Krakow Archives - Forgotten Galicia

Janusz Majewski (1931-2024): King of Bittersweet Nostalgia

Areta — Fri, 19 Jan 2024 12:28:55 +0000

An interview with the celebrated film director Janusz Majewski, who died on 10th January aged 92, was one of the last of the old guard of Polish directors who emerged in the 1950s. He was part of a generation of filmmakers that put Poland firmly on the cinematic map. ‘He […]

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‘Nie Zamykać’: A Reminder Not to Close the Door Behind You

Areta — Mon, 29 May 2023 15:55:06 +0000

Around Kraków, near the handles of old doors you can find signs asking you to “nie zamykać” (don’t close) the door. The reason is that the door had a special door closer – a mechanical device that automatically closed the door in a controlled manner. As such door closers were […]

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‘Obuwie Wycierać’: A Reminder to Keep Kraków’s Entryways Clean

Areta — Mon, 15 May 2023 07:21:35 +0000

In several of Kraków’s pre-WWII buildings, one can find inscriptions near the entrance asking those entering to “wipe your shoes” (“Uprasza się obuwie wycierać”). Maintaining a clean building would have been more difficult in those times as fewer streets were paved, making it muddier than today. There would have also […]

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Ghost Signs of Kraków

Areta — Fri, 28 Apr 2023 09:36:52 +0000

Kraków was considered as the unofficial capital of the western part of Galicia and the second most important city in the region. As in other former Galician cities, today various traces of its time under the Austrian Empire can still be found in the urban landscape. In particular, Kraków has […]

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Lederer & Popper Photomontage Postcards of Galicia and Beyond

Areta — Fri, 31 Mar 2023 12:26:29 +0000

I love looking at old photographs of Galician cities and towns, especially postcards with city views. A real treat among these are photomontages — postcard collages. I first came across montage postcards depicting Lviv and was particularly struck by the one with a woman who had fallen from her bicycle. […]

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Searching for Sunflowers in the Architecture of Lviv and Kraków

Areta — Wed, 15 Mar 2023 08:44:05 +0000

In the first couple months of the full-scale war (after being displaced from Lviv and living in Poland), searching for sunflowers in the architectural detail of Kraków became a way to soothe my soul, to find solidarity with Ukraine during those highly uncertain and volatile times. Each time I would […]

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Fire Marks from the Kraków Mutual Insurance Society

Areta — Fri, 27 Jan 2023 20:25:05 +0000

Shortly before the full-scale war started, I was working on an article about fire insurance companies that worked in Lviv (Lwów / Lemberg) in Austrian times. Thanks to this, I had learned about the Kraków Mutual Insurance Society and knew that their former headquarters still stood in Kraków. Thus some […]

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German-Era Bomb Shelter Signs in Kraków

Areta — Sat, 15 Oct 2022 06:58:00 +0000

One of the obsolete remnants of the past has again become relevant in Lviv is the WWII-era bomb shelter signs. Across the city traces of such signs from the times of the Nazi occupation can still be found. Soon after I arrived in Kraków (in late February 2022) I found […]

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Finding Solidarity with Ukraine: 12 Ways Kraków and Lviv Are Connected via Their Historical Built Environment

Areta — Sun, 29 May 2022 16:56:24 +0000

Kraków has become my temporary wartime home. When Russia began it full-scale invasion of Ukraine on February 24, 2022, I made the difficult decision to leave my home in Lviv and depart for Poland. I didn’t know how long I would be gone or where I would end up; but […]

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Galicia’s Sokolnie: The Architectural Heritage of the Polish Sokół Society

Areta — Sat, 08 Aug 2020 10:12:00 +0000

The former buildings of the Sokół Polish Gymnastic Society stand today in the center of almost every Galician town on both sides of the Polish-Ukrainian border. Serving as sports and cultural centers, these were once significant buildings in the town space and often outstanding architectural masterpieces. Although today few of […]

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