Whilst enthusing

about the country as a dynamic place

for new development, the monthly

was less effusive about home-grown

architects. “Local talent is sparse,”

the magazine postulated, “and until

recently, known more for its technical

capabilities than its creativity.”

The author of the article went on to wax

lyrical about a number of international

architects building in Poland, including

uber-trendy figures such as Daniel Libe-

skind and Zaha Hadid. In the accompa-

nying list of “seven architects reshaping

the country,” only one Pole slipped onto

the roster (at the very bottom), in this

case Wojciech Obtulowicz, creator of

the Warsaw Uprising Museum.

Wallpaper was a little more forthcom-

ing on its website, where two Poles

were allowed to speak up for their

peers. However, all in all, the Poles

were rather pushed to the periphery.

Singled out as especially beyond the

pale were those architects who came

of age prior to the collapse of the Iron

Curtain. In contrast, young bucks who

had studied abroad were cited as the

bright hope for Polish architecture.

Although it’s heartening that maga-

zines (and architects such as Libe-

skind, who himself has Polish roots)

are showing an interest in the Polish

scene, the Krakow Post feels that Wall-

paper’s overview sold the Poles short.

Bearing this in mind, we thought it

only sporting to publish some of our

own picks of new projects in Poland.

These buildings, chosen solely from

within Krakow, are naturally just the

tip of the iceberg (further afield, we

might mention APA Kuryłowicz As-

soc., Bulanda & Mucha, KWK Promes,

to name but a few). Yet in spite of

the small context, we believe that

the Krakow designs signal that the

home-grown scene is in rude health.

Not least, they reveal that architects

from both the mature and the younger

generations are setting the standards.

Tastes are sure to vary, but Krakow –

so long billed as a treasure trove of

historic architecture – will soon boast

a parade of modern marvels of which

it should be rightfully proud.

All projects were featured in the ex-

hibition “Krakow 2012,” organised

by SARP (The Association of Archi-

tects of the Republic of Poland). With

many thanks to SARP (Krakow), Mr.

Konrad Glos and Dr. Marta Urbańska

for their kind assistance.


Culture

The Future Face of KrakowNick Hodge looks at new buildings on the Krakow horizon

Car Keys to Another Dimension

The family of the late writer Stanisław Lem have sold his ca-nary-coloured car in a bid to raise money for charity.

Lem, often cited as the great-est science fiction author of his generation (although he himself was loathe to be pigeon-holed), is best known for works such as Solaris and The Cyberiad.

The car – a 1981 Mercedes saloon – fetched a hefty 50,211 złoty and was bought by Geko-Kart, a firm that makes cardboard boxes. The money will go to the children’s charity Mam Marzenie (“I have a dream”).

Lem originally bought the car in West Berlin shortly after martial law was declared. He later used the automobile to smuggle banned literature into Poland, along with prized household amenities such as loo-roll. As of yet it is uncon-firmed whether there is a secret button that transports passengers to a parallel world.

Tricks at the Oscars

The Polish Film Institute has selected its candidate for the 2009 Academy Awards. Sztuczki (Tricks) tells the tale of Stefek, a young boy who tries to track down his absent father. However, as it turns out, Stefek’s efforts to reunite his family – by a series of tricks – land him with much more than he’d bargained for.

Sztuczki is the second feature film by Andrzej Jakimowski, who won earlier acclaim with Zmruz Oczy (Squint Your Eyes - 2002). His latest movie has already scooped awards at Venice, To-kyo, San Paulo and here on home soil at Gdynia, where it won the Golden Lion.

In 2008, Andrzej Wajda’s dra-matic film Katyń was the Polish selection for the Oscar but it failed to bring home the gold, losing out to Austrian entry The Counterfeiters.

CULTURE IN BRIEF

Above: The winning design in the competition for a new sports and entertainment hall. Architect: Piotr Łabowicz

Above: Register Office Building by Michał Szymanowski Studio 5

Above: An apartment house by Mariusz Twardowski and co.

Driving about forty minutes southwest from Krakow will take you back in time. Lanckorona is a village lo-cated 500 metres above sea level, on a forested hill at the foot of medieval castle ruins, and to get there

you need to take the one and only minibus line from Krakow, or simply jump in a car. Until 1934 the place was technically a city, and it has kept an urban layout, with a unique, slop-ing market square and streets branching in four directions. The market square looks like a miniature wooden city, with a mosaic of very old and sometimes comically small timber houses, still inhabited to this day. In one of the streets you can find an old bakery famous for its delicious bread and pas-tries made in an original, ceiling-high furnace. What’s great is you can knock at the door at any time and the bread will be there for you.

Due to an extraordinary stillness and “nothing to do” atmo-sphere, Lanckorona is a mecca for artists, who come there to rest and look for inspiration, as well as Cracovians coming to enjoy a weekend rest. Fortunately, the village has not turned into a tourist-cramped wooden Disneyland. Lanckorona may disappoint those searching for sensational discoveries and thrills, but it opens up for people who humbly approach new destinations and want to take in a place just as it is.

“This is a place in which you cannot do anything by force; here you can improve what already exists by bringing it out to light and dusting off its natural beauty,” says Zofia Oszacka, the borough leader of Lanckorona district. Oszacka has done much for the region: during the past six years of her gover-nance, Lanckorona has won numerous awards for the best lo-cal government in Małopolska area and for the best use of EU grants.

At first glance Lanckorona is a forgotten old village where nothing happens – but that’s all up to the visitor. It’s a poten-tially magical place, a background for romantic walks, long chats in a charming pavement cafe, learning handicraft or tak-ing part in Lanckorona’s festivals – like the Angels in Town Festival, where children dress up as angels and distribute Christmas greetings and best wishes among the townspeople. There is also Romantic Lanckorona, a festival for lovers, and the Midsummer’s Eve Fair to mention a few.

Today, due to the enormous commitment of the borough lead-ers, the whole district - composed of five villages in total - is flourishing with investments. New anti-slide road reinforce-ments, pavements, and a revamped sewage system are now being developed, making the place visibly modernised. With a cash injection from the EU, local Lanckorona associations have started small businesses such as a souvenir shop, a cafe and a tour service company to help promote their beloved home and facilitate a stay in Lanckorona for future newcomers.

Read more about Lanckorona at www.lanckorona.pl

Lanckorona Frozen in TimeUnique 19th century wooden architecture, delightful craftwork and above all peace and quiet – the hillside village of Lanckorona is of the Małopolska region’s cultural gems.

Lanckorona today / photo Grażyna Zawada

Grażyna Zawada


Culturennn

CultureCulture


Culture

S H E L F I M P R O V E M E N THammer and Tickle by Ben Lewis

Laughter Behind the Closed Curtain

Q: What stage comes between socialism and communism?A: Alcoholism.Q: Why, despite all the shortages, was the toilet paper in East Germany always 2-ply?A: Because they had to send a copy of everything they did to Moscow.

There are plenty more rib-ticklers in Ben Lewis’ new book, which styles itself “ a history of Communism told through Communist Jokes.” And if you’ve ever felt lost for words during a pub chat about the Soviet Bloc, here is a bottomless source of anecdotes to make you seem like the brightest button at the bar. That said, the obvious danger in penning a book about Soviet jokes is in trivialising what was often no laughing matter. But the author doesn’t attempt to airbrush the bitter realities. As Lewis reminds us, there were times when making a quip was enough to send the joker to a forced labour camp (as it was, even the gulags had their own brand of black humour). The author is genuinely fired up by his subject, and he travels far and wide in his quest for illicit humour. Along the way there are surreal encounters with Lech Wałęsa (who’s not in a joking mood) as well as Jerzy Urban, notorious communist propaganda maestro. Lewis doesn’t do justice to Pope John Paul II’s role in defeating communism, but all in all this is a refreshing roam through the realities of Soviet life. The best jokes beam out at us with their explosive, often heartbreaking grasp of the truth. Nick Hodge

An Epic of Sorts

R E E L L I F EP H O T O O F T H E M O N T HRok 1612 (The Year 1612)

Twelve months ago there were rumblings in the press that Russia was about to unleash a virulently anti-Polish film. The project, commissioned by the Kremlin, was to zoom in on the Polish-Muscovite War, a bloody conflict that culminated in Polish invaders being expelled from Moscow in the autumn of 1612. This war may seem like rather a long time ago now, but in 2005 the expulsion date was declared a new Russian national holiday. Polish heartthrob Michał Żebrowski was promptly branded a traitor for taking a part in the movie, and now, twelve months on, the end result is playing across Poland. Was it worth all the fuss? In a word, no. Never-theless, director Vladimir Khotinenko deserves credit for creating one of the most spectacularly silly films of recent times, replete with unicorns, talking fish and a hermit styled on Gandalf the Wizard. Rok 1612 starts promisingly enough with the Polish forces arrayed across a valley on the edge of Muscovy. An insolent serf has his tongue cut out, and the stage is set for a gritty historical drama in the style of La Reine Margot. But pretty soon the unicorns pop up (it’s as if the screenwriter sat down to write a slice of history then accidentally got side-tracked by Tolkien and his tricks). Into the melée steps runaway peasant Andrei (played by Russian Johnny Depp look-alike Pyotr Kislov), who quickly learns how to take on an invad-ing army single-handed. Everything is shot with great gusto, and costumes and settings are wonderful, but ultimately, Rok 1612 is unlikely to win any prizes for profundity. Still, viewers with a sense of humour may love this film.

In Russian with Polish subtitles. Nick Hodge

Language

Trips off the Tongue

Grażyna Zawada

Q: Can you please explain the uses of different forms of num-bers, and generally when each type should be used?

A: Collective numerals refer to a plural form of a mixed sex group (men and women together), and young creatures (children, calves, puppies), as well as nouns coming only in pairs (“pluralia tantum”),

e.g. “nożyczki” (scissors), “spod-nie” (trousers) or “drzwi” (door) (that’s why sometimes Poles say “the doors are open” when mean-ing one door).

Collectives inflect like singu-lar neutral nouns and are eas-ily recognized: the first two end in “-oje” and the rest ends with “-oro.” e.g. “widzę czwor-o

dzieci” (I see four kids). Because this is accusative, the ending is the same as with a neutral noun, e.g. “okn-o” (window). Collective nouns are sometimes brushed off by less educated Poles due to their unusual structure, i.e. adding “g” (or “gi”) in the instrumental to the original root of the numer-al: “nie ma czworg-a szczeniąt” (the four puppies are not here),

“plotkuję o dwojg-u ludziach” (I am gossiping about two people). In the previous example, the first is genitive and the second is da-tive. You must also check if the endings of numerals are the same as in singular neutral nouns, e.g. “jajko” (egg).

October’s Photo of the Month was taken by Marcin Jędrysiak, www.marcinjedrysiak.com

From October 2008, the Krakow Post together with the Academy of Photography begins its year-long photography contest.

Each month, the Krakow Post will choose one picture from amongst those sent in by readers to appear as the “Photo of the Month.” The winner will receive a free consultation with a lecturer from the Academy of Photography. In October 2009, a Grand Prix winner will be chosen from amongst the previous 12 winners, who will receive a brand-new Nikon digital SLR camera, as

well as a free course from the Academy in either English or Polish.

The goal of the contest is to entice all of Krakow’s residents – English-speaking as well – to use photography as a means of artistic expression. The additional chance to receive professional

advice will no doubt be useful in further photographic experimentation.

Is Polish really that difficult? Or is that just a myth, an over-used excuse touted by lazy language students? Let’s find out… Krakow Post introduces a series of brief lessons, which should prove useful when learning this beautiful language, as prepared by a native Polish linguist and teacher.

Confused by Polish gram-mar? Send your query to editor@krakowpost.

com, and our Polish linguist may answer your

question in the next edition of “Trips off the

Tongue!”

T H E M E : A U T U M N A L

Please send all entries for November’s “Photo of the Month” to [email protected] by October 24th. All submitted photographs must be taken in Krakow. The theme is open.

For more, visit >>www.krakowpost.com

Krakow Post: Where/when did you get the idea for Unsound, and how did you get other people interested in the idea so you could pull it off?

Mat Schulz: The idea started in 2003, when there were really not many fes-tivals presenting this kind of music in Poland. We saw a gap, and tried to fill it. Although electronic, experimen-tal and club music have always been important in relation to the program, Unsound has always aimed to be di-verse. From the very beginning, Un-sound was also about trying to con-nect East and West Europe, via music, sound cultures and related visual arts. This idea remains.

KP: How is the list of performers de-cided each year?

MS: We listen to a lot of new music, and read everything from magazines like The Wire to blogs, searching for the latest tendencies in music. Then we try to make interesting connec-tions between different genres. This means that we can put, for example, club music in the same program as work that could be described as post-classical. We also try to be as rigorous as possible with the programme, so that while it contains some unexpect-ed elements and combinations it still makes sense, according to its various parts, and overall. We take risks, se-lecting artists that may not be so well known here in Poland, which I hope makes our festival unique.

KP: Who are you looking forward to seeing the most at this year’s edition?

MS: Unsound this year has really grown, due to some strong financial support from the Krakow council. This means that there are so many great artists that it’s hard to pick one act. I’m really looking forward to the War-hol Series, showcasing early Warhol films with live music. We’ve wanted to invite Max Richter for a long time, and his show on the same night as

Hauschka’s group should be wonder-ful, a combination of electronic and classical music. I think that Colleen, Pan•American and Ben Frost, all play-ing in St. Catherine’s church, will be extremely memorable as much for the beautiful venue as the sounds. The dubstep night should be great, as this genre should really be heard in a club, with a sub bass system that you can feel physically, not only in your ears. The Necks are an amazing band from Australia. I could keep going, but if I do so I will probably recommend the entire program.

KP: Any surprises in store for this year?

MS: Unsound is all about trying to surprise, but if I have to select some particular acts, then I could start with Fuck Buttons. They’ve got a strong following in other countries, but not so much yet in Poland. They play a mix of noise, tribal rhythms and beats. I also think that Ben Frost may cause a bit of a sensation. I saw his show in Montreal at MUTEK festival, and it completely knocked me out. It was a mix of intricate, ambient elec-tronics and often heavily distorted guitar. Considering this concert will take place in a gothic church, the im-pact should be even more powerful. If you’re not familiar with the more cutting edge forms of club music, then you should also head to Manggha on October 24th for Bruno Pronsato, Thomas Melchior, The Sight Below and others. This is really a world-class line up that may make you rethink precon-ceptions you have about club music. It would draw a huge crowd in Berlin or London, for example.

KP: How does the Krakow edition dif-fer from other cities, such as Lviv?

MS: Well, we haven’t done that much in Lviv yet. The main Unsound city outside Krakow is in Minsk, Belarus. It’s a place that is extremely isolat-ed, and as a result audiences are so

wildly enthusiastic that it is incredibly inspiring. Most of the artists dealing with this kind of music don’t expect to be swamped by fans requesting autographs on scraps of paper, but that’s what happens there. In Septem-ber this year Unsound conducted a week of workshops and collaborative projects in Minsk, bringing together Belarus and Western European musi-cians. The results will be released on a free online CD to be released by the ~scape record label in Berlin.

KP: I’ve heard rumours of a New York edition – is Unsound planning to ex-pand globally?

MS: The New York edition will take place in 2009 and will entail an ex-panded version of the Warhol and mu-sic programme, which will also fea-ture at Unsound this year. The project is supported by both the Krakow and New York Goethe Institutes. The screening of Warhol’s Empire will take place in both Krakow and New York, an 8-hour film that will have a live soundtrack played by the Berlin band Groupshow. It’s a free event in Krakow at Unsound, on the 18th of October, in the Galicia Jewish Museum.

KP: Have any Polish artists really im-pressed at Unsound?

MS: I’m a big fan of Jacek Sienkiewicz, who I think is Poland’s best producer of minimal club music, and definitely has his own voice. He’ll also play this year, on the 24th in Manggha. I love Mitch & Mitch, especially live. The Complainer is always good fun. The VJ team Pussy Crew is also great. There’s a lot of excellent Polish music. This year, I’m really looking forward to seeing Małe Instrumenty perform on the 21st; they usually use toys and gadgets to create their music, but this time will also play on huge self-made instruments. It should be a lot of fun.

The Post interviews Unsound founder Mat Schulz

Music Live Review: Kraftwerk : Craft at WorkThymn Chase

The big event this rather damp September was the 6th An-nual Sacrum Profanum Festival. The profile of this fairly new but groundbreaking festival is markedly different from most other such events that exist in Krakow. Sacrum Profanum pushes the boundaries and presents concerts of contemporary and modern “classical music” as well as groundbreaking pop and even electronic music from the 20th and 21st centuries. While this year’s festival certainly had numerous concerts of note (Stockhausen in the Schindler Factory was fairly life-changing), I will cut to the chase and get right to the legendary men-machines themselves - Kraftwerk!

Kraftwerk’s sold-out, three-night stand at the Arcelor Mit-tal Steelworks in Nowa Huta was as historic as it was epic. One of the truly amazing things about this mysterious band is that they appeal to so many seemingly disparate generations of fans. While riding the courtesy bus from the gates of the Huta to the depths of the factory (of course they couldn’t have chosen a normal venue), it was fascinating and almost beautiful to see ageing rockers standing next to conservative 50-somethings in suits who were in turn standing next to a couple of high school-ers making out who were leaning on a 30-something journalist who was deep in discussion with a babcia in her seventies about what kind of music she was about to hear. Few bands in the world can boast that kind of demographic...

And the music? Let me begin by saying that the progres-sive historical irony of a German band singing in Polish in a Soviet-built iron works was enough alone to send shiv-ers down my spine. The fact that the band was Kraftwerk turned those shivers into electronic shockwaves that rumbled through my lower intestines from the plethora of precision crafted synthesized beats and visual treats. They performed a blinding and stunning 2 hour set which included most of their global hits spanning their almost 40 year career. The quartet was as stoic as ever, and each member dutifully manned their computer battle station - respectively pointing, clicking, twisting and playing their aging hearts out.

As boring as it may seem to watch ageing German men ostensibly play solitaire for two hours, there was some-thing enticing and intriguing about their stage candour - almost a game to try and figure out who was making what bleeps and which blurps when. The visual graphics were of course much more of the spectacle then the band themselves and they did not disappoint. The sound in the factory was truly amazing and the entire building rattled whenever they engaged the turbo uber bass. They treated the throbbing crowd (and seated audience) to two encores - the first of which was performed by their robot look-alike buddies (although the resemblance is a bit strained since two of the members are no longer with the group and the other two have aged severely since the robots were completed in the early 70s), and the second encore was performed by them but in their neon striped spandex matrix suits.

I can honestly say the experience was once in a lifetime and there is no question that Kraftwerk have left their mark on Krakow for a long time to come.

Robotic men / photo Duncan Rhodes

Skream / photo Shaun Bloodworth


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MARKET SHOP

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For sale: MacBook 2.4 GHzWhite MacBook 2.4GHz/160GB/2Gb memory - practically new, barely used, purchased from US in summer 2008. Please contact [email protected] for more info/price.

For Sale: Books40 English books for sale.Biography, history, film, Booker Prize winners etc.Hardback and paperback.Will accept one quarter of the retail price for a quick sale. Anyone interested telephone Bob on 506520153.

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HOUSINGRoom in KazimierzVery large room in chaotic student flat share in Kazimierz ul. Skaleczna. Available in about a month. 800 zl. plus electricity bills. Would suite couple. Email to:[email protected]

BRILLIANT WRITERS!WANTED:

Eastern Europe’s leading internet and print guides is looking for outstanding writers to join its team! Do you have what it takes?

Are you intelligent, witty, love travelling and know how to enthuse others with your writing style? Do you know Eastern European Cities and would like to get to know them better?

Are you up to the challenge of working with a dynamic writing team producing travel guides that are read by millions? We are looking for you!

Your job will include extensive travel writing for Cracow Life and our other city travel sites, as well as writing and proof reading for our other partner publications.

Vacancies are currently available in Cracow, Warsaw and Berlin.

For more info send your CV, a covering letter (in English) and a short sample of your writing style to: [email protected]

Official DistributorsCompanies &Business Centres

British-Polish Chamber of Commerce

British Petroleum Polskaul. Jasnogórska 1

Buma Square Office Buildingul. Wadowicka 6

Energoprojekt-Krakow SAul. Mazowiecka 21

Euromarket Office Centerul. Jasnogórska 1

IBM BTO ul. Armii Krajowej 18

International Paper Polskaul. Lubicz 23

Krakow Tech Park Lubicz Office Buildingul. Lubicz 23

Symposium Craco-viense ul. Krupnicza 3

Universities & Schools

Accent Language Schoolul. Lea 123

Bell Language Schoolul. Michałowskiego 4

British Interna-tional School of Krakow ul. Smolensk 25

Empik Language SchoolRynek Główny 5

Gzegrzólkaul. św. Tomasza 1

Maly Rynek Language School Mały Rynek 3

Open Mindul. Bracka 1a/1

Pedagogical University of Krakow ul. Karmelicka 41

Poliglota Language SchoolPl. Szczepanski 8

Politechnika Krakowska

Prolog Language Schoolul. Bronowicka 37

1. International Training Center “CzyZyny”2. Centrum “Sokrates”

Jagiellonian University:

1. Campus2. Administration Building3. Dom Gościnny “Przegorzaly”4. Institute of European Studies5. Students Hostel

Tischner European Universityul. Westerplatte 11

AGHTechnical Universityal. Mickiewicza 30

University of Economicsul. Rakowiecka 27

Consulates

American Consulate ul. Stolarska 9

Austrian Consulate ul. Krupnicza 42

German Consulateul. Stolarska 7

Hon. British Consulate ul. św. Anny

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Airlines & Travel

British Airways

Brussels Airlines

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El Al Airlines

Krakow Balice In-ternational Airport

Lufthansa Airlines

Seekrakowul. Floriańska 6

Tourist Information Officeul. św. Jana 2

Bars & Restaurants

Alchemiaul. Estery 5

Any Time Sandwich Barul. Estery 16

Aqua e Vino ul. Wiślna 5/10

Arka Noego ul. Szeroka 2

Art Club Cieplarnia ul. Bracka 15

Bagel Mama ul. Podbrzezie 2

Balatonul. Grodzka 37

Barakapl. Nowy 7

Baroqueul. św. Jana 16

Bohemia ul. Gołębia 2

Boogie Cafe ul. Szpitalna 9

Boom Bar Rush Klubul. Gołębia 6

Budda Bar Rynek Główny 6

Bull Pubul. Mikołajska 2

Bunkier SztukiPl. Szczepański 3

Cafe Camelotul. Tomasza 17

Cafe Golebia 3ul. Gołębia 3

Cafe Manekinul. św. Tomasza 25

Cafe Philoul. św. Tomasza 30

Cafe Sukiennice Rynek Główny 1/3

Cafe Zakatek ul. Grodzka 2

Coffeina Internet CafeRynek Główny 23/3

Camera Cafe ul. Wiślna 5

Casa della Pizza Mały Rynek 2

Cherubinoul. św. Tomasza 15

CK Browar Pubul. Podwale 6/7

Club Cluul. Szeroka 10

Club Pod Jaszczurami Rynek Główny 8

Corleoneul. Poselska 19

Cul-de-Sacul. Na Grodku 4

Cyrano de Bergerac ul. Slawkowska 26

Czekoladaul. Bracka 4

Del Papa Ristorante ul. św. Tomasza 6

Dom Podroznika ul. Koletek 7

Drink Bar “Vis a Vis”Rynek Główny 29

Dynia ul. Krupnicza 20

Edo Sushi Barul. Bożego Ciała 3

Faust KlubRynek Główny 6

Galeria Kazimierzul. Podgórska 34

Globetroterpl. Szczepański 7/15

Grill 15/16Rynek Główny 16

Herbaciarniaul. Gołębia 1

Il Calzoneul. Starowiślna 15a

Inter Bookul. Karmelicka 27/1

Ipanema ul. św. Tomasza 28

Irish Arms Pubul. Poselska 18

Irish Mbassyul. Stolarska 3

Karczma “Podworko Maryny”Rynek Główny 9

Klub Internetowy PlanetRynek Główny 24

Lemonday pl. Na Groblach 22

Le Scandale pl. Nowy 9

Les Couleurs ul. Estery 10

Lulu livingul.Dajwór 10 B

M Club ul. Tomasza 11a

Massolit Books & Cafeul. Felicjanek 4/2

Mechanoff ul. Estery 8

Metropolitanul. Sławkowska 3

Miyako SushiRynek Główny 19

Mleczarniaul. Meiselsa 20

Moliere Cafeul. Szewska 4

Nandu Internet Cafe ul. Wiślna 6

Nic Nowego ul. Krzyża 15

Nikita Barul. Sławkowska 26

Nowa Prowincjaul. Bracka 3

Nowy KuzynMały Rynek 4

Paparazzi Barul. Mikołajska

Piano RougeRynek Główny 46

Pod Aniolamiul. Grodzka 35

Pod SloncemRynek Główny 43

Property Krakowul. Cybulskiego 2

Prowincjaul. Bracka 3/5

Punkt ul. Sławkowska 12

Re ul. Krzyża 4

Red Rubinul. Grodzka 25

Restauracja HawelkaRynek Główny 34

Restauracja Pod Krzyzykiem Rynek Główny 39

Ristorante Da PietroRynek Główny 17

Roosterul. Mikołajska 5

Ross Amores Cafe Rynek Główny 15

Sakanaul. Sławkowska 5-7

ShowtimeRynek Główny 28

Siesta Cafeul. Stolarska 6

Someplace Elseul. Powisle 7

Square Pubul. Grodzka 51 Srodziemie pl. Wszystkich Sw. 8

Stalowie Magnolieul. Sw. Jana 15

Szabla i Szklankaul. Poselska 24

Szara KamienicaRynek Glowny 6 Szara na Kazimierzuul. Szeroka 39

Tajemniczy Ogrodul. Bratska 3/5

Tesoro del Marul. Józefa 6

TramBar ul. Stolarska 11

Trattoria de Cesareul. Krupnicza 6

Tribeca CoffeeRynek Główny 27

Trzy BIS ul. Krowoderska 70

Trzy Papryczkiul. Poselska 17

Trzy Rybki Restaurantul. Szczepańska 5

Vesuvio ul. Floriańska 38

Wedel Pijalnia Czekolady Rynek Główny 46

Wentzl Restaurant Rynek Główny 19

Wierzynek Restaurant Rynek Główny 15

Wisniowy Sad ul. Grodzka 33

Wodka Bar ul. Mikołajska

Youmiko Sushiul. Szczepańska 7

Zblizeniapl. Nowy 8

Hotels, Hostels & Guest Rooms

Abella Guest Rooms ul. Długa 48

Affinity Flatsul. Karmelicka 7

Andel’s Hotelul. Pawia 3

Angel Houseul. Blich 6

Apple Pie Apartmentsul. Wielopole 18

ARS Hostel ul. Koletek 7

Atlantis Hostel ul. Dietla 58

Blue Bells Apartments ul. Starowiślna 22

Campanile ul. św. Tomasza 34

City Hostel ul. Krzyża 21

Deco Hostel ul. Mazowiecka 3a

Dizzy Daisy Hostels ul. Pędzichów 9

Express Holiday Innul. Opolska 14

Flamingo Hostel ul. Szewska 4

Freedom Hostelul. Pomorska 2

Giraffe Hostelul. Krowoderska 31

Good Bye Lenin Hostel ul. B. Joselewicza 23

Grand Hotel ul. Sławkowska 5/7

Hostel Hocus Pocusul. Floriańska 28

Holiday Inn ul. Wielopole 4

Hotel Amadeusul. Mikołajska 20 Hotel Copernicusul. Kanonicza 16

Hotel Edenul. Ciemna 15

Hotel Floryanul. Floriańska 38

Hotel Grodekul. Na Grodku 4

Hotel Majorul. Gdyńska 6

Hotel Pod Roza ul. Floriańska 14

Hotel Pod Wawelem pl. na Groblach 22

Hotel Rubensteinul. Szeroka 12

Hotel Senacki ul. Grodzka 51

Hotel Stary ul. Szczepańska 5

Hotel WentzlRynek Główny 19

Hotel Wit Stwoszul. Mikołajska 28

Hotel PTTK Wyspianskiul. Westerplatte 15

Ibis Krakow Centrumul. Syrokomli 2

Momotown Hostelul. Miodowa 28

Nathan’s Villa Hostelul. Agnieszki 1

Novotel Krakow Bronowice al. Armii Krajowej 11

Novotel Krakow Centrumul. T. Kościuszki 5

Orbis Cracovia al. F. Focha 1

Orbis Francuski ul. Pijarska 13

Radisson SAS ul. Straszewskiego 17

Sheraton Hotelul. Powiśle 7

Tango House B&Bul. Szpitalna 4

Tournet Guest Roomsul. Miodowa 7

Trzy Kafki al. Słowackiego 29

Trzy Kafki Premium ul. Dolnych Młynów 9

Zodiakus Hostel ul. Augustiańska 4

Tutti Frutti Hostelul. Floriańska 29

Cultural Centres

Bunkier SztukiPl. Szczepański 3

Kijow Centre ul. Krasińskiego 34

Kino Pod Baranami Rynek Główny 27

Princes Czartoryski Museumul. Pijarska 8

Extra PostKrakow Post OCTOBER 2008 19www.krakowpost.com

an Union

Citylifekrakow POST Cracow-l i fe.com

Bruno Pronsato / photograph courtesy of unsound.pl

> reviewsDrop In, Fork Out, Get Served/CL 3, 5

> spotlightUnsound Festivalpreviewed/CL 6

> by nightNotes From the Underground/CL 2

> postedConcerts, exhibitions &parties/CL 7, 8, 9, 10

Citylife un

festivald

unso

Amos PoeAndrew PeklerAutistic DaughtersBanabila / ZenialBen FrostBengaBoxcutterBruno Pronsatobshosa (detroitZDRoJ)ColleendOPFuck ButtonsGaloppierende ZuversichtGroupshowHanno LeichtmannHauschkaJacek Sienkiewicz Presents RecognitionJan JelinekJorge HaroJørgen KnudsenKaspar Koenig & Simon BerzLillevanMark TempletonMax RichterMałe InstrumentyMelchior ProductionsMichael NymanNémeth / Hess / SiewertNôzensi.Pan AmericanPinchSkreamThe NecksThe Sight BelowTibor HolodaXiu Xiu

krakow POST Cracow-l i fe.com

b y n i g h tNotes From the UndergroundConceived under the silvery light of a full moon party in Ko Pha Ngan, raised by lotus-eating hippies in Ibiza and suckled on the milk of Eric Morillo’s mix-ing nipple, Krakow Post proudly presents their nightlife correspondent… the smooth, and ever-so-slightly-slippery, Slinky.

N i g h t l i f e & D i n i n g

CL2 Krakow Post OCTOBER 2008 www.krakowpost.com

“Beauty and the Beats ”

DJ Line @ Frantic

Supplied by mynight.pl, the top website for clubbing photos.

by night photo of the month

It seems there aren’t as many drunken perverts in Krakow as the average night out in Piękny Pies would suggest, given the lack of volunteers hammering on our editor’s inbox to take over my post. Or maybe there are, but they’re all scared of being chemically castrated by Donald Tusk…? I, however, safe in the sanctu-ary of England’s green and pleasant land, have no qualms about thrusting my column upon the good citizens of Krakow for one final explosive outing. Welcome to Notes From The London Un-derground…

London. The big smoke. The city you can never tire of (allegedly). The most cosmo-politan and happening metropolis on the planet. It’s quite a shock to the system I can tell you. F@ck the language, food, television, ethnic diversity, pace of life, the customs and mannerisms... I’m talk-ing of course about the women. Yes, this capital I call home has proved something of a reality check for this shrimp-sized Casanova, after enjoying the sort of fe-male attention usually reserved for the charismatic, good-looking or filthy rich. These are clearly overrated qualities from a Polish female perspective. In fact, with the perspicacity of hindsight, I can see that whilst I spent most of the previ-ous three years bemoaning Polish girls’ awful taste in men, I probably should have been thanking the Lord for his gen-erous oversight. It’s only now when I consider those curious fellows who you see walking around on the Rynek, with their schoolboy haircuts, ill-fitting High Street clothes, and goofy mannerisms, standing next to a stunning brunette with cycki like watermelons and a dupeczka you could crack nuts with - dressed like she’s on her way to present Best Foreign Feature Film at the Oscars - that I can see a clear reflection of myself. I was not in fact the victim of Poland’s female popu-lation’s bad taste in mating partners; I was one of the main beneficiaries!

As it transpires, when I landed at Gat-wick, both a literal and metaphorical bump back to earth occurred. My mojo was miraculously sucked out of me, in much the same way that suntans disap-pear the moment you make it through passport control. In this city of twelve million people I walk around completely anonymous, ignored by a staggering six million women, my sexual presence re-duced to parity with the paperboy and flabby middle-aged accountants. In fact the only reaction to my slinking along the streets of London has been the odd sur-reptitious glance from the pretty boys of Soho (I can’t tell you how grateful I was!). As for girls: cuties avoid eye contact on the elevators, shop attendants ignore my attempts to flirt with them, waitresses take my order without ado, barflies brush me off with their body language. A far cry from Poland! Whatever happened to every other passerby shooting me load-ed flirtatious glances, to shop attendants who would coyly slip me love notes with their phone number, to waitresses who wanted to party with me at the end of their shift and to lost creatures of the night rubbing themselves up against me in the hope I would notice them? Noth-ing! Not one teenager has come up to me to tell me how cute I am, no fitties have pushed me into a public toilet for some tonsil tennis and not a single mysteri-ous stranger has followed me all the way home for some pasta and petting. Ok, so it’s only been four days, but still.

But enough of this depressing talk. Let me cast my mind back to those last au-tumnal weeks in Krakow (already taking on a warm and nostalgic glow in the ro-mantic realms of my memory), and du-tifully give you the rundown of Septem-ber’s sexiest soirées…. Totally Twisted rounded off the summer season on the 7th with another boat party, and, after I failed to get on board for the last edi-tion, I was extra careful to arrive on time. I was more than a little cynical about the

40 złoty ticket charge, especially as the boat aspect of the party was due to end at 11 pm, but it turned out to be money well spent and with three free drinks into the bargain the economist in me was suit-ably appeased. A warm breeze blowing off the Wisła cooled the up-for-it crowd as they stomped to some meaty elec-tro sounds that regulars of Błędne Koło will be familiar with, whilst enormous queues to the toilets were circumvented by balancing on a very narrow ledge and splashing into the river. Easier for guys than girls, and possibly why one of my female friends (who shall remain name-less) ended up taking an ill-timed bath.

The following weekend saw the back-to-back openings of Circus and Bonton Club. They couldn’t be more different. Circus is a vast space just begging to be filled with students more concerned about get-ting their rocks off than their groove on, leaving me ruing my ill-timed departure. C’est la życie. Their launch party was low-key but suitably debauched, and it was I, surprisingly, who was left to look after my colleague’s drunk family friend when she overdosed on tatanka. Unfor-tunately, far from being allowed to take advantage of the situation, I practically had to fireman-lift her off the dancefloor after she collapsed the moment she at-tempted to stand up unaided. Once the over-lubricated lady had been packed off to bed, it was all over to Kitsch, where

predictably I made all the same drunken mistakes I make every week, followed in the morning by a lengthy spell of self-loathing. Chastened by the night before, Saturday was a sober affair at Bonton’s, which despite attracting all the right people failed to convince me that I will be missing much in London.

Finally, on the 23rd, came the party we’d all been waiting for, for various rea-sons… Slinky’s farewell bash at Masada. Whether the manifold attendees were celebrating or mourning my departure is a question I didn’t dare ask, but the important thing is they made me look popular. No mean feat in the vast space of this hip new venue in Kazimierz. The enigmatic DJ Drift kicked off proceedings (just who is he?), whilst Mehow attracted the first feet onto the dancefloor, sizing up the tastes of a diverse crowd. Fluow-ankaz and Minimal Jan weren’t to be out-done, and the party reached full swing at way past midnight as various stragglers turned up to bolster the numbers. And so it just remains to say thanks to all in-volved in the organisation, thanks to all who came, thanks for the presents and a special thanks to Stu who lent me his de-odorant (I was experiencing some decid-edly unslinky perspiration issues).

Until we meet again, may the spirit of Slinky be with you always…

BontonPlac Dominikański 4

There’s something suspicious about the concept of a club/restaurant. Is it primarily a nightclub or is it more of a restaurant? Can one set of owners realistically expect me to believe they are both experts of gastronomy and of music and nightlife trends? Moreover, if I’m going for a romantic meal do I want a load of drunkards raising merry havoc downstairs? And if I’m going downstairs to get drunk and raise merry havoc do I want to deal with the disapproving look of prudish diners on my way to the dancefloor? Whether the owners of Bonton have the answers to these questions remains to be seen. They’ve created a good-looking, if not exactly unique, venue, and they certainly managed to attract a fashionable and decent-sized crowd to their opening party in September, inviting hip UK singer Dani Siciliano to get the party started. How-ever, with Krakow’s clubbers desperate to experience anything different, pretty much any new place can be guaranteed a good opening night - so long as they remember to post the event on Mynight.pl and Last.fm. All-in-all an auspicious beginning, but, as with so many new venues, I sense a happy ending is far from guaranteed.

Circusul. Starowiślna 16

Maybe it was because the school term hadn’t started yet, but the grand opening of the much-awaited Circus Klub was not the rocket up the city’s backside it could have been. Instead it was a rau-cous party of friends and cognoscenti who were dwarfed by the huge size of this former cinema and its enormous dancefloor - the biggest in Krakow. But despite this slow start, far from fearing for Circus’ future, it seems safe to predict big things ahead. Why? Because unlike 90 percent of new venues which open in Krakow, Circus actually offers the city’s party-goers something different to their existing options. Instead of another cramped cellar decked out with expen-sive baubles, Circus is a stripped-back affair which capitalises on its former incarnation as a movie theatre. The seats have been ripped out of the auditorium to create a vast space for drink-fuelled dancing and debauchery, a huge screen flashes gargantuan visuals as a backdrop to the pandemonium, whilst upstairs punters will find a second bar full of ceramic animals for that added cult factor. In short, Circus is the perfect place for students to spend their parents’ hard-earned cash on piwo and grope each other to the latest commercial cheese and retro hits. Not one for the sophisticated party-goer, but for once a club owner seems to have realised that the Mercedes-driving dance music-loving “elite” are far outnumbered by hormonally-charged academics.

For October’s Get Served, Krakow Post’s “Bar Person of the Month” jury searched high and low in the cold autumn rain for the next individual who’s leading the fight for top service. Metropolitan’s head barman, Paweł Okuniewicz, wowed our judges with his cheerful man-ner and wide knowledge of all things alcohol related. Whether it be a fine wine to go with your meal or a cocktail at the bar, this man delivers something special at this popular restaurant/bar. Michał Szatkowski posed the questions armed with the obligatory bottle of bubbly...

Q: What do you do when you’re not working?A: I’ve got quite a few hobbies. I collect coins from the Ukraine, and travel there quite a bit. I also enjoy playing chess.

Q: Are you any good at chess?A: We have a chess board here, I’ll give you a game and show you!

Q: What’s the best thing about your job?A: I get to experiment with new drinks, mixing different flavours.

Q: What’s the worst thing about your job?A: I sometimes feel like a priest or lawyer because people come to the bar and I overhear some interesting stories, and I can’t tell anyone about them!

Q: Have you ever had any famous clients here?A: Yeah, we’ve had quite a few here. Probably the most famous would be Andrzej Wajda, the Oscar-winning film director who made the film Katyń.

Q: What’s your dream job?A: I’d like to work as a negotiator for big international companies.

Q: What’s the best cure for a hang-over?A: A drink called the “Liza Minnelli.” It’s 2ml olive oil, 40ml tomato juice, an egg yolk and a shot of pepper vodka. It tastes disgusting but is a great cure!

Q: What’s the best thing about Krakow in the autumn?A: We have the best nightclubs in Poland, and when all the students are back in the city the atmosphere in them is great!

Q: What would you recommend I try here at Metropolitan?A: We have a great caesar salad here, and to drink I’d recommend the espresso martini, or the cucumber martini for something more unusual.

GET SERVEDDROP IN

DROP IN

Paweł Okuniewicz, October’s bar person of the month

Krakow Post OCTOBER 2008 CL3www.krakowpost.com

www.restauracja-amadeus.pl

Duncan Rhodes

Duncan Rhodes

CL4 Krakow Post OCTOBER 2008 A D V E R T I S E M E N T S www.krakowpost.com

d e l i c i o u s h u n g a r i a n c u i s i n e

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Famous restaurant on the “King’s Road” from Wawel Castle to Main Square. Traditional old polish cuisine using old recipes and charred beech wood grill.

(Restauracja z atmosferą średniowiecznego Krakowa, na „Drodze Królewskiej” z Wawelu do Rynku Głównego.

Zapraszamy w kulinarną „podróż” do staropolskich smaków. Ogródek z fontanną na dziedzińcu.)

Courtyard garden and medieval atmosphere. ul.Grodzka 35, Kraków, tel. 012/4213999,

tel./fax. 012/4302113www.podaniolami.pl

Restaurant with unique temperament and Cracow atmosphere ! You can eat your dinner in one of the antique carriages…

Dishes prepared over a beech wood grill using old polish and Italian recipes.

(To restauracja z włoskim temperamentem i krakowską atmosferą!Można tu zjeść kolację w jednej z karet, wśród uskrzydlonej łodzi

rybackiej i góralskich sań.Kuchnia polska, włoskie pasty…i tiramisu!)

“Cherubino” ul.św.Tomasza 15, Krakow, tel. 012/4294007,

tel./fax. 012/4294147www.cherubino.pl


Miód Malina ul. Grodzka 40, (0) 12 430 04 11

Located on the Royal Route along Grodzka Street, Miód Malina was guaranteed plenty of atten-tion from the start. But while many other establishments have struggled to regularly attract the stomachs of curious passers-by, Miód Malina has managed to become a true favourite of both visitors and locals.

Krakow certainly has no shortage of rustic-looking restaurants serving traditional food, but the attempts are often clumsy and old-fashioned. Here in Miód Malina the atmosphere is warm, in-viting, and at just the right level of elegance and sophistication. Contrasting the city-wide “CK Browar Conundrum” of serving delicious food/drink in gorgeous surroundings and then mysteri-ously pumping the space full of pop and techno, Miód Malina has really got it on the mark with a mix of European folk complementing the mood.

On to the food; there is really very little to complain about and actually quite a lot to praise, with Miód Malina offering the ultimate accessible menu at prices that certainly won’t break the bank. Traditional Polish must-haves are served alongside Italian staples, meaning practi-cally every picky eater can leave this place completely satisfied. Behind the bar is a wood-burning oven, multi-tasking away at baking the perfect pizza crust or crisping up a plate of pierogi (no deep-frying here!). Other highlights include an incredible pasta with chicken, pear and almonds, a mouth-watering steak with cranberry sauce, horseradish, and oscypek (smoked sheep’s cheese), and delicious racuchy (apple pancakes) with caramel and vanilla sauce. Apart from the food, the service at Miód Malina is impeccable and the owners must be doing some-thing right as after almost two years, I still see the same faces zipping around the place, and amazingly, still smiling. There’s something comforting knowing that these 20-somethings have decided to stay here in the Old Town of Krakow rather than escaping off to Dublin or London like their friends.

The success of Miód Malina has garnered plenty of attention from guide books, so in the peak tourist season, expect this place to be packed full in the evenings. Even in the off season res-ervations are encouraged. The only downfall here is that with almost every diner around you a tourist speaking loudly in English and genuinely trying to pronounce difficult Polish words (bless ‘em), things can get a little distracting. My suggestion is to come here for a late lunch or early dinner in the afternoon to experience Miód Malina at its calmest hour and still be able to enjoy the great views in daylight onto the cobblestoned streets of Grodzka and Poselska. A must-taste for picky Cracovian foodies and curious weekend visitors alike.

Milk&Co. Radisson SAS, Straszewskiego 17, (0) 12 618 88 88Nestled in one of the calmest corners of the Old Town, the Radisson SAS is just a few steps away from Wawel castle and right across the street from the Krakow Philharmonic. Among the dining op-tions at the five star hotel is Milk&Co, an upscale yet informal restaurant serving traditional regional dishes from Krakow and Małopolska. In October and November, Milk&Co is trying something different by introducing some Asian flavors through their Taste Thai event. Chef Praphot Bunlua has brought Thailand’s tropical beaches to our hitherto damp and dreary autumn in the form of sticky jasmine rice, spicy curry, and crunchy stalks of lemongrass. Mirroring its national religion of Buddhism, the best Thai food displays a careful equilibrium with searing hot curries balanced with coconut milk and kaffir lime leaves. At Milk&Co you’ll be able to find Thailand’s most famous dishes including pad thai (Thai fried noodles), tom khaa gai (hot and sweet chicken soup with coconut milk), and kaeng kari kai (green curry chicken). In Thailand meals are unlikely to be served in courses, so the Milk&Co Thai Buffet is an authentic and casual approach to this varied cuisine. The buffet is served Thursdays to Saturdays from 6 to 11 pm and costs 120 złotys per person, which includes wine. An à la carte menu is also available. Opportunities to sample the flavours of Southeast Asia in Krakow are few and far between, so curious eaters are definitely encouraged to jump on this occasion!

Polskie Jadło ul. Św. Tomasza 8, (0) 12 428 00 22As a top tourist destination for hardcore traditional Polish food, Polskie Jadło has been resting com-fortably on its laurels for quite some time. Where else do you get a shock introduction into the oft uncomfortable world of Polish cuisine in the form of a complimentary smalec (dry rendered pork lard) starter? An affordable lunch menu manages to draw in locals as well for such yummy treats as spinach and bacon naleśniki (Polish crêpes) and placki ziemniaczane (potato pancakes or latkes) with sour cream. Let’s hope the recent downturn in Krakow’s tourism doesn’t dampen Polskie Jadło’s zest for the fatty and delicious.

FORK OUT

Dana Dramowicz

Dana Dramowicz

Dana Dramowicz

Summer restaurant-boat located in the bend of the Vistula River at the foot of the Wawel Castle.

Sitting on its upper deck, you will recall long-forgotten charms of life on the Vistula River.

(Letnia restauracja na statku na Wiśle u stóp Wawelu. Siedząc na górnym pokładzie odnajdą Państwo dawno zapomniane uroki życia

nad Wisłą.)

Galar “Pod Aniołami” Zakole Wisły,Bulwary Wiślana vis a vis Hotelu Sheraton,

tel. 0691 44 04 03

Coffee house – gallery with the most romantic summer garden in Cracow.The magical atmosphere of that place and original interiors dating back

to the XIII century.(Galeria – kawiarnia z wyjątkowym ogródkiem w Zaułku Niewiernego Tomasza.

Jest miejscem spotkań niezwykłych ludzi, koncertów, kabaretów i recitali.W galerii na piętrze wydarzenia artystyczne i wystawy fotograficzne.

W piątki kabaret „Loch Camelot”)

On Fridays Loch Camelot Cabaret. Cafe Camelot” ul. św.Tomasza 17, Kraków,

tel.012/4210123

“…that honor goes to Cafe Camelot, which might just be my favorite cafe in the world(..go for apple pie)” David Streitfeld “The Washington Post Travel”

spot l ightu n s o u n d f e s t i v a l


Images courtesy of Coke Live Music Festival

Fuck Buttons / photograph courtesy of unsound.pl

Music Journalism Workshop

tues. 21.1010:00 // Kino 18

Warhol Series 4 - Amos Poe’s Empire II

16:00 // Kino 18

Warhol Series 4 - Amos Poe’s Empire II

20:00 // Manggha Japanese Museum

weds. 22.10

SoundScapes 1 20:00 Mark Templeton20:40 Autistic Daughters21:30 The Necks


sun. 19.10

Warhol Series 2 - BLOWJOBNémeth / Hess / Siewert

20:00 //Kino Pod Baranami

Warhol Series 1 - EMPIREHanno LeichtmannGroupshowJan JelinekAndrew Pekler

20:06 // Galicia Jewish Museum

sat. 18.10

mon. 20.10

Warhol Series 3 - KISSnsi.

20:00 //Kino Pod Baranami

thurs. 23.10

Workshop - Acoustic Instruments in Live Laptop Performance (Mark Templeton)

15:00 // Kino 18

SoundScapes 2 (Fat Cat label)20:00 Hauschka21:10 Max Richter


SoundProof 1 - Circus Co. 22:00 bshosa (detroitZDRoJ)23:30 dOP00:30 Nôze01:30 Tibor Holoda

23:00 // Pauza Cellar Club

sat. 25.10

Dissolving Borders & Dubstep Invasion20:00 Fuck Buttons21:00 Xiu Xiu22:30 Boxcutter23:30 Benga00:45 Skream02:00 Pinch

20:00 // Klub Studio

fri. 24.10

SoundScapes 3 - Impossibility of Silence20:00 Colleen20:50 Pan American21:40 Ben Frost

20:00 // St Katherine’s Church

SoundProof 2 - FACTORY22:30 Jacek Sienkiewicz Presents Recognition ( ROOM 1 )23:00 Jorge Haro ( ROOM 2 )23:45 Banabila / Zenial ( ROOM 2 )00:00 Melchior Productions ( ROOM 1 )00:15 The Sight Below ( ROOM 2 )01:00 Bruno Pronsato ( ROOM 1 )01:15 Jørgen Knudsen ( ROOM 2 )02:30 Galoppierende Zuversicht ( ROOM 1 )


6th Unsound Festival (17-25 October)

On October 17th at 6 pm at the Podgórze Elek-trownie (power station), something unusual will take place... strange sounds and images will fill the 19th century building as renowned film com-poser Michael Nyman kicks off The 6th Annual Un-sound Festival. Unsound is one of the more unique and progressive music festivals that exist in Poland and Central Europe. Every autumn Unsound show-cases cutting edge artists from all over the world that exist on the borders of different genres: clas-sical, ambient, rock, clubbing and experimental. This year’s edition is their most ambitious yet, spanning seven days and nights and featuring such radically diverse artists as Max Richter, Skream, Benga, Ben Frost, Xiu Xiu, Pan American, Bruno Pronsato, the aforementioned Michael Nyman and even Fuck Buttons.

This year’s festival pushes the boundaries not only musically and sonically but also expands spatially into new eclectic and atmospheric venues. Apart

from the Podgórze Elektrownie, Unsound will host events and concerts in Gothic St. Catherine’s Church, Galicia Jewish Museum, Manggha Mu-seum of Japanese Art & Technology and Kino Pod Baranami.

There are many exciting events and curious con-certs throughout the week, but perhaps the most intriguing event is an eight-hour marathon show performed by Jan Jelinek’s band Groupshow. The band will improvise to Andy Warhol’s film Empire, a static shot of the Empire State Building filmed in 1965. The performance will start promptly at 20:06, which was the exact time that Warhol began filming in New York. This particular perfor-mance is free and will take place in the Galicia Jewish Museum in Kazimierz. Empire is one of four Warhol films being screened and reinterpreted by musicians, audio artists and VJs throughout this year’s Unsound, including screenings at the Pod Baranami cinema. For a full listing of concerts and events and to buy tickets for the festival, log onto www.unsound.pl

every day 18-25.10

Michael Nyman’s SUBLIME

14:00 // Elektrownia Podgórska

from Monday 14:00 // Galeria F.A.I.T - installation

Kaspar Koenig & Simon Berz

Thym Chase

p o s t e d SPECIAL EVENTS

FESTIVALS

provided by Cracow-life.comT h e M o n t h i n E v e n t s


A D V E R T I S E M E N T

EXHIBITIONS

BAYIT HADASH: ENCOUNTERS WITH JEWISH CULTUREThe Centre for Jewish Culture is celebrat-ing its 15th birthday, and a rich programme of events will see in the Jewish New Year, which falls on September 29th. Throughout October and November, visitors can make the most of a series of exclusive lectures, liter-ary debates, classical and Klezmer concerts, and much more.when - Throughout Octoberwhere - Centre for Jewish Culture,ul. Meiseslsa 17

OFF CAMERA - 1ST INTERNATIONAL FESTIVAL OF INDEPENDENT CINEMASee “Silver Screening” insert for details.when - 1st until 5th Octoberwhere - Various

UNSOUND FESTIVAL 2008See spotlight, CL 6.when - 18th to 25th Octoberwhere – Various

ORGAN DAYS AT THE PHILHARMONICA bankable fixture in Krakow’s autumn calendar, Organ Days has been piping away for over forty years now. This year, the Philharmonic is laying on a trio of perform-ances, beginning on Thursday 23rd with a solo gig by Andrzej Białko. The follow-ing day, Jacek Kulig will play Puccini and Respighi, accompanied by tenor and bass. Wrapping things up on Saturday will be a tribute to celebrated composer Roman Maciejewski, whose Requiem provides the main feature.when - 23rd to 25th Octoberwhere - Philharmonic Hall, ul. Zwierzyniecka 1

ZADUSZKI JAZZ FESTIVALShake off those autumn blues with a dash of jubilant jazz. This stalwart of the rainy sea-son is now in its 53rd year, echoing Krakow’s long-running romance with the genre. Local legends will be joined by a handful of special guests from abroad.when - 31st October to 3rd Novemberwhere - Various

FIRST STEP...A hoard of contemporary classics can be explored at the National throughout autumn, including cuts from blonde bombshell Andy Warhol and his mischievous protégé David LaChapelle. With works from a dozen hot names in the contemporary canon, “First Step...” stands out as one of the most heavy-weight shows of recent months. Krakow has hit the jackpot thanks to Rafael Jablonka, whose eponymous gallery in Cologne estab-lished him as a major international collector. There are hopes that this show is the “first step” in a more permanent relationship with Mr. Jablonka.when - Throughout October & Novemberwhere - National Museum, Al. 3 Maja 1

JEWISH ARTISTS IN KRAKOW 1873-1939The Old Synagogue provides an atmospheric backdrop to this exhibition. Polish Jewish writers have won international acclaim, but their painter peers have not been in the spotlight to the same degree. This exhibition showcases over a hundred and fifty works by Polish Jewish artists. Figures such as Zygmunt Menkes and Leopold Gottlieb are already highly appraised by Polish art historians, yet visitors can also enjoy works by lesser-known talents.when - Until 31st Octoberwhere - Old Synagogue Museum, ul. Szeroka 24

ECUADOR - CULTURE ON THE EQUATORFrom tropical forests and mangrove-riddled

coastlines to barren, snow-capped moun-tains, Ecuador is a country of wildly varied terrains. At this special exhibition, which comes under the patronage of the Ambas-

sador to Poland Fernando Flores Macias, visitors can discover an evocative array of archaeological relics and handcrafted treas-ures. There are also films from the archives of Borys Malkin. Find the show at the

Zofia Stryjeńska, Zólta spódnica (Yellow Dress), 1950. National Museum in Krakow

Tom Vernimmen. “In-Between Worlds. Photographs of Nowa Huta,” Galeria Zderzak

Mark Templeton, unsound festival


museum’s subsidiary branch at the Esterka House.when - Until 31st January 2009where - Ethnographic Museum (Esterka Branch), ul. Krakowska 46

NIHONProfessional shutterbug Tomek Niewia-domski has been toing and froing from Ja-pan for several years now, and this exhibition shows the fruits of those sojourns. Niewia-domski collaborated with Japanese fashion designer Yohji Yamamoto, but “Nihon” also draws on his more personal encounters with the people he met.

when - From 6th Septemberwhere - Pauza Gallery, ul. Floriańska 18/5

JAN III SOBIESKI - PORTRAITS OF THE VIENNA VICTORSChiming in with the 325th anniversary of the Relief of Vienna, the National is laying on its own modest tribute to the monarch who saved the day: Jan III Sobieski. The portly king - one of the most swashbuckling characters of his day - won the applause of all Christendom when he helped repulse the Turks from Vienna in 1683. This small yet charismatic show is being hosted in the ex-

quisite Ciolek Palace at the foot of the Royal Castle. Fresh from renovation, and boasting a royal roster of Old Polish art, the museum is a splendid addition to the city’s cultural orbit. Catch the show before it closes on the 12th.when - Until 12th Octoberwhere - Bishop Erazm Ciołek Palace, ul. Kanonicza 17

IN BETWEEN WORLDSBelgian photographer Tom Vernimmen has been pottering around Nowa Huta for five years now. The fruits of his wanderings can be enjoyed at this memorable exhibi-tion at Galeria Zderzak. Vernimmen brings to life a much maligned district, finding both charm and grit, as well as a liberal dash of the bizarre.when - Until 18th Octoberwhere - Galeria Zderzak, ul. Floriańska 3 TRACES OF MEMORYA wander around the once Jewish streets of Kazimierz would not be complete without a pause in the Galicia Museum. Founded by a bold British photographer who had roots in the region, the museum provides a vivid in-troduction to a 700 year legacy. Although the Holocaust looms over the exhibition, “Traces of Memory” is both a lament and a celebration, finishing on a surprisingly optimistic note.when - Throughout Octoberwhere - Galicia Jewish Museum, ul. Dajwór 18

ADAM MARCZYŃSKI - BETWEEN METAPHOR & CERTAINTYBorn exactly a century ago, Adam Marczyński was one of Krakow’s most po-tent artistic forces in the years following the war. This exhibition focuses on his abstract adventures between the years 1954 and 1963. Besides paintings, there will be a large

selection of prints and sketches on view.when - 2nd October until 4th January 2009where - National Museum, Al. 3 Maja 1

ONE OR TWO OR CROWDKrakow’s newest art gallery kicks off its art attack with an exhibition by Kristof Kintera, the “enfant terrible of the Czech art scene.” He’ll be spewing red oil across the room in thick, gleaming dollops. Confused? Head over to ul. Mikołajska to investigate further...when - Until 21st Octoberwhere - Dominik Art Projects, ul. Mikołajska 5/2

SWEET MONDAY & OTHER STILL LIFESPhotoholics and alcoholics can enjoy a dou-ble whammy at Pauza this October, begin-ning with Pawel Zak’s surreal and witty still lifes. The opening of the show is at 8 pm on Friday 10th.when - 11th until 31st Octoberwhere - Pauza Gallery, ul. Floriańska 18/5

THE PATH TO THE VATICANEchoing the election of the Archbishop of Krakow to the throne of St. Peter exactly 30 years ago, this exhibition explores the con-tacts between Poland’s former Royal Capital and the Vatican.when - From 11th Octoberwhere - Krzysztofory Palace, Rynek Główny 35

ZOFIA STRYJEŃSKA (1891-1976)Dubbed “The Princess of Polish Art” after her triumph at the 1925 International Exhibi-tion in Paris, Stryjeńska is being celebrated this year in her first major retrospective to date. Although by no means the most talented or innovative of Poland’s pre-war avant-garde, her work perfectly captures the playful spirit of Polish Art Deco, with its joyful championing of folk motifs. This wide-ranging exhibition delves into many aspects

Adam Marczyński, Konkretcollage 62 (Detail)

Sobieski - at Bishop Erazm Ciołek Palace

www.capellacracoviensis.pl

when > 15th to 31st SEPTEMBER

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OFF CAMERA 1st International Festival of Independent Cinema

It’s inspiring to see ambitious new festivals popping up at this time of year, and this one looks set to be a winner. Off Camera will be showcasing over 120 independent films from around the globe, with a select number battling it out for a grand prize of 100,000 Euros (not to mention a cartload of kudos). In tune with the independent accent, the festival will be championing the city’s art house and lone ranger cinemas. The organisers are brim-ming with bright ideas, with intrigu-ing tangents such as the tripartite Glancing Back section, which shines spotlights on Andy Warhol, Michael Almereyda and the works of the American Film Theatre. Meanwhile, “Take it, all of you, and shoot it” offers a 3000 euro prize for the best miniature movie that’s shot on a mobile phone. Find out more from the festival’s official website.

when - 1st until 5th Octoberwhere - Various

www.offcamera.com.pl

Ballast (USA, 2008) directed by Lance Hammer

FULL PROGRAMME AVAILABLE www.offcamera.pl

Fri. 3rd Oct – KIJÓW 19:00 Ballast dir. Lance Hammer

Fri. 3rd Oct – BUNKIER 22:30 Lonesome Cowboys dir. Paul Morrissey

Sat. 4th Oct – POD BARANAMI 19:00 Travelling with Pets dir. Vera Storozheva

Sat. 4th Oct – POD BARANAMI 22:30 Correction dir. Thanos Anastopoulos

Sun. 5th Oct – ARS - REDUTA 16:00 Mister Lonely dir. Harmony Korrine

Sun. 5th Oct – MIKRO 19:00 Rocking Horse Winner dir. Michael Almereyda


OPERA, THEATRE & DANCE

FILM

LIVE MUSIC

of Stryjeńska’s career. Besides paintings, there will be posters, book designs and stage sets (Stryjeńska even designed the famed Wedel Chocolate Shop in Warsaw).when - 24th October until 4th Januarywhere - National Museum, Al. 3 Maja 1

IN THE SHADOWS OF THE IMAGINATION - ALFRED KUBINThe supreme ICC continues its tributes to Austrian masters, this time looking at Alfred Kubin, often dubbed “the Austrian Goya.” Ghouls, demons and strange appari-tions haunt Kubin’s images, making him the perfect choice to illustrate works by Edgar Allen Poe, E.T.A Hoffmann and Dos-toevsky. This show draws on the world’s largest collection of Kubin’s works, which are housed at Linz’s Landesmuseum.

when - 28th October to 27th Januarywhere - International Cultural Centre, Rynek Główny 25

GROTESKA: CHILDREN’S THEATRE & MOREPuss In Boots (Kot w Butach) will be bound-ing into Groteska this October. The premiere is pencilled in for Saturday 11th, and there will be plenty more performances throughout the month. The Groteska Puppet Theatre has won acclaim for its magical interpretations of the classics, offering first class family entertainment that’s full of fantasy. Also in the programme for October are Little Red Riding Hood (Czerwony Kapturek) and The Ugly Duckling (Brzydkie Kaczatko).when - Throughout Octoberwhere - Groteska, ul. Skarbowa 2

SALOME ON THE SILVER SCREENKino Kijów kicks off the new season with a live transmission of Salome direct from The Metropolitan Opera in New York. Strauss’s classic starts at 7 pm sharp Krakow time.when - 11th Octoberwhere - Kino Kijów, al. Krasińskiego 34

FUTURE SHORTS FESTIVALSince starting in 2003, Future Shorts has become a bona fide phenomenon, casting its celluloid tentacles into dozens of cit-ies around the world. On Friday 17th you can catch 11 short films back to back. The overarching theme of the October edition is ambition, and cinephiles can enjoy cuts from Swedish, British, Finnish, Canadian and Ger-man directors. Intriguing titles include Who I Am and What I Want and Alex and Her Arse

Truck. The screenings start at 7 pm.when - 17th Octoberwhere - Kino Pod Baranami, Rynek Główny 27

CINEMA IN FIVE FLAVOURS: 2ND FESTIVAL OF VIETNAMESE FILMKino Pod Baranami has a nifty proposal to help spice up the late autumn gloom. “Cinema in Five Flavours” brings you a tan-talising taste of Vietnamese film, with prime pieces by the top directors on today’s scene. Six scintillating movies have been lined up to transport you to sweltering Southeast Asia, offering a golden opportunity to savour some fresh perspectives. Drop by to Kino Pod Baranami for more details.when - 21st to 26th Octoberwhere - Kino Pod Baranami, Rynek Główny 27

4TH KRAKOW JAZZ AUTUMNTwo of Krakow’s hippest hangouts - Alchemia and Klub Re - will be hosting this year’s Jazz Autumn. Jazz stars will be jetting in from as far afield as Mozambique, the U.S. and Japan for some subterranean jam sessions. Amongst the guests for October are Scandanavian out-fit Atomic, the Charles Gayle Trio and the Kazutoki Umezu Kiki Band. when - Throughout October & Novemberwhere - Various

Travelling with Pets (Russia, 2007) directed by Wiera Storożewa at Off Camera Film Festival

Cinema in Five Flavours, Kino Pod Baranami

Sobieski - at Bishop Erazm Ciołek Palace

“klezzm

ates” play

live

CL10 Krakow Post OCTOBER2008 www.krakowpost.com

Been there? Done that? Got the t-shirt?

CLUB MUSIC

OPEN MIC NIGHT AT SZAFEThe Open Mic Night is a monthly event at which performers can get on stage and share their music. All musicians of all levels and attitudes are welcome. Cafe Szafe (located one block from Massolit Books) provides the cozy stage, full PA system, and good beer, every first Sunday of the month. A good time is guaranteed, whether you come to play or just to listen. From 7 to 10 pm.when - 5th Octoberwhere - Cafe Szafe, ul. Felicjanek 10

CASPIANKrakow’s new Face2Face club is starting off with an impressive line-up, featuring Ameri-can instrumental rock band Caspian. Based in Beverly, Massachusetts, the band has been together since 2003, and has a full-length al-bum under their belt titled “The Four Trees.” Supporting Caspian will be Krakow’s own international post-rock band New Century Classics. Expect a night of epic melodies, walls of sound and beautiful moments.when - 23rd Octoberwhere - Face2Face, ul. Paulińska 28

THE KLEZZMATESThe Klezzmates kick back with a fresh mixture of jazz, folk, ethnic and Klezmer. Tickets are 20 złoty (12 złoty concessions).when - 23rd Octoberwhere - Galicia Jewish Museum, ul. Dajwór 18

AUDREY & ANDYGranted, both bands’ names start with the letter “A”, both bands feature four girls sing-ing and playing various instruments, and both band names are names themselves - but this is where the similarities between Audrey & Andy end. Audrey is a post-rock band from Sweden, playing melodies that vary from poppy to dark, often in the same song. Meanwhile, the indie pop of the Polish girls in Andy is far from original, though the fun they have on stage is pretty contagious.when - 31st Octoberwhere - Lizard King, ul. Św. Tomasza 11a

MIDWEEK PARTIESAnother month and another exciting round of Where2b parties. If you can’t wait for the weekend check out Mixer on Mondays at Pro-zak, Today on Tuesdays at Ministerstwo, Black Cherry on Wednesdays at Midgard and Sex on Wax on Thursdays at Cien Club. Hangover guaranteed!when - Throughout Octoberwhere - Various Clubs

ELSA KRAKOW NIGHT @ PROZAKHave your parents been pressuring you to study law, when all you want to do is party? Now’s your chance to snap up your very own legal body, as future lawyers gather up to get down at Prozak’s ELSA (European Law Students’ Association) Krakow night for law and administration students of Jagiellonian University and Krakow University College. You don’t have to be a student, however, to enjoy the tunes DJ Lux will be spinning - but it helps to act like one!when - 2nd Octoberwhere - Prozak, pl. Dominikański 6

NINJA TUNE PRESENTS: COLDCUT JOURNEYS BY VJNinja Tune is bringing yet another hot party to Krakow’s underground Pauza Club, with Coldcut - a musical duo consisting of Matt Black and Jonathan More from the UK. Sup-porting will be Mike Polarny & Hory (Pompon.net). Visuals will be masterfully handled by VJ Bankok & Mikee of Tem-porary Space Design. The party kicks off at 10 pm. For tickets, e-mail [email protected] - 11th Octoberwhere - Pauza Club, ul. Floriańska 18

LADYTRONLadytron - one of the biggest groups on the electronic music scene - will be hitting Krakow’s Studio student club, promoting their new album “Velocifero,” which includes collaborations with Alessandro Cortinim (Nine Inch Nails) and Vicarious Bliss (Justice, DJ Mehdi). Sometimes electro-poppy, sometimes synth-heavy, Ladytron’s music will have the club’s dancefloor jumping and fans’ eardrums reverberating well after the concert. Tickets start at 65 złoty, and are available online or at the club’s ticket office.when - 18th Octoberwhere - Studio, ul. Reymonta 17

www.cracow-life.com

The best bar, restaurant or hotel review wins a trip for 2 back to the city.

CULTURAL PARTNERS

SCORPIO (Oct 23 - Nov 21)Lost in space without a map, you’ve been astoundingly distracted, aimless and illogi-cal. That changes this month as some pro-active cosmic elements catapult you back

into the real world. Your busy brain will be operating at fever pitch as you attack each and every aspect of your life with grit and determination. Best bet for romance: a sexu-ally creative Gemini or a cool, calm and col-lected Libra will never take you too seriously. SAGITTARIUS (Nov 22 - Dec 20)If procrastination becomes too tempting, there’s no need to worry. Close friends are determined to see you succeed and will refuse to play along with any of your usual avoidance techniques. You may run, but you won’t be able to hide. Best bets for romance: sturdy Taurus will keep you grounded, while a goofy Aquarius will keep you chuckling. CAPRICORN (Dec 21 - Jan 19)

Professionally speaking, you’ve been losing your grip, forgetting to repeat your “no one is to be trusted” mantra. It could be that you’re losing your touch, or

perhaps you’re merely waiting for some-thing that warrants your eagle-eyed atten-tion. By mid-month, you’ll be planning a temporary sojourn in more exotic climes. Best bet for romance: a malleable Pisces will let run the ship, while an elegant Leo will treat you like royalty. AQUARIUS (Jan 20 - Feb 18)A bit of your sparkle has gone missing in action, adding a strange world-weary cast to your face. That is about to change - and the sooner the better. By the month’s end, you’ll be shattering people’s expectations and assumptions once again. Best bet for romance: a sentimental Pisces or a witty Gemini will prevent you from succumbing to the tyranny of predictabil-ity.

PISCES (Feb 19 – March 19)Although you probably dress like a depressed missionary, your brain glows with ideas, visions and fantasies that are worth their weight in gold. This month, due to an interesting set of circum-

stances, you begin to understand just how valuable your insights and ideas are. Best bet for romance: an intense Scorpio will keep you on track, while a progressive Aquarius will help keep melancholy at bay. ARIES (Mar 20 - Apr 19)Your feverish brain won’t accomplish much until mid-month, when you suddenly develop a fresher perspective on life. Relationships have been particularly challenging, leaving you dazed and confused by impossible to meet demands. Ignore what you can’t fix and take a holiday in your own fantasy world. Best bet for romance: a quirky Virgo or an independent Aquarius will hold your inter-est.

TAURUS (Apr 20 - May 20)Thrown off-guard by what you consider unwarranted criticism, you’ve been hiding out, nursing a few psychic wounds. The problem was (and still is!) that you aren’t

always the best listener in the universe. Dust yourself off, take stock off all your wonderful qualities and try to pay closer attention to what’s going on around you. Best bet for romance: a half-mad Libra or an intense Scorpio will feed your ego while pushing your brain into full gear. GEMINI (May 21 - Jun 20)Blessed (or, cursed, depend-ing on one’s world-view) with the capacity for detached passion, you’re a quietly contradictory piece of work. This month, your envi-able creativity will be both noticed and rewarded. The only drawback is that you could be the target of jealousy; after all, most other people work harder than you and get nowhere in the process! Best bet for romance: a practical, but earthy Capri-corn or distracted Libra will know when to give you space.

CANCER (Jun 21 – Jul 22)Your hands-off philosophy hasn’t been

working. Letting people tod-dle along at the own pace, you’ve discovered that too many people are lazy and unmotivated. Well enough of that: you’re about to unleash a brilliant plan that will put

others back where they belong - at your feet doing your bidding. Best bet for ro-mance: an easily-flattered Leo or a bouncy Sagittarius will let you rule the roost. LEO (Jul 23 - Aug 22)Love of detail and disdain for slip-shod work keeps you at least one step ahead of competitors. This month, however, a charmingly lazy type could pull the proverbial wool over your eyes in seconds flat. Why? You’re growing tired of running the show on your lonesome and are silently crying out for some ego-stroking. Best bet for romance: an emotional Cancer or a sly Pisces will know how to push all the right buttons.

VIRGO (Aug 23 - Sep 22)Are you feeling stuck in a rut? Have you

been dreaming about what it would be like to live some-one else’s life? Uncharacter-istically bored, you may be wondering if you’re actually depressed. The truth is that life has become too routine.

That said, the only person who can shake things up is you! Best bet for romance: an energetic Aries or a devoted Taurus will take your well-meaning criticism in stride.Krakow Post’s astrology column is for entertain-ment purposes only, and the Post is not respon-sible for any consequences incurred as a result of this column. Written by Kerwin McLeister, [email protected]

To play: Complete the grid so that every row, column and every 3 x 3 box contains the digits 1 to 9. There is no guessing or maths involved, just use logic to solve.

LIBRA (Sep 23 - Oct 22)Unreliable people continue to be irritatingly unaware of how much trouble they’re causing. You’ve been biting your tongue and escaping into revenge fantasies; but, even that isn’t doing the trick. Play the waiting game and trust that by mid-month all will be back to what you’ve come to consider normal. Best bet for romance: an enthusiastically sensual Taurus or an unpredictable Aquarius will love arguing with you.

A STRO SELTZER SUDOKU

SUDOKU SOLUTIONS

Star-Signs drawn by Dominik Nawrocki

last page S t a r s & P u z z l e s


GOODBYE, KOCHANIE! - The Krakow Post

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