Polish Language Blog

Many people in Poland celebrate Constitution Day (Święto Konstytucji 3 Maja or Święto Narodowe Trzeciego Maja), which commemorates the enactment of the Polish Constitution that came into effect on May 3rd, 1791.

Constitution Day is part of a holiday season known as Majówka, which also includes the May 1st/Labor Day holiday.Most of people take May 2nd off to celebrate both holidays (sometimes it becomes a really long weekend, especially when 1st is on Wednesday!) It is celebrated with military parades, spring concerts and family picnics. Many people also gather at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier (Grób Nieznanego Żołnierza) at the Piłsudski Square in Warsaw. The monument is dedicated to unknown soldiers who gave their lives for Poland.

Constitution Day is an official public holiday in Poland, so schools, banks, government offices and most private businesses are closed. There is a trade prohibition on public holidays in Poland. People intending to travel via public transport during public holidays must check with the public transit authorities on any changes to time schedules.

On May 3rd, 1791, the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth’s constitution was adopted. It was the first constitution in modern Europe and second in the world, following the American one. It was a significant achievement of the Polish Enlightenment thinkers.

May 3rd was established as a holiday only days after the constitution was passed by the Grand Sejm (Polish Parliament). It was later suspended for many years due to the country’s partitioning, but was reinstituted after Poland regained its freedom in 1918. After World War II, in 1946, the communist authorities banned the holiday’s public celebration. The holiday was officially cancelled in 1951. Since 1990 the May 3 holiday has again been celebrated as an official statutory holiday in Poland.

Do następnego razu… (Till next time…)

Jewish groups in Poland have condemned plans to locate a memorial to Polish “righteous” gentiles in the heart of what once was the Warsaw ghetto saying it would infringe upon the memory of murdered Jews.

Current plans put the memorial to the Righteous Among Nations next to the center of Jewish resistance during the uprising, and a new museum on Judaism in Poland. But Poland’s Jewish community, while not disputing the justification behind the monument, have asked for it to be placed on the edges of the old ghetto.

Poland is a large country so there is plenty of capacity for a monument to the Righteous, but let the Warsaw Ghetto remain an inviolate area dedicated to the memory of murdered Jews.

The problem over the memorial touches on the sensitive history surrounding the uprising.

On April 19, 1943, having witnessed the daily deportation of thousands of Jews to death camps, Jewish insurgents launched a defiant act of resistance against Nazi rule in the full knowledge they faced defeat and death. They held out for almost a month, and their bravery became an inspiration for Jews around the world.

But for some in Poland the concentration of attention on the Jewishness of the battle has side-lined the efforts of Christian Poles who risked their lives to smuggle weapons into the ghetto and people out. They feel these efforts deserve greater recognition.

The dispute over where to honour Christian Poles who tried to save Jews from the clutches of the Holocaust comes just days before Poland prepares to commemorate the 70th anniversary of the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising.

Do następnego razu… (Till next time…)

I’m sure a lot of you have been to Kraków, but did you have a chance to explore the undergrounds, Podziemia Rynku?

The market square has always been one of Kraków’s main highlights, with sights such as Mariacki church, the Ratusz (town hall), numerous restaurants with outdoor seating under umbrellas and of course, the Sukiennice (cloth hall). However, in 2005, an archaelogical dig revealed there was even more to the market square than met the eye with many items of historical significance being found just under the squares cobbles around the Sukiennice. It was then decided in 2007 to build and open a museum that would house most of the archarlogical findings, and make them available to the public.

With about 800 years of history on show, the museum tries to blend an old world and modern feel in what is presented. There are a few visual tricks, some hi-tech options and then ‘real’ items to be touched and felt. The entrance is found just at the end of the Sukiennice, and entrance is limited to a maximum of 300 people at one time. This is controlled by musuem staff and some security guards, in order to make sure that the experience can be fully savoured without too many people. The entrance fee is 14 -17zl.

The first sight on entry is a real-life smoke screen with a projector showing Krakowians from the Middle Ages welcoming you to the exhibit. Visitors can put their hands and more through it, as it is only a steam projection. Later there are some water pools showing ripples of people walking by, also using projectors. From there, the exhibits get more ‘real’ as there are paving slabs from the 14th century, rebuilt houses of blacksmiths and goldsmiths, and then some re-created graves and burial grounds, with full skeletons inside. Indeed one of the surprises is when walking around and crossing a glass walkway to see a skeleton sitting in the hollowed space under the glass walkway. The highlight come next in the centre of the space, where a scale model of Kraków from the 15th century is shown. It is very realistic, but it is also the only part of museum visible under natural light, as above it, there is the 4-sided pyramid skylight, which can be seen from above ground on the Rynek.

The second part of the musuem is more of a walking tour, with long passages ways with small nooks and crannies available with small archaelogical treasures found in most of them, including some skulls which had been found, and are estimated to be from soldiers who had died trying to defend Kraków from the Swedish ‘Flood’ in the early 17th century. There are many small artefacts such as necklaces, small knives, spears and so on which would have all been used in Kraków’s market through the ages.

If this sounds interesting, next time you are in Kraków you should definitely reserve a little time to see it!

Do następnego razu… (Till next time…)