Wawel in Krakow

Some history

The history of Cracow was bound by a lot of hundreds of years with the power that is  this history constituted the residence of the Polish kings as the capital city of the state. The first mentions of the city are dating as far back as the end of the X century although tracks of earlier settlements on this area are far older. From 1000 in Cracow a bishopric functioned and for decades on the throne of Wawel Wladyslaw Lokietek, Kazimierz Wielki or Zygmunt I seated. Here coronations took place in the castle chapel, here from the initiative of the king Kazimierz III an Academy of Crakow came into existence, one of the oldest colleges in the country. Here a famous bell “Zygmunt” was smelted, a Mariacki Church was built, in which Wit Stwosz put his famous altar. In Cracow Draper’s hall came into existence burnt and rebuilt in the middle of the XVI century. Here numerous orders finally stayed, including Jesuits and Observants. Cracow was a capital city of Poland to the beginning of the XVII century when a king Zygmunt III unofficially moved it to Warsaw changing the place of the permanent stay simultaneous.

Monuments

The Mariacki Church

Cracow is above all a city of churches. In very city is its over 120 and a majority is historic buildings, having hundreds of years. Apart from the Mariacki Church on the Main Market XIV centuries buildings are enrapturing, Church of the Corpus Christi, St Katherine’s Alexandrine Church, St Margaret’s Church, St Waclaw’s Cathedral and St Stanislaw Church, the row of churches from the XI century and of the ones older, already after moving the capital city. Very city centre is of course the most important and biggest square i.e. a Main Market. Here it is possible to admire the famous Draper’s hall, the Mariacki Church, the town hall tower, St Wojciech’s church and about 40 medieval tenements. A Draper’s halls are deserving the special attention as they were the first in the history of the city of the centre commercial. The name derives from cloth, built at Wladyslaw’s Wstydliwy recommendation as the row of stone separated structures stalls with small streets. The object gained the today’s form after the reconstruction in the XVI century and the contemporary architect granted the more artistic appearance him adding the arcade attic and mascarons. A Short Market is supplementing the main square of Cracow with the row of historic buildings. Remains of fortifications are still surrounding the city, which the Barbican is seen amongst. There is an also famous Florianska Gate and a few kept towers.

Cracow Course of Technology

Cracow also offers to its guests only meeting the history of the development in Poland by the possibility techniques from different fields, so as the fire brigade, the gas industry, the electrification, the communication or construction of bridges. The Cracow Course of Technology includes 16 situated in the dense city centre and neighbourhood close to it, standing out on account of their exceptional historical and architectural meaning objects. The majority of these objects were built at the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries but apart from architectural advantages he has also museum sets allowing for making themselves acquainted with contemporary technicians. The trail includes such objects, as: a railway station, the Factory of Schindler, the foothill power station, the urban gasworks, bridges Podgorski and Pilsudski, the railroad flyover by Gorzecka, watchtowers firefighting, the power station of the urban theatre, the road culvert, the Zieleniewski Smithy, the Cracow power station, the historic tram depot, Wislana Boulevards, the Brewery of the Gotzow family and a few different.

Parks and gardens

Barbican

There are municipal parks in Cracow like in every bigger city, but with the one which peculiarly is not only in Poland known there is a Cracow Green Belt. It is urban park in Cracow surrounding the old town, coming into existence in years 1822-1830. The Green Belt came into existence on the place of fortifications surrounding the city: of curtain walls and the moat laid on their outskirts and earth embankments. Outside the city centre two different known and popular parks are: the Park of Pilots of Poland and the Jordan Park. In both playgrounds, bicycle lanes and for rollerbladers are found. Also a special Garden of Experience is situated in a Park of Pilots where is taking place experimental of fixing. Next with ornament of the Jordan Park is a little pond, after which it is possible to sail boat and a bandstand. In Cracow it isn’t possible to forget theses about Vistula river common lands and about gardens botanical and zoological.

Different attractions

A Cracow Aqueous Park is opening its doors to tourists and the inhabitants craving for the relaxation. Three swimming pools are in it about the surface of 2 thousand square metres what is classifying the park on the top one spot in the country. Additional aqueous attractions there is a plenty, including different positions of the hydromassage the jacuzzi, the rapid river, counter-currents or saunas. There are also places for practising water sports: of the basketball, the volleyball and the water polo, as well as rainbow footpath to walking after water and of course as many as 8 different slides. Something will also be found for lovers of the shopping. Cracow is abounding with galleries and shopping centres, and to most well-known it is possible to rank Bonarka the Gallery of Crakow, in which about 270 commercial-culinary points were opened and cinemas also.

Weekday of the city

For tourists of Cracow it is the city full of the attraction. Here hundreds of trips are winding on and the hubbub of amused visitors sounds on the market. Around is a lot of cafés and small shops with souvenirs. A little bit differently Cracow small streets look. Narrow, classical, developed with old tenements, in which it is possible to find both artistic galleries and modern shops. There are many restaurants here and extremely popular Wierzynek. Names of streets still are referring to historical times and around it is possible to come across a lot of guild signs, such symbols typical for the city. For the ones which value the peace walks remain on the Vistula or voyage on pleasure craft. It is possible also to sit down on the bench amongst luxuriant green and from a distance to enjoy a panorama of the city.

Polish sausage

Polish sausage and the ham

Ham with the bone and home-made sausage became the specific symbol of the Polish cuisine. This association remained from times when on our land the processing took place with family way, and the wealth of the game in our forests was so large that the game became the base foods. Of course cows, hens and sheep were being bred, but mainly for the milk or eggs, and they were feeding on quail, the venison, the game or the leporine meat. After the war, when processing in Poland than looked on average, and in shops liver sausages, black puddings were basic products and farmers alone to own needs bred brawns pigs and from time to time, mainly in the pre-Christmas period they were making slaughter, and the country specialist prepared sausages. Home products, at first pickled in brine, but then smoked in the home smoking chamber in the smoke of cherry wood became the climax of every wedding. Today they are trying to imitate those products creating different imitations “country” whether “from the barrel”, but in them this primitive taste and the aroma of the juniper are missing. Theses of the view of the coal stove and, very well fumigated, and large tethers hanging above it of sausages are missing few kilogram’s of hams with the bone, dried above the warm stove which then the master of the house cut with the large sharp knife into fat, juicy surrounded with layer of fat slices. Today it is possible to buy such a ham already but for the order and isn’t similar for the traditional country production.

Country lard

Polish ham

For the foreigner the view of the Pole eating bread spread thickly with the lard can be a little bit unappealing. Even in our culture and experience associating bread and the pork fat is connected with an exceptional poverty, times of the war when such products were luxury, especially for our eastern neighbours. In fact one of the most useless parts of the pork corpulence turned out to be the Polish delicacy which today is being served even on luxury banquettes on the so-called Polish table where not been missing of pickled cucumbers and fresh country bread. In Czech mountains behind the border with Poland it is possible to come across highland women who on makeshift stalls are selling farmhouse bread with the home-made lard and cucumbers from the stone pot. These delicacies are enjoying considerable popularity really. However the condition is so that the lard will be home-made. The real pork or lard cut into the fat bone, smelted on the fire with the addition of onion, the garlic, the apple or different additions according to the recognition and regional customs. Bread with the lard and crackling is tasting very well even with for richest.

Dark bread, lard, pickled cucumber - Polish delicacy

Cucumbers and the sauerkraut

Silages are a Slav delicacy and not only in Poland, but also at our eastern neighbours preserves of this type are being eaten, however in the West such dishes are being negated and about Polish silages are saying that we are eating it, what is spoiled. However nobody is checking what wealth of nutritients the pickled cabbage is and what transformation at first the worthless pickled cucumber is experiencing. The custom of pickling is coming in our country from old times and it is method of preserving the food. Appropriately prepared and kept silages can keep even a year waiting without the change of value. The sauerkraut in some regions is base of the most important dishes. She is well-known in the form of the Old Polish stewed dish made of sauerkraut and mushrooms and famous highland kwasnica, which foreign tourists are going down to. Next cucumbers are being eaten to bread, cold cooked meats as the taste addition, the starter, or is preparing around of them soup and salads. Pickled cucumbers are a base of many dishes giving them a lot of the expressive, slightly tart taste. Pickling best out in barrels, with the addition of the considerable amount of the salt and of appropriate spices. To cucumbers a dill and a horseradish are compulsory, they sometimes in older traditional regulations give the list theses oaken.

Mulled wine

Mulled wine zbojnicki

The mulled wine is compulsory drink served in highland bars, inns or in shepherd’s huts into cool autumn evenings. With heating is supposed to heat up, rally Highlanders which are wandering in winter on the Tatra mountain whether Karkonosze are heating up with such drink which prevents colds. And all at the same time deciding is making feel better. Tradition of drinking the mulled wine and the beer with dried fruits, seasoned with honey and spices still appeared for Poland of a gentleman up to the end of XVI century that is in Marcin’s from Urzedow times – of the doctor, the herbalist and the author “Polish armorial” from 1595. This contemporary physician recommended drinking the mulled wine for the warm-up and for strengthening the organism.

Dishes for mulled wine

Ways to the mulled wine

Today the mulled wine which is forming a relationship with the highland bonfire is also turning up at different varieties and it is being prepared not only of the wine but also of the beer. Every region has its way to the mulled wine, after all classical highland is prepared from 3/4 litre of sweet vine, a 1/2 litre of the bright beer, 30 ml of the rum, 1/2 spoonful of the vanilla sugar, 3-4 carnations. Preparing the mulled wine requires meeting a few conditions. One isn’t allowed to cook mulled wines! They are being heated to the temperature of 140-176 degrees of Fahrenheit (60-80 C. degrees). As the high-grade addition they can serve: vodka, cognac, the rum, grape brandy. It’s good at first to connect nonalcoholic products (spices), and later to add them to the wine. Best “heater” is a ginger but also a cinnamon, a nutmeg or even a black pepper are being added to different versions. Also are being prepared versions with honey, of very wine or of very beer.

Smoked ewe’s milk cheese made in the Tatra Mountains

Smoked ewe's milk cheese

There is probably no more characteristic of Highlanders and more Polish product, than the smoked ewe’s milk cheese made in the Tatra Mountains. This characteristic cheese of the sheep’s milk has not only a unique taste but also the special shape which lets recognize it without the thought. Podhale is a kingdom of the smoked ewe’s milk cheese made in the Tatra Mountains. In 2005 the smoked ewe’s milk cheese made in the Tatra Mountains was entered on the List of Traditional Products in the category cheeses. Unfortunately of the ones “real” of smoked ewe’s milk cheese made in the Tatra Mountainses is less and less, on account of the entire ceremony of preparing them and sheep, of which breeding also stopped being profitable. The smoked ewe’s milk cheese made in the Tatra Mountains is a hard, smoked sheep’s milk cheese prepared of the salty milk what the specific taste is granting it and is making with regional delicacy. The sheep’s milk cheese belongs to eternal regional products, its history dates back to over five hundred years. He arrived at Podhale together with Vlach shepards, wandering through the Carpatian, towards the end of the fifteenth century.

The form of the sheep's cheese

Manufacturing of smoked ewe’s milk cheese made in the Tatra Mountains

The production of the smoked ewe’s milk cheese made in the Tatra Mountains is being started from milking sheep. It is becoming on the hall and at once the fresh milk is straining through linen. Guarding the fixed temperature is necessary (30-40 degrees of Celsius). A special rennet is being put into the milk and then a half an hour is mixing up. The white in the milk is setting creating compact mass. This mass is being broken to pieces with stick, is brewing with water and when mass will settle is conned with ladle portions and is impressing in the characteristic spindle-like form. Cheese is taking a bath in brine for twenty-four hours so that kill bacteria and take water out of mass. Next cheese is resting week beneath the ceiling and is being subjected to smoking. It is possible to eat ready cheese on its own or to prepare different dishes of it. From the beginning of the February of 2007, the smoked ewe’s milk cheese made in the Tatra Mountains became the product of the European Union and Poland became its formal producer. Calculations are showing that the smoked ewe’s milk cheese made in the Tatra Mountains can become the very precious regional product because its amounts is more or less 700 thousand pieces in the season, lasting since May till the October.

Birth of the hospitality

Birth of the tradition

On any pretext  old wealthy noblemen ordered to kill piglets or the game on which then they were feeding, they filled honey up and they banqueted to fallen even for a few days. Conditions which ruled then, great distances between small manor houses, arduous travels required accepting passengers in houses and since Poles liked to banquet and to play, every such passing visit became the pretext to the food, drinking and listening to music. Poland doesn’t belong to countries about the hot climate, and winter gusty weathers and wild animals also ordered to give shelter to passengers. Normal boredom was still a different reason. Poland then abounded in game as well as it didn’t sort the food, the gentry bored the rally oneself sitting a long way from the rich world and living from day to day. Guests from world constituted perfect variety. A little bit differently it was in villages, where riches it was rather hard to search but also there peasants up to the roof accepted grandfathers roaming around and they gave as far as possible them the bowl of warm soup.

Bread and salt - the hospitality symbols

Polish honour

It is hard to say what the most decided the profusion of the good that every transient guest was being given out but probably an honour of a gentleman played a significant role. Every guest had to be so invited that for ages he remembered the visit in the small manor house. Tables had to bow under the weight of the food. On arriving into thresholds of a gentleman at least a few species of the grapevine have always waited. If the host wouldn’t treat to his best alcoholic beverages, and what’s more in a few kinds, they would have recognised it as too despicable taking the person had staying. This cramming the table remained in our tradition to today, and principle “cram oneself and put” is functioning still in our houses.

Heavily laden table is a sign of hospitality for the Poles

World on the run

The reality of the today’s life changed much. Few is already working from 7 to 15, and in pursuit of money and any relative prosperity everyone is taking on the work beyond the norm, often with cost of contacts with the family and familiar. Moreover the development of television techniques, the telecommunications, modern home cinemas cause that contacts are still more being limited. In spite of this running in contemporary world we are still finding the time for shared festive meetings with the family, still we are celebrating anniversaries, the name day, the birthday and jubilees, and for more play, eating and drinking, all the better and all the better then play.

Highlanders are particularly hospitable

Polish hospitality and Europeans

Poles have the tolerance and the hospitality in blood and there is probably no second country on the continent where it is so easy to become assimilated with the local population. Outside few regions about the dense, separate and unavailable even to countrymen culture foreigners are always welcome. In Polish reality nobody will suggest coming across in the café, not even the hotel accommodation but he will invite to home, he will put suppers and he will still give the own bed back. The foreigner in our country is feeling at home. Nobody is looking around for him in the street and Russians settling at us, Dutchmen, Italians, Englishmen, Scotsmen, Danes, Czechs or Germany quickly will recognize Poland as the adopted country.

Amber

Origin

Little is things this way inseparably forming a relationship with as Polish as Baltic amber. He rose as a result of getting out resins from hurt trees, which subjected by millennia to geological processes hardened assuming the today’s capacity. Researchers think even that for them more the tree was mutilated the more secreted resin.  Was it a natural reaction, a defence from outside vermin, but we associate it with making inflicted wounds bleed for plant. For this reason amber is regarded sometimes as blood or tears. Baltic amber, determined also as Baltic gold has about 40 million years and originates from the period of the Tertiary. Today they are fossil deposits of amber extracted mainly to needs of the jewellery and some branches of industry. Peculiarly stones, in which had hardened some insect or the fragment of the plant are highly valued.

Occuring

Amber is appearing not only in Poland but this our native variety concentrated mainly on the coast of the Baltic. At present four main deposits of amber are localised. A probably the oldest is exhausted mine in Mozdzanow in surroundings of Slupsk. It is possible to find the next deposit at the base of the Hel Sandbar, in surroundings of the The Vistula’s Sandbar and the Gdansk Bay, on the part of the Mazovia region of Poland and in surroundings of Lubartow.

Amber chess

Miraculous properties of amber

Amber is substance compound of many minerals therefore it is hard explicitly to determine its properties. To the plus it deserves to rank the fact that easily he is undergoing processing, however he is relatively not very plastic, and heated to the high temperature in the violent way is breaking into pieces. Slow heating is granting plasticities him – in temperature of 150 degree of Celsius, and is melting in 350 degrees of Celsius. He is pleasant to the touch, lightly warmed he smells and is picking up static attracting paper. Before exactly this way with family way its authenticity was being tested. Thanks to saturating with different dyes it is possible to change theses colour of amber, it is possible to purify it and to subject to pressing.

Amber in the jewellery

Amber in the jewellery

Jantar belongs to the most characteristic gemstones in the Polish adornment. On account of the easiness of shaping and very limited range of appearing a long time ago belonged to extremely valued. The best example of it was unusual appreciating so-called ambergris in Italian which is determining exactly amber. Ornaments and amulets were being manufactured from it already in the paleolithic and in the period of ancient Rome he was so valued that thanks to it a famous amber trade route came into existence, leading through Europe to the Baltic in quest amber. The biggest known lump weighing 9.75 kg was found in 1860 in surroundings of the Stone of Pomorski. Apart from jewellery utilitarian articles were made, was also being applied in medicine, as the healing stone and in the cosmetic industry.

Amber Chamber

Amber Chamber

Polish Amber in Europe not only became famous in thanks of the production of the jewellery and utilitarian articles, but above all rendered famous to Amber Chamber. Was ordered by Fryderyk Hohenzollern I in 1701 at Gdansk jeweller’s champions, and constituted complete laying out one of palace chambers. Works lasted for eleven years. Work was impressive: walls of the room about 10,5×11,5 m. covered precisely slices of amber. The chamber unfortunately was being stolen by Germans during the II World War and to today wasn’t found. Constitutes the synonym of the missing treasure.

PLL LOT

Coming into existence

Day of official establishing the today’s company named a Polish airline LOT is it 1 January 1929. It isn’t day of functioning of an airline in Poland generally speaking, because earlier they existed under different name and with different board of directors. LOT started writing his story with aeroplanes Junkers F 13 and Fokker, having 21 machines. In world then was a world organization consisting of international carriers named IATA which at present is consisting already 230 countries. The first flights took place to Bucharest and a few years later started flights to Helsinki, Beirut and the Athens. Still before the war LOT had been equipped with Polish aeroplanes PWS-24.

Boeing 737-400 in PL LOT

Post-war years

In post-war years like in the majority of fields of the Polish economy the same way here was noticeable cooperation with the ZSRR. An equipment of LOT into aeroplanes of the Soviet production was an example of this relation. Iliuszyn aeroplanes, Antonow and Tupolew were the machines of the haulier however which represented so high class of machines that LOT could start voyages for the ocean, to New York and Montreal. In 1989 for the first time in LOT a Boeing turned up with which the company is bound so far. 1992 was an important change in the structure of the company which was transformed into a joint-stock company. The last year of the 20th century were first Brazilian Embrasers, flying at present on the most important routes.

Krakow-Balice

PLL LOT at present

Polish Airlines LOT it is today a joint-stock company with the seed capital amounting to about 448 million of zlotys. At present 55 machines belong to the company, and next 9 are at the stage of the purchase. At present the company is employing 3100 persons and he is operating on 92 routes from Poland. An Airport of Chopin in Warsaw on Okecie is a main and the most important. Apart from that LOT administers 5 different main airports: Krakow-Balice, Katowice-Pyrzowice, Poznan-Lawica, Gdansk-Rebiechowo and Wroclaw-Starachowice. As part of the company two lower organizational existed, being independent companies from one side, on the other remaining dependent from LOT. They are EuroLOT – still functioning, and Centralwings, closed down in 2009.

Connections and aeroplanes

LOT planes are flying today in different directions in world and essentially the company carried out about 100 permanent scheduled connections. The part from them was closed down, in the majority to countries of the Arabian Peninsula, and part of European flights. They are being planned connecting to the Beijing and Tokyo. Polish airlines have agreements with such hauliers (not counting an airline in as part of the alliance with Star Alliance) like among others Aeroflot, Belavia, Bulgaria Air, Tarom or Luxair. At present the PLL LOT fleet is using machines of the type Boeing 737 (models 300, 400, 500), Embraer E-170 and E-175. 23 November 2011 introduced the first aeroplane to LOT in the new painting, designed by Jacek Bonczka.

The Kabacki Forest - aeroplane crash place

Flying accidents

How in every case of the great and functioning for decades haulier this way and here it could not be without flying accidents. In history of LOT a few of them were, but for biggest and most tragic a disaster which happened is that in the Kabacki Forest on 9 of May of 1989. An Ił-62M aeroplane crashed “Tadeusz Kosciuszko” flying from New York to Warsaw. As a result of the failure of engines while coming in to land the aeroplane crashed causing the death of 172 passengers and 11 members of crew. Was also an accident of the aeroplane “Mikolaj Kopernik” in 1980, in which 77 persons and 10 members of crew died in Okecie.

Polish glider Nimbus-3T

Beginnings

Akar was the first completely Polish glider which came into existence in 1922 by an amateur Adam Karpinski but the structural success was so big that the glider got the two top places in the gliding competition a year later. Before the war a PWS-101 came into existence, equally good. The war didn’t let for creating new plans therefore an Institute of the Gliding was next in Bielsko-Biala which worked from ending the war. The first Polish IS-1 Vulture was an effect of the production. A year later came into existence IS-1 Salamander which was the first glider produced on a large scale for training flights. Right away after the war also high-performance gliders came into existence: Wasps, Flies and Swallows which won a medal and beat records. The swallow got the as many as 17 world records.

The most well-known Polish gliders

SZD-24

Vulture – came into existence after the war and as the first Polish product let show Polish on the international arena. With one’s possibilities equalled foreign gliders. Was entered on professions competitions in Semadan in 1947. IS-4 Hawk – came into existence in 1948-49. He had the unusually high endurance and the unrestricted maximum speed. SZD-9 a Stork is the first two-seater glider, constructed and well versed in 1952. At first he was a competitive aeroplane. Later he was destined for training flights and in this role he stays to today. Next feat of Polish inventors, is two-seater school glider the Heron SZD-10 and SZD-12 Fly 100. Both came into existence a year later than the recalled Stork. Next changes were provoked by the Glider world championships, played in Leszno in 1958. Then Zephyr series came into existence, destined for competitive flights. 60s are SZD-24 Foresail which thanks to the aerodynamic correctness became the best glider of world. After them was already only better. Were coming into existence next gliders of the class Kobuz, Jantar, Cobra, Orion.

PW-6U

The present

Today’s Polish gliders belong to the first-class construction and a fact can attest to it that in the case of some models is exporting even a 90% of produced products. For example MDM-1 Fox, the two-man destined for acrobatic flights, presented for the first time on mastery in Netherlands glider are meriting attention. The aeroplane twice got the world championships and once time of Europe as well as once the vice-championship of world and two times of Europe. He achieved success almost every year. Units in Jezow produce a few types of gliders PW-5 Nipper and PW-6U.

Production

The plum vodka is the regional product

The process of the production of the plum vodka is unusually simple and it is possible to make it even with family way, and even though theoretically it is over-the-counter, authorities don’t make more attempts for fighting the practice. Every home “manufacturing company” it is a different kind of the final effect therefore the Polish plum vodka has a lot of varieties and hardly ever isn’t tasting the same. How the name is pointing the base of production are plums from species of the purple plum tree. As to the fermentation a sugar is essential, these fruits just provide with it the most. The classical plum vodka should not contain additives of different, sweeter fruits but the contemporary production is putting completely different requirements and adding mirabelle plums or the sugar is a standard.

Kinds

Kinds of the plum vodka depend above all on it, to what extent mature and where plums were gathered. Is the taste a next determinant “aiding” with such additions, as the sugar. Plums can be creased to the fermentation with stones, and then the final product is gaining the characteristic aftertaste. Another factor making different these products, it is the alcoholic strength. Can be there from 60% up to the 80% what is very much with high contents, like to the bottled alcoholic beverage. Among others our Polish plum vodka of Lacka has such a power.

Plum vodka is made from very ripe plums

The plum vodka at all isn’t sweet as if an initial product pointed at it. Sugar contained in ripe plums is fermenting giving the high alcoholic strength. The taste is lightly fruit, but only as marking rather than the predominant feature. The addition of stones to the mash for connoisseurs will be perceptible as the faint smell of almonds. The alcoholic beverage has a lot of colours, having begun from quite white for amber, on the way with different shades of green.

Plum vodka in Poland

Unusual the titbit connected with this alcoholic beverage is fact that was recognized by a conservation officer for the incorporeal good of the Polish culture. It means that it is so inseparably tied around with our culture folk that should be legalized. Unfortunately still it is happening illegally. The production is also connected with the Nowy Sacz region and local villages. The production is usually secret of the family, and it is being passed on from the generation to the generation for over 300 years. Beyond this home-made, regional plum vodka Jewish Paschal plum vodka is also officially produced with the rich plum aroma, the bright-yellow colour and with the specific, characteristic of plum vodkas taste.

Plum Vodka of Lacka

Plum vodka of Lacka

This Polish kind is an only official Polish alcoholic beverage of plums although doesn’t have the tax stamp. Is produced in surroundings of Nowy Sacz by the company about similar name. The plum vodka of Lacka is regarded by some people as the best product in one’s class and receives world awards for the quality in the class of plum vodkas. The fact that can be produced, at least officially doesn’t have the permission owes to only his popularity in world. It is specific social agreement between the producer and authorities that is why we can be vaunt about such a product.

Bison Grass

Vodka is coming into existence on Bialystok areas for centuries. For its beginnings are dating back to the XIV century when through areas ran important commercial trails from the east to west. Travelling that way merchants tasted the local alcoholic beverage and they spread it in entire Europe. Above all a Lvov distiller J. A. Baczewski propagated it.

Forging Bison Brand Vodka wasn’t possible because of it that it was arising on the basis of exceptional, very aromatic grass growing on the area of the Bialowieza Forest. Grass is calling Hierochloe odorata and is a favourite delicacy of European bison. For it the interesting aroma and the taste caused that our ancestors had often called it the vanilla or religious grass.

Bison Grass Vodka with apple juice

 Production

Bison Brand Vodka is coming into existence as a result of the clean distillation, beige of no chemical additions. The colour of vodka is yellow but it results from no dyes, and is an effect of soaking in alcohol recalled grass. Is being collected for years at preserving closely determined principles: with early summer, because then is most aromatic, stalks must be of the equal length, the appropriate age and the colour. Chosen copies are dried in the sun, next they are being combined into beams and sends to the distillery. There repeatedly a good quality is being filtered through grass spirit which is gaining the characteristic colour and the pleasant, refreshing smell. Bison Brand Vodka is characterized lightly by a sweet taste and a fantastic aroma which is already hitting after opening the bottle. Not only a note of grass but also thyme and lavender are beating in it.

  Giving

Bison Brand Vodka is rarely drunk in the pure figure. Far a little more often clubs together for drinks of different kind, but an addition of apple juice and ice is a special juxtaposition which very well is being composed with taste and an aroma of vodka. Peculiarly is appreciated as the element of alcoholic cocktails in London, Tokyo and Paris. A lot of from so-called long drinks is created on the basis of this aromatic alcohol. Slices of the green cucumber are being added to the sour cherry, or limonka and obligatorily ice. Also very bottle is meriting attention with vodka. Similarly to the tequila is known from the worm swimming at the bottom, this way blades of grass are plunged in Bison Brand Vodka. It is this way characteristic addition, and to it so decorative that the product is staying remembered forever.

Bison Grass Vodka

 Strength of vodka – strength of the aurochs

With drinking Bison Brand Vodka a legend is connected which is saying that while drinking it the man is gaining the strength of the aurochs. It isn’t groundless view. In fact grass sweetgrass, or differently the sweet grass contains theses substance kumaryna. Kumaryna is involved in chemical associations ring-shaped, and for her eating has stimulating and intensifying properties. Unfortunately in our part of the Bialowieza Forest he is starting sorting the grass, rally the production of vodka is in danger. They at the moment are experimenting with breeding of grass, however it is hard to state whether it will keep its properties supported artificially. Is also a new solution on the market White Sweetgrass subjected to the process of the six-times distillation and only in Poland of the platinum filtration which assures for vodka the perfect cleanness and the gentle taste.

Piotrkowska Street

At first created the main communications route and with time changed into the pride of the city. Architecture of Piotrkowska and all buildings being situated in its vicinity are creating the peculiar atmosphere about cultural character. In 1990 the street was subjected to the revitalization and they turned into the promenade which the Gallery of Great Inhabitants of Łodz is situated on (commemorating sculptures made in bronze of known Inhabitants of Łodz) and Avenue of Stars (created to the Hollywood pattern). On Piotrkowska Street many beautiful, historic Art Nouveau tenements survived among others tenement Scheibler, of Dawid Szmulewicz, Schychta and many others. Apart from that palace of Maksymilian Goldfeder (1889), the neo-Renaissance Palace of Julius Heinzl of the around 1882, the Palace of Julius Kindermanna of the around 1907 or a metropolitan cathedral of St Stanislaw Kostka from the end of XIX century.

Town hall

 Town hall

Urban town hall in Lodz built in 1827 according to the project of Bonifacy Witkowski is being found in the Wolnosc Square at the north mouth of Piotrkowska Street. Is an oldest and most treasured monument of classical architecture in Lodz. The town hall was one of the first objects built in the city, has the rather small turret, on the peak which the clock and the belfry are situated for. The clock gave the manufacturer Karol Schlosser from Ozorkow in 1834. A small church turret is crowning the top of the tower so-called little bell. Today in the town hall a seat of the State Archive is. Near the town hall the neo-Renaissance The Holy Trinity Church is rising from 1827 and the monument of Tadeusz Kosciuszko from 1930.

Palaces of the family Poznan

Palaces of the family Poznan are a typical example of residential architecture, into composition which are accessing:
* Palace of Israel Poznanski from 1877 repeatedly converted in the style of the French neorenaissance and neobaroque, named “Louvre of Lodz” which at present the Museum of History of the City of Lodz is located;

Palace of Israel Poznanski

* the neo-Renaissance Palace of Maurycy Poznanski from 1896 designed by Adolf Zeligson to the pattern of palace buildings in Venice, at present is functioning in it Museum of the Art;
* neo-Renaissance Palace of Karol Poznanski built in 1904 had formal character with the inner lives full of the splendour, today a music academy is located in it.

Priestly Mill

Factory-residential teams in Lodz 

Factory-residential teams in Lodz being a unique today on a world scale are an excellent example of the XIX century industrial architecture. They belong to most interesting, historic industrial buildings of Lodz:
* classical factory object Kopischa Bielnik built in 1825 in the shape of the small manor house of a gentleman where at first were located – starch, bielnik, place where linen is pressed and folusz. In 1828 the building took over the Tytus Kopish creating one of larger linen units in the Kingdom, in consecutive years by the factory was built dwelling house;
* Factory of Markus Silberstein at Piotrkowska Street came into existence in 1896 according to the project of Adolf Zeligson, is being edited to the fortified building;

The White Factory

* a White Factory of Ludwik Geyer from 1835 is classical complex modeled on residential buildings, in which for the first time on the area of the Congress Kingdom of Poland established in 1815 at the Congress of Vienna a steam engine was applied;

* the so-called Priestly Mill i.e. the complex of textile factories of Karol Scheibler from 1855-1914, supplemented with time with palace residences. The priestly Mill, as complex written down to a list of vintage buildings and for a few years efforts are being made so that it hits to the list of the World Legacy UNESCO

Villas and palaces

Up till today in Lodz it is possible to see over 200 industrial baron’s residences. Ancient palaces are seats of the most important Lodz offices, the institution, museums; they are still enrapturing with the splendour and insides astonish them with diversity of forms. It is worthwhile going for a walk with trail “Villas and palaces”, to move into times “Of promised land” and anew to discover the hidden beauty of the city.

Great Theatre

Great Theatre

In the building at the square of Dabrowski Street the Theatre inaugurated his activity in 19 January 1967. Stanislaw Piotrowski was the first chief executive, and with artistic director Prof. Zygmunt Latoszewski. From the beginning of its being the Great Theatre in Lodz is an organizer and a place of the international festival – Lodz Ballet Meetings, in which the most outstanding ballet companies took the participation from entire world, and among them among others: Ballet of the 20th century of Maurice Bejarta, Nederlands Dans Theater, Sadler’s Royal Ballet Wells, Ballet Rambert, the Nacional Ballet de Cuba of Alicja Alonso, Batsheva for Danka Company, Cullberg Ballet, Elisa Monte for Danka Company, Sanki-Petersburski Theatre of the Ballet of Borys Ejfmana, Ballett of the John Neumeiera. Lodz Ballet Meetings take place every two years.

Manufacture

Manufacture

Manufacture – one of the largest commercial-service-light centres in Poland and one from biggest in Centre Europe. Located is in Lodz, between the Zachodni Street, Garden Street, Drewnowska Street and the street of Karski. Opening followed of 17 May 2006, after five years of working the project out and almost four years of renovation. The surface area of the entire centre amounts to 27 ha (including 9 ha of the surface after the modernization and 9.5 ha of the floor surface newly built). The centre came into existence on areas of the ancient factory of Israel Poznanski in Lodz, of one of the biggest Lodz manufacturers. Parcels purchased Poznanski in 1871 on the western side of new town, along the Ogrodowa Street. By the end of the 19th century almost 30 ha complex on which weaving milles, the spinning mill were situated came into existence bielnik and finish, the dyeworks, the printing house of fabrics, the unit of repair and mechanical engineerings, the ironworks, the foundry and the locomotive shed, the gasworks, an engine house, magazines, the railroad siding and the factory currency exchange, the palace of the manufacturer and residential buildings for workers. The production in the factory wasn’t on the principle of the dividing up of work, so it isn’t possible to recognize it as the manufacture.