Jewish Kazimierz in Kraków

Contemporary Poland is an almost uni-nation country. It is mainly due to German Nazi's extermination of Jews and people migrations ordered by Stalin after Second World War. But earlier Poland was a melting pot for many cultures with a vast mix of influences, including obviously horses.

You may know that the creation of Poland is officially dated back to year 966. Only 72 years later, in 1038 Kraków became the capital of the country. It remained in this role for five centuries. The kings lived in the castle called Wawel, which was defended by the city only from northern side. To increase the defence and improve the control of Vistula river, king Kazimierz the Great (the only "Great" in Polish history) ordered in 1335 that on an island surrounded by the branches of Vistula river, just south of the castle, a new city of his name is set-up and surrounded by walls. This new suburb was connected to the capital by the first permanent bridge across Vistula river, called Pons Regalis, which lasted till XIX century, when a flood destroyed it and the branch of Vistula river was filled in. Nowadays the Kazimierz district is a part of Kraków.

At the end of fifteenth century, many European countries (Spain, Austria, Hungary) expelled Jews. They found their new safe home in Poland. After the Kraków fire of 1494, in 1495 the king Jan Olbracht ordered Jews to move to the eastern part Kazimierz. The population of the so called Jewish City grew rapidly. Very fast, Kazimierz became the most influential Jewish place in Europe. On the Market Square of Kazimierz its inhabitants have built a renaissance synagogue called the Old Synagogue, which is the oldest synagogue still standing in Poland.

From Bartosz Street it looks also impressive.

Currently the synagogue is no longer a place for prayers but is a division of the Historical Museum of Kraków.

It is obviously devoted to the Jewish religion and culture. This menorah, used for Hanukkah, is called the chanukiah.

The balcony in the middle of a synagogue is called bima. This is from where the Torah is read.

Next to the side wall you will find the Ark were the Torah is stored.

When the ark is closed it is usually covered with a special parochet.

When a religious Jew is praying he usually puts on his head a shawl called Tallith.

You can see the Tallith here - during a traditional Jewish wedding ceremony.

And the original walls of the Old Synagogue. Standing in front of them in 1794 General Tadeusz Kościuszko spoke to the Jews for their support in Polish struggle for independence.

The Old Synagogue, as it is called, is the oldest in Kazimierz, but obviously it is not the only one. You can see there the High Synagogue ...

... and the Isaac's synagogue.

Next to the latter, you can see the remainings of a Jewish cemetary.

But in my opinion the most beautiful synagogue in Kazimierz is this one.

It is called Tempel Synagogue and was build in neo-moorish style.

The Old Synagogue stands just next to the most representative street of the Jewish Kazimierz - the Szeroka (Wide) street, with famous Ariel restaurant and many smaller ones.

In many of them evenings you can listen to the live Klezmer music. Thanks to music and food you can feel here real culture of Polish Jews, what I strongly encourage you to do.

Here you can give it a try.

Robbie Williams in concert

When I have decided to adopt a human family I thought that it would be a great experience - I will be able to educate them and share with them the world, taking them on trips to interesting places. What I did not know at that time was that to achieve this I will have to go from time to time to places that they like. As a result today I will show you an event that was very special for my human secretary - the concert of her favourite singer that took place recently at the Kraków Arena stadium.

To be honest, he does not look too handsome.

You probably recognised him - this is Robbie Williams.

He is on a tour that took its title from his first solo single, released in 1997.

 What can I say - welcome Robbie.

The stadium was slowly filling in with people.

In the middle you may spot the sound engineers.

The lights started to slowly go down.

Finally a shape appeared on the huge screen.

All lights on the stage!

And here he comes, Robbie himself. This huge screen was a nice idea.

In front of the main stage there was a lane going into the crowd.

And yes, it's time for "Rock DJ". 

All hands into one direction (and no, I do not mean One Direction).

The laser lights go crazy.

And suddenly the music changes. Robbie sits down and ask some nice young ladies to sing with him.

But to not be fooled, "The road to Mandalay" starts slowly but develops quickly.

Finally here comes what everybody was waiting for. No need for special effects. Just Robbie, a guitar and a friend.

You guessed right - these lights are not lighters. These are smartphones. We are in the twenty-first century after all.

But even in a thousand years this song will not stop to be magic. After all, it was voted by the British public the best song in the past 25 years of British music.

That's it? The lights are up again?

Alright, I admit. I did enjoy this concert. Especially my favourite song. I am sure you guessed which one I am talking about - the one where my cousin is carrying the Amazing Darryl Hannah around snowy mountains.

And yeah, I just want to feel real love ...

Museum of Technology in Warsaw - part 2: Music

The horses are not only used to travel or work. We also bring leisure. This is also the case for the technology - it is not only created for travelling and working. It also serves leisure. Museum of Technology in Warsaw, apart from cars, offers exhibitions on many other topics and among them we have chosen the musical machines. They were created to have fun for the ones that, as me, cannot play or sing as good as they would like to.

100 years ago the cheapest way to listen to the music was to give a coin to an organ grinder.

In the museum I have learnt that their sound was created by pipes, just like in the typical church organs. The selection of tones was done with use of a pinned cylinder.

Such cylinders, obviously of different sizes, were used in other types of musical automates, like music boxes.

But here, as you can see, the sound was created by a metal comb. No, the comb was not multipurpose, the musician could use it for his hair.


The cylinders were also used for typical Western saloon automated pianos.

 But the most impressive music machine of the museum is the orchestrion.

 As always the most interesting part is hidden and one must open the door to see it.

Yes, you are correct. There are many instruments inside, apart from a piano you can see a musical triangle, a drum and a cymbal. All of them connected to the cylinder and automated.

But as with the cars, to let musical machines enter all houses, the technology needed to make a big step. Step to the disc.

The first ones were made of metal.

The second generation was made of cardboard.

And this way we came to the almost contemporary gramophones, tapes and CDs.

The best thing about the Museum of Technology in Warsaw is that you can not only see these machines but also listen to all of them. As an example I propose that we listen to the Polish national anthem. Played by a music box of course.

Museum of Technology in Warsaw - part 1: Automotive

Recently my human family decided to show me something called technology. They explained me that technology is what allowed horses to take permanent holidays. So I love it. But what is this technology? To understand it they took me to the Museum of Technology in Warsaw.

As they told me, the technology started to replace horses when the engine became widely used. And the engines at the end of nineteenth century looked like this.

It can work without breaks, but does not look as cute as me. Contemporary engines look quite interesting, although the fire seems frightening.

Obviously one cannot ride an engine. So people invented cars. The first, from the end of the nineteenth century, looked similar to a carriage.

With time cars become covered, with a lot of glass. And people started to produce them in big quantity, thanks to the optimisation of assembly lines. The most influential car of the twentieth century is the famous Ford Model T.

The first cars produced in Poland was built on Italian license. So it was called Polish Fiat.

Ford T was the first car, that a typical American family could afford. So in the second half of the twentieth century also in Poland they invented a car for typical family: Maluch. It was pretty small inside which you can see on this one that was cross-cut.

But in Poland they also produced bigger cars and the last of the line of their development is Polonez. Jeremy Clarkson form Top Gear judged it to be amoung the worst cars of the world. Well, what  Clarkson probably does not know is that also a racing version was constructed.

But if you prefer to feel the freedom of riding, the technology offers you another option - motorcycles.

With such a sidecar you can even take your family with you. It is probably the invention closest to horses but it still make more noise then, we do.