TRAVELERT: Krakow Concert and Event Alerts

Here you go the link to an audio guide through Krakow’s Getto (in English) that was published some time ago by restless people form podgorze.pl.
Alongside the guide a useful map of old Podgórze can be downloaded.

This cheerful scene presents Krakovians cooling themselves off in the Wisła beneath Wawel Hill during hot summer of 1963. It is surprising view for all knowing Wisła today. Taking the  plunge  into the river in these days, would certainly require some dose of insanity. Without exaggeration it is quite  stinking, quite dangerous and quite  dead sewage.

The building you can see above was a charming ancestor of today’s temple of consumption Galeria Krakowska. Not long time ago (till 2004) Bar Smok (milk bar “Dragon”) was the first to welcome all tourists heading to the old town from train station. Many farewelled Bar Smok with mixed feelings of relief and regret, it wasn’t looking good, it didn’t feed well but it was part of peoples lives.

PS. the Neon has survived, it is safely stored somewhere in the cellars of the city council and waiting for better days for Dragons

The installation of Mirosław Bałka-a huge concrete tunnel with AUSHWITZWIELICZKA sign curved on its upper wall was moved yesterday from Plac Niepodległości in Podgórze to Zabłocie, just next to Schindler’s Museum (that is also meant to expose contemporary art ). Instead of deliberating on how to interpret this particular piece of art, we just say here, that its direct inspiration was Krakow-based travel agency, which offers” an opportunity, first, to see the Death camps in Auschwitz and Birkenau and afterwards to visit beautiful salt mines in Wieliczka, within eight hours only”

The recent news say that the famous Szkieltor (Skeleton), not finished so far building from 1975, after many years of abandon,  will be soon transformed into inhabitable space (office space). Located near Rondo Mogilskie and Cracow University of Economics, a kilometer away form the The Main Square, 91 m high construction, supposed to be the first  and smallest out of many skyscrapers, that were planed in this area. The plans were rapidly dropped at the begin of 80ties, simply because of crisis. And here it is- a visible example of entropy, that soon will be bustling with energy of business people.

The lady in red is named Dzidzianna Solska and happens to be a famous fortune teller.As you can see, she is cards reading specialist, probably very competent, since  she has been practising her craft for over three decades now. Look for her at Sukiennice (the long building on the Main Square), little, wobbling table, cards and coffee..

This is the Main Square (of Cracow of course) and surroundings seen from pigeon’s back. More on www.krakow.travel or check other languages of this site.

An introduction to Podgórze that probably you are not familiar with, but fear not, your favorite Drukarnia is still there..

This is an old poster of exhibition that took place on Plac Centralny in Nowa Huta some time ago.Well, perhaps it’s  an good invitation to our walk to NH, just ask at the hostel..

Back to old times- Józefa St in Kazimierz, picture from 1982. more

Please meet Josif Stalin 2 (aka IS-2) a true veteran from the II WW, for over 5 decades now,  on  a duty as a playground for Nowa Huta kids. He is quite benign now but sill heavy and strong specimen. After Poland departed from communism to capitalism, he, like other symbols of ancient regime, had to face unprecedented hostility, and not like many others, managed to survive this dark time. If you would like to get to know him better, join hostel’s Nowa Huta tour.

Last day of September has seen the grand, slightly bombastic opening of Kładka Bernatka, a bike and foot-bridge over Wisła, linking Kazimierz and Podgórze. Generally, Bernatka has acceptance of public, however here and there you can hear voices of scepticism;  it’s not looking right, it’s not in a right place etc. The most distinct opinion belongs to anarchist though, for them Bernatka is a menace, a wide pipe that will be spitting out to Podgórze, drunken crowds from Kazimierz, the another step to death in a sweet grip of global tourism.
Well from our side, we are going to heavy use Bernatka on weekly hostel tours from Krakow to Podgórze, in a day light. Hope it doesn’t count as killing.

This guy is Wojciech Bednarski (1841-1914), a very decent teacher, active citizen and above all the founding father of a nice Park in Podgórze.You can visit Bednarski and the park (that caries his name) during one of the Krakow tours organised by our hostel.

If you’re away from the hostel in Krakow’s main square you might run into Kot Hipolit. He likes to hang out near the north side of Mały Rynek, near the Hipolit Polish Interiors Museum. Sometimes you can find him in the cafe attached to the museum, or sometimes lounging in the wicker chairs outside. If you like you can ask the ladies in the museum office if they have seen him. “Czy pani ma kota?” I used to ask, before I learned that “Do you have the cat?” is a slang way of saying “are you crazy?” He’s a well-known and much loved beast; you can add him on facebook or read his blog, if you like.

The hostel lab (alertness study department) is urgently in need of the following equipment:

*1000ml Florence boiling flask,
*Rubber stopper
*1000ml Griffin beaker
*7mm O.D. glass tubing, 12″ length
*glycerin
*latex connecting tubing
*thistle tube (4mm tube, 1½” funnel mouth)
*metal screen filter (to preserve coffee oils)
*flask stands and holders
*two sturdy tube clamps
*butane or alcohol burner
*stopwatch (preferably from days of the Austro-Hungarian empire)
*drill to make a 4mm hole
*heat-proof lab gloves (to heat and bend glass tubing)
*safety goggles

If you are traveling with all of these items unused and in good contition (since we want to be sure not to poison ourselves with traces of toxic chemicals) we would be willing to give you a 10% discount.

IT IS TIME TO MAKE COFFEE.

“It works just fine,” replied Nika, when I asked her the same question. Yes, but how exactly? The hostel presents for your consideration the following film [for your convienience with somewhat-coherant English subtitles]. If you think the Salad Fingers Generation invented scratchy, worrying animation, think again friend! Click on the picture above to learn about the mad genius who painstakingly made the film in 1971. And think about this film the next time you happen to stare into the eyes of one of Krakow’s own proud wiener dogs.

Since it opened, the foot bridge providing hostel guests easy access from Podgórze to Kazimierz has been host to a curious ‘art’ project: experts and amateur enthusiasts in the field of love have chosen to represent their relationships with padlocks, sometimes scrawled with the names of their lucky partners. Will the bridge begin to sag towards the river on the side with the locks on it (the East side), burdened with all this heavy heavy love? Recently, have learned that unknown bandits (presumably haters of love) have taken to cutting the locks. After consulting with the City Guard, we have found that THIS IS COMPLETELY LEGAL, so long as you do not drop the broken locks into the Wisła river which might challenge the fragile ecosystem.

Another edition of the event which have started in Berlin in 2003, for last few years in every bigger city all around Europe you have a chance to visit all sort of Museums by night.

This link will take you to the full list of Museums which you can visit between 6pm and 1 am, you don’t have to buy any ticket, not even a coin as a last year. Don’t be surprise if you see a long queue in front of the most famous ones (Wawel Castle, National Museum, Sukiennice Under and Top;).

On our “top” list are:

Botanical Garden (end of Kopernika street)

Raid (7pm – midnight,  Aleje Mickiewicza, close to Plac Inwalidów)

Etnographical Museum (Plac Wolnica)

Museum of Pharmacy (Floriańska street)

Japanise Centre (other side of the river – Konopnickiej street)

Cricotecka (Kanonicza 5, Sienna 7/5)

This year not only Museums opens their door for you late at night, but also Galeries:

Bunkier Sztuki
Atelier Iwony Siwek-Front
Galeria Zderzak
Galeria Sztuki Attis
Galeria Strefa A

Wirtualne Muzeum Erotyzmu gościnnie w Zbiorniku Kultury

Enjoy the night exploring!

If you’re visiting Kraków right now (and not living in a field in Greece) you should really make space in your life to see Animal Collective. They’ll be playing at Łaźnia Nowa in Nowa Huta. The show is at 20.00 on the 22nd of May. Tickets are 110 PLN the day of the concert (about 28 EUR) or 85 PLN in advance. This is the music that monks will sing in the future. When they are encouraged to dance more, and when they have lots of synthesizer equipment in their cells.