Warsaw Uprising

Some of you told me over the last week that they are really surprised that, even though I am a citizen of Warsaw, I have spent 1st August in Nidzica. This is not entirely correct. I was in Nidzica a week ago but I have managed to be in Warsaw on time.

For all those of you who are not acquainted with the Polish history, a little introduction. The Second World War has started on 1st September 1939, when German nazis have invaded Poland. For the consecutive five years, the people of Poland were tirelessly fighting to regain their freedom. Finally, in the summer of 1944, the Polish resistance Home Army has decided to start an uprising, aimed to liberate Warsaw from the German occupation. The Warsaw Uprising has started on 1st August 1944, at 5 PM. It lasted sixty three days and unfortunately was not successful.

Both the historians and the people in the streets are divided in their judgments about the Warsaw Uprising. Some say it was a suicidal act that has cost lives to many young men who could have been the future of the nation and resulted in a total destruction of the city. Others say, that it is better to die standing proudly than to live humiliated, bent on the knees.

No matter what opinion about the Warsaw Uprising they might have, the inhabitants of Warsaw pay every year tribute to those who offered their lives for their city. The phrase "We remember" can be found in different parts of the city.

The sign that incorporates "P" and "W" is called Kotwica ("anchor"). This is an acronym of "Poland Fighting" and a symbol of the Polish Underground State. On 1st August it is omnipresent in Warsaw. But a place where you are most likely to find it is the Powązki cementary. On 1st August you can meet there virtually everybody, starting with the youngest patriots.

Those a bit older often come with their scout teams.

Obviously, all types of military forces also send their representatives.

The crosses in the back are the tombs of those who perished during the Uprising.

The alleys and the monuments are filled with white and red, the colours of the Polish flag.

Just a few steps from here, you will meet a huge crowd gathered around the tombs of the soldiers of the Zośka battalion.

Just in the middle are again scouts - many of the young soldiers were members of the Gray Ranks, actively taking part in the Warsaw Uprising.

Battalion Zośka was decorated with Virtuti Militari, the highest military order in Poland.

The inhabitants of Warsaw have a special place in their hearts for these young people. You can judge it by the number of lights that are always standing there.

There is one more special thing about 1st August in Warsaw. At 5 PM, the "W" hour, whet the Uprising has began, the city literally stops. Whenever you would be on that moment, you will not miss this hour.

So "Glory to the Heroes" as they say here.

Nidzica

Nidzica is a small town in the North-East of Poland. When I arrived there I was not really impressed. A very typical square with a very typical Town Hall ...

... surrounded by very typical residential buildings.

But when I started to walk on the left side of the square, I have noticed a building that looked more interesting. It turned out to be the seat of the National Archives.

Then came another one, an old brewery and distillery that is still operational.

Finally, up on a hill, I have spotted through the leaves the main reason for my visit.

This monument indicates clearly that the place has some military history that dates back to the Middle Ages.

Long, high walls used to be in the past a strong defence line.

From the top of the tower, the defenders could see potential attackers from far away.

I am sure that you guessed it right. The biggest tourist attraction of Nidzica is its castle, built in the second half of the fourteenth century by Teutonic Knights who ruled this part of Poland at that time. The main entrance looks similar to the city gate from Olsztyn that we saw last year.

If you look up, you will notice that the Teutonic Knights were pretty modern when it comes to their ways of spending free time.

The inner courtyard is rather narrow.

The unusual decorations around the courtyard are due to the fact Nidzica houses a gathering of fans of speculative fiction.

The Nidzica castle is a convenient place for this type of events because it offers a pretty good restaurant with regional dishes ...

... and a small hotel.

I propose that we go up to the first floor.

You will find there a library. Unfortunately it was closed when I came there.

All around the gallery on the first floor there is an exhibition showing what Nidzica looked like in the past. Just as an example, in 1914 the market square was full of horses.

At that time Neidenburg, as it was called, belonged to the German Empire. But during First World War it was heavily damaged by Russian soldiers, like these Cossacks.

All in all this is it, not much more to see here. Let's then take a final look at the castle itself.

I must admit that I was slightly disappointed by the Nidzica castle, after seeing Bytów I was expecting a bit more. Still, if you are in the neighbourhood you can drop by to taste some delicious duck dumplings.

Västerås

I am very excited to take you today to yet another country, the last missing in my list in the Scandinavian Peninsula - Sweden. We will visit today a nice little town called Västerås, located in central Sweden, some 100 kilometres from the capital city of Stockholm.

 We will take from the airport a nice highway running next to many lakes.

You will quickly notice that the houses next to the road look all the same - wooden, painted in dark red colour (it even has its own name - faluröd), with white windows.

The buildings in Västerås are also red, but this is because they are mainly made of brick.

There are two major brick-built buildings in town. The first one is the gothic cathedral, dedicated to Virgin Mary and John the Baptist.




The tower is 92 meters, it does not seem to be as high as in some of the gothic cathedrals in the South of Europe.

Inside you could find the tombs of some of the Swedish kings. Unfortunately, we arrived in the evening and the church was closed. So we can only admire saints on the reliefs on the outside walls.

Let's move to the second important building made of brick. We need to cross the river Svartån. Like in Paris and Wrocław, the couples put padlocks as proof of their devotion.

Quickly, we will arrive to a very nice park, located next to a small lake. The building in the back is the Town Hall.



We need to pass next to the town's theater.

Finally here comes the second major building made of brick - the royal castle in Västerås. Actually it does not look like a castle at all. It was built in thirteenth century and rebuilt in sixteenth century. Nowadays it looks like a large residential building.

Those of you who are a bit tired can have some rest on one of these funny benches.

I propose we cross the lake to take a closer look at the Town Hall again.

As we approach the bridge, you will notice that there is a little water tourbine on the river, generating electricity. It is hidden in this nice little house.

Or to be more precise, next to it.
 

Next to the Town Hall there is a statue of a golden bull located on a high pillar. I have no clue what it represents but it reminds me vaguely of the golden calf that the Jews have made when Moses was getting from God the Ten Commandments.

The Town Hall, just like the cathedral, is distinguished by the tall tower.

I just noticed that in the middle of the lake there is a fountain! In the back you will recognise the theater.

I was at first surprised that this theater is so small but I was later told that the main cultural events take place in a new concert hall.

The truth is however, that Västerås is basically an industrial town. Vasteras is the town where the apparel retailer H&M was founded.

It is also the birthplace of ASEA, a large manufacturing company operating in the electrical industry. Nowadays ASEA is part of the ABB Group, but its Swedish headquarters are still in the historical ASEA building.

Next to the entry, you can even spot a monument of its founder.

But ASEA has given to Västerås one more monument and I must admit that I like it much more. These are the Aseaströmmen, a monument that commemorates thousands of ASEA workers that were coming to work on their bicycles. The name of the monument is a mixture of the name ASEA and strömmen meaning current or flow. This current filled the streets of the city each time the shifts changed at the factory.

I hope that you liked this little tour of Västerås. I propose we take a last and final look at the river Svartån, bordered by houses painted in Falun red.