Pol-Shorpy Photo Thread

I think the place is marvelous. I don't get the criticisms. It has taste, elegance, symbolism, and that element that any Cathedral/Basilica is meant to have: it inspires awe-it allows the worshipper to sense his smallness and the grandeur and beauty of God. I highly recommend it.

No, but I read several articles about it in "Przegląd prawosławny" of which I am a faithful subscriber - there is something charming and familiar about Orthodox Christianity, and I hope that one day we will be united again.

Grabarka is definitely on my list of places to visit.


AntV, the most Polish of all Americans! Come here, let me virtually hug you. *hugs Anti*

I quite like the fact that in religion there are both differences and unity. A mirror of humanity.

Grabarka is well worth a visit; it is a special place. I've been a few times and always notice the Orthodox ladies with black headscarves who go there (usually alone) on foot.

We are in the midst of the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity. What a dream fulfilled that'd be.


Come 'ere ya big lug!

Do you also a faithful subscriber of "Przegląd Wędkarski?

Nope.

These days it's only: Myśl Polska, Gość Niedzielny (edycja gdańska), Niedziela, Do Rzeczy, and Przegląd Prawosławny in subscription.

Plus every second/third issue of Tygodnik Powszechny, Polityka and Przegląd (as you see I read leftist stuff too, to understand what they're on about).

Unfortunately, all those periodicals have to wait until weekends when I binge read them all, because I don't have time for reading on weekdays (that's why I gave up on daily newspapers - reading Monday issues on Saturday was annoying).

The Money of Kings: 2023

"Gold is money. Everything else is credit", or at least that's what the Governor of Narodowy Bank Polski, professor Adam Glapiński, seems to think. NBP purchased 130 tons of gold in 2023, increasing the Polish central bank's reserves to 358.7 tons (more than Saudi Arabia's, Great Britain's or Spain's). Professor Glapiński seems to have a soft spot for the precious metal, a couple of years earlier - in 2019 - his bank brought 100 tons of Polish gold from England back to Poland.

In the photo we see the governor of Poland's central bank proudly holding a bar of his favourite metal. We may hear about the crafty economist some more in the future as he is preparing to defend his position against the new government... but this should probably be discussed in another thread; Pol-Shorpy is about photos and short descriptions, not about central banks' governors private wars. ;)

... and with the above photo of an interesting (in more than one way) man, Pol-Shorpy will be taking a temporary break caused by certain adverse outward circumstances.

Will you go take a pee? or even poop?

Or not.... What are other decent Poles and Polesses for??? :):):)

1981, open air agro market, photo by Chris Niedenthal. The only fully Polish-made car served multiple purposes, including boot sale of fresh porkers.

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Oh, so that's what you meant when you said you were chauffeured during your communist youth. :)

No, I was chauffered in my childhood, not youth. And in another car! I see you still can`t get over it. hahahaha

Check this exclusive photo of the car and me:

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Very gangster.

Mistake, darling!!! I see you still are troubled with little knowledge about Poland. :):):)
Old communist Warszawa Warsaw car was a copy of Soviet Pobieda Victory which in turn was an indirect copy of American Nash Ambassador Six Sedan 1942

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After graduating from the Wilno Gymnasium, Jozef Pilsudski continued his studies at Kharkov University (medical faculty). Already during his first year there, he was arrested multiple times for participating in revolutionary discussion groups. In 1887, he was finally charged with participating in the planning of the assassination of Emperor Alexander III. However, he was lucky, and he was soon downgraded from a suspect to a witness (still earning 5 years of exile in Siberia). Lenin's older brother Alexander Ulyanov and Pilsudski's older brother, Bronislaw, took part in this conspiracy as well. They were sentenced to death, but the emperor pardoned Bronislaw and replaced his death penalty with 15 years of hard labor on Sakhalin Island. Lenin's brother was, however, executed, and this is when a young Lenin vowed to destroy the Tsar and the Empire.

Below is a Polish produced "brochure", with a translation of his Russian arrest warrant.

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Yes, he could kill but instead pardoned him to 15 years of hard labour. How benevolent!!! hahahaha

Reminds me of current jokes of the he could have killedseries:

The good uncle Stalin works the crowd during a rally. A child runs up to him and calls, "Uncle, give me a candy!" And Stalin says: "Feck off." The final comment: and he could have killed. hahahahaha buhahahaha

1) The Russian and Polish delegations during the first plenary session of the Riga Peace Treaty negotiations in 1921.
2) The Polish delegation
3) Polish wax seal
4) Head of Russian delegation, Adolf Joffe, meets head of Polish delegation, Jan Dombwski.

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A szlachcic could not be made to serve hard labor. He essentially lived as a free man, but on Sakhalin.

More or less like Alien alone on the Moon.

Willkommen zuhause: 2024

Christoph Eschenbach, a celebrated German pianist and conductor, was born in Breslau in 1940 and spent the first five years of his life there. When he was 11 years old his adoptive mother took him to a concert of Berliner Philharmoniker where he saw the great Wilhelm Furtwängler conducting the orchestra. That's when he decided that he will become a conductor himself. Now, over 70 years later, he comes back to his city of birth as the newly appointed artistic director of the Wrocław Philharmonic. Herzlich willkommen zuhause, Herr Direktor!

Wow....that's nice! :)

Man of the East: 1987

"I am a man of the east" - wrote Jerzy Giedroyc (1906-2000) in 1966 - above in a much later photo - to Juliusz Mieroszewski. Giedroyc, an iconic Polish émigré writer, publicist and political activist, was born in Minsk, into a Polish-Lithuanian noble family, with the title of kniaź (prince). Despite being an exile from Kresy, he was one of the first Polish elite members who called for reconciliation with Ukrainians and Lithuanians, and claimed that the former have full right to Lwów and the latter to Wilno. Of course, back then, for Poles in exile, any call for acquiescence in the loss of these two places, so holy to Polish collective memory, was tantamount to blasphemy, and a lot of ferocious criticism was hurled ruthlessly at Giedroyc. He was umoved. Now, almost a quarter of a century after his death, we can properly judge his wisdom. The Prince of Maisons-Laffitte, as he was nicknamed, realised that the better relations and more influence Poland will have in the East, the more important she will be to the West.

It is also worth reminding, especially to the more hate-oriented audience, that Jerzy Giedroyc was never anti-Russian; indeed he was constantly seeking contact and co-operation with the Russian émigré community, and the Literary Institute - founded by Giedroyc - published many books by Russian authors. The "prince" had written in his autobiography: "I was always fascinated by Russian literature. I read almost as much in Russian as I did in Polish, which means quite a lot". He also wrote: "Our leading objective should be the normalisation of Polish-Russian and Polish-German relationships, while at the same time defending the independence of the Ukraine, Byelorussia and the Baltic states, and working with them in close cooperation".

I can think of very few Polish public figures who would see everything through the lens of Poland's best interests but, at the same time, hold the East in such a great affection as Jerzy Giedroyc. Let us remember, therefore, and repeat again after him: Poland's position in the West is dependent on our significance to the East. We cannot be turned into vassals of either Washington, Brussels or Moscow. Poland must conduct her own independent policies to properly play the role appointed to her by God and history.

Too many of those in Poland and not enough politicians with a practical down-to-earth attitude. All big theoretical mouths and little understanding of what is what!

A fascinating guy.


So therefore an actual noble rather just szlachta.


After all, he was a very big name in the Paris diaspora.


An optimistic man.

. Do you know what the real difference was between what you term a noble and szlachta? Money.

Largely yes, that and being ennobled.

You are ignorant about Giedroyć, actually. There weren`t many of his kind at the time. He was a wise man - visionary. He struggled to promote Polish Ukrainian reconciliation and partnership. I have always followed his beliefs.

Since you are the one who says it, nobody believes it.

Nobody means nazio boys like you, so I don`t care. :):):)

Not just money.

If he was a Kniaz, that's a different level entirely.