Posts under "History"

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…)

Polish Military Prosecutor Shoots Himself

Posted by Kasia No Comments
Jan 10 2012

A Polish prosecutor shot himself today in dramatic footage caught on film in his office after cutting short a news conference.

Mikołaj Przybył during the conference

At the start of the conference at his office in Poznań, Colonel Mikołaj Przybył said: ‘During my entire service as a civilian and later military prosecutor, I have never brought shame to the Republic of Poland and I will protect the honour of an officer of the Polish armed forces and prosecution.

‘Thank you, please give me a five-minute break, I need to rest,’ Przybył said, as the reporters then leave the room.

Mr. Przybył had been defending his office’s probe seeking to reveal the sources of leaks to the media from a continuing criminal inquiry into the April 2010 plane crash in western Russia that killed Polish President Lech Kaczynski and 95 others (New president of Poland).

The prosecutor’s unit didn’t get a court order before seeking phone records from journalists, Polish media reports said.

At the briefing, Mr. Przybył, a lawyer whose military rank corresponds to that of a colonel, took about a quarter of an hour to read a statement dismissing allegations that his office acted in violation of the law while trying to identify the source of leaks from the crash inquiry. He said he had wanted the leaks to stop because they had irked Russian prosecutors, who had shared information with Poland from the Russian inquiry into the crash.

Military and civilian prosecutors appeared divided over the statement Mr. Przybył had made in his defense. Poland’s Prosecutor Generał Andrzej Seremet said Monday that some of the actions the military prosecutors took had lacked legal grounds.

Krzysztof Parulski, Poland’s chief military prosecutor, said civilian prosecutors shouldn’t comment publicly on the work of their military counterparts.

Nearly two years after the crash of the Polish government plane in which Mr. Kaczyński died, criminal investigations in both Poland and Russia continue. A Moscow-based committee of investigators has pointed to an error by the Polish pilots. A commission led by the Polish interior minister agreed that numerous mistakes had been made by the Polish side before and during the flight, but insisted last year that Russian air-traffic controllers had made blunders that contributed to the crash (Poland releases report into 2010 plane crash).

Polish President Bronislaw Komorowski said in a statement he was ‘concerned’ about the suicide attempt and asked the head of the national security bureau to monitor the situation.

Some lawmakers are calling for a special parliamentary probe into the case.

Do następnego razu… (Till next time…)

Lego Concentration Camp

Posted by Kasia 3 Comments
Jan 8 2012

The Museum of Modern Art in Warsaw has caused something of a stir by purchasing the controversial ‘Lego Concentration Camp’ set designed by artist Zbigniew Libera. 

Reports in Fakt state that the museum bought the set from a private art collector in Norway for EUR 55,000 and plans on making it one of its main exhibits later in the year.

The set features a number of objects associated with death camps such as watchtowers, electric fencing and even a mock ‘shower block’ – which the Nazis famously used to disguise their gas chambers.

Adding to the controversy is the inclusion of the LEGO logo on the boxes which feature the statement “This work of Zbigniew Libera has been sponsored by LEGO SYSTEM”.

However the toy manufacturer has denied all links with the set, despite reportedly sending the pieces to the artist for free.

“I understand that Lego must defend its good name, but this is not a product being offered in a store,” said Libera at the time, regarding the manufacturer position. “This is censorship all over again, I created this work to inspire discussion, not to suppress it.”

But despite the delicate nature of the piece, the Museum of Modern Art claims that the set is “one of the most important works of contemporary Polish art” and in 2002, it was also featured as part of New York’s Jewish Museum’s exhibition entitled Mirroring Evil: Nazi Imagery/Recent Art.

Born in Pabiance in 1959, Libera is no stranger to criticism. Pieces such as his 1984 ‘Mystical Rituals’ film – in which he documented his ill and bed-ridden 90 year-old grandmother – have made him a talking point in the past.

I personally have nothing against this in the museum, but definitely would not buy anything like that for my kids…

What is your opinion?

Do następnego razu… (Till next time…)

Brown bear Wojtek – hero of battle of Monte Cassino

Posted by Kasia 1 Comment
Jan 6 2012

Wojtek, who was adopted as a cub by Polish soldiers stationed in Iran during 1941, liked to share beers and a cigarette with his fellow comrades, was taught to salute when greeted, and provided a welcome distraction to the horrors of war.

By 1944 and at 6ft tall on his hind legs and weighing in at close to 500lbs he was enrolled in the Polish army with his own rank and service number to circumvent orders that forbade animals from being taken to the frontline.

Showing no fear under fire, the Syrian brown bear joined the 22nd company of the Polish Army and carried live munitions during the battle at Monte Cassino, a feat that led him to become one of Poland’s best loved war heroes.

Now, after a long campaign, he is to be honoured in the country he served, but never visited, with a statue in the center of Warsaw.

The Wojtek Memorial Trust, led by Aileen Orr, the Scottish author of a biography of the bear, is in discussions to send a bronze statue of Wojtek for erection in the Polish capital as well as one in Edinburgh.

The bear lived out his post-war years in Edinburgh Zoo dying there in 1962 at the age of 22.

He was donated to the zoo after his company was relocated to Berwickshire in Scotland at the end of the war.

He would wave to visitors who addressed him in Polish and zoo keepers regularly had to deal with visiting soldiers who clambered into his enclosure to hug him.

I actually heard stories about him from my grandfather, who fought in Monte Cassino:)

Do następnego razu… (Till next time…)

Epiphany

Posted by Kasia No Comments
Jan 5 2012

Tomorrow is Epiphany. Epiphany, meaning “vision of God”, which falls on January 6, is a Christian feast day that celebrates the revelation of God the Son as a human being in Jesus Christ.

Western Christians commemorate principally (but not solely) the visitation of the Biblical Magi to the Baby Jesus, and thus Jesus’ physical manifestation to the Gentiles. Eastern Christians commemorate the baptism of Jesus in the Jordan River, seen as his manifestation to the world as the Son of God.

Eastern Churches following the Julian Calendar observe the Theophany feast on January 19 because of the 13-day difference today between that calendar and the generally used Gregorian calendar. For Roman Catholics in many countries, the feast is celebrated on the Sunday that falls between January 2 and January 8. In Poland it is celebrated on January 6.

In Poland, Epiphany, or Trzech Króli (Three Kings) is celebrated in grand fashion, with huge parades held welcoming the Wise Men, often riding on camels or other animals from the zoo, in Warsaw and other cities. The Wise Men pass out sweets, children process in Renaissance wear, carols are sung, and living nativity scenes are enacted, all similar to celebrations in Italy or Spain, pointing to the country’s Catholic heritage. Children may also dress in colors signifying Europe, Asia, and Africa (the supposed homes of the Wise Men) and at the end of the parade route, church leaders often preach on the spiritual significance of the Epiphany.

In 2011, by an act of Parliament, Epiphany was restored as an official non-working national public holiday in Poland for the first time since it was cancelled under communism fifty years before.

Star singing and house blessing are popular in Poland, as in the rest of Central Europe.

Poles though take small boxes containing chalk, a gold ring, incense and a piece of amber, in memory of the gifts of the Magi, to church to be blessed. Once at home, they inscribe “K+M+B+” and the year with the blessed chalk above every door in the house, according to tradition, to provide protection against illness and misfortune for those within. The letters, with a cross after each one, are said to stand either for the traditionally applied names of the Three Kings in Polish – Kacper, Melchior and Baltazar – or for a Latin inscription meaning “Christ bless this house.” They remain above the doors all year until they are inadvertently dusted off or replaced by new markings the next year.

On January 6, as in much of Europe, a Polish style Three Kings cake is served with a coin or almond baked inside. The one who gets it is king or queen for the day, signified by wearing the paper crown that decorates the cake. According to Polish tradition this person will be lucky in the coming year. Recipes vary by region. Some serve a French-type puff pastry cake with almond paste filling, others favor a sponge cake with almond cream filling, and yet others enjoy a light fruitcake.

Epiphany in Poland also signals the beginning of “zapusty” or carnival time, when “Pączki” (doughnuts) are served.

Do następnego razu… (Till next time…)

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