History / Pol-Shorpy Photo Thread [950]


But loses in terms of cost of living.


Mostly for the low level jobs. However, if you look at jobs like electricians, plumbers or qualified builders - in a city like Gdańsk they are raking it in. It's probably worse in small towns and villages, and definitely much worse when it comes to unqualified labour. As for doctors, engineers, IT specialists, lawyers, architects or business people (from the medium level up) - they definitely don't have to emigrate anymore.


Yes, this could definitely get better, especially in the private sector.

History / Pol-Shorpy Photo Thread [950]


That is absolutely correct. These days young people with good education in most trades can earn very similar money in Poland as they would in the West.

History / Pol-Shorpy Photo Thread [950]

Eastern Mists: 2013

This photo by Krzysztof Masiuk, showing a foggy street in Lublin, was a part of "La Pologne Nocturne" exposition in parisian Roi Doré art gallery.

Here's one more photo of Lublin at night from the same expostition...

Food / Polish Dinner for Boyfriend - what to cook? [34]

Flaki and tatar! So you did keep some of the Polish heritage after all, Novi. :)

History / Poles should apologise to Ukrainians first [395]


Let's spare PF readers your inappropriate fantasies, shall we? :)

History / Pol-Shorpy Photo Thread [950]

Polish word "ułan" is usually translated into English as "lancer" or "uhlan". Of course in 1932 lances were used only in parades. All the stories of uhlans charging tanks with their lances are just legends. In 1939 campaign they were a "distinguished mobile infantry". ;)

Now, Bobko is going to have a lot of fun - the Polish word "ułan" comes from Mongolian/Tatar "oghłan" or "ułan" which meant "brave young man" (młodzieniec, junak).


... and they are right.

History / Pol-Shorpy Photo Thread [950]


Yeah, basically what Pawian said. Legends of Polish cavalry.

Before the start of WW2 Polish cavalry consisted of: 27 Uhlan regiments, 10 Horse Riflemen regiments and 3 Light Horse regiments.

Wieniawa-Długoszowski earned himself a nickname of 1st Uhlan of Poland (for various reasons, not always military-related ;)).

History / Poles should apologise to Ukrainians first [395]


A bit chaotic but there are some rather good books there. :)


If only you could read them with understanding, that would be absolutely brilliant.


Belwederski? ;)

History / Pol-Shorpy Photo Thread [950]

New Years Eve party: 1932

"Pure vodka doesn't stain either the uniform or the officer's honour", as legendary uhlan - Bolesław Wieniawa-Długoszowski - used to say. Here we see him (kneeling on the right) with other officers of 1st Light Horse Regiment during a New Year's Eve party.

History / Pol-Shorpy Photo Thread [950]

@Lenka

Not everyone has a knack for running a business of any sort, and it's nothing unusual. In a normal, stable economic system people like that can thrive as well. Unfortunately, Polish economic transformation introduced drastic changes and some of us couldn't adapt well to them. If you look at other Eastern Bloc countries (with the possible exception of Czechia) it's the same story all over.

Food / Polish Dinner for Boyfriend - what to cook? [34]

Yes, pork chops, potatoes, bigos, żurek and flaki... not like those poor people before the war who had to eat very modestly their obiady skromne gospodarskie...
... ;)

History / Pol-Shorpy Photo Thread [950]


'You can't drink at work anymore' or 'it's no longer OK to take whatever you need from your factory/workshop'.

You're right, Lenka, it is probably our parents' generation who was hit the hardest by the transformation. I would say that those who were between us and our parents - those who entered the job market with higher education or started their own businesses at the very beginning of the changes - they are the winners. They had practically no competition; imagine starting the first and only wholeshale food warehouse in the radius of 50 kilometres - just one example from my family.

History / Recommended Poland's history books [257]


No kidding! ;)

I love your enthusiasm. Keep studying, it's worth it! *thumbs up*

History / Pol-Shorpy Photo Thread [950]


Shocking.


Hmm... difficult to say. I'm a bit older (1979) but my generation was hit quite hard by the transformation. I attended what some people call an elite high-school, one of the best in Poland at that time. We all thought that we would go on to the best universities and then be the elite of our country. We did the former... as for the latter. Well, when we got our degrees in early 2000s when, as you aptly put it, most of the "plunder" was done, the wages were ridiculously low and Poland was about to join the EU. Millions of people left. From my class of 28 boys and 4 girls - that's typical for mat-fiz (mathematics-physics) classes - at some point only 5 people were in Poland. My wife and I left too (for the Emerald Isle). Overwhelming majority of people worked below their qualifications - and when I say below, I really mean it. For example, my best friend - a super-smart guy, who got a Ministry of Transport award for his master's thesis, worked for many years as a waiter. Crazy times.

Some people stayed abroad, some came back to Poland (including yours truly). Did we end up being losers? Hard to say... we certainly didn't become the elite of Poland but most of us managed to save enough for their own apartments/houses, which gave us a huge headstart over people who stayed in Poland and took out 25-30 year mortgages. We learnt useful skills, we learnt how to work hard and live frugally, and - at the end of the day - I would say that economically my generation was/is quite successful.

History / Pol-Shorpy Photo Thread [950]

Wild 90s 2: 1992
Alas, not everyone managed to go from rags to riches. For thousands of Poles 90s were a bumpy ride without happy ending.

History / Pol-Shorpy Photo Thread [950]

Wild 90s: 1992
In the crazy first years of Poland's economic transformation everyone wanted to be a businessman; people were buying, selling, borrowing and lending, all in hope of change of fortune after decades of bleak communist dullness. In the photo we see one of multitudinous open air markets in Warsaw where - for a very modest price - one could get a bottle of coke, a dildo or a candy bar (all in various tastes and sizes).

News / Future of Polish-Ukrainian relations [669]

@Korvinus

You are absolutely correct. Politics is a dirty thing: for the greater good of your Fatherland you sometimes have to be against those whom you like and respect, and help those to whom your love is somewhat limited.

News / Future of Polish-Ukrainian relations [669]


Aaaaaaaah, nothing like making pawian foam at the mouth on a lovely New Year's afternoon. :)))

News / Future of Polish-Ukrainian relations [669]


That's "woof, woof" in English, you illiterate Ukrainian rectum indweller. If you want to insult people, at least do it correctly. :)))


No, Bow Wow is your favourite musician. ha hahaha

News / Future of Polish-Ukrainian relations [669]


Stop insulting decent people, you filthy banderist scum. hahah ha

History / Poles should apologise to Ukrainians first [395]


:D

Iron, you savage! It is still a bit too early for that but you are my strong favourite for the January Poster of the Month award. *thumbs up*

History / Pol-Shorpy Photo Thread [950]


*goes checking*

History / Pol-Shorpy Photo Thread [950]


...although the one on the left should really take his hands out of his pockets in the presence of a lady. Zero manners.

Life / Getting pretty tired of the postal service here in Poland [58]


Don't panic. I sent a priority parcel from Gdańsk to Cincinnati recently - it took 18 days to arrive. Bloody priority parcel. *rolls eyes*

History / Pol-Shorpy Photo Thread [950]

Visit of an old friend: 2010

Ksenia Starosielska (Ксения Старосельская, 1937-2017) in front of an old tenement building in Łódź. Pani Starosielska, the greatest translator of Polish literature into Russian, visited Poland (to which she always referred to as "my Poland") for the "Dialogue of Four Cultures" festival. In the photo we see the Lady of the Order of Merit of Republic of Poland being observed with reverence by two dresiarze/gopniks standing in the gateway.

History / Pol-Shorpy Photo Thread [950]

Mountain shrine: 2020

The Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God is a liturgical celebration observed in the Catholic Church on January 1st. In the photo we see a group of pilgrims attending a Mass at the shrine on the John Paul II Peak. Groń of John Paul II is the only mountain peak in the world which was named in honour of the Polish Pope. Karol Wojtyła often hiked to the tops of Jaworzyna (the previous name of Groń) and Leskowiec, even as a bishop.

News / Time to clean the swamp - dePiSification of Poland [324]


Do you find it funny?


So, you agree that Ukraine commited crime by murdering civilians in Belgorod?

News / Time to clean the swamp - dePiSification of Poland [324]


OK, let's assume - for the sake of argument - that there was such an episode of some NSZ soldiers, somewhere, drinking champagne with Germans.

On the other side you have prepared, systematic and orchestrated genocide of 100,000 people. WTF are you even comparing?

History / Cursed soldiers controvercy - not all Poles respect them [320]


There was no AK in 1946. Armia Krajowa was dissolved on 19th January 1945 by the order of its last commander General Leopold "Niedźwiadek" Okulicki. Those who didn't follow the dissolution order (like all soldiers should) and remained with weapons in the forests were bandits not AK anymore.

Work / Can any international computer science student get software development job in Wrocław or Warsaw? [45]


Aaaah... women...



At least now we know the gender of ChatGPT - he is a man and he knows better than to argue with women, so he just gives in. Typical.

;)