Posts under "Culture"

Oscypek

Posted by Kasia 2 Comments
Jan 20 2012

Have you ever tried oscypek – the most famous Polish cheese? It is a smoked cheese made from the salted sheep milk (don’t buy imitations made from cow’s milk) and formed in traditional wooden forms. Oscypek is an absolute “must taste” when you visiting Polish mountains. Very tasty when served with red wine or smoked fish.

It is produced in the original form of small, spindle-like blocks with typical regional decorating pattern. Oscypek is one of tourist attractions of Polish mountains. You can eat it as cold or hot (grilled and served with the cranberry). Fresh oscypek is really tasty. One can buy it early in the morning, right after the production, in shepherd’s huts, which you would come across in mountain valleys.

The first mention of cheese production in the Tatra Mountains dates back to the 15th century, in a document from the village of Ochotnica in 1416. The first recorded recipe for oscypek was issued in 1748 in the Żywiec area.

Before Poland voted to join the European Union, some Polish Eurosceptics warned that oscypek could be banned in the EU due to its use of unpasteurized milk and its production by unlicensed farmers. No action has been taken yet against the sale or production of the cheese.

There is also a smaller form called redykołka, known as the ‘younger sister’ of oscypek.

I really like oscypek…I wish I would be able to find it in US…

Do następnego razu… (Till next time…)

Wolf’s Lair in Kętrzyn

Posted by Kasia 1 Comment
Jan 19 2012

I’m sure that most of you who are really interested in WWII history know about this place. Poland is currently looking for an investor to turn the “Wolf’s Lair” of Nazi leader Adolf Hitler into a tourist attraction.

Wolf's Lair partially destroyed bunker

The ruins of Hitler’s fortress complex deep in the woodlands of northeastern Poland  is famed as the site of an assassination attempt on Hitler by Colonel Claus von Stauffenberg and popularized by a 2008 film starring Tom Cruise.

The Wolf’s Lair served as one of Hitler’s military headquarters during World War Two and was destroyed by the Nazi forces as they retreated in early 1945.

The site, whose name refers to Hitler’s nickname, “Mr. Wolf”,  consisted of 80 buildings at its peak and is owned by the local forestry authority.

Hitler's Bunker at Wolf's Lair

“We are waiting for offers, but so far we have none,” local forestry official Zenon Piotrowicz said.

“The requirements are quite high because we want a new leaseholder to invest a lot, particularly in a museum with an exhibition that could be open all year long.”

The remaining ruins are open to the public, but do not attract many visitors because they are hidden deep in a forest and accessible only by treacherous dirt roads.

The fortress near the Russian border was built in 1940 and 1941 to protect Hitler and other top Nazi officials from air bombardment during Operation Barbarossa, the invasion of the Soviet Union. It had its own power plant and a railway station.

The complex was heavily camouflaged deep inside a forest and surrounded by a minefield, which took 10 years to clear after the war.

Here is a great article written by Norbert, who visited Wolf’s Lair:

http://www.globotreks.com/destinations/wolfs-lair-hitlers-bunker-poland/

Do następnego razu… (Till next time…)

Corin perfect bra

Posted by Kasia 1 Comment
Jan 17 2012

A new perfect bra that allows a woman’s breasts to move naturally at the same time as supporting them has been designed by Polish scientists.

The team were commissioned to design a bra that did not squeeze or compress the breast and yet allowed it to retain a natural shape to avoid many of the unhealthy complications caused by other modern bras.

And the team now claim to have designed the perfect ‘health bra’ after using computer mapping to eliminate pressure points.

Scientists at the ‘Institute of Healthy Polish Mothers’ in the city of Łódź spent more than two years carefully designing the bra that as well as offering maximum comfort by allowing the breast to move freely, also helps prevent against breast cancer.

“Women often buy bras that are too small in the bust and this is not only uncomfortable but looks bad and can lead to serious problems,” said team leader Marek Zadrożny.

“As a result of fasteners which are too loose or too tight, the cups cause abnormal movement of the lymphatic tissue, which studies have shown can lead to the development of breast cancer,” he added.

The design process however was a complicated one explains Mariusz Hanczka, Managing Director of Corin, the company commissioned to make the bras.

“First we constructed silhouettes of women using 3D technology, then created a 3D bra on-screen. We were able to examine the pressure caused by the bra by viewing red dots on the various breasts. These meant the breasts were constricted in these areas. We kept repeating this process until we had a perfect model.”

The bras were then produced and tested on women, with aspects such as temperature and constriction being once again measured using the same on-screen technology.

The research performed by Corin turned out to be successful in new bra model, after months of research, cups and their shape willevenly distribute the pressure applied to the breast. Results of conducted analysis have already been implemented and used in creating latest collections. New, healthy bras manufactured by Corin will not cause unnecessary pressure and at the same time are most comfortable.Time will show how applying innovative technologies works out for everyday use.

Do następnego razu… (Till next time…)

First No Pants Subway Ride in Warsaw

Posted by Kasia 1 Comment
Jan 16 2012

Yesterday  I wrote about people collecting for WOŚP’s charity event without any trousers in Warsaw’s subway. Well, they were not the only ones without the pants.

For the first time ever Warsaw participated in Annual No Pants Subway Ride on January 8th 2012. Participants rode between Wilanowska and Ratusz-Arsenal subway stations. This global event was started by Improv Everywhere in New York in 2002. 

The No Pants Subway Ride is annual event staged by Improv Everywhere every January in New York City. The mission started as a small prank with seven guys and has grown into an international celebration of silliness, with dozens of cities around the world participating each year. The idea behind No Pants is simple: Random passengers board a subway car at separate stops in the middle of winter without pants. The participants do not behave as if they know each other, and they all wear winter coats, hats, scarves, and gloves. The only unusual thing is their lack of pants.

Once on board, they act as they normally would. They pretend to not know any of the other pantless riders. If questioned, they are supposed to tell folks that they “forgot to wear pants” and yes they are “a little cold.” They are supposed to insist that it is a coincidence that others also forgot their pants. They are supposed to be nice and friendly and normal.

If any of you participated in this ride, either in Poland or in a different country, please share with us what was your experience and reaction of other people on the subway.

Do następnego razu… (Till next time…)

Wielka Orkiestra Świątecznej Pomocy

Posted by Kasia No Comments
Jan 15 2012

Jerzy Owsiak

Commuters in Warsaw were treated to a rare sight this week when they were greeted by people collecting for WOŚP’s charity event without any trousers. According to Fakt, travellers getting on and off the city’s metro were approached by hoards of trouser-less youths bearing collection boxes as part of WOŚP’s annual ‘No Pants Subway Ride’ campaign. As an added boost, the collectors were joined by Jacek Januszko, former participant on “You Can Dance”.

Wielka Orkiestra Świątecznej Pomocy (The Great Orchestra of Christmas Charity) is one of the biggest, non-governmental, non-profit, charity organizations in Poland. The GOCC Foundation has American Heart Association Certification for providing courses in CPR and ECC, and use of high technology for medical lifesaving.

It was founded in 1993 by Jerzy Owsiak, Lidia Niedźwiedzka-Owsiak, Bohdan Maruszewski, and Piotr Burczyński. The main objective, at that time, was “Protecting Health and Saving Children’s Lives by Providing Medical Equipment to Public Hospitals” (as stated in the deed of foundation). During the first Finale (for the benefit of pediatric cardio-surgery) in the same year, the Foundation collected a total of USD 1,535,440.68. Every year, millions of Poles donate their money to the Foundation and, between 1993 and 2005, they collected more than $60 million for public hospitals in Poland.

Apart from The Grand Finale, the Foundation also organizes one of the biggest rock concerts in Poland, Woodstock Festival Poland, and it started the Peace Patrol, a group of young volunteers trained in first aid by the GOCC, the Polish Red Cross and the Szadowo town police. In 2010, the Charity was paid to be ‘sponsor’ of Ruch Chorzów, one of Poland’s top football teams.

The aim of their work is to save the lives of sick people and especially sick children as well as to improve their medical condition. Also, The Foundation’s active involvement in health care enables us to support health promotion and propagate medical prevention.

They are furthering our aims by organizing the Grand Finale fundraising events, buying medical equipment for hospitals all over Poland and by carrying out five nation-wide medical programs and an educational one.

Do następnego razu… (Till next time…)

Back to the Top