World Travel – TOKIDOKI (NOMAD)

KRAKÓW , POLAND 🇵🇱 STREET ART & GRAFFITI: I’M HAPPY AGAIN

Published on September 21, 2018 by jacquelinemhadel2 Comments

A stencil of the iconic image of Gene Kelly singin’ in the rain (“I’m happy again!”) has even here since the spring of 2014.

Entitled ‘Judah,’ this large mural by Pil Peled – one of Israel’s most famous street artists – was created in July 2013 as part of the Jewish Culture Festival. According to the artist, the image of the child represents fear, vulnerability and the inner child, and the lion represents the Jews’ struggle to survive and preserve their culture, as well as the strength to overcome their fears. https://www.inyourpocket.com/krakow/judah_120346v

Created by the artist Broken Fingaz, this large-scale mural was created during the 2014 edition of Kraków’s Jewish Culture Festival. The mural takes inspiration from well-known art nouveau era artist Maurice Lilien – a native of Drohobycz (now in Ukraine) and graduate of the Kraków Academy of Fine Arts – and is dedicated to the memory of the Bosaków family who built the building and lived there through the generations for 400 years, before relocating to Israel after World War II. https://www.inyourpocket.com/krakow/plac-bawol-3_136577v

This mural by Piotr Janowczyk was installed outside Pub Wręga in autumn of 2015 as part of the Kazimierz Historical Murals (Kazimierskie murale historyczne) project. Featuring five portraits of Polish historical figures – namely, (from left to right) Emperor Józef Hapsburg II, Helena Rubinstein (born in the district), Karol Knaus (local architect, artist and conservator), Esterka (the lover of King Kazimierz the Great), and finally King Kazimierz the Great himself. https://www.inyourpocket.com/krakow/kazimierz-historical-mural_140658v

20sep18 Kraków Poland 🇵🇱

KRAKÓW , POLAND: Niedoskonałość jest doskonała (Imperfection is Perfect)

Published on September 20, 2018September 20, 2018 by jacquelinemhadel5 Comments

*Pierogi ruskie* topped with fried onion (filled with cottage cheese and potatoes)

The Battle of Grunwald, fought between the joint armies of Poland and Lithuania against the Teutonic Knights on July 15, 1410, is considered to be one of the greatest battles ever to take place in medieval Europe. A defining moment in Polish history, the battle was immortalised in Kraków with the unveiling of this weighty monument in front of an estimated 160,000 people on the 500th anniversary of the event in 1910. Antoni Wiwulski’s (1877-1919) original masterpiece was, not surprisingly, destroyed by the occupying Nazis during WWII and the copy that now stands in its place dates from 1976, having been faithfully reproduced using sketches and models of the original. At the top on his horse is the King of Poland Władysław Jagiełło, his sword pointing downwards in his right hand. At the front is his cousin the Lithuanian prince Vytautas (Vitold), who is flanked on either side by victorious soldiers from the joint army. The dead man at the front is Urlich von Jungingen, the Teutonic Order’s Grand Master, who lost his life during the battle. https://www.inyourpocket.com/krakow/grunwald-monument_21891v

**Church of Our Lady Assumed into Heaven** (also known as **Saint Mary’s Church**; Polish: *Kościół Wniebowzięcia Najświętszej Maryi Panny, Kościół Mariacki*) is a Brick Gothic church adjacent to the Main Market Square in Kraków, Poland. Built in the 14th century, its foundations date back to the early 13th century and serve as one of the best examples of Polish Gothic architecture. Standing 80 m (262 ft) tall, it is particularly famous for its wooden altarpiece carved by Veit Stoss *(Wit Stwosz)*.
On every hour, a trumpet signal—called the Hejnał mariacki—is played from the top of the taller of Saint Mary’s two towers. The plaintive tune breaks off in mid-stream, to commemorate the famous 13th century trumpeter, who was shot in the throat while sounding the alarm before the Mongol attack on the city. The noon-time *hejnał* is heard across Poland and abroad broadcast live by the Polish national Radio 1 Station. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St._Mary%27s_Basilica,_Kraków

19sep2018. Krakow, Poland.

DCIM100GOPROG0078819. — **the ever-popular antique horse-drawn carriages that line the market square**

**Adam Mickiewicz Monument** in Kraków, (Polish: *pomnik Adama Mickiewicza w Krakowie*), is one of the best known bronze monuments in Poland, and a favourite meeting place at the Main Market Square in the Old Town (Stare Miasto) district of Kraków.
The statue of Adam Mickiewicz, the greatest Polish Romantic poet of the 19th century, was unveiled on June 16, 1898. (wiki)There’s a fascinating history behind the monument which is as interesting as the statue is recognizable. One of the most curious facts is that Adam Mickiewicz had never actually been to Krakow. His remains arrived to the city posthumously in 1890. This was 35 years after his death in Istanbul in a cholera epidemic in 1855. Meanwhile in the same year, the remains of the poet are put onto a ship, which transports him to France, before finally burying him in Paris. After transporting the remains to Krakow in 1890, the great Pole poet was put to rest in the crypt of the Wawel Cathedral. http://www.absolutetours.com/blog/adam-mickiewicz-monument/

DCIM100GOPROG0028804. DCIM100GOPROG0168828.

ŁÓDŹ , POLAND 🇵🇱: SANDBOX

Published on September 19, 2018 by jacquelinemhadel2 Comments

Józef Pilsudski ~ viewed as a father of the Second Polish Republic re-established in 1918.

Artist: DALeast

Artist: Victor Puzin

18sep18 Lodz, Poland 🇵🇱

ŁÓDŹ (pronounced “WOODGE”), POLAND 🇵🇱: “I AM ANOTHER”

Published on September 17, 2018 by jacquelinemhadel1 Comment

Freedom fighter Tadeusz Kościuszko. Pl. Wolności (Freedom Square.)

WASK.

“I am another.”

“We are under protection, i.e. defenseless.”

Alexander Nevsky Cathedral ~ An Orthodox Church built at the end of the 19th century. The Cathedral was financed by the most prominent factory owners at that time, Karl Scheibler, Izrael Poznanski and Luliusz Kunitzer (none of whom were actually Orthodox Christians), to celebrate the miraculous survival of Russian Emperor Alexander II from an assassination attempt in 1879. (Poland was a part of Russia at the time). https://theculturetrip.com/europe/poland/articles/the-top-10-things-to-do-and-see-in-lodz/

16sep18. Lodz, Poland 🇵🇱

WARSAW, POLAND 🇵🇱: THE “ANCHOR”

Published on September 16, 2018 by jacquelinemhadel7 Comments

The anchor emblem seen on walls throughout the city, indicate significant locations for the Uprising of 1944. More information below the next photo.

So what does an anchor have to do with fighting Nazis? The Kotwica is actually more than an anchor, as the figure is an amalgam of the letters P and W, which take on a number of meanings when associated with the Polish Home Army’s (AK) fight to retake Warsaw. Starting in 1942, members of the Polish underground “Wawer Minor” sabotage unit started using “PW” to signify “Pomścimy Wawer” (“We Shall Avenge Wawer”). The Wawer Massacre of December 26-27, 1939 was one of the first massacres of Poles in occupied Poland, and its memory fueled the opposition in Warsaw. The meaning of “PW” was soon expanded to include “Polska Walcząca” (“Fighting Poland”).

“PW” increasingly appeared in the city as a “signature” on acts of resistance and sabotage; and in 1942 the AK put out a call to design an emblem that could be easily printed. A design that combined the P and W into an anchor – the Kotwica – was submitted by Anna Smoleńska (code name “Hania”) and was chosen as the symbol of the underground. Smoleńska, an art history student at the underground University of Warsaw, was arrested in November of 1942 and died in Auschwitz in March 1943 at the age of 23. Thought she did not live to see an independent Warsaw, the symbol she created endured though the war and beyond. https://culture.pl/en/article/decoding-warsaw-a-guide-to-the-citys-sights-and-symbols

Why the “Mermaid of Warsaw?”

One legend claims “long, long ago” two sirens swam from the Atlantic Ocean to the Baltic Sea. One sister stopped in the Danish straits and can to this day be seen by those visiting the port of Copenhagen. The other sister (clearly the one with more discerning taste) kept swimming until she reached Gdansk, where she then turned to follow the Wisla into the heart of Poland. Reaching what is today Warsaw, she decided she had found a home and stopped at the shore to rest. It wasn’t long after her arrival that local fishermen began noticing someone was tangling their nets and releasing the fish. Though it meant a loss of livelihood, the fishermen were so enchanted by the siren’s song that they never caught her. That is, until a wealthy merchant realized he could make a profit showing off the siren at fairs. He captured the Wisla siren and locked her away in a shed. The siren’s plaintive cries were heard by a young farmhand, who with the help of his friends, returned her to the river. Grateful to her rescuers, the siren vowed to help them in times of need. The siren of Warsaw is thus armed, waiting with sword and shield to make good on her promise and defend the city.

A second tale again highlights the mermaid as the armed defender of the city, though with a different origin story. This one claims that “in ancient times” a griffin defended the city. The griffin would often accompany local fishermen to the Baltic, and on one such journey he spotted a mermaid. It was love at first sight, and the mythical pair returned to live happily in Warsaw – until the griffin was mortally wounded during the Swedish invasion. As the siege of Warsaw raged around her, the mermaid picked up the arms of her dying lover and joined the defense of the city. In gratitude of her service and sacrifice, the people of Warsaw honored her by placing her image on the city’s coat of arms. https://culture.pl/en/article/decoding-warsaw-a-guide-to-the-citys-sights-and-symbols

Warsaw Spire.

Sigismund’s Column (Polish: Kolumna Zygmunta), originally erected in 1644, is located in Castle Square, Warsaw, Poland and is one of Warsaw‘s most famous landmarks. The column and statue commemorate King Sigismund III Vasa, who in 1596 had moved Poland‘s capital from Kraków to Warsaw.(Wiki)

Presidential Palace. Construction started in 1643. Bertel Thorvaldsen‘s statue of Prince Józef Poniatowski in front.

The Royal Castle in Warsaw (Polish: Zamek Królewski w Warszawie) is a castle residency that formerly served throughout the centuries as the official residence of the Polish monarchs. It is located in the Castle Square, at the entrance to the Warsaw Old Town. The personal offices of the king and the administrative offices of the Royal Court of Poland were located there from the sixteenth century until the Partitions of Poland.(Wiki)

The Stadium.

Old Town.

13-15sep18. Warsaw Poland 🇵🇱

WARSAW , POLAND STREET ART & GRAFFITI: “REWOLUCJA”

Published on September 15, 2018 by jacquelinemhadel1 Comment

Artist Michal Warecki

Kamienico = “My Little House.”

Revolution

14sep18 Warsaw, Poland 🇵🇱

WARSAW , POLAND 🇵🇱: DUSZA POLSKI

Published on September 15, 2018 by jacquelinemhadel4 Comments

The Soul of Poland is indestructible (Dusza Polski jest niezniszczalna.)

A display in a bookshop window.

A man descends into the underground Metro after work.

A group stops by one of the dozen or so benches in the city that play Chopin music 🎵 🎼 for passersby.

Mały Powstaniec (the “Little Insurrectionist”) is a statue in commemoration of the child soldiers who fought and died during the Warsaw Uprising of 1944. It is located on Podwale Street, next to the ramparts of Warsaw’s Old Town. The statue is of a young boy wearing a helmet too large for his head and holding a submachine gun. It is reputed to be of a fighter who went by the pseudonym of “Antek”, and was killed on 8 August 1944 at the age of 13. The helmet and submachine gun are stylized after German equipment, which was captured during the uprising and used by the resistance fighters against the occupying forces. (Wiki)