Wielun Country Museum

Wojtek Siudmak Art

Wojciech Kazimierz Wojtek Siudmak (born 10 October 1942 in Wieluń) is a Polish painter, currently living in France. His works are often used as illustrations for science fiction and fantasy literature, including the Polish edition of Frank Herbert's Dune series. He is also known for his work on album covers, including the award-winning cover for Eloy's 1977 album Ocean.

9 FLOOR HIGH RUN For WARSAW UPRISING Commemoration– Poland In

They run 9 floors high to commemorate the Warsaw Uprising! This unusual competition is a prelude to the traditional run of the Warsaw Uprising. Watch the video to find out more.

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Bringing you all the latest daily news and updates, POLAND IN is Poland's first English-language channel where you can find out more about Poland's economy and politics, explore Polish art and culture and find out what makes our country unique. Follow us on Twitter and Facebook and experience the best of Poland!

Preview on 70th anniversary of outbreak of World War II

(31 Aug 2009) SHOTLIST
Gdansk, Poland - 27 August 2009
1. Tilt down of Westerplatte monument
2. Close of two wreaths on steps of monument
3. Wide of visitors on steps, taking photos of monument
4. Wide of Westerplatte monument
5. Wide of site of state ceremonies marking the 70th anniversary of the start of World War II, with huge letters forming the words: (Polish) No more wars
6. Mid of memorial stones in front of former bunker at Westerplatte
7. Close of names of killed soldiers on memorial stone, pull focus to flowers in the foreground
Wielun, Poland - 28 August 2009
8. Street sign reading: (Polish) Wielun
9. Wide of street in town centre
10. Wide exterior of Wielun historical museum, flags
11. SOUNDBITE (Polish) Eugeniusz Kolodziejczyk, 83, World War II Survivor:
I was thinking about the people, about the children, this girl who was lying several metres from here. I ran up to her, and my father said 'where are you going?' And I ran up to her after the planes passed over. I tried to pick her up, her dark hair was hanging and her face was full of blood, and her hands dropped lifelessly. I could see she was dying.
12. Tilt down from treetop to Kolodziejczyk speaking
13. SOUNDBITE (Polish) Eugeniusz Kolodziejczyk, 83, World War II Survivor:
Unfortunately it happened. But it was not the fault of the German people. It was the fault of madmen who wanted to rule the world, and they met their end the way they did.
14. Wide of Kolodziejczyk walking through exhibition in the Wielun historical museum about the outbreak of World War II in Wielun
15. Close of black and white photograph showing burning house in Wielun
16. Close of photograph showing Nazi soldiers and officers at the entrance of the Wielun town hall
17. Mid of Jan Ksiazek, head of the Wielun historical museum, talking to Kolodziejczyk
18. SOUNDBITE (Polish) Jan Ksiazek, Head of the Wielun Historical Museum:
Unfortunately, the entire Second World War was a war of total destruction. And this did actually start in Wielun. Westerplatte is the symbol of bravery, and Wielun is the symbol of annihilation of defenceless civilians.
Mokra (near Czestochowa), Poland - 29 August 2009
19. Wide of battlefield monument with row of flags
20. Mid of 95-year-old Polish war veteran, Marian Wojciechowski kneeling down at monument at the site of the historical battlefield of Mokra, dedicated to the defenders of Poland
21. Mid of monument
22. Close of Wojciechowski looking up at monument
23. Wide of Wojciechowski walking through historical site of the battle of Mokra
24. Close of fire
25. SOUNDBITE (English) Marian Wojciechowski, 95, World War II veteran and Auschwitz survivor:
We didn't have enough ammunition, we did not have enough weapons, we were not prepared at all.
26. Close of Wojciechowski's identification card of the Polish Union from American-occupied German territory in 1945
27. SOUNDBITE (English) Marian Wojciechowski, 95, World War II veteran and Auschwitz survivor:
All the other countries were also fighting later on for freedom. And we started the fight, we were first to fight.
28. Wide of Wojciechowski walking to memorial tablets at the battlefield of Mokra
STORYLINE
Just before dawn on September 1, 1939, Eugeniusz Kolodziejczyk, a 13-year-old Pole, stood on a train station platform in Wielun and watched as the bombs began to fall.
The explosions set off a worldwide conflict that would rage for more than half a decade and leave more than 40 (m) million military personnel and civilians dead: World War II had began.
As the bombs fell, Kolodziejczyk remembers running to help a small girl who was lying on a heap of rubble, her face covered in blood.
But he says he feels no bitterness.


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097 - Polish Railway Museum

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President awards Poles who saved Jews during WW2 (English version)

On the 15th of November 2013, President Bronislaw Komorowski awarded Poland's Commander Crosses of the Polonia Restituta Order to twenty Poles who helped save Jews during the World War Two.

The place where the first shots of WW2 were fired.

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I am posting this seventy years to the day of the beginning of WW2.

This is the historic lighthouse in Gdańsk built in 1893 overlooking the Dead Vistula as it flows into the Baltic Sea. At around 04:40 in the morning, a machine gun in the lighthouse opened up on Polish positions on the Westerplatte across the Dead Vistula followed four minutes later by the cruiser Schleswig Holstein. Damage from Polish counter fire can still be seen in the lighthouse.

I would dispute these were the first shots. I believe the attack on the town of Wielun commenced earlier. There is also the attack on the bridge at Tczew (Dirschau), bombing near Puck or even the attack on the Polish Post Office in Gdańsk (Danzig) which may have happened earlier.

After the Polish - Bolshevik war when supplies of weapons to Poland through Danzig had been disrupted by strikes, the League of Nations allowed Poland to keep a base on Westerplatte for weapons deliveries. By September 1939 there were182 soldiers on the peninsula. They were armed with one 75 mm field gun, two 37 mm Bofors antitank guns, four mortars and a number of medium machine guns. There were no fortifications, only several concrete guardhouses hidden in the forest.

The Polish garrison was separated from Free City of Danzig (Gdańsk) by the harbour channel, with only a narrow isthmus connecting the area to the mainland. In case of war, the defenders were supposed to withstand a sustained attack for 12 hours after which a relief from the main units of the Polish Army were to arrive.

On 1 September 1939, the Polish garrison's commanding officer was Major Henryk Sucharski.

The battle lasted until 7 September 1939 when surrender was forced due to lack of ammunition.

My channel on you tube : is one of the most prolific from Poland. I have produced a number of films, most in English but also in Polish, French, Italian, Spanish and the occasional hint of German and Hebrew. My big interest in life is travel and history but I have also placed films on other subjects

There are a number of films here on the packaging industry. This is because I am the publisher of Central and Eastern European Packaging -- - the international platform for the packaging industry in this region focusing on the latest innovations, trends, design, branding, legislation and environmental issues with in-depth profiles of major industry achievers. Most people may think packaging pretty boring but it possibly effects your life more than you really imagine!

Trailer: We Survived: Cracovians Remember the Second World War

LAJKONIK CUP 2011

pilkareczna-agrykola.pl

FIGHTING AND SUFFERING Exhibition - World War II - 80th Anniversary – Poland In

On the occasion of the 80th anniversary of the outbreak of the Second World War, Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Museum of Second World War in Gdańsk present historical exhibition Fighting and Suffering. The exhibition will be available in 62 countries.

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Bringing you all the latest daily news and updates, POLAND IN is Poland's first English-language channel where you can find out more about Poland's economy and politics, explore Polish art and culture and find out what makes our country unique. Follow us on Twitter and Facebook and experience the best of Poland!

Safeguarding Memory: Commemorating Jewish Mass Graves in Poland

Harley Lippman works to identify and properly mark mass graves in Poland to honor those who lost their lives in the Holocaust.

Experiencing Polish Anti-Semitism As A Child Before WWII

Martin Schiller, Polish-born child survivor of the Holocaust, describes anti-Semitic incidents in Poland prior to and during World War II.

To learn more about the Yiddish Book Center's Wexler Oral History Project, visit:

Polish FM Sikorski in talks with counterpart Steinmeier

SHOTLIST
1. Exterior of Foreign Office in Berlin
2. German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier and Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski at news conference
3. SOUNDBITE: (Polish) Radoslaw Sikorski, Polish Foreign Minister
The new coalition, the new government in Poland, provides an excellent opportunity for a new chapter,and we intend to use this possibility to speak with the Polish people as well as the partners abroad in a new style.
4. Cutaway of photographer
5. SOUNDBITE: (Polish) Radoslaw Sikorski, Polish Foreign Minister
++referring to Russian German talks on a new gas pipeline via the Baltic Sea++
Let me say again, the Polish position has not changed but the dialogue must be carried forward.
6. SOUNDBITE: (German) Frank-Walter Steinmeier, German Foreign Minister: ++video begins with pan from Sikorski to Steinmeier concluding soundbite++
I can understand that the Polish government needs some time to come to an ultimate opinion in this matter (referring to gas pipeline). I have offered to re-examine again what we can contribute to securing Polish energy supply in times of crisis, that the economy ministers again discuss whether the reverse flow from German pipelines to the Polish network offered by German companies could help in times of crisis.
7. Wide of news conference
8. SOUNDBITE: (Polish) Radoslaw Sikorski, Polish Foreign Minister
++referring to restitution demands++
I conveyed to the minister that Polish public opinion, the Polish government, will happily welcome any legal strengthening of these declarations that have already been made, but as the minister said, we will continue to discuss these.
9. SOUNDBITE: (German) Frank-Walter Steinmeier, German Foreign Minister
++on restitution demands++
The European Court for Human Rights is dealing with this at the moment. The German position on this matter has not changed, and this I made very clear again to Mr Sikorski today.
10. Wide of Steinmeier and Sikorski concluding news conference, zoom in on Steinmeier and Sikorski shaking hands
STORYLINE
Poland's new foreign minister, Radoslaw Sikorski, met with his German counterpart on Thursday in what the two described as a new era of cordial relations, after two years of cranky exchanges under the former government in Warsaw.
Speaking at a joint news conference with German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier in Berlin, Sikorski said the new Polish government was an excellent opportunity for a new chapter.
We intend to use this possibility to speak with the Polish people as well as the partners abroad in a new style, he said.
Sikorski is a member of Prime Minister Donald Tusk's new government.
Under the government of former Prime Minister Jaroslaw Kaczynski, who was ousted in October elections, German-Polish relations were marked by tension, peaking with criticism of proposals for a Berlin museum about Germans expelled from their homes in Poland and elsewhere in Eastern Europe at the end of World War II.
Polish officials also bridled at efforts by a small group in Germany to win reparations for lost property.
Chancellor Angela Merkel's government has said it does not support the efforts.
Both foreign ministers said their discussions were marked by trust and a cordial tone, even as they touched on sensitive topics such as a Russian-German gas pipeline that will route gas around Poland.
The proposed 1200km (744 mile) pipeline will link Russia and Germany via the Baltic Sea, bypassing Poland and Ukraine, prompting concern from both countries about lost transit revenue and a potential Russian energy cut-off.
Sikorski said that Polish opposition to the pipeline remained, but that the new tone could lead to progress.
The dialogue must be carried forward, Sikorski said.


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WESTERPLATTE & Gdansk Post Office (Poczta Polskiej): BLITZKRIEG to Start WWII {Gdansk, POLAND}

Budget Travel Poland #6
Westerplatte and the Gdansk Post Office (Poczta Polskiej) were the sites of the blitzkrieg to start WWII.

In the early hours of September 1, 1939, Nazi Germany's invasion overwhelmed Poland. If in the Polish countryside Germany advanced without much resistance, in the Free State of Gdansk (Danzig) the Poles were prepared for war.

Simultaneously, Germany moved on Westerplatte a military posting designed to protect Poland's interest in the Baltic Sea, while in Gdansk, the Polish Post Office became the initial land battle of WWII. Though Polish troops were severely undermanned, these spots are considered the start of the Second World War, both symbolically and literally.

Matt pays a respectful visit to these memorials as the 80th anniversary of the start of WWII approaches.


Budget Travel Gdansk #1


Polish Post Office Muzeum (Muzeum Poczta Polskiej):




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D-DAY - Normandy 1944 REENACTMENT in HEL – Poland In

A reenactment of the so-called D-Day - one of the most important events of the Second World War took place in Hel, Northern Poland. On this day, this place turned into Normandy 1944. Recreating this largest landing operation in the history of wars is already a tradition that attracts crowds of people every year. Watch the video for details.

#PolandIn

Bringing you all the latest daily news and updates, POLAND IN is Poland's first English-language channel where you can find out more about Poland's economy and politics, explore Polish art and culture and find out what makes our country unique. Follow us on Twitter and Facebook and experience the best of Poland!

Rosserk Franciscan Friary

This amazing friary of the Third Order menaing, not friars, not nuns, but married couples looks so peaceful today. An English madman burned it down in 1590.

OPN: Ojców - Pieskowa Skała (DW 773)

Jazda samochodem/Car driving (speed x2).
Part of Ojcowski National Park. Enjoy the ride !!!
Przejazd od Ojcowa do Pieskowej Skały (zamek).
Muzyka: Stefano Targa - Budo (jamendo.com)

Mała uwaga: Ponieważ jechałem dość wolno dlatego zachęcałem kierowców jadących za mną do wyprzedzenia mnie poprzez krótkie mignięcie kierunkowskazem mimo linii ciągłej.

Strony o OPN:



ENG: The Ojcowski National Park was established on January 14, 1956. It has an area of 1,890 ha of which forests occupy 1,349 ha, and 251 ha fully covered with forest are under strict protection. It is a second smallest among the Polish National Parks. The wealth of the Ojcowski National Park embraces rich plant and animal life, an unusual landscape made up of canyons up to 120 m deep, and white limestone cliffs containing innumerable caves (in fact about 215), formed by the eroding action of water. The Park's Museum, located in Ojcow, houses a rich collection exemplifying the region's flora, fauna, geological samples and archeological discoveries. The village of Ojcow, with the ruins of a castle, and nearby Pieskowa Skala Castle, are tourist centers located within the park boundary.

Ojcowski National Park is situated in the Jura Krakowsko-Czestochowska, just north of Krakow. The Park encompasses the most beautiful fragments of the Krakow-Wielun Upland. It entails the Pradnik and Saspowska Valleys and a number of side ravines. The view of the Pradnik Valley as it is seen from both the high vantage points such as the Okopy Hill, and from some points at the bottom of valleys, is truly unforgettable. The most famous one is certainly the view of Hercules' Club with the Pieskowa Skala Castle in foreground (seen above). The sight includes a characteristic, lone standing rock 25 m high, which owes its name to the shape, with the renaissance castle, perched on the slope and hidden in green trees in the distance. Another picturesque place is the karst form, known as Krakowska Gate, carved by geological processes through millenia in the limestone.

The Jura owes its present day shape mainly to the sea from the distant past and its inhabitants. Warm sea waves rippled there 140 million years ago, supporting rich life. Skeletons and shells of organisms, deposited at the sea bottom, were eventually converted into rocks, which in turn were exposed to the action of water, temperature, and wind. This history is witnessed by very common findings of ammonite, snail and other fossils in the rocks. The limestone, which builds Jura is continuously eroded by water, and this process creates caves, crevasses and island mountains. The largest number of these forms may be found in the region of Ojcow.

While in Ojcow, a tourist should visit one of the famous caves (guided tours only) - the Ciemna Cave or Lokietek Cave. The Ciemna Cave is a 230 m long system of corridors and chambers, where traces of human settlement from 120,000 to 115,000 B.C. have been found. The Lokietek Cave, which is 270 m long, is reputed to be a shelter, used by the Polish King Wladyslaw Lokietek in 14th century.

Fauna is represented by small mammals typical of a climatic zone (for example badger, marten, fox etc.), bird species that include owl and black woodpecker in addition to more common ones, reptiles, rare snails, and numerous insects. The caves are inhabited by many species of bats. There are 17 out of the total of 21 species living in Poland. They like the calm winter quarters in the caves of Ojcow. This Park is also home to many species of butterflies. It boasts over 600 species including the royal page (Papilio machaon).

source:

Nobody Wanted to Talk About It: On (Polanized) Jews in Poland

Alex Lauterbach talks about his Jewish identity, and how it changed in response to what happened to Poland's Jews during the Holocaust and WWII, as well as giving some background information on assimilated Polish Jewry prior to the war.

To learn more about the Yiddish Book Center’s Wexler Oral History Project, visit:

The End of Poland: Boyhood Memories of the German Invasion

Victor Gilinsky, son of Medem Sanatorium co-founder Shloyme Gilinski, tells of leaving Poland at the beginning of the Second World War, emphasizing the uncertainty Polish Jews had about the future under occupation. He discusses how many Polish Jews reacted to his family fleeing, still unsuspecting of the Nazis because of previous impressions of the Germans.

To learn more about the Yiddish Book Center’s Wexler Oral History Project, visit: