The Wroclaw International, March 2012

March

Issue 17

Commentary on the recent train crash, editorial, more information on BNY Mellon. changes at ARAW and EIT+.

Pages 2 & 3

Find out how AISEC interacts with business, Corporate logos, Deloitte explains how to expense business travel, why Evolving has moved to Wrocław, new bi-lingual services at Credit Agricole, Diversity at HP, and Wrocław’s Polish Champions. Pages 4-7

We talk to a victim of crime in Wrocław and find out how we can both deal with the crime and find support in the community for the problem.

Page 8

Now that Future City Jobs is over, it is time to be a Creative Cooperative, Mediateka organises a festival about travel, and our second article in the series on Nadodrze. Pages 9-11

Our regular columns on Polish Language and Culture appear together with our 4th instalment of stories from a French Classroom. Pages 12- 13

International Voices We have articles in French, Italian, Spanish and Dutch for our multi-lingual readers.

Pages 14 and 15

A Korean classic from Spicy Delight, a review of a newly opened restaurant and a guide to some tried and tested pubs.

Pages 16-17

Learn how to get more out of Pilates, see what is on offer at Aquapark these days, analysis of Group A of EURO2012, take a trip south to hike in the Sudety mountains. Pages 18-19

Our series of letters from Cambodia continues, we explain airline travel alliances and introduce you to the Kotlina Kłodzka valley. Page 20 Women’s Day events in Wrocław, Impart Arts Centre’ upcoming productions, new movie releases and festivals, and March is time for speaking French with the days of Francophonie, performances in French. Pages 21-24

Wrocław Central Train Station under renovation

completed after Euro 2012. These rooms do not however influence the service of travelers, because the first one is a multipurpose hall and the second is a commercial space.

Gwenny Somberg About 14 million passengers use Wrocław Central Station per year.

Understandably, many of those same passengers are waiting patiently for modernisation of the station to be completed. We spoke to Mr Bartłomiej Sarna, Spokesman for Polish State Railways in Wrocław, about the work being carried out and likely delivery dates.

Wrocław Central Station was built between 1855 and 1857 following the English Gothic style designs of architect William Grapow. In the late nineteenth and early

A visualisation of the square in front of Wrocław Central Station

twentieth century, it was e x t e nd ed to th e platform halls and has remained in this state until today. Before modernization in 2010, in a poll on the websites of “My City”, it was selected as one of the seven wonders of Poland.

Modernization

of

Wrocław

Central Train Station is a complex project and work is coming to an end in the coming months. The train station will be ready for passenger service before Euro 2012. While some restoration work in two rooms located on the first floor of the main building will be

At the moment, there are seven hundred construction workers working on the construction site.

The block of underground parking and entrances on the side of Piłsudski Street and platforms have already been finished.

On the surface paving continues. In the main building and in the hall of ticket offices a number of works have been finished.

(Cont’d on Page 3)

Press Conference at Ratusz on 9th March 2012

Ona Golonka Wrocław has another investment opportunity to be proud of: BNY Mellon is establishing their fifth Global Delivery Center in the city.

BNY Mellon, is an American multinational investment, banking and financial services corporation, established in 2007 and operating in 34 countries, in 100 markets. The company provides investment services to leading institutions, corporations and groups. The company already has two Global Delivery Centers in

India (Pune and Chennai), one in Pittsburgh, USA and one in Manchester, U.K. Staff at the new center will primarily be working in highly skilled roles in the fields of fund accounting and investment operations.

"Congratulations to Wrocław, who is a leader in investments in Poland," said Marek Lyzwa, from the Polish Information and Foreign Investment Agency.

BNY Mellon has had operations in Wrocław since July 2010, when it acquired the facility formerly operating in Wrocław, PNC Global Investment

Servicing. By evolving the facility to a Global Delivery Center the staff base will increase from 100 to 300 ind ivid uals. Overall, the company employs 48,000 staff members, 9,000 of whom are in Europe. Choosing an already operating facility will be a more

efficient and quicker process for the company. " W e have b een grea tl y impressed with the office in Wrocław," said Martin Ring, Managing Director of BNY Mellon in Poland.

(Cont’d on Page 2)

This month we have focused on Women, in keeping with International Women‟s Day. According to UN statistics, Women have not achieved equality with men in any country. Of the world's 1.3 billion poor people, it is estimated that nearly 70 per cent are women. Between 75 and 80 per cent of the world's 27 million refugees are women and children.

TWI (The Wrocław International) has started some initiatives which we intend to continue. On the 8th of March, we organised a meeting of women from the community to establish an International Women’s Network.

On the 11th of March, we had our second monthly TWI Party at Nietota, a forum for foreigners and Poles to meet each other and socialise. On 28th of March, we will begin a series of debates, the first concerning Social Media.

Grace Sexton

300 New Jobs for Wrocław (Cont’d from Page 1) "It demonstrates the excellent potential that Wrocław and Poland have to offer."

Wrocław has an optimal geographic location, being only six hours behind Singapore and six hours head of the Eastern seaboard of the United States. Additionally, according to BNY Mellon representatives, it is a university city with a excellent pool of potential workers. The company is looking for potential candidates with good numerical and analysis skills.

Technical training will be provided by the company due to the highly technical aspects of the business.

On the first weekend of March, Poland and the rest of the world were shocked by the news of a tragic train accident near Szczekociny.

Two trains collided head-on around 9pm on Saturday night in the south of Poland, leaving 16 people dead and 58 injured. One of the trains was heading to Kraków from Warsaw, and the other was travelling from Przemyśl in the direction of the capital. The two trains were both driving at high speed on the same track towards each other. It turned out that the vehicle on its way to Kraków was on the wrong track.

The damage to the trains was extreme; one of the locomotives was pushed upwards from the force of the collision. Three compartments were completely destroyed and some of them were lying on their sides after being derailed. After the crash, more than 450 fire fighters and 100 police officers came to rescue survivors from the wreck. The injured were taken to hospitals by helicopter and ambulance.

President Komorowski visited the crash site immediately and afterwards went to the hospital in Sosnowiec, where he spoke with injured peop le and their families. He said: “I know from personal experience that sometimes contact with the family is important, [for the family] even the most important.” The crash site has also been visited by Premier Tusk and the ministers of Transport and Interior.

The Polish government decided to declare a national mourning

"This investment has mutual benefits for the city and for BNY Mellon's global clients," Ring said. "Employees who join will be key members of the BNY Mellon team. We invest heavily in investment programs for our people and offer good career paths."

The Global Delivery Center will be based at B iało s kó r ni czej Str ee t.

"We are growing this business in a steady fashion," Jim McEleney, Chief Operating Officer for Europe, Middle East and Africa, said. "As you say in Polish, "krok po kroku."

The Wrocław International March 2012

I found myself struggling to sleep on Saturday night, so in a fit of exasperation I got up and turned on the world service and that was when I heard the first reports of the train crash near Szczekociny.

period on the Monday and Tuesday following the tragedy.

The investigation into the cause of the crash is still ongoing, but a railway signal controller will be charged for causing the collision, which will go into the books as the worst train crash in Poland in 22 years. So far, the investigation indicates that the signalman made a mistake while setting the switches that direct the trains onto the right tracks. The man is currently still under psychiatric observation because he is in a state of shock; he has not been informed of the charges against him. If he is found guilty, he could face up to eight years in jail.

The Polish government still pledges that in spite of the tragedy, the railway system is safe for this year's EURO2012 tournament.

Minister of Transport, Sławomir Nowak, said on this matter: “I really believe that the train system, not only in Poland but throughout all of Europe, is still very safe.” He also stressed that visitors to Poland during the football event should not be put off by this accident.

The Polish government responding quickly announced two days of National Mourning to remember the victims of this awful accident. This is a tragedy, a tragedy for the victims and their families. It is however worth noting that in 2010 there were over 3907 road fatalities in Poland. These victims do not have a national day of mourning let alone two, yet every week around 80 people die on Poland’s roads but it is left for their families and friends to mourn for them.

There has been criticism from some quarters that the Government’s decision to announce two days of national mourning is borne out of political manoeuvring and an easy way of deflecting the more serious issues of how and why this accident happened.

Rail workers have themselves responded with their own withering criticism of the state run rail system alleging that it has cut back on safety measures as a way of cutting costs leaving them overworked and understaffed.

The head of the railway engineers union, Leszek Mietek, added his thoughts too, and was quoted as saying “In Poland we have a system of directing rail traffic which is practically 100

years old,” he went on to add that Poland was only beginning to test parts of the European train control system, a modern signalling system used across much of Europe and that in Poland they still relied mainly on manual safety systems.

I received the following response from the Minister’s Press Office to recent criticism concerning neglect of railway infrastructure by successive governments and that two days of national mourning will do little to address this: „Keep in mind that the decision to declare national mourning is always a gesture of solidarity and support for victims' families.‟ This symbolic gesture cannot be underestimated. The practice to declare national mourning is also used in other countries and is a reaction which expresses citizens‟ solidarity in the face of disasters or other events in which many people are killed or injured. The President in his speeches pointed out that rail disaster occurred at the junction of three voivodeships and the victims included residents of various Polish regions and citizens of other countries.

National mourning was declared among others due to the scale of disaster, the worst in Poland since 1990.

So will the two days of National mourning help spur on the modernisation of the rail system that is so desperately needed? That is a debate that will no doubt continue for some time. The real tragedy is that it has taken the deaths of 16 people to bring the subject of the Polish rail systems creaking infrastructure back to the forefront of political debate.

City News 3 St Patrick’s Day Global Greening in Poland On 17 March 2012, for the first time, the Palace of Culture and Science in Warsaw will join the New York Empire State Building, the Leaning Tower of Pisa, the Sydney Opera, the Moulin Rouge, Burj Al Arab in Dubai, London Eye and other world-famous icons, by lighting up in Irish Green for St Patrick’s Day. The Greening of the Palace on the ul. Marszalkowska façade is part of the Tourism

Plac Solny

Foreign investors in Wrocław will be very familiar with Tomasz Gondek of ARAW, the city agency that provides support to companies looking to set up operations here. He has moved to EIT+ where he will be a member of the Management Board.

I r e l a n d G l o b a l Greening campaign across six continents, which sees St P atr ick‟s Day celeb rated throughout the world with green illumination of architectural landmarks.

The City of Poznań, which will host matches by the Irish football team in EURO 2012, has also taken the initiative to join the great illumination. On 16 and 17 March, the City Stadium in Poznań will join the Global Greening.

Gondek Moves to EIT+

The nine containers currently standing in Plac Solny will open on 23rd March as a ticket booth and information point for the famous annual festival, Review of Stage Songs. This year the organizers have invited: Compagnie Derniere Minute from France, the energy "acrobats song", VulgarGrad native Australia with frontman Jack Koman, Maria Raducanu, a singer from Romania and Marc Ribot from the USA, Philip Hamilton - American singer and composer, accompanied by artists singing a capella, a native of India, Central Africa, Europe, USA, Indonesia and Morocco, and Le Gateau Chocolat - a black Briton, balancing between the style of opera diva and a penchant for lycra outfits.

Wroclaw Research Centre EIT+, established in 2007, is dedicated to fostering innovation based on the cooperation of academia, local government and innovative business. The company‟s shareholders are the largest universities in Wroclaw as well as the authorities of the city of Wroclaw and the region of Lower Silesia.

Ms Ewa Kaucz will replace Mr Gondek as Vice President of ARAW. NOTICE: According to Decree No 8 by the Governor of Lower Silesia on 19 January 2012, as of 20 March 2012 the tasks related to the issuance of work permits for foreigners will be transferred from the Department of Social Policy to the Department of Civil Affairs and Immigration.

arcade with commercial and service activity (previously these rooms housed offices). In the station building there will be three new staircases with lifts.

Comprehensive modernization of Wroclaw Central Train Station includes several areas of investment. The first area is the square in front of the station, which will become an oasis of greenery. It was designed in the form of green islands intersected by pedestrian walking paths with small architecture (new lighting, benches, bins). The reference to the historical tradition is to reconstruct historical terraces on both sides of the main entrance on the side of Piłsudski Street.

After the upgrade, they will serve as „restaurant gardens‟ for the railway station‟s restaurants or as stages for various cultural events. Under the railway station square, an underground parking

for 217 cars will be built with entrances from Peronowa and Piłsudskiego Streets, making things much easier for motorists.

The underground parking will be connected with both the main building of the station and the station square (works on the construction of the car park are very advanced). In the eastern part of the square there will also be a place for a stop of a "kiss and drive" kind, and space for bicycles stands.

Metamorphosis goes along with the main building with the hall of ticket offices, with respect to the historical elements of the building of course. The station building management will be changed. The building will

become a space combining functions of the railway station (ticket offices, customer service) with completely newly formed commercial and service space, open also to cultural undertakings. In addition to the restoration of the station (with cooperation with the conservator) there will appear several novelties that will greatly facilitate movement in the building. One of the novelties will be escalators located on the opposite sides of the ticket offices hall. We will be able to access other levels by using escalators from the level of the ticket offices hall to the footbridge on the upper level (+1). From the footbridge we will be able to to the shopping

Modernization of Wroclaw Central Railway Station also includes platforms, halls and tunnels, so that passengers can get to the platforms. Work in these areas are of a reproduction nature (e.g., restoration of the steel components of the platform hall‟s construction or restoration of skylights in the construction) and take place in consultation with a conservator. The new element is creation of a new platform hall passage between two historical halls, which will complete roofing of platforms.

From the perspective of passengers the biggest asset will be the appearance of ecscalators on platforms from the city tunnel side, and luggage straps. The

luggage straps will be located at the stairs leading from the central tunnel (main) to the platform. In addition, new elevators will be built, which can be used to get to the platforms.

The sound system, travel information and monitoring will be completely new and adapted to the realities of the XXI century.

The Sucha Street South Pavilion is already built. It is a so called “night train station” resembling a coach. This completely new building was designed to facilitate the service of passengers from the bus station and south of the city. The south Pavilion consists of three storeys connected to each other by stairs and elevator. On level -1 of the night train station are technical facilities and toilets (including toilets for disabled). On the ground floor we have a hall and six ticket offices and on the first floor a waiting room and space available for catering. We can get into the building of South Pavilion through the automatic door from the side of Sucha street and the central tunnel. An Ecological solution is in place consisting of solar collectors located on the roof of the building, which will be used for water heating in the building.

The cost of the project is 361 million złotych. About half is funded by the EU (180 million złotych). The rebuilding process started in April 2010, and it will be ready for operation before Euro 2012.

The Wrocław International

March 2012

culinary festivals tournaments.

As it is the month of all things French in Wrocław with the days of Francophonie, we decided to reach out to the city’s leading French hotel and speak to its French General Manager to find out how Life is Magnifique (the motto of Sofitel).

Sofitel Wrocław Old Town from Sofitel Luxury Hotels international brand is part of the 4400 hotels of the Accor group all around the world. With three Sofitel hotels in Poland, Sofitel Wrocław Old Town is just located 100 meters away from the Market Square (Rynek).

This famous French hotel luxury brand was created in 1964 and its first property located in Strasbourg in the North-East of France, close to the German border. Then Sofitel brand joined the Accor group in 1980. Today, the Sofitel Luxury Hotels counts among 121 hotels around the world, growing month after month with launches in strategic

In this day and age excellent education, specialized knowledge and comprehensive practical experience are essential to achieve career goals by many young people all over the world. As a matter of fact, employers are extremely strict about it, since it is important to have well-qualified members on your team who are equally capable of meeting challenges. In this situation two opposite sides - unhindered by rut creativity and unchanging or tried practice cannon into each other. On the whole, it is a challenge of conforming to these values and finding the solution to both of them. What is the key to find appropriate candidates and at the same time the best employers? How can we match them to a good effect?

The answer is quite easy - AIESEC. AIESEC is the world's largest global, non-political, independent, non-profit organization uniting smart, young people in over 107 countries and territories.

AIESEC offers them an opportunity to be global citizens, obtain leadership experience, international internships and be a part of a global network. AIESEC is the platform for young people to explore and develop their leadership potential.

cities, like the most recent ones in Agadir (Morocco), Abu Dhabi (United Arab Emirates) and Mumbai (India). More openings are planned in Morocco, Uruguay, Singapore, China, Dubai, Ukraine and Germany.

The existing home of Sofitel Wrocław was built and opened ten years ago in the Wratislavia Center and rebranded as Sofitel in 2005. Other than a single hotel

Traineeship Program is a component of our expansion scheme allowing youth from around the world to gain international experience through work in overseas companies. It offers an absolutely unique chance to put their knowledge into practice, look at activities from their own point of view and branch trading.

The single feature which distinguishes AIESEC from other forms of similar enterprise is its ability to reach the most talented students in the world. Every single trainee is obliged to undergo a comprehensive shakeout. It permits us to choose, from among all the candidates, people who have the ultimate potential. The certainty of getting well-qualified trainees enables employers to extract new solution, not to mention the fact that throw prospect open.

With the Lower Silesian businessmen in mind, especially those from Wrocław itself, AIESEC has created a special opportunity – a completely novel enterprise "AIESEC 2 Business", run by the Local Committee of Wrocław University of Economics. In the centre of our activity is the idea of expansion of competitiveness on the local market.

In addition to effective promotion of processes existing in companies or support in creating them. In this way, facing the challenge of the 21th century brings benefits to our partners.

The Wrocław International March 2012

this contemporary designed building, in a square shape between Kiełbaśnicza, Św.

Mikołaja and Rzeżnicza Streets, is also offering an underground parking and a shopping area. Its spectacular Atrium gives the opportunity to organize major private events and exhibitions.

Annually the hotel invites local artists and designers to exhibit their creations (art, fashion, music) as well as co-sponsoring

The possibility of collaboration include three types of traineeship: Business, Educational and Technical Traineeship. The first one, Business Traineeship, is connected with many aspects, e.g., management, marketing, commercial exchange, logistics, administration, human resources. Technical Traineeship, on the other hand, concerns work in the area of information technology, such as creating websites, programming, analyzing and designing systems, networking and database management. Finally, Educational Traineeship comprises especially English language learning for school children and preschoolers, as well as running training courses for employees.

Companies benefit in particular though: 1. gaining access to handpicked circle of employees, 2. possibility to draw well-tried trainees in instituting agency in their country of origin, 3. increase desirability of job offer through international staff, 4. improvement in cooperation with topical business partners, and 5. acquaintance with regulations and communications in their country of origin.

International Traineeship Program is an unrivalled opportunity to enlist well-qualified em-

and

golf

Not only focusing on promotional events, all Sofitel hotels are concerned with local community life such as Sofitel Wrocław which is very much concerned about community and city life (charity events, s u s t a i n a b l e d e v e l o p me n t , associations and educational programs). Indeed, every year, Sofitel Wrocław celebrates the Earth Guest day together with the 6 Accor hotels of the city, where all Accor ambassadors, along with the forest administration, is planting up to 2000 trees. This year Sofitel Wrocław is already preparing its next edition to be held in April.

In the same preoccupation of protecting our local environment, Sofitel Wrocław encourages all forms of sorting and recycling wastes.

General Manager of Sofitel Wrocław since 2010, Mr. Loïc Boichot started his career in

ployees, attain new markets or be one up on opposition. For many years the biggest corporations have systematically embraced of our program, especially Shell, Hewlett-Packard, Credit Suisse, Nokia, Husqvarna, and the local companies like Certica, Clarena, Ustronianka and CSS Corp. "We have regularly embraced AIESEC Traineeship Program for four years, which helped us to branch out our company, since we gained access to wellqualified young people. AIESEC experience is a guarantee of execution of a corporate program in a professional common ground and the highest standard, which is the key to long-term and seminal cooperation. Year to year,

France with Sofitel and also worked at the famous George V palace. Mr. Boichot has experienced many different cultures through his career in the hospitality world, such as in Latin America, the Caribbean, Middle East and Africa, then decided to join his new team in P o la n d a s p a rt o f t h e international Sofitel network. In a pleasant discovery of the region, he feels totally concerned with the future of Wrocław as a real business and leisure destination. When you listen to him talking about Wrocław, he likes to convey how charming the city is at any season of the year. Compared to other important cities, he feels that Wrocław is very unique and deserves to be discovered and renowned. With its special a r c h i te c t ur e a n d c u l tu r e reflecting the city’s heritage, Mr. Boichot often talks about how much he enjoys this historical city and his Sunday morning discoveries while jogging.

we engage 35 trainees", said Jacek Bożyk from Ustronianka company.

Taking everything into account, AIESEC Traineeship Program is one-of-a-kind opportunity to try your hand at turning up the international market. AIESEC 2 Business gives Wrocław businessmen a chance to make the most of cooperation with outstanding youth from around the world. The most important thing is to get rid of prejudices and try something new, for together we can make it better!

More detailed information and contact with people responsible for AIESEC 2 Business project can be found at www.aiesec2business.org.

1. Where are you from, how long have you been here and how did you end up here?

My story is a unique one.

Everyone I meet nowadays in Poland asks me where I am from. When I tell them: “Chicago”, it’s always followed with the immediate statement “that’s the second Polish city”.

True as it is, during my years studying and then living and working in Chicago, I hardly knew any people who spoke Polish. At the time I could never have foreseen my future of working and living in Poland for more than a few years.

My career path to Wrocław has been anything but a traditional one, and particularly not a standard one for an engineer.

After finishing University, I immediately began working as a Product Engineer for a company in Chicago that produced highend hand tools. After three years of moving and shifting around to different departments, trying to fulfill my restless young mind, I decided that to expand my career I needed to work abroad for a few years in order to gain international experience.

After searching for a few months I found a position working for Electrolux in Columbia, SC in the outdoor products division (now owned and operated by Husqvarna). I accepted the offer, but had my eyes focused on the international opportunity that would lead to a permanent career move abroad in the near future. Within one year and after much persistence from my side, I was transferred to Adelaide, A u s t r a l i a fo r l o n g - t e r m assignment as an engineering leader. After living down under for a length of time, the opportunity then arose for a transfer to another Electrolux factory in Forli, Italy. This project was shorter, but offered a

Wro cław Agg lo mera t io n Development Agency (ARAW) has launched a new initiative called Polish Champion Polish business support programme. The City has decided to invest in its indigenous talent by supplying it with a network, business tools, training, and publicity.

We spoke to Jan Żarski of ARAW who enthusiastically introduced us to the first Polish Champions in Wrocław. They are AB, Clarena, Hasco-Lek,

unique lead-in to a green field factory setup years later in Świdnica, Poland.

I ended up working in Świdnica for just two full years before being offered a transfer to Electrolux’s Montreal Factory. I never finished the two-year contract in Świdnica and subsequently did not move to Montreal, as I chose to leave Electrolux and join an American company, Vectrix, located in Bielany near Wrocław. It was there that I fell in love with electric mobility and spent the following years learning about the intricacies of electric scooters and motorcycles. In late 2008, whilst on a 3-month project in China, I came into contact with my now business partner, Thomas Gruebel.

Essentially it was during that time together working in China that we planted the seeds to create our own company GOVECS GmbH (and the daughter company GOVECS Sp.z.o.o). Our mission was, and still is to this day - to manufacture fully electric highend scooters in Europe for the worldwide market.

It may have been six years, but it feels like yesterday when I stepped off of the airplane in Wrocław for the very first time.

2. Why did you choose Wrocław for the business?

It was very clear from the first draft of our business plan for GOVECS that we wanted to produce our electric scooters in Europe. In our case, I was already living in Wrocław and we were able to organise for a number of people to join GOVECS from my previous company. This made it possible for GOVECS to tap into an instant human capital pool, wh i c h e n a b l e d t h e to p management of GOVECS to prop up the new organisation in the quickest way possible.

Impel, Koelner, KRUK SA, REC-Global, Selena, TelForceOne, Toya and Xantus.

In the coming issues, we will shine a spotlight on each firm to let you know why they are a champion.

Interestingly, the initiative, which is the brainchild of the Mayor o f Wr o c ł a w, Mr Dutkiewicz, is planned to be replicated in other cities around Poland and has basically gone national. So Wrocław has led the way with its cha mp io n in g o f Po li sh companies which operate

Speed to market in such a capital intense business venture is the key to a start-up’s success, and Wrocław provided us the fastest and most efficient option. We also looked into the travel proximity of the future factory location relative to our headq uarters in Munich.

Wrocław is located only 7 hrs by car from Munich and with numerous daily flights from Wrocław to all over Europe.

Wrocław is clearly a central European location in which we needed to take advantage of.

3. Could you tell us about your business and product?

At our Wrocław location we manufacture 100% fully electric 2-wheel scooters, which range in top speed from 45 kph all the way to 82 kph. Currently we have more than 50 variants of our scooters for sale in European and Australian markets. The scooters vary in performance, color, and ho molo gation categories to widely accepted around the world. In 2011 GOVECS also launched a transport scooter which is targeted for B2B customers including fleet sales and postal services. You can find more i n f o r m a t i o n a t www.govecs.com.

Our commercial business model is to distribute our electric scooters to importers which are responsible for sales and marketing in each importer’s r e s p e c t i v e co u n t r y. T h e importers then sell our GOVECS product to dealers within their designated regions.

This strategy allows for GOVECS to scale our sales network rapidly by adding potentially hundreds of dealers (being the final purchase point to the end-users) with the addition of only one importer. Currently we have importers in all of the major markets in Western Europe and we are expanding into Central Europe as well as Australia and the United States.

Considering that electric scooters are naturally a seasonal product with sales peaking in the spring and tapering off in the late fall, we have completed the Australian homologation and are prepared to sell there to offset these seasonal trends.

4. Could you summarize the Wrocław operation (location, number of employees, other info)?

Currently in Wrocław we have approximately 60 people with all of the operational functions of a normal factory, including the departments of Supply Chain, Quality, Engineering, Technical Service, and HR. On average assembling an electric scooter requires approximately 650 components, all which need to be sourced from around the globe. They are then fully assembled at our location in Wrocław. That high number of components across 50 different models generates a depth of complexity which is staggering for most start up organizations.

In order to assure that everything flows smoothly we make it a point to have all of the departments located in the same office to assure a smooth transfer of information from one department to the next. In addition to this, we are installing an ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning) system which is essential for our business to function properly. GOVECS is

taking advantage of Poland’s exceptional IT expertise and is cooperating with a Polish company for this ERP system implementation.

5. How do you feel about living in Wrocław?

I love working and living in Poland. It is great for me to be a part of a community and country that is growing and moving into the future in a big way. In the short six years that I have been here, I have personally seen the changes in the community and in the people. Everyday change in post-developed countries is less visible, and in my opinion can make life boring. I always summarise my experience of living in Australia as “It’s like watching grass grow; you know that it grows, but when you stare at it, you will never see it change”. In Wrocław, you see the grass growing, I feel alive being a part of this change.

The same can be said from the business side of Wrocław, there are more and more businesses moving to Wrocław which are essentially tapping into the dynamic and evolving talent Wrocław has to offer. Every type of business from Manufacturing to Shared Services, to Consulting Services, is capitalizing on the many pluses that there are to offer here. It is simply an exciting, dynamic period to see unfold in front of your eyes.

globally.

How did these companies become champions? The main criteria is that your company is either operating internationally or has the potential to do so.

Another condition of being a Polish Champion is that the company’s headquarters must be located in Wrocław.

ARAW stresses the opportunities offered by the organisation of the European Championships EURO2012, preparations for the European Capital of Culture 2016 and the World Games 2017 which will

be used to promote Wrocław's business and networking rela t io n s hip s a mo n g t he champions.

sustainable development of business in the local region and Wrocław hopes to encourage new champions in the making.

Ultimately this project is concerned with the long-term

www.polishchampion.pl

The Wrocław International

March 2012

6 Business

It’s amazing to think that 99 people out of a 100 reading this will instantly recognise all the above brand logos. Let’s think about what the concept of a ‘Brand’ means. A definition could be – a feature that identifies one seller's goods or services as distinct from those of other sellers. (Indeed, the word branding itself came from the practice of searing a symbol on the skin of cattle with a hot iron stamp.)

In modern times such brand symbols or images have come to represent the total identity of an enterprise. This branding is so critical to companies that they are prepared to invest millions in creating, promoting and of course protecting their brand and its imagery.

Some of these brand images have become so powerful, and so recognisable, that the need for the company name or any words has become superfluous. Such are the logos that I have chosen to write about. They are pure images with no words to support them, but nonetheless instantly recognisable and with the power to identify the enterprise they represent. Let‟s explore some of these and the stories behind them. Try and match which symbol matches which story.

Two importers in London in the 1930s began to bring shells from

August Horch, originally the creator of a motor company, merged it in 1932 with three other car makers - DKW, Horch and Wanderer, one ring for each of the four, and signifies strength and security.

the Far East to satisfy the growing demand to use all things shell-like in home decoration.

They adopted a shell symbol as their company logo. This company eventually grew into a global import/export enterprise, one small side-line of which dealt in oil products that eventually became the main part of the business. Much of their sales were in Southern California and had strong Hispanic connections, hence the chosen colours of red and yellow, the colours of the Spanish flag.

In 1962, a new fast food restaurant in San Bernardino California was opened by two brothers, Dick and Mac McDonald. It had two distinct arches as a feature of the building. When the company started to expand, they wanted to maintain a link with the original. Today, every one of the over 47,000 outlets displays the same arches (where they serve 57 million people in more than 119 countries each day).

Maintaining good relations with clients requires travel at a moment’s notice. Loved by some and loathed by others, business trips have become a normal part of many employees’ lives. As a consequence, a rudimentary understanding of the basics of business travel would seem essential.

At the beginning it needs to be stressed that Polish labour law provisions provide for two kinds of business trip: (i) domestic business trip – related to activities performed on the territory of Poland and (ii) foreign business trips – related to activities performed outside of Poland. Although the above‑mentioned distinction seems to be irrelevant as it comes to reimbursement of expenses incurred by the individual it is crucial when talking about per diems.

In the case of a domestic busiThe Wrocław International

ness trip, as a rule, per diem amounts to 23 PLN per 24 hours of the trip. Importantly, it only applies to those on a trip requiring full board. Even so, even if you skip a meal, you can still claim the full per diem amount.

The 24 hour period begins from the time you set out on the trip (regardless of the means of transport).

In the case of foreign business trips, the amount of per diem depends on the country where the journey is taking place. For instance, when in Germany, an

March 2012

In 1953, 27-year-old Hugh Marston Hefner started a new male lifestyle magazine and felt he needed a symbol that would encapsulate his philosophy and his targeted audience. The subsequent rabbit image had a “humorous sexual connotation” and also because the representation was “frisky and playful”.

(But even back then, guys only bought it to read the interesting articles……honest!!)

Created in 1971 by graphic design student, Carolyn Davidson, the Swoosh, represents the wing and the flight path of the winged Greek Goddess of victory, Nike, who served as the cause of motivation for distinguished and audacious warriors. For designing what became one of the most recognised symbols of the world, she was paid the fantastic sum of $35!

A famous French tennis player, René Lacoste (who was nicknamed “The Crocodile”), after his playing days ended, formed a company that made and marketed sportswear. He used his nick-name as the company logo.

The father of the modern Olympic Games, Pierre de Coubertin, once said – “These five rings --

individual is authorized to receive 42 EUR per 24 hours of travel. For France and Belgium 45 EUR is due, for Czech Republic – 33 EUR, for UK – 32 GBP and for Russia – 50 USD. Differing from a domestic business trip, the means of transport determines the starting point of the journey. In the case of business trips by car, the 24 hour period begins when you cross the Polish border. In the case of air travel, the journey begins once the plane takes off; in the case of trips by boat, travel begins when you leave the harbour. It should be noted that, in the case of foreign business trips, each meal provided by the employer reduces the amount of per diems due to the employee (for example, if breakfast is served, the amount of the daily allowance should be lowered by 15%).

blue, yellow, black, green and red -- represent the five parts of the world now encompassed by Olympism and ready to compete against each other. Moreover, the six colours (including the white background) thus combined represent the colours of every single nation in the world.”

Steve Jobs wanted a scientific image for his new computer company, but one that also had a human connection. He chose an image of Isaac Newton (the father of modern science) sitting under his famous apple tree.

This eventually evolved in simplicity to an image of a single apple. (However, many prefer to subscribe to the theory that it represents the single bite taken from a cyanide-laced apple that Allan Turning, the homosexual inventor of computers, and a hero of Jobs, chose as his route to suicide!)

Watches, handbags, perfumes, couture, etc. … many goods at the luxury end of the market carry the double interlocked „C‟s. In 1909, a Parisian singer called Gabrielle Chanel (nicknamed Coco) started to invest her fees in a small shop selling

In both cases, it is the employer who decides what means of transport will be used. The employer can agree to use a car that he or she does not own (e.g., rental or company car). In such a case, Polish tax regulations do not however accept a simple refund of actual borne costs. The amount due is calculated with the use of a flat-rate at a level of (in most cases) 0,8358 PLN per kilometre.

Although the Polish labour law seems to have rather comprehensive regulations with respect to business trips, there are no obstacles for employers to settle this matter in their own, alternative way. Such introduced regulations cannot however be less advantageous than state provisions in this regard.

In conclusion, it is worth mentioning that under currently binding Polish personal income

hats. Eventually this grew into a global luxury goods empire.

The logo is one of the most counterfeited in history and it is estimated that over $1.2 billion of goods illegally using the double C are sold every year. (So don‟t be fooled when you spot that bargain, genuine Chanel handbag you bought in the Rynek for 200 PLN!) Founded in 1948 by Adolf “Adi” Dassler as a sports footwear maker, the company went through hard times in the early years. Once when there were power cuts, generators to work the equipment were powered by Adi and his three brothers pedalling furiously for hours on bicycles. The big break came ironically for such a stalwart German outfit, when they persuaded Jesse Owens (Hitler‟s sporting nemesis) to endorse their products when he won four gold medals in the 1936 Nazi Olympics. The brand became so well known in Poland that people generally refer to training shoes as Adidasy. (So a strange conversation could be… “What sort of Adidas do you have?” “Oh, my Adidas are Nikes!”)

tax regulations as well as under social security provisions, both reimbursement of business trip expenses as well as per diems do not constitute taxable income.

The above is true as long as the amounts paid do not exceed statutory limits. The exemption applies not only to employees but also to contractors, freelancers and directors.

Ona Golonka Wrocław has increasingly been a t t ra cti ng mu lt i na t io na l businesses and local enterprises in recent years.

M a ss co nstr uct io n a nd youthful energy are going hand in hand with new business start -ups or branches of larger organizations who are establishing roots in the city.

Evolving Group, a family of HR, Outsourcing and Contact branches, opened a new office in Wrocław a few years ago and have been satisfied ever since. An Irish-Polish business providing outsourced mutlilingual Contact Centre solutions (sales, support & research) as well as HR

services, the company has expanded its clientele in addition to expanding offices over the years. After receiving positive feedback from their HR department, Evolving Group realized the benefits of Wrocław coincided well with the company’s developments and goals.

According to Brian O’Brien, Business Development Director, “There’s fantastic access to people here and an energetic buzz in the city. The city’s government is pro-business.”

Great access to peo ple, especially from the University of Technology and the University of Economics appealed to the Wrocław office. The relationship with the universities is two-way.

One of the assets of potential employees in Wrocław is their knowledge of languages, a necessary requirement for the

Aleksandra Guzdek Polish statistics are not necessarily encouraging: every fifth woman admits she would rather postpone motherhood than risk losing her job; 25% of working moms have a fear of b e i n g d i s mi s s e d , w h e n announcing that another child is on the way. A question of gender equality on the labor market rises yet again.

But as the world is moving forward, so is the role of women in the real world of business.

Being a working mom is surely challenging, but at the same, it’s a gre at sel f -d e ve lo p ment opportunity. Given the right environment, a working mom can actually make a two-fold investment, continue the journey down her professional path and cherish family moments. Worklife balance acquires broader meaning and reflects the actual needs of the market. At HP in Wrocław more than 70% of employees are women. The whole Global Business Center operates under a woman’s leadership and roughly 60% of managerial positions in the company are held by women. Not to mention the CEO of HewlettPackard, who is a woman too.

Is it just a coincidence or a subject for parity? “Promotion of gender equality in working life at HP is not as much a matter of political correctness, as it is a structured approach reflecting our values and beliefs,” says Paulina Basta, Staffing Manager in Wrocław. Equal opportunities, regardless of the gender, are a part of HP global policies, applied and executed regionally and in line with local labor law specifics. “In order to be truly

company. Evolving Group is the p r o v i d e r o f c h o i c e fo r multilingual support, sales and research. The Chamber of Commerce additionally treated the company with respect, not differentiating their international or domestic status.

Another example of what makes the company thrive in Wrocław is having local people on their leadership teams. Locals were the reasons why the business plans became reality.

“I don’t think we could’ve gotten where we are without Polish people involved,” said O’Brien.

“Attempt nothing without a local partner.”

The workplace environment is full of interest and enthusiasm.

Enthusiasm is a two-way street and workers are expected to be interested in the projects they are working on. Such an atmosphere

starts adding in value immediately. Company structure and culture are flat and everyone is referred to as a team member.

According to O’Brien, “If you treat people well and create an environment of respect, you get it back tenfold.”

Company leaders also observed the path and successes of two other larger international businesses situated in Wrocław:

But how about gender equality when one is expecting a baby?

And, what’s even more tricky, how to demonstrate an equal approach without discriminating against men? At HP both moms and dads can benefit from extended maternity/paternity paid leave, giving them the opportunity to prolong the leave for up to six months and spend more time with the baby. Flexible or part-time working hours, the possibility to work from home and private healthcare for the whole family make parentemployee life even easier. And, as it turns out in the end, the twofold investment can be made not only by a mom. So does a question of gender equality arise yet again?

“They may as well be the best role models,” said O’Brien. “If it’s good enough for Google, it’s good enough for Evolving.”

Anna Morks and Janusz Kepinski standing beside the new multi-lingual call centre

Grace Sexton

beneficial, work-life balance attitud e reflected in the company’s approach must include equality at all levels.

Diversity management is a business strategy that supports development of each and every employee and excludes the questions of gender from the picture,” explains Paulina and admits that fostering diversity in a structured manner is beneficial not only for employees, but for the business itself too. “The ability to identify and develop diverse talents within the company is a crucial factor for boosting up an employer’s attractiveness and competitiveness on the market,” she adds.

Google and McKinsey. The fact that these two companies chose Wrocław over other cities, began putting down roots in the city and began to accumulate real estate convinced Evolving that they were making the right decision.

There are currently 750 people employed at the two contact centre locations of Credit Ag ricole Bank Polska SA. The centre is open 24 hours a day, seven days a week and it is therefore necessary to have a large staff who work on different shifts in order to maintain a professional service.

Last November, Credit Agricole introduced a helpline with sixteen dedicated staff for non -Polish speakers, in French and English. The opening coincided with the announcement of Credit Agricole’s presence in the Po lish ma rket, hav ing purchased and rebranded L u ka s B a n k b r a nc he s nationwide.

The contact centre in Wrocław is a major employer in the city and recruits people from a wide variety of backgrounds, from young students to retirees. In essence, if you have a gift for customer service and would like to work flexible hours, a job at the contact centre might be just

what you are looking for.

The contact centre prides itself on its management and we met with Anna Morks and Janusz Kepinski who are responsible for ensuring staff work effectively, efficiently and in the best conditions. For foreigners

who are looking for a bank they can talk to, Credit Agricole have set up the facilities so that you can get the service you need, in Polish, English or French, via their online banking system or their 24/7 contact centre. Vive la communication!

+48 801 700 900 for landline phones only

+48 801 700 666 for landline phones only

+48 71 799 71 99 by mobile phone or internationally

+48 71 799 71 77 by mobile phone or internationally

Opening Hours: 8am to 6pm, Monday to Saturday

Opening Hours: 12pm to 4pm, Monday to Friday

24/7 - card cancellation

24/7 - card cancellation The Wrocław International March 2012

8

Special

Interview with a Victim of Crime One of our writers was attacked earlier this month. Grace Sexton interviews the young woman to find out what happened and relate the information to our readers: You have been the victim of a crime, can you describe briefly what happened?

I was entering my apartment complex after coming back from university, when I got attacked inside by a stranger. Due to the broken buzzer system, I am always cautious whenever I enter inside. A man walked in after me, I assumed he was a resident due to him carrying a bag with groceries. Before I

Ona Golonka An atmosphere of safety is a crucial element in any city.

Residents and visitors of any city have the right to feel safe walking around at any hour of the day. Safety, however, cannot be fully guaranteed in all situations and areas in a city, Wrocław included.

According to a report published in 2010 (Establishment of the Political and Societal Economy of the City 2011-2015), Wrocław was ranked the second-most dangerous large city in Poland in regards to crime. Certain districts have a more negative reputation than others and instances of crime are increasing even though many organizations in the city are working to combat the problem.

"Optimistically speaking, it's not the best situation," said a community member who wanted to remain anonymous, during a meeting about neighborhood safety in the Nadodrze district.

"We do not have control over our feelings of safety.: Representatives from social services organizations, the Nadodrze neighborhood council and the police discussed issues of safety during "National Awareness Week Against Crime" on February 23rd.

Discussions revolved around police monitoring, crime prevention and what residents themselves can do to not be victims of crime. Districts in the city with a unsafe reputation include the "Bermuda Triangle" (near Traugutta Street), Nadodrze and Nowy Dwor.

could turn around and confront him, he grabbed me from behind, pushed me to the floor, started grasping for my legs and thighs and attempted to cover my mouth with his hand. I screamed and screamed and even though nobody heard me, he presumably got scared of my reaction and ran away.

How has this affected you?

These past few weeks I have become a more paranoid person, always checking behind my back, day or night, to see if anybody is walking too close.

During the first week I was too paranoid to walk outside by myself in the evening hours, but

"We don't have control over everything," said Katarzyna Szpikowska – Zając, police representative from the Wrocław -Olbin district. "We cannot stand in every gate and entrance way.

Responsibility for crime prevention depends on the residents too. Residents have to be aware and help each other."

One of the new initiatives funded by the police department is raising awareness through flyers in apartment buildings.

These flyers list crime prevention tips, such as not carrying national identity cards with you on short grocery excursions or knowing the telephone number to the nearest police station due to the unpredictability of the national police number (997). Other preventive programs include decreasing aggression in school children and teaching youth the consequences of criminal acts. A recent trend also targets elderly residents into giving money to criminals posing as friends of a long-lost relative.

"Safety is not only about control, but about building a community that is safe," said Wioletta Bodnar, representative from MOPS (MunicipalSo cial Welfare Centre).

The center is funding a contest for community leaders who have a project or idea of how to help the community and increase its safety level and reputation.

Community gatherings and social events are also planned for the purpose of building stronger communities.

"If we feel connected with a place, we will take care of it better," Bodnar said.

Lack of militia and police personnel, inefficient policies and lack of technology,

The Wrocław International March 2012

my fear has slowly gone away. It has also made me more determined to get the buzzer system fixed, since it has been broken for at least the past 20 years.

What changes have you made in your security precautions since?

Whenever I am coming home I always notify my family that I am outside of the apartment complex, so that they will know I will be at the door in a few moments. If I do go out late I either stay over at my friends' place or ask the taxi driver to wait until I get inside my

apartment (turn on the lights) before they drive away. I always scan the apartment in a 360 view before I enter or leave. If anybody suspicious is loitering around the entrance, I walk past the doorway to pretend I do not live there and then look back to see if that person is still there.

Can you offer advice to other young women?

I bought some pepper spray from the Militaria shop on Oławska street and I have also taken selfdefense classes for reminder's sake (I took courses back in the States). Do not assume that this could not happen to you. If you are confronted with such a situation, scream if anything.

This lets your attacker know that you still have power in the situation.

including video monitoring cameras on streets, complicates safety matters in the city. There are ap p ro xi ma te l y fo rt y monitoring cameras in the Nadodrze district, according to police representatives. Many entrance and doorways have broken buzzer systems, making it possible for anybody from the street to walk inside the lobby and staircase area. Additionally, there are only two assigned municipal police officers (Straz Miejska) in the Nadodrze district for the protection of over 30,000 residents.

There are many programs fighting crime, but cases are increasing," said Neighborhood Council President Jerzy Szner.

"Every situation has to be reported. Once the police have evidence on paper and increased statistics, police monitoring will increase as well."

"Call the 986 number for the municipal police, if you feel unsafe or uneasy walking into the entrance of your apartment," said a municipal police officer wh o wa n ted to r e m ain anonymous. "We will get to you in time, but that depends on how far away we are and obviously we have to take care of every situation in the order of requests." Calls from residents increase during the summer months, when more individuals are outside. Residents can call regarding situations involving petty crimes such as dog walkers not cleaning up after their pets, homeless individuals or unsafe situations involving alcohol, drugs and potential violence.

However, some policies seem weak.

Though the effectiveness of the police and militia security may be frustrating for native Wrocławians, it is even more difficult for foreigners or tourists. According to police representatives, the police department is not obligated to speak a foreign language over the phone, making it difficult for somebody without knowledge of the language or momentary access to a Polish colleague.

However, the police are mandated to provide anybody with a translator upon making a report at an actual district station. A telephone specifically for foreign tourists is made available during the summer season, according to the National Police Headquarters website. However, the majority of these calls were still responded to in Polish, second being English and then German.

"The staircase and entrance way area in an apartment complex is not public property. However, we can only evict a non-resident if they are violently harassing someone or are influenced by narcotics or alcohol. If a group of people is standing inside, perhaps taking shelter from the rain, we cannot evict them even if they are not residents," said the municipal police officer.

The debate continues regarding who has a greater responsibility in preventing crime, the police or the residents themselves.

If the buzzer system in your apartment complex is broken, notify your neighborhood council president. They in turn will notify the proper city department responsible for housing matters.

unsafe?

Has my love for Wrocław or Poland changed? No. Has my perspective about Wrocław or Poland changed? Yes. This incident could have happened in any city, at any time. I was just in the wrong place, at the wrong time. However, Wrocław could boost its security personnel and municipal police to create a better atmosphere of safety and comfort. The city could invest more funds into repairing stateowned apartment complexes, not for the sake of beauty renovation but for the sake of residential safety. Bilingual services could be strengthened, especially for the upcoming Euro 2012 championships.

but also to the cultural barriers.

Each culture has its own mentality and attitude towards psychological help." said a representative from AKSON, an organization helping victims of domestic violence and crisis situations.

Depending on the type of crime, several social service geared organizations in Wrocław aid native Wrocławians and foreign expats following a situation of abuse or fear. Though there are organizations dealing with domestic violence and hate crime, no organization in Wrocław exists exclusively pertaining to sexual assault and rape.

AKSON, an organization primarily helping victims of do mestic violence, even provides temporary housing for victims with their families.

Centrum Praw Kobiety also primarily deals with domestic violence issues. No mada Association (association for the integration of a multicultural society), established a project called Sukus, researching and dealing with instances of hate crime in Wrocław. Hate crime instances have been increasing steadily over the years with the influx of more multicultural students and business individuals. 

Helpful Guide

For longer-term responses to abuse and crime, finding therapeutic help is even more difficult and requires more effort and time.

To report a crime, dial the emergency number 997 (or 112 from a mobile). Due to the potential unreliability of the number, know the number to the nearest police district headquarters (found on www.bip.gov.pl, or www.policja.pl).

"It is possible to provide basic psychological therapy and many psychologists and psychiatrists, especially younger ones, are bilingual. However longer-term therapy is more difficult not only due to the language barrier

Hate crimes: contact Nomada Association (+48 71 307 03 35 ) or online at their website (sukurs.nomada.info.pl).

Crimes specifically against homo, bi -, trans-sexual individuals: contact Campaign Against Homophobia (+48 511 803 474)

PaNaTo Creative Co Operative is an innovative project coming into existence in Wrocław. The goal of the co-op is to create a unique brand and alleviate local unemployment by providing organizational resources and support to local craftsmen, designers, and other creative professions.

PaNaTo is meant to be an umbrella for individual creators that assist them to establish their own business.

This idea was initially proposed during Future City Game action in December 2011 when a group of Wrocław inhabitants drafted a proposal. The proposal won the approval of local experts initially and continued its success during Future City Jobs international conventions in Prague, Czech Republic.

Today, the British Council serves as a main project operator while the city’s Institution of Culture Wrocław 2016 is the direct coordinator cooperating with partners from Glasgow, Prague, San Sebastián, Södertälje and Tallin. The organizers expect that the assets of this emerging cooperative will be an enhancement that will promote a friendliness, creative atmosphere, and partner relationships.

Last month, we started with a short introduction of the Nadodrze district, analyzing it in terms of its sociological aspects. Then, we highlighted the prejudices against the district which might have been caused by its socio-economically deprived status and heterogeneous ethnic structure. In conclusion, we said that the health of society could be improved by creating a dialog between Nadodrze and the rest of the society and discussing concepts such as the idea of equality, tolerance, multiculturalism and harmony, all of which could be achieved with the help of nongovernmental organisations.

In this article, we will mainly talk about the urban transformation issue and the potential negative effects that it may have upon the Nadodrze district. Then, we will introduce the relations between civil society, NGO's and the concept of democracy in relation to Nadodrze.

The main focus is on marketing and promotion in order to make this project economically viable and efficient.

primary goal is not simple profitmaking, fair partnerships and concerns for social inclusions play an important role as well.

The long-term goals of the cooperative include engaging the local community, introducing educational activities, and replicating this project idea in other cities. Paulina Ogrbisz, the project manager, dreams that one day there will be an international network of such co-operatives.

“People are welcome to join and should be independent, committed, open-minded, and ready for challenges,” says Ograbisz.

PaNaTo is designed to trigger a fusion of social and free-market economies. Paulina Ograbisz says that primary aim is to create employment opportunities where people can use their skills (often undervalued in the market) and self-direct their work to attain financial success. However, the

Urban transformation, or revitalisation, of the Nadodrze district is a very important issue nowadays, however, many of the inhabitants of the district know very little about it. Let’s begin with the definition of the word in literature. Although it has a wide range of meanings, urban transformation as a term is used to define development actions of cities, which seek to improve their social, economic and physical conditions in the long-term. However; it covers all these three aspects of development, the biggest mistake is underestimating social and economic improvements of inhabitants such as those in the Nadodrze district.

First of all, recent studies and experiences about the issue show that urban transformation projects focusing on only one aspect, mainly physical appearance, have short-term positive effects. However, in the long run this is not far from superficial renovation as is evident from the persistence of socio-economic problems. For instance; if socioeconomic levels of people deve-

Currently the organizers are in the phase of acquiring office space, assembling co-op members, and searching for external funding. The project has already drawn tens of people willing to join.

In May the production and sales departments are scheduled to be operational and the grand opening is set for June. If you wish to join PaNaTo, please email panato.aplikuj@gmail.com.

lop faster than the physical dimension, these people may leave the area for better living conditions and vice versa. If the physical aspects are focused upon more than socio-economic issues, then inhabitants of an area will have to leave the area as a replacement of qualified people who can afford improved living conditions. Basically, inhabitants of Nadodrze district quite likely will be faced with displacement under the current circumstances of revitalisation. Therefore, social and economic improvements of local people should show parallelism with physical developments of the areas in order to provide healthy development in the long run.

Secondly and more importantly, strengthening the local participatory mechanism is vital in accomplishing the objective of a healthy society and development.

Central authority has to work in coordination with local authorities, NGOs and inhabitants in order to determine the needs of the area in a better way. It is not only a key point for the revitali-

In April, Wrocław City Public Library is organising a festival that should not be missed by those with an interest in travel and exploring. This is the first Zero Paraller Festival and it will take place in two locations, in Mediateka (Plac Teatralny) and the library branch no. 57 (Szewska Street) between the 12th and 14th of April. The patron of the festival is Olgierd Budrewicz, journalist and writer who travelled to more than 160 countries and explored multiple exotic and faraway lands.

He is also the author of festival’s motto: “Let’s traverse across Africa in pursuit of the people, landscapes and issues.”

The organizers intend to present culture, traditions and lifestyles of various quarters of the Earth.

Among festival guests will be people of different interests and backgrounds; anthropoligical, photographic, geographic and reporters.

expect travel stories from different continents. A variety of associated events are on the festival agenda, such as an exhibition of native African costumes, Yerba Mate brewing and an exhibition of fair trade products.

There will be film projections about life in Africa. The festival also offers some participation events, such as photographic workshops and games for kids, so everyone can find something interesting. At the festival finale, a band called Foliba will give a concert of traditional West African music.

This first festival will be devoted to Africa but one can

sation process, but also necessary for a fully functioning democracy. In the current situation, local participation and related NGOs should be the main actors in the future of Nadodrze society because the legitimacy of a democratic society is tightly coupled with well functioned civil society. In other words, one of the most influential and indispensable parts of democracy is a well designed civil society together with its democratic institutions.

According to Montesquieu and Tocqueville, individuals can be protected from being divided against the state only by nongovernmental organisations and their informing, surveillance and supervisory functions. That is to

say, being organized, in solidarity with others in society, allows individuals to overcome the possibility of unlawful interferences.

Ultimately, one cannot say that Nadodrze citizens have given much feedback about their lives during the process; even they are out of touch with the story.

In light of this information, we will continue to determine the main responsibilities of the actors of the transformation process in the next issue.

Cagri Cinaz, Foundation House of Peace: cagricinaz@hotmail.com

The Wrocław International March 2012

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Growing up in a former British Colony and home to an American Army Base during the oil boom years, we in Trinidad and Tobago were subjected to the influences and traditions of The North. This was especially true of the carols we crooned at Christmas, not the religious type, but the more fun loving ones, such as “Deck the Halls”, “Winter Wonderland” and "Jingle Bells”. As I grew into adulthood, I came to realize that winter was something that we only saw in the movies or on television. Cold was a concept relegated to my physics classes; cold as an atmospheric condition was confined to the computer room of the insurance company where I worked as a young adult and the refrigerator, of course. It wasn't a part of outdoor life.

My first experience of cold weather conditions was in Chicago as autumn came to an end in 1997. I was 32 at the time and had not known that the outside could ever get so cold! It was 5 degrees and snow was nowhere in sight, but I suffered as I waited for my friend to pick me up, analyzing this experience and trying with all my might to stop shivering and appear comfortable. I

Going green has been a recent trend in cities worldwide and Wrocław is no exception. The city has steadily been increasing and improving its share of ecologically friendly cafes, shops, hotels and other services throughout the years.

Residents and newcomers alike will discover new or perhaps already well-known ecologically friendly and sustainable places for their next meal, shopping experience or other excursion.

Piekarnia na Bema: pl. Bema 4 The smell of freshly baked bread is not the only characteristic that will lure you in. All of the breads are baked without additives and anti -mo uld substances and additionally all products are packaged in paper, not plastic. A local favorite is the onion bread.

Hala Targowa, Booth 128 Although fresh and dried fruits, various honey products and

The Wrocław International

and my Russian friends of minus fifty. I believe this was not just a case of one-upmanship but an attempt to scare me just a little, and while I understood the cold, I would state jokingly to them that I did not and could not relate to what they were talking about.

After all, my own freezer did not get that cold, and the coldest it had ever gotten in my country was 11 degrees Celsius, a temperature I came to understand as a warm day in Poland during the winter months.

thought that I was prepared at the time (I had a fleece and double underwear).

Other visits to Chicago found me experiencing a dusting of snow, just enough to make a snowball and throw it, to seeing yellow snow at the base of a tree and understanding why one should not eat it if offered, as well as fewer daylight hours.

My very first visit to Wrocław found me spending 12 days here in winter. I landed in a light fog, the sky was overcast and it was cold; however, I was much better prepared, and the cold did not

really bother me, especially as I was here to visit my girlfriend, Ela. All in all, it was a wonderful time. I got to fully experience snow and snowfall, a snowball fight (I won) and most of the experiences one would have during a winter visit.

Prior to my first winter experience in Wrocław, I had never experienced such outdoor cold before. During my time working on cruise ships, my colleagues would speak of how cold it got in their part of the world. My Romanian friends would speak of minus thirty degree temperatures, my Polish friends of minus forty,

My visits to Wrocław have been timed to experience as much as I could of the four seasons. The Caribbean generally has two seasons, wet and dry, and all days are generally warm to hot. Moving from summer to autumn to winter allowed me to acclimatize to the lowering of the temperatures. However, in my own special way, I chose to ensure that when „old man winter‟ arrived, I would be able to handle it as well as any Pole. So, I started sleeping with the window open in my bedroom. I managed to get away with this for nearly two weeks until moje kochanie awoke before me and, upon entering, realized that the reason why the apartment was so cold was because of my shenanigans. She shared her displeasure with me in the greatest of detail, after which I slept every night with my window tightly shut.

Krótka Droga/Short Road Bazaar, at Falanster Club

A question often pondered by Wrocławians is "where can I dispose of all the things I recycle at home?" There are, in fact, many places to recycle glass, paper and plastic products. The co-operative SURMET hosts eleven recycling sites in Wrocław (found on their website: http://www.surmet.pl) In regards to electronics, these

March 2012

The beauty of all these adjustments and learning experiences has greatly improved my time spent in Poland. Walking around Wrocław and being able to observe my surroundings up close and personal has meant the world to me; I have gotten the opportunity to not only appreciate the beauty of the landscape and the winter culture of a people I have come to love, but to experience the beauty and majesty of winter itself.

Bazar pod Mlynem: Al. Poprzeczna 33/35.

Every Sunday, new, vintage or classic Dutch bikes can be bought at this bazaar. Other second-hand treasures and oddities can be found at this addictive market, such as plates, brass lamps and silverware.

vegetables can be bought at many booths, this booth specializes in local ecological, chemical-free and organic products.

This weekly ecological bazaar has local producers showcasing their cheese, bread, seasonal vegetables and fruit, in between conversing and sharing cups of coffee. Those for whom the twice-yearly Ecological Fair is not enough, can shop at this weekly event. Farmers come to converse with their customers, proving that the distance between customers and sellers is short indeed.

I found winter was not a time when one would or could horse around. Being a little less serious about how people perceived me, I would try to look for opportunities to have a little more fun than I should at times. Driving to church instead of walking (we had a visit planned for later), I got out of the car and started to do a little dance on the icy path out of the car park, only to find my feet losing traction, my body pivoting at a point around my neck and with more “hang time” than Michael Jordan, I found myself twisting in midair and landing face down on the icy path. “I meant to do that!” I muttered weakly as I quickly and shakily, got to my feet. Even though there was a crowd rushing along to Mass, no one seemed to have noticed my spectacular flight and fall; they were all carefully picking their way along the path in an effort to avoid my fate.

Needless to say, my hand was firmly held, not so much as a means of support, but to stop me from embarrassing my Ela.

cannot be recycled in normal recycling points. Instead, these organizations can pick up your electronics with prior notice: SURMET and Waste Services Group,biuro@eletktrozbiorka.pl.

Hostel Bemma ul. Sienkiewicza 2/1a.

Tourists can spend a relaxing night at Hostel Bemma, which offers and promotes vegan, vegetarian and fair-trade food products, offers bike borrowing and follows ecological standards in lighting and utilizes recycled buildling materials. Plus the salon is filled with books, magazines and records for enjoyment.

Though there are plenty of cafes

in Wrocław, only a few offer an excellent cup of coffee with the added benefit of fair-trade products, concerts, community meetings and a wide range of books (also in English).

Cafe Falanaster: ul. św.

Antoniego 23 Cafe Rozrusznik: ul.

Cybulskiego 15 Punkt Ostrzenia: Kościuszki 65 For over 32 years dedicated workers have been sharpening knives, scissors, grinders and clippers in this shop, while customers wait. Duplicate keys can also be made here while customers wait, although the waiting period depends on the type of key.

ul. Dobra 14/20. This group of couriers offers services in the city and the country, using ecologically friendly ways of transporting customers' packages. Plus they are involved in promoting and establishing ecologically friendly courier services in other countries, including Ethiopia.

More ecologically friendly goods and services pertaining to organic foods, natural cosmetics, children-friendly places, apparel, fair trade goods, books and cultural events can be found in t h e S p a c e r o wn i k g u i d e , organized in part by Fundacja EkoRozwoju (Foundation for Sustainable Development) in Wrocław. The bilingual guide is a v a i l a b l e o n l i n e (www.ekonsument.pl/ spacerownik/) and in print. The "sustainable consumption" guide can also be used for Warsaw, Kraków, Poznań and Lublin.

Culture 11

International Friends of Wroc aw Richard Jeffery The written constitution and statutes of the International Friends of Wrocław are very vague and open to interpretation. Some interpretations are highly fanciful but until such time that the club sits down to review them, these fanciful interpretations will continue to surface.

One of the written rules of the club states that at the given starting time of the Annual General Meeting (AGM), half of the fully paid up members must be present. If half of the fully paid up members are not present at that given time, then one whole hour must pass, after which the meeting may continue with only those fully paid up members who are present. From past experience, there were many attending this year's AGM who were hoping and praying that we would have a proper quorum at 11 o'clock rather than have to wait another hour before proceeding. These people knowing fully well that the meeting could take three hours and there were children that needed to be collected from school. Fortunately at one minute to eleven, the 27th fully paid up member walked

through the door and we were able to start on time.

Reports were given by the President, Secretary and Treasurer along with further reports regarding the events and the charity fundraising in 2011. The President, Gareth Wrend was standing down after three years in the job and spent a lot of time thanking all those who had helped him during his Presidency. One could almost imagine that if it were at all possible, he would have liked to confer a few knighthoods. The Secretary's report was littered with his usual smattering of humour, and the Treasurer amazed everyone by revealing that there was more money in the club coffers than previously thought.

There then followed a debate regarding the membership fee.

Annual membership of IFW at that point was 200 PLN per annum. This constituted a family membership that included husbands/wives or partners. Many single members resented paying this figure and the motion put to the floor (Proposed by Debbie Hagan and seconded by Bob Cranage), was that alongside the family membership of 200 PLN, there should be an option of a single person membership of

100 PLN. After due debate the motion was carried by a considerable majority. This meant that single people or those whose partner did not take an interest in the club could claim a rebate if they had already paid the higher fee. Students are still welcome to become club members free of charge.

So the moment finally arrived, the election process to decide the make up of both the Executive and Review boards for 2012.

The outgoing board members had spent the previous four weeks trying to make the election process free, fair and transparent. They had introduced postal voting for the first time and the previous evening, had even turned the clubhouse into a makeshift polling booth so as to accommodate the members who would otherwise be working on the day of the AGM. The only thing missing was a delegation of independent U.N. observers.

Everybody standing for election had to give a short presentation about themselves, explaining why they felt they should be elected and what they felt they could bring to the club. David Smith, who was standing as President of the Review board surprised everyone by giving his presentation in French.

After the presentations were over ballot slips were presented

Photo: Mav Hall

AGM & Elections 2012

The Executive and Review Board after 2012 Elections to all who were eligible to vote.

Although the voting itself was by secret ballot, the count was conducted in front of everyone to show that there was no manipulation of the result. This proved to be a very fortuitous insight, as after numerous recounts, both Marina Kotowitch and Mags Andrews who were running for Vice President (Executive board) were found to have polled exactly the same number of votes each. Rather than toss a coin or decide the outcome by a bout of arm wrestling, the General Assembly decided in their wisdom to have two Vice Presidents serve on the board in 2012. With voting over and the results accepted by all present, the Secretary was asked to destroy the ballot papers,

which he did with his usual zest by burning them on the clubhouse doorstep.

All that was left was the traditional group photograph of the new board members minus Steve Andrews who had already left the premises for another engagement. The make up of the new boards of IFW were revealed in last month's Wrocław International, and represented by seven different nationalities is a fair reflection of the club's diverse membership.

International Friends of Wrocław internationalfriendsofwroclaw@gmail.com www.ifw.org.pl New Year, New Start - Working Together as a Community

The Discovery Centre is Open

Ecological Fair Coming

The new Discovery Centre at Hala Stulecia is now open.

Agata Brożek, Director of Marketing at Centennial Hall (Hala Stulecia) was pleased to report that, despite the bad weather last month, Wrocławians have been coming in numbers to visit this new centre.

The annual ecological fair, sponsored and organized by Wrocław’s Fundacja EkoRozwoju (Foundation of Sustainble Development) will host various farmers and other vendors selling ecologically friendly produced foods and other goods. Local farmers will sell their awardwinning hard and soft cheese derived from cow’s and goat’s milk. Other vendors will additionally sell breads, including Lithuanian baked goods such as bread with caraway seeds. Other Lithuanian specialties will include traditionally-made sausages and “kwas chlebowy,” a traditional Slavic bread drink derived from rye bread. Visitors will be able to eat vegan and vegetarian food in addition to unique on-site baked cakes. As usual, various flavors of local honey will be on sale in addition to ceramics and home holiday decorations, such as tablecloths and Easter eggs.

The central concept of the Discovery Centre is to help visitors learn about the most important events in the last 100 years of Centennial Hall; namely the history of its construction, major changes throughout the years and modernist architecture. The multimedia and interactive education program will allow you to touch the one hundred years of history of Centennial Hall. It is also an attractive introduction into the world of architecture designs, which today distinguish themselves for their innovations and structural boldness. The entire program will be broadened with the gallery and a system of screens in the circular corridor that surrounds the main arena. The culmination of the visit is the special light and

sound performance under the dome using video-mapping technology.

Hala Stulecia,

Opening Hours Mon-Fri 10 AM - 6 PM Sat-Sun 11 AM - 7 PM Ticket Prices: Reduced 9 PLN Normal 12 PLN Group: (Min 10 people) 8 PLN Family 30 PLN Special 0 PLN

www.centrumpoznowcze.pl

Ul. Wystawowa 1

shopping directly before the manufacturer or farmer. You see the person who prepared the food you will eat. You have the opportunity to find out how it was made, where the products originated and also get hints on how to prepare dishes for the holidays."said Monika Onyszkiewicz, from Fundacja EkoRozwoju.

Observers and consumers at the fair will also have the opportunity to watch how artists paint ceramics and make jewelry.

The fair is located next to saint Maria Magdalena Church in Szewska Street.

Ecological Fair: 30th of March to 6th of April www.fer.org.pl

"It is a unique opportunity to go

The Wrocław International March 2012

La Francophonie is returning to Wrocław!!!

The much awaited spring season is back and has filled us all with energy and enthusiasm.

A similar vibrant spirit of celebration was noticed by my classmates and me at Alliance Française (AF) this week as the preparations for La Francophonie reached its final stages. Oui, once again, it’s time for les Journées de la Francophonie.

The annual global festival celebrating the French language will commence in Wrocław on March 16th and conclude on April 6th. Millions of Francophones (individuals and organisations) rejoice this time of the year and especially March 20th – the momentous day it all began.

The festival is organised by the International Organisation of La Francophonie [Organisation Internationale de la Francophonie (OIF)], one of the biggest linguistic zones in the world, and its member states worldwide.

OIF was created on March 20, 1970, with a mission to represent active solidarity between its member states and governments and to celebrate the French language and its cultural and literary diversity. OIF represents over one-third of the United Nations’ member states and includes a population of over 890 million people, including 220 million French speakers. Its current 75 member states include 56 members and 19 observers; Poland is one of the 19 observers.

La Francophonie event is organised to commemorate the common bond that joins French speakers globally - the French language and its humanist values. While the 20th of March holds the utmost importance, all over the world various organisations organise events around this time which may last from several days to weeks including an array of cultural and literary activities. Alliance Française, in association with the French Embassy and Institut Français de GLOSSARY Spring – le printemps French speaking days – les Journées de la Francophonie Francophonie – the community of French-speaking people Francophone – a person who speaks French Rejoice – réjouir Worldwide – partout dans le monde Solidarity – solidarité

The Wrocław International

Pologne and other partners, has carefully planned the event, which includes various art forms - movies (with Polish subtitles), music and photographs - for all those interested in the French language. The event focuses not only on French culture, but is also extremely useful for students and people of all age groups to gain an insight into the language, its cultural and literary diversity, as well as plenty of opportunities to meet numerous native speakers.

This year’s program will kick off with a concert by internationally acclaimed Pianist Francois Dumont, who won an international competition in Warsaw and dedicated his latest project to Chopin. On March 20th, the International Day of Francophonie, the festival of French songs will begin with the arrival of Benjamin Paulin, who is often compared to Gainsbourg, Dutronc or Dorian Gray. You can also see the exhibition of drawings by Gerda Saliger devoted to Vladimir Malakhof, the famous Russian ballet dancer who has enjoyed success on the French stage and is considered one of the most talented dancers of his generation. Various meetings and workshops will be organised for children and teenagers at AF as well as other locations. With the International Friends of Wrocław you can discover some funny French expressions and practices in the French language that are worldrenown and used quite often in English these days, over coffee and a croissant. While many of these events have free entrance, there will be some that require buying a ticket. To view the detailed programme, please visit www.alliance.wroclaw.pl.

This event is a great opportunity for students who are learning French as well as the Frenchspeaking Wrocławians (both locals and foreigners) to learn and share the language beyond its superficial layer. So do make the most of it while you can!

Renu Singh is a second semester student at Alliance Française in Wrocław. Through Bonjour! from a French classroom… she will share her learning experience with us.

Alliance Française Rynek 58 www.alliance.wroclaw.pl Diversity – diversité Common bond – lien commun Utmost – extrême Useful – utile Acclaimed – acclamé Meetings – rencontres Workshops – ateliers Discover – découvrir Opportunity – occasion To share – partager Beyond – au-delà

March 2012

Relationships in Poland – Do’s and Don’ts

We are all in various relationships with the people we know in Poland. How well the relationship goes depends on both sides making allowances and showing willing. Fundamentally, this boils down to a set of expectations. Cultural differences can stir up otherwise clear situations due to one or both parties not fully understanding the norms and practices of the other. In the 12 years I have lived in Poland, I have misjudged a few situations, but have made many more observations on this matter. Below are a few categories of the main types of relationships and some helpful pointers:

Love/intimate relationship Many foreign nationals (mainly men) come to Poland and fall in love or lust with a Pole. You will probably spend the first few weeks fascinated with each other and experiencing an ‘exotic’ romantic time. As things progress, this is what to be careful of: 1. Keep your eyes on your partner. In England it may be acceptable to go over and say ‘Hi’ to a girl you know who happens to walk into the pub you and your partner are sitting in.

Don’t do it in Poland. In my experience it may lead to your girlfriend walking out in tears.

2. Be a gentleman. Going Dutch is not common. Make sure you are prepared to pay both ways, open doors, pull out seats, hold out jackets etc…

Chivalry is very much alive and expected in Poland.

3. Pay compliments. Don’t lay it on too thick, but you need to recognize that a Polish woman will make a fine effort when she turns up for a date. Every detail of what she wears is not a chance matter. The colour red is considered the most beautiful of all in Poland. There is an unspoken habit of a Polish woman dyeing her hair red at least once in her life. I haven’t met one yet who hasn’t. Is it something to do with the flag?

Work relationships 1. Call me Pan/i! This polite form of address (something like Mr or Mrs) can be used before the Christian name and Surname (Pan Andrew or Pani Thomson) and indicates deference and professional distance. I won’t say

‘Don’t’, but be careful when moving to be on first name terms. Unless you assess the situation carefully, this can mean that you are willing to sacrifice people taking you seriously.

First name terms is akin with ‘we are on the same level’ and this can lead to taking liberties.

2. Shake hands. Every time you meet someone (whether you know them or not) it is polite to extend your hand in a gesture of equality. When you walk into a room of 20 people, this can take almost a minute, but it would be considered rude not to indulge in this.

3. Say Hello and Goodbye.

These may be the first words you learn in Polish, but you should always say ‘Dzien Dobry’ when you walk into, for instance, an open plan office.

Perhaps nobody will batter an eyelid in recognition, nonetheless do it. The same goes for saying ‘Do widzenia’ when you leave an office.

Friendship relationships 1. Language leeches. If you don’t speak Polish, English is likely to be the language you use in Poland to communicate. If you plan on staying here longer, you will probably need to learn the local language. Remember that you have the wonderful opportunity of being surrounded by native speakers. If one becomes a friend, a true test of this is to see if they will tolerate your attempts to speak Polish. Sometimes, you will meet people who only want to know you for your English language and the chance to practise for free.

2. Calculating. If you go away for the weekend somewhere with a group of Poles, the chances are there will be a party in the evening. Someone will offer to do the shopping and you may think that everyone will end up doing it. Well, that isn’t the case. Following the shopping, an eager beaver will whip out a calculator and charge each participant according to what they

intend to consume. This is a most tedious and irritating custom that dilutes the spirit of fun.

Calculating is so deeply ingrained into the mentality that you’ll just have to accept it.

3. Sharing. Poles are some of the most hospitable and generous people I have ever met.

Most things that have a common goodness (food, alcohol, petrol costs) will readily be shared.

Two thing though should never be shared: cars and girlfriends / boyfriends. A misdemeanor with a friend’s girlfriend is regrettable and unfair; damaging a borrowed car is completely unforgivable!

Other relationships 1. Salespersons. If you want a short but sweet relationship with anyone trying to sell you car insurance, inviting you to a free presentation for expensive nonstick frying pans or trying to persuade you to extend your mobile contract 6 months before it expires, there is a very simple thing you can do. Intersperse the words 'Nie Dziękuję' two or three times into the sales pitch and the salesperson will then thank you and end the call. Very effective!

2. The older generation. These people generally love to talk about the good old days in Communism - always a safe topic.

Avoid religion, politics and World War II. 3. Authorities. Always be polite and respectful if you are caught speeding by the police, inspected

by ZUS or need to explain irregularities to the tax office.

Mention that you admire their work because it is a necessary, but undervalued mechanism in society.

13

Grammar Secrets 10: All You Need is a Woman is bringing out some radical, extreme emotions.

I am sure you already know that in the past, on the 8th of March, Poland celebrated International Women’s Day in a pompous manner. Nowadays Poles do not celebrate it aloud; however some men still remember the tradition and offer flowers. So don’t be surprised…

I would like to take this opportunity to make a little language cheat-sheet of women’s image in the Polish language. In Polish the word “kobieta” is used to describe an adult person of the female gender. The corresponding adjective is “kobiecy” for female or feminine, like in the expressions “Łzy – broń kobieca” (Tears – feminine weapon) or “kobieca ręka” (woman’s hand – synonym of care, attention).

Luckily, you have a variety of choices to best describe a girl or woman you may be acquainted with. We use the word “dziewczyna” to talk about a young, unmarried girl or a girlfriend. For a little girl the word “dziewczynka” or diminutive “dziewczyneczka” is used or a little bit archaic “dziewczątko.”

To describe a pretty young girl we use the metaphor “dziewczyna jak złoto” (girl like gold). Similar metaphors are: for a girl with agility, shapeliness, deftness we use “dziewczyna jak topola” (girl like a poplar tree), “dziewczyna jak łania” (girl like a doe), “dziewczyna jak świeca” (girl like a candle), but to express goodness, kindness, innocence and purity of girls we say “dziewczyna jak anioł” (girl like an angel). The word “dziewczyna” has a positive connotation in Polish.

To describe a married woman the word “żona” (wife) is used, for example: “Dobra żona to skarb.” (Good wife is a treasure), “Dobra żona to męża korona.” (Good wife is a husband’s crown).

During the 15th Century and the beginning of courtly culture in Poland, we started to use the nouns “pan” for a dignitary of high rank, “panna” for daughter of dignitary of high rank and “pani” for the wife of a dignitary of high rank. Nowadays “pani” is used in formal language and means Miss (e.g. Pani Kowalska), Mrs (e.g. Pani Nowak), Madam, mistress (“pani domu”), “you” formally (e.g. in expression “Proszę Pani!”). It is impossible to recognize whether a woman is married or not, be-

cause formally we call all the women “pani”! In contemporary Polish the noun “panna” is used in formal documents meaning marital status – an unmarried woman and in expressions “panna młoda” for a bride, “Święta Panna” is a Virgin, “Panna” refers to Virgo in the horoscope, and “stara panna” is an old maid or spinster.

“babcia” (grandmother).

As you see talking about women

Analyzing the language metaphors, a woman can be strong, fighting for her rights (“silna, walcząca o swoje prawa”) or the weaker sex (“słaba płeć”). A woman is a hunter (“łowca”) who has a secret weapon or has seductive eyes (“uwodzicielskie oczy”). A woman is also a prisoner, a slave of her beauty (“niewolnica urody”). A woman is a fruit which can be fresh (“świeża”), mature (“dojrzała”), blooming (“rozkwita”), lost her blossom (“przekwita”), wither (“usycha”) or vegetative (“wegetuje”). A woman is a queen (“królowa”), adored by men (“adorowana”), a miracu-

lous creature performing magic (“czaruje”) or stealing the show (“przyciąga całą uwagę”)…

All we need is a woman? Share your opinion with me! In Polish!

Edyta Juszczyszyn is a qualified and experienced teacher of Polish for foreigners. You may reach her at: edyta@inpolish.edu.pl You will find details of a Polish Language Summer School which our resident Polish Language expert, Edyta Juszczyszyn, will be running on Page 15 of this issue.

From the XVII Century, Polish inherited the noun “dama” (from French). Nowadays “dama” expresses respect, sometimes aristocratic origin, or tact and good taste. For example, “prawdziwa d a ma ” ( a u t h e n t i c l a d y) , “wytworna dama” (ladylike), “sędziwa dama” (aged lady).

The most controversial and interesting noun with unclear etymology is “baba,” which signifies an old woman, ugly, a big older woman, countrywoman or is used to talk contemptuously about women in general.

Women who talk too much without sense or are curious and interfering can be called “baba”.

As in “Miele językiem jak baba” (Somebody is prattling, babble like a woman.), “ciekawy jak baba” (somebody curious like a woman), or “Herod – baba” (active, despotic woman).

One of the popular proverbs, “Gdzie diabeł nie może, tam babę pośle.” (When devil can’t fix something, he used to delegate woman) describes a woman who is canny, clever and effective.

Using the words “baba”, “babka” (diminutive), “babeczka” (diminutive) is very confusing because “baba” is also the name of Polish popular cake which looks like volcano. But expressions “babka”, “babeczka”, “kobietka” mean an attractive, charming, nice woman who maybe likes to flirt, but if these expressions are used, it means we like the woman.

This is also difficult to mix with nouns:

The Wrocław International March 2012

Imagine caminar por el centro de la ciudad y encontrar una iglesia del siglo XIV y, al lado, un edificio moderno construido hace apenas cincuenta años.

Sin ordenadores que recreen esta situación en tres dimensiones, Wrocław ofrece esta experiencia en vivo y en directo.

Con sectores en auge como las ingenierías o la construcción, hay ofertas de trabajo disponibles para ciudadanos de otras nacionalidades. Esta oportunidad es especialmente interesante para los ciudadanos de España, donde la crisis económica es más acusada en estos momentos.

Wrocław es la cuarta ciudad más poblada de Polonia después de la capital, Varsovia, de la turística Cracovia y de Łódź, pero el sistema de transportes urbano (con autobuses y tranvías) facilita las comunicaciones, acorta distancias y ahora tiempo a sus más de 600.000 habitantes.

Su ubicación en un valle le permite ser una de las localidades

menos fría del país. No es cierto eso de que la gente sólo va de casa al trabajo y viceversa: familias, personas mayores, parejas y grupos de amigos pueden verse a diario por el centro de la ciudad, que en este caso no coincide con el casco antiguo. Como remedio a las bajas temperaturas hay deliciosos chocolates (czekolada), variedades de café (kawa), diferentes tipos de infusiones (herbata) y vino caliente (wino) para tomar en bares o llevar entre las manos mientras se pasea. En verano, las terrazas también se instalan en Rynek (plaza del Mercado, o lo que es lo mismo, la Plaza Mayor), donde los edificios tienen fachadas de colores al más puro estilo francés o belga; se rompe así el mito de que Polonia es un país gris.

La capital de la región Baja Silesia es conocida como “la Venecia polaca” por sus doce islas y sus más de cien puentes, que atraviesan el río Oder. La historia más reciente puede apreciarse en la catedral, donde sus torres y gran parte de sus ábsides fueron reconstruidos tras la Segunda Guerra Mundial. Es Polo-

nia un lugar de gran tradición católica, lo que se traduce en multitud de iglesias repartidas por toda la ciudad, todas ellas con gran valor artístico y patrimonial. También pueden los visitantes observar las sinagogas de la comunidad judía, muy presente en Wrocław.

Entre los locales cada vez ganan más hueco las franquicias que están en toda Europa, por lo que el turista apenas encontrará diferencia entre los centros comerciales de aquí, de Madrid o de Londres. De la población destaca la amabilidad: los polacos pueden sacarle de muchos apuros y un alto porcentaje sabe hablar inglés, por lo que no debe asustarse cuando no entienda un vocablo que contiene siete consonantes seguidas. Sólo debe pronunciar la palabra mágica “przepraszam” (que significa, “disculpe”) al primero que pase por la calle y, si las prisas no se lo impiden, estará encantado de ayudarle.

tro. La comida polaca se basa en curiosas sopas dentro de hogazas de paz a modo de cazuela, carnes guisadas y salsas variadas para complementar los platos y guarniciones. Es la antítesis de la dieta mediterránea, pero no por ello menos exquisita y, aunque la comida rápida también está presente en cada esquina, aún no se aprecian índices de obesidad entre la población.

La que fuera llamada por los alemanes como Breslavia, ofrece montañas cercanas para practicar esquí, una amplia oferta cultural en sus cines, teatros, ópera, etc., mucho ambiente nocturno al tratarse de una ciudad universitaria (especialmente solicitada por los Erasmus), puestos de flores abiertos 24 horas en Plac Solny (Plaza de la Sal) y la cele-

Con respecto al ocio, la cultura es muy parecida a la española: las cañas aquí se llaman piwo y se sirven en vasos de medio li-

Le cercle de lecture francophone de Wroclaw organise deux ateliers dans le cadre des journées de la francophonie.

Le Mardi 20 mars à 11h, atelier découverte de la jeune chanson française.

Présentation de jeunes auteurs - compositeurs - interprètes, leurs parcours, leurs réussites, leurs actualités musicales… Venez écouter Bénabar, Camille, Corneille et bien d’autres en dégustant un café gourmand.

A la bibliothèque romane, Rynek 58, troisième étage, entrée gratuite.

Le lundi 26 mars à 17h, Balade à travers la littérature francophone contemporaine

Lecture d’extraits choisis de romans et nouvelles.Venez découvrir des auteurs et des textes qui vous transporteront loin de votre quotidien.

Librairie « Tajne komplety », 2 rue Przejście Grancarskie, entrée gratuite.

The Wrocław International

March 2012

bración de la Eurocopa 2012 a la vuelta de la esquina (sólo faltan cuatro meses para que comience el evento).

Si después de leer esto decide pasar una temporada en Wrocław, ¿cree que ya le he desvelado todo sobre este precioso lugar? Más de un centenar de gnomos de bronce están repartidos por toda la ciudad.

Hacen homenaje al símbolo que utilizó La Alternativa Naranja un movimiento que se manifestó en contra del absolutismo comunista. Tanto si viene para un fin de semana como si se queda a vivir aquí, no olvide prestar atención a cada lugar por el que pase: son las imágenes de un libro de historia, que se puede sentir y leer a pie de calle.

1000 persone.

Vanaf het moment dat ik mijn Poolse vriend leerde kennen in Wrocław wist ik dat ik Pools wilde leren. Direct na mijn terugkomst in Nederland ben ik begonnen met het leren van de dagen, maanden, dieren en natuurlijk een aantal basiszinnen. Bij het eerste woord dat mijn computerprogramma me wilde leren, przepraszam, besefte ik dat het Pools spreken heel lastig zou gaan worden. Al die rare lettercombinaties en rz, sz, cz-klanken kent het Nederlands niet en het zal dan ook nog lang duren voor ik een heel gesprek in het Pools kan voeren.

Gelukkig spreekt bijna iedere student in Wrocław redelijk goed Engels, waardoor ik met mijn vrienden, huisgenoten en natuurlijk met mijn vriend wel goede gesprekken kan voeren.

Toch mis ik zo nu en dan het gemak van het spreken in mijn eigen taal, het Nederlands. Sinds enkele weken heb ik daar wat oplossingen voor gevonden: ik ben lessen gaan geven in Nederlands en ik organiseer voor de Language Exchange Club één keer in de twee weken op maandag Nederlandse bijeenkomsten in Art Café Kalambur.

Comincio la giornata dando una scorsa a quello che i giornali scrivono di bello. Di solito per il m i o b l o g (unitalianoawroclaw.blogspot.co m) scelgo gli articoli che contribuiscono a creare l'unicità di Wrocław, sono un ottimo strumento di promozione e riescono a confondere il lettore italiano a cui il blog è rivolto, facendolo arrovellare su una domanda tipo „ma perché prima non sapevo niente di Wrocław?”.

Oltre a tradurre semplicemente gli articoli (anzi, molti miei post nascono da una mia qualche diretta esperienza nella città), spesso ci aggiungo un pizzico di ironia e commenti leggermente canzonatori. Non sforzatevi quindi di trovarli anche nei testi originali in polacco! Questa volta ho scelto un articolo pubblicato su gazeta.pl, dedicato al crescente numero di centri di sviluppo di brand internazionali a Wrocław.

Siemens è stato il primo ad aprire a Wrocław (correva l'anno 2000 d.C) un centro per sviluppo software per telefoni cellulari e sistemi mobili. Già dopo cinque anni erano 700 gli informatici che se ne occupavano. Poi è cominciata la collaborazione con Nokia ed è nata una nuova unita', Nokia Siemens Networks. Il centro e è stato ribattezzato Siemens IT Solutions and Services Global Delivery Centre, vi lavorano attualmente piu' di

Da giugno 2010 a Wrocław opera anche il colosso informatico IBM, che ha trovato irresistibile l'offerta delle Università. Da soli, il Politecnico e l'Università di Wrocław sfornano qualche migliaio di laureati in informatica, IT engineering e programmatori vari. Anche l'aiuto pubblico ha contribuito a convincere gli americani a scegliere Wrocław: milioni di dollari di risparmio per IBM sotto forma di incentivi fiscali e corsi di formazione per i nuovi dipendenti. Il Global Delivery Centre di IBM a Wrocław è l'ottavo al mondo.

Wrocław ha battutto la feroce concorrenza di altre 40 città, riuscendo cosí a sedurre un'altra corporation specializzata in revisione, consulenza tributaria e servizi di advisory legale: Ernst & Young al Grunwaldzki Center si occupa di servizi finanziari e contabili per le altre unità del gruppo con sede in Germania, Svizzera, Austria e Olanda.

Peter Weng, direttore del centro R&D di Google a Wrocław, dice: la reputazione degli atenei della città e il loro ruolo nella formazione di futuri programmatori hanno convinto Google a scegliere Wrocław. In piazza Bema lavorano sviluppatori a cui non manca iniziativa, sempre pronti ad imparare qualcosa di nuovo e disposti ad impegnarsi come volontari per aiutare le realtà

sociali piu' difficili.

Nel 2010 una delle multinazionali a vincere il concorso indetto da PaIiZ, l'agenzia polacca di supporto agli investimenti esteri nella categoria "investimenti che hanno creato il maggior numero di posti di lavoro", è stata HP. A Wrocław i suoi uffici si trovano in tre edifici: Renoma, Grunwaldzki Center e Globis. Impiega piú di duemila persone, soprattutto la ure at i co n u na b u o na conoscenza delle lingue straniere.

Capgemini è un altro veterano, si trova a Wrocław da ben 8 anni. Il suo Software Solution Center offre servizi informatici, di consulenza e outsourcing. Il centro ha realizzato una moltitudine di progetti per il settore automobilistico, bancario, assicurativo e logistico. I suoi clienti sono BMW, Audi, Deutsche Post, Tchibo, Deutsche Telekom o Eurogate. Per il momento vi lavorano 400 persone, altre 200 ne verranno presto assunte. I dipendenti

possono contare su un ampio pacchetto di corsi di formazione e benefici sociali.

Last but not least, Wrocław vanta pure Bank of New York, che gestisce il patrimonio dei big dell'industria e della finanza internazionale. I suoi specialisti in tutto il mondo generano un fatturato annuale di 26 miliardi di dollari. A Wrocław il Centro Servizi di BNY sarà il quinto al mondo. BNY opera a Wrocław già da un paio d'anni, in tempi brevi lo staff passerà da 90 a 300 persone. I candidati ideali?

Quelli con competenze contabili e capacità analitiche. Non è necessario aver terminato la facoltà di economia per lavorarci, un must è invece la conoscenza dell'inglese.

Ebbene, un proverbio italiano dice: chi cerca trova. Cercate a Wrocław e troverete!

Per ulteriori informazioni s c r i v e t e a unitalianoawroclaw@gmail.com e mi raccomando, seguite il blog!

Zowel voor de lessen als voor de Nederlandse bijeenkomsten is verrassend veel animo. Het leuke is namelijk dat er een heleboel Poolse studenten Neerlandistiek zijn, die allemaal graag meer ervaring willen krijgen in het spreken van de Nederlandse taal.

Ook wonen er in Wrocław een aantal Nederlanders die het leuk vinden om zo af en toe een avondje in hun eigen taal te spreken, in plaats van Engels en incorrect Pools. De combinatie van Polen en Nederlanders die samen onder het genot van een biertje Nederlands praten is voor mij erg bijzonder en ontzettend leuk!

Kan jij ook Nederlands praten en wil je de taal oefenen? Kom dan ook een keer langs!

Dutch Meetings in maart: Maandag 12-03 en 26-03 Vanaf 19:30 Art Café Kalambur

The Wrocław International March 2012

16

In the true spirit of the international kitchen, this recipe is inspired by an Italian Chef who is renowned in Poland for showing Poles how to cook Italian food. Marek Sawicki brings to you his version of this Sicilian recipe which he originally heard of from Giancarlo Russo.

If you love being adventurous when it comes to spicy food, this savory stew made with kimchi - one of the greatest culinary innovations of Korea, in my opinion and the star ingredient - deserves your attention.

The stew is packed with the goodness of cabbage that has been dressed up layer-by-layer in a wonderful mix of spices and then left to ferment in its own juices. The intermittent subtle hints of pork and soft bites of tofu help to reduce the heat somewhat. However, this soul-satisfying stew’s spiciness is no excuse for the not-soadventurous souls to refrain from it. Don’t let its fiery tint frighten you as the heat levels can be controlled and adjusted to suit your palate.

We are thankful to Michelle Pak, a Korean visitor to Wrocław, for sharing her kimchi jigae recipe with our readers. Enjoy!

Preparation Time: 10 min Cooking Time: 30-40 min Servings: 2 INGREDIENTS: 150 gm fresh pork belly*, unsalted, thickly sliced ½ onion, sliced 3 garlic cloves, finely minced 250 gm kimchi, preferably aged, bite-size pieces 4 tablespoons of kimchi juice water as required ½ teaspoon sugar or to taste salt to taste (depending on whether you are using salted or unsalted pork belly) freshly cracked black pepper a few drops of rice vinegar (optional) a few slices of tofu 2 scallions, chopped

Prep Time: 15 min

Cooking Time: 15 min

Servings: 3

TIPS: *You may substitute a can of tuna, tofu, seafood or beef for pork.

DIRECTION: 1) Place the pork, onion, garlic, kimchi and kimchi juice in a saucepan. Pour in enough water to just barely cover the contents and bring to a boil on high heat.

If using tofu, wait until just before serving to place tofu in the saucepan.

2) Add sugar, salt and black pepper. Check and adjust seasoning until a nice balance of salty, sweet and sour is achieved. Kimchi should add enough sourness; however, rice vinegar should be at the ready and added just in case the tang is missing.

3) Reduce heat to low and simmer the mixture for at least 20-30 minutes or until the pork and kimchi are tender.

4) Place the sliced tofu over kimchi, cover, and let it warm through for about 4 to 5 minutes.

5) Garnish with chopped scallions just before serving the stew, piping hot, with steamed rice.

Aged/more fermented kimchi is highly recommended for kimchi stew as its tartness mellows out while cooking with other ingredients adding a full and rich flavour to the stew.

Use all the spicy kimchi juice from the pack. You may squeeze the kimchi with your hands to get more.

If you like your stew hot, season it with either 1/2 teaspoon of gochujang (Korean hot pepper paste) or some gochugaru (Korean dried chilli flakes) to add an extra kick.

You may sauté pork, onion, garlic and kimchi in one tablespoon of oil for a few minutes before boiling it with kimchi juice and water.

Korean ingredients may be purchased at Kuchnie Świata, Magnolia Park and Smaki Świata, Renoma in Wrocław.

INGREDIENTS: 3 teaspoons olive oil 1/2 medium red onion, finely chopped 3 anchovies 160-200g can of tuna, packed in oil 150ml white wine 200g pasta of your choice (penne or farfalle work well with this recipe) 9-12 cherry tomatoes or 2-3 regular tomatoes, skinned (if preferred) and finely chopped 3 teaspoons capers, preferably the salted variety, soaked in water and rinsed before serving a couple of sprigs of fresh parsley, chopped black pepper to taste METHOD: 1) Warm the oil in a large frying pan on medium heat and sweat onions; do not burn. Add the anchovies to the pan and warm through.

2) Drain the tin of tuna and add to the pan. Increase the heat to

medium-high and constantly stir the mixture for 2 to 3 minutes.

Add the white wine and continue stirring until the wine is completely reduced.

3) At this stage, you can add your pasta to a pot of boiling salted water and cook the pasta for approximately 8-10 minutes, depending on how firm you prefer your pasta and the directions on the package.

4) By now the tuna and anchovy mixture should be quite dry; add the skinned and chopped tomatoes to the pan and mix well.

Also add about 5-8 spoons of boiling water from the pasta pot to the pan. Stir the mixture for approximately 10 minutes in order to soften the tomatoes. Add the capers about 3 minutes before the end of the cooking time. Finally add parsley for garnish.

5) Drain cooked pasta and add to the sauce. Stir together until pasta is completely covered with sauce, season with pepper to taste and serve.

Buon Appetito!

Krasków lies between the towns of Świdnica and Wrocław. It is one of the most beautiful baroque castles in Central Europe.

The entire property stored and converted the years 1993-1996. a place for people, unique.

Pałac Krasków 58-124 Marcinowice Krasków 12 tel.: 748 58 51 01 748 58 53 32 rezerwacje@kraskow.pl www.kraskow.com

The Wrocław International March 2012

was meticulously reinto a luxury hotel in The Krasków Hotel is who appreciate the

The fabulous suites and rooms, exquisite kitchen and fantastic Austrian wines create a special atmosphere for conferences, business dinners, weddings and any other kind of parties.

20% DISCOUNT FOR THE WROCŁAW INTERNATIONAL READERS ON BOOKINGS

There are certain occasions which simply demand to be celebrated in style. An engagement, a promotion, or an anniversary are not events one usually wants to toast at the local sandwich shop or pizzeria. Likewise, sometimes a person feels the need for a touch of class on a random Tuesday evening and Sphinx just will not do. The answer: La Maddalena.

Tucked away behind lovely arched windows, La Maddalena (ul. Włodkowica 9) is a restaurant that is both comfortable and sophisticated, not an easy task to accomplish. Guests are warmly greeted by the English-speaking wait staff and shown to one of their elegantly-styled tables. If you are in the mood for a more romantic atmosphere, request a table around the corner from the main room in the cozy corridor lit enchantingly with wicker lamps.

The decorative style at La Maddalena is a palette of whites and weathered grays accented with candles in white lanterns and subtle greenery, an effect that calls to mind an Italian summer home set perfectly for the most esteemed company. At the same time, however, there is one booth by the front window that is covered in what can only be described as the nicest quilt your grandmother ever made. It's a beguiling and random addition to the dining room that ensures that welcoming and comfortable feel.

The food at La Maddalena is just as elegant as its decor. The Italian dishes are served with fastidious care for presentation.

The baked chicken roulade, stuffed with sun-dried tomatoes, arugula, and pine nuts and wrapped in prosciutto, is plated in a vertical structural style alongside two fried rice balls, cranberry sauce, pesto, and a sauce of smoked onions. The overall visual effect is stunning, and the flavor of the dish wellrounded. The chicken is refined and simply classy, but the addi-

Pubs & Bars in Wrocław In Poland, there is not so much a pub culture as a bar culture.

So it is hard to find that comfortable place where you can walk in and the barman or woman has your drink on the bar before you have even asked, where you can shoot the breeze with whomever sits down. In effect, the quintessential good pub.

A very comfortable and easy going place situated on the Rynek. In summer, it is fun to sit outside and watch the world go by. In winter, the front section is

non-smoking, comfortable but without many tables. The rear is like a library and full of character.

A true pub, the owner is always behind the bar with a smile and a group of Wrocławian writers like to sit around the bar discussing life and work over a large beer. Prices are less inflated than the Rynek, you can hear hits from past decades and most of all, it's far from the madding crowd most of the time.

Szajba is thoroughly overridden with twenty somethings at the

tion of the crispy fried rice balls over the smoked onion sauce is pure comfort food. Together, it is a perfect combination.

Being an Italian restaurant, pasta and risotto dishes are also wellrepresented. Those who love mushrooms cannot go wrong with the risotto featuring chanterelles and porcinis, touched with a light sweetness thanks to the addition of white wine and Parmesan. The rigatoni with crispy bacon, stewed leeks and mushrooms in a creamy sauce with Gorgonzola and red wine was rich but not over-powering. The

weekends and most evenings. In the daytime, it is dead. That is the best time to visit, when you can enjoy the ambiance of secondhand furnishings whilst reading the paper. Cool grooves at the weekend and space for dancing.

If you enjoy a dark heavy atmosphere and being slightly incognito, then Igielna is just that. No pretention, just a place to drink and hangout with your mates.

Mleczarnia (a former milk bar) sits in the Jewish quarter on a street wit h p ro lifera ti ng restaurants, book shops and cafes. The charm and character of your grandmother's parlour

pappardelle with grilled salmon, sun-dried tomatoes, capers and spinach was silky smooth, and the salmon was succulently cooked to perfection.

Desserts here are simple. The Italian cheesecake made with ricotta and served with slices of pear and a caramel sauce was light and elegantly plated, but a bit underwhelming in terms of flavor. La Maddalena dessert, which is similar to a tiramisu but with raspberry in place of the traditional coffee and rum, was creamy and refreshing. There is also the standard chocolate lava

resonate. You have to queue and pay at the bar but it saves waiting for a waiter and the embarassing round or lack of round system in Poland. It is a little grungy but can also be romantic and memorable.

This looks like a real pub and is very popular with the after work crowd, especially on Friday night when you can hardly get in. If you are looking for a real pub atmosphere, then it abounds here. Located to the south of the old town close to the Opera.

Stairs to Nowhere is a large pub that doubles up as a live music

cake (moelleux) if you have darker dessert tastes.

La Maddalena is a fantastic restaurant sure to impress your sweetheart, your important clients, or your parents visiting from abroad. It's also just right for that random Tuesday evening when nothing but the best will do.

Hours: Everyday from 12pm until the last client leaves Starters: 18zł to 38zł Main dishes: 29zł to 69zł Desserts: 14zł to 19zł

venue and club. If you want to have fun with a crowd of friends then you will find it here. , Art Cafe Kalambur is one of those unique places that appeals to a certain type of person. It’s housed in a beautiful Art Nouveau building that is also a theatre and has a sister cafe (non -smoking) called Kalachakra which has regular art exhibitions and events.

We hope that this sample of some tried and tested favourites will provide you with the impetus to leave the Rynek and find new and unexplored watering holes.

If you have a favourite bar, please share by emailing: editor@wroclawinternational.pl

The Wrocław International

March 2012

The beauty of the Pilates exercise method is that it is truly universal, functional and comes in so many different shapes and colours that it can be literally done by anybody as long as you are open and willing to try it of course! With its holistic approach towards human bodies treated as a whole and a focus on building strong core muscles (deep lower back and abdominal muscles) while breathing correctly, Pilates is considered to be a body–mind type of exercise that reflects both eastern and western training elements. No doubt, it puts your body as well you your brain to work but once you get the hang of it, you really start enjoying it and noticing the difference not only in your class performance but also in your daily activities.

Joseph Pilates, the founding father himself, believed in a va-

The Wrocław International

riety and was a big fan of skiing, swimming, yoga, boxing and was also known as a great selfdefence instructor and a circus performer. Today’s outcome of his passions, fascination with animal agility and human movement combined with his inner drive to get in the best shape of his life, is a method that is a melting pot in which everybody can find something for themselves.

Regardless of whether you are a regular gym-goer, couch potato, mom-to-be or a senior citizen, Pilates training can be easily adjusted to your lifestyle, goals and expectations. There is a lot to choose from whether you prefer individual lessons or group classes during which you might get a chance to use big Pilates machines that resemble torture machines from the Middle Ages (most commonly seen in professional Pilates studios) or small equipment including stability balls, magic circles, dumbbells, elastic bands or foam rollers. Since there are still very

March 2012

few fully-equipped Pilates studios in Poland, we will focus on the second group as these little gadgets are more popular, fun, and add a little extra challenge to a regular mat class. You can even pack them in your suitcase and you will be still travelling light.

Let’s start with the Magic Circle also known as a fitness circle or ring which is actually the only piece of small equipment originally designed by Joseph Pilates.

Typically, made of rubber with small pads on each side, this gadget looks innocent but don’t be misled! Just as you thought you finally improved your balance and coordination, you will need to work a bit harder with the magic circle to maintain it and yes, you will feel a little soreness here and there afterwards but it will all go away and you will be ready for more. With the ring your deep muscles are forced to work more intensively against the extra resistance while you squeeze it between the legs, arms or palms, toning the phy-

sique from head to toe. Just remember that the circle is perfect in its shape so maybe with its help your body will get that way too! It is a kind of magic.

Elastic or rubber bands come in variety of colours depending on the resistance and so we come across easy, medium, hard and super hard types. They are excellent for deeper stretching of your body but they also make some exercises harder by forcing you to balance and coordinate the movements better. Rubber bands can imitate some of the big equipment positions so if you have never tried Reformer – professional Pilates bed – then you can get a taste of it in a Pilates class done with elastic bands.

Any time is good for starting, so bring your mat and get your body a little warmer in the cool spring by joining our fit group and taking Power Pilates classes on: Wednesdays, 6-7pm and Fridays, 11-12pm at Torres Art Studio, ul. Św.

Antoniego 2-4, Gate C Sign up at: myloveforpilates@yahoo.com

As we are getting close to the Polish event of the year, EURO2012, ‘The Wrocław International’ starts a sequence of articles that will analyze team’s possibilities for the tournament:

National hopes rely on the first group, where Poland will play.

Mixed feelings came to the surface during the draw ceremony as Polish fans will not see their team facing top European rivals, but having a real big chance of promotion to the quarter-finals.

For that, the opening game against Greece will pronounce sentence.

Traditionally, when a team’s country organises the event, they

as event hosts, exhibit a better performance due to fans’ support and high motivation. But here is the key question: Will the local excitement act as a boost or as a trap? For the majority of Poland’s players, EURO2012 is going to be the tournament of their football life. Can they stand the pressure?

Depending on the game against Greece we can have two different scenarios. A victory could launch Poland into a fully motivated status where crowd and team might make an unpredictable positive union. However, a draw or a loss could sink their hopes as the second game against Russia would be a must-win situation.

No one can deny that Russia and the Czech Republic are favorites to go through but the fact that they play against each other in the first game could make a dif-

ference for Poland or Greece.

Russia comes to the EURO2012 with the same style as Euro 2008, when they shine until the semifinals. Dutch coach Dick Advocaat continues what his colleague Guus Hiddink started four years ago with a strong defense led by Ignashevich plus the Berezutski brothers that provides safeguard to talented front players such as Arshavin, Pavlyuchenko and Pogrebnyak. Also, keep an eye on new star, Dzagoev.

We will never see Poland cheering for Russia but the fact is that a Russian victory over Czech Republic is what they need for the first game, which will take place in Wrocław. Yet again our city will play a key role as Poland and the Czech Republic will meet here for their last game of the first round, when both of them will probably fight for a spot in the quarter-finals.

from the USA and totally new in this corner of Europe.

Stretching to the continuity of t he Gia nt 's M o unt a ins ( K a rko no sze), t he Iser Mountains (Góry Izerskie) form the westernmost end of the Polish Sudetes. Slightly lower in elevation, and shared with the Czech Republic (Jizerské hory), they present a similar geology and character, mainly made of Hercynian granite that sometimes juts out in bizarre-shaped rocky outcrops. But few other features make this range unique in the landscape of Central Europe.

seasons. Due to an insignificant elevation when starting from Jakuszyce, not far from the border, masses of cyclists are met on the well-marked and numerous cycling trails. The gentle terrain even allows citybikes, and it is not unusual to observe parents with babytrailers. The two mountain huts of Orle and Chata Gorzystów, in the heart of Hala Izerska, make perfect stops to have a meal, a drink, or just a rest. Orle used to be the main building of a glassworks settlement, formerly known as “Carlsthal”, two and half centuries ago! The second is also the remains of another settlement destroyed during the

war, of which the present hut used to be the school. The countless old books which pack the shelves are witness to it and make the atmosphere of this place so special.

Thanks to the Schengen space, few trails connect to the Czech network, where the picturesque mountain village of Jizerka is the main attraction. Thanks to a pure atmosphere and total lack of light pollution, astronomy events are regularly held (www.izeradarksky.eu). More skilled mountain bikers can experience the "Singletrek pod Smrkem" (www.singltrekpodsmr kem.cz): a custom-built track for this purpose, a concept imported

For the same reasons as above, winter combined with generous inclines turns this terrain into a fantastic area for cross-country skiing, probably the most renowned in Poland. The only route from Jakuszyce to Chata Gorzystów makes a wonderful day-trip that will fit most people's level. There is no entrance fee, just a whole open mountain where people are free to go, and renting the basic gear doesn't exceed 30zł. For more advanced skiers, a huge yearly race, Bieg Piastów (www.biegpiastow.pl), gathers thousands of skiers, from the world elite to the amateurs.

The Iser mountains culminate in Wysoka Kopa (1126m), which is

not really a sharp summit, nor served by any trail. But Smrek, second in height just by two meters, is topped by an outlook tower over the tree line, allowing visitors to enjoy a stunning panoramic view. This viewpoint isn't only accessible to fit tourists, thanks to the cablecar reaching Stóg Izerski, only a few hu nd red meters fro m a Swieradów-Zdrój, a pleasant spa on the foot of the mountains.

The quickest way to reach the Iser Mountains remains the mountain resort of Szklarska Poręba, a two-hour drive from Wrocław. Visitors venturing into the Czech Republic may also consider visiting the beautiful city of Liberec, as well as Frýdlant with its famous castle.

The Iser Mountains present themselves as a wide flat grassy plateau, where the most beautiful river of the region flows, the fairy-like Isera, whose name derives from the Celtic word "isirás", meaning "rapid". It is interesting to note that this is not the only European river that goes by such a name; toponymic homonyms are found in France and Germany, in particular the French river Isère.

Hala Izerska, a wide clearing located in the heart of the range, is the best place to admire the Isera river in all its splendour. It is interesting to know that this place holds the title of Poland's coldest place on average during the year !

Their generous topography makes the Iser Mountains an ideal area for outdoors in all

The Wrocław International March 2012

20 The Battle in the Skies - Knowing About Airlines' Alliances Audrey Tugendhat An old white man holding hands with a worryingly young local girl – it is not an unusual sight around Phnom Penh.

This is Cambodia, it would seem there is no need for them to hide. Irrespective of the countless efforts by NGO's, new government laws or intervention from the UN, sexpats walk at ease in broad daylight.

The evidence is as stark on paper as it is on the streets. A report in 2005 compiled by UNICEF and the French NGO Aidetous, found that there are approximately 15,000 prostitutes in the city, and 30% of them are under the age of 18.

It is extremely disheartening to think about what goes on around here, especially when you know that some girls do not choose this profession but are simply victims of human trafficking. Evidence from ECPAT Cambodia has revealed that as many as one third of the trafficking victims are forced into prostitution. Selling sex has been on the rise in Cambodia, largely due to a loss of jobs in remote areas.

People in the countryside head to the city, where they are often approached and then taken on by organised criminal gangs. Despite the obvious influence of these gangs, there is also evidence that the peers of young women are pushing their children into the sex trade. Evidence from the 2006 report by the US Ministry of Social Affairs and Youth Rehabilitation is a prime example. The report found that

It is not an easy task to compare a unique piece of Europe with any place in the continent.

Kotlina Kłodzka (aka Glatzer Kessel in German and Kladska Kotlina in Czech) is a must visit valley surrounded by mountains, at about halfway from Wrocław to Prague.

During the last thousand years the middle of Europe was cut into pieces several times.

Kotlina Kłodzka rambled from kingdom to kingdom, from hand to hand, always as a whole, never divided. The plateau integrated internally (never mingling with the surroundings), but rivers starting their runs here go to the Black, Baltic and North Seas.

Manish Sharma Shivani Kapoor

of the girls who were questioned, 47% stated that their mother facilitated their trafficking.

With employment on the slide and tourism on the up, a niche has been created for this type of exploitation. For these poorly ed ucated wo men in the ‘entertainment’ industry, the prospect of a job elsewhere is extremely limited. The resulting effect is that some prostitutes even take pride in the fact that they are employed, or that they find themselves "empowered" to financially help their relatives.

Due to their lack of English and poor education, the other option presented to them is not exactly attractive either: working in sweatshops.

A bilateral contract has been signed between Cambodia and the US, which promises to uphold high working standards. With Cambodia's economy still crippled after the Khmer Rouge atrocities back in the 70s and 80s, the government did not hesitate to welcome the new job opportunities brought by the deal. The country’s retail sector is faring rather well, and according to MSNBC, retail production represents approximately 90% of Cambodia’s export earnings. Nevertheless, company relocations to Cambodia appear to have been fuelled by increasing demands from Chinese workers more than anything else. What is more, due to the economic slowdown in recent years, working conditions are becoming even harsher. Workers often have to stand in hot, noisy places with shorter breaks, and

You find climbers in crags around Lądek-Zdrój (northeast of the valley), downhill skiers around the Black Mountain (southeast), ski runners and biathletes in Jamrozowa Glade (west), and Nordic walkers everywhere, especially around attractive stray rocks with fantastic formations in the shape of mushrooms, towers, clubs, human figures and animals constituting kinds of fairy tales and legends of the land (northwest). And sometimes you can see people collecting amethysts and agates in the mountains or even in the fields.

The main attraction at the plateau is probably the castle at Kłodzko, the capital of the valley, as well as more castles in the nearby villages and small towns. For more information, visit http://

The Wrocław International March 2012

must ask for permission to leave their workstation. Companies get away with this by employing people on short-term contracts, thus circumventing any government agreements made with the USA. To put these two occupations side by side shows how futile the choice is. Cambodian women are confronted by a no win scenario, and a quick comparison of the risks shows exactly why. A street walker is at risk of contracting HIV, could be abused or forced to drink alcohol, and earns between $30-$150 for a half day’s work, depending on the clientele. On slow days a Cambodian sex worker may get a small break or at least be able to chat with their friends.

A labourer in a sewing factory on the other hand, will work about 10 hours a day for 6 days a week (often with overtime). The workplace conditions are dreadful, the breaks are short and few, whilst the financial reward for all this effort is a pitiful $3 a day.

Sadly, there seems to be no end to this situation at present. One could spend their time and energy driving away creepy old men, or western consumers could help by becoming conscientious buyers. Nevertheless, the key mantra remains as always education, education, education.

meteor.turystyka.pl/ noclegi,zamki-dworypalace,kotlina-klodzka,62.html.

From Wrocław, Kłodzka Valley is at a good distance for a daytrip (the valley starts about 80 kilometers after passing a town called Bardo). And if you want to check some Czech attractions, it is just a 15-minute drive to the border from all around the valley. If you live in Wrocław, take the opportunity!

For a frequent flyer and even for the occasional flyers, airtravel is one item on the todo list that sets the whole trip up for an experience, either way! Right from which airline, what connections, choice of destination airports, ticket prices, bagga ge allowance, stop-overs/ layovers required, full service versus low cost considerations to pet friendly aspects and food & beverage are some things to consider.

But a good place to start this analysis or decision making process is to know which Global Airline Alliance, your airline belongs to, the one you have selected or usually fly with. The affiliations and the code-share agreements can be a boon for the flyer given the efficient and cost effective connections that can work out as a result. These alliances made sense for companies as well, as resources (planes/ staff) can be a very costly affair owning and managing. The flying costs due to fuel and things like airport taxes, etc., weigh on the operating expenses side as well, and more so the need to have a wider reach in terms of countries and cities/ airports to cater to, makes it imperative to go in for such tie-ups.

Because of huge and diversified operating challenges coupled with the occurrence of events like US 11 Sep, 2001 attacks, recession and the fuel price vagaries, the existence of these alliances is good for the industry and the traveller. Of course the airlines keep getting added or removed from the list every now and then as we see consolidation happening at a rapid pace and given the d iffi c ult a nd e xp e ns i ve operations, many airlines do go under. Recent mergers of United & Continental, Delta & Northwest, Swiss Air bankruptcy, Iberia's takeover by BA, etc., are a testimony.

Another trend is all these alliances are trying to get the emerging market players in their folds. Airlines from India, China, Africa, Middle East and Latin America are all being courted by these groups to extend their reach and scale.

As of now, 3 major alliances exist. These formal alliances were all founded between 1997 and 2000. The largest (in terms of passengers travelled, latest data) is the Star Alliance with 608 million, next is the Skyteam with 474 million and Oneworld rounds up the list

with 350 million.

Now consider this situation; flying from Singapore to Berlin via Frankfurt, you could fly a combination of Singapore Airlines and Lufthansa and not have to buy separate domestic ticket for the German leg (interline fares which offer cheaper tickets over a wide network), this also affects your baggage allowance, changes, upgrades and other after-sale services become easier. Another one; a lot of the US carriers have a no baggage or paid baggage policy. But if someone was buying a domestic US ticket as part of an international ticket and both the airlines are part of the same alliance, the baggage allowance is extended to the domestic sectors also. Thus the traveller saves a lot of money as the minimum allowance in economy class on international airlines is at least 20kgs - with some going up to 30kgs.

Imagine paying US$10 for every kilo at the airport!

Other aspects these alliances come handy, is via the throughcheck in of bags even when changing airlines, saves a lot of time for the traveller as they don't have to go to transfer desks - or worse - check out and check in again. For round-theworld traveller these alliances work well as there's no need to buy disjointed series of oneway or return trip fares and there's usually a round the world fare which allows the traveller to touch multiple ports as part of the same fare. Also, the frequent flyer points also go into a common pool and can be redeemed on any of the airlines part of the alliance; the passenger don't have any hassles of maintaining several different accounts/cards.

Of course the low cost airlines as of now don't feature here, the likes of easyJet and RyanAir have a separate business model and don't seem to be up for any alignment soon. Also the case is of a few independent airlines that have efficient operations or good backing; Qatar, Emirates, Etihad and Virgin. Whether these get aligned soon or a 4th group crops up, only time will tell. Until then, plan and enjoy your travels with a bit more idea now around such alliances.

Fly well and safe!

International Women's Day (8 March) is a global day celebrating the economic, political and social achievements of women past, present and future. In some places like China, Russia, Vietnam and Bulgaria, International Women's Day is a national holiday.

The reason for such a day stems from the past.

Suffragettes campaigned for women's right to vote. The word 'Suffragette' is derived from the word "suffrage" meaning the right to vote. International Women's Day honours the work of the Suffragettes, celebrates women's success, and reminds of inequities still to be redressed.

The first International Women's Day event was run in 1911. 2011 was the Global Centenary Year.

In Poland and in former communist countries, there has long been a tradition of Women’s Day. This year in Wrocław many initiatives took place both in the work place and on the streets. Here are a few that we can tell you about.

Idea Place is run by a very enterprising young woman called Ewa Roguś. At Idea Place this year, a PR agency called a2 held a clothing swap at Idea Place, a coworking space at Plac Solny 15, wherein participants exchanged their valued but no longer used clothing for clothing they will actually use.

BNY Mellon also celebrated International Women’s day on March 8th. The Polish office launched the initiative with a presentation from Carol Andrews, EMEA Head of Service Delivery from the Irish office. Career workshops were held that gave people tools to establish their goals and become aware of their strengths and areas that they should focus and improve on.

BNY Mellon has been a firm advocate for diversity and inclusion and has numerous groups to represent and support the diverse workforce. The Bowstring group is about attracting and retaining talent, regardless of gender.

The purpose of Bowstring is to assist both women and men across different countries and cultures to understand the indispensable value of diversity. Bowstring welcomes men to participate and gain the most from their programmes – networking, mentoring, work life balance events and supporting charitable events.

Last year 78 events took place in the EMEA region, in 14 cities. The second Polish event was a Cake sale on the 14th of March 2012 supporting Saint's Albert Centre for Homeless Mothers and Children.

Women’s Day celebration at HP Wrocław Global Business Center was stretched in time and for three days each and every one of 1691 great women who are part of the organization had a chance to feel really special. HP Wellness team in Wrocław prepared a series of activities allowing one’s feminine side to blossom. Relaxing massages, sushi workshops, make-up artist’s and stylist’s consultation or a stylish photo session – all events took place in HP premises and gained great interest, not only among ladies. HP believe diversity is not only beneficial for business, but for shaping a great working environment too.

Clothing swaps are considered not only a good way to declutter and refill one's wardrobe, but also an act of environmentalism.

The programme included a meeting with an ICC coach Barbara Plewczyńska, who spoke about the benefits of coaching.

The stylists from Ubieralnia carried on consultations on how to select clothes that fit one's figure, and gave pointers on how to clean up your wardrobe successfully and without regrets.

The participants were treated to homemade cakes and delicious coffee.

Finally, after much frenzy, anticipation, hours of tests, procedures and preparations, it was time to begin operations at the new terminal of Wrocław airport. The inaugural flight was about to be written into history. This flight was set to depart at 5:55 and carry 55 passengers to Warsaw. Over the next 24 hours, the brand new terminal was fully prepared to handle 52 flights and more than 4000 passengers.

Our Wrocław American Football Team, the Devils, romantically strolled around the Rynek giving flowers to all women they met. Pictured here are six of the players: Adam Adach, Stefan Bocheński, Kim Thompson, Darrius Jones, Niles Mittasch and Kendral Ellison.

The preceding evening at 23:25, after 20 years of service, Wrocław airport’s old terminal passed the torch and ceased operations. The terminal was realized as a historic building on Skarzynski Street and noted for its service. On the lighter side, the last passenger to leave the premises was cat named Gustav from Warsaw accompanying its owners.

At midnight the final phase of the transition into the new

On the 11th of March, a group of female activists protested what they see as the mismanagemnet of municipal funds in Wrocław in favour of ‘wow factor’ investments such as the new stadium for EURO 2012, instead of the essential elements of city life, such as education, healthcare, and most rudimentary services that all citizens require.

staff has been rehearsing for this moment for the past few days by role-playing as passengers going through reception, baggage, and security.

facility began. This phase was the last step of a four day process. At 3:00 Wrocław Airport’s new terminal opened its doors for its very first passengers. Przemysław Marcinkowski, project manager for the construction of the Airport Wrocław, said that the

Soon after the inaugural flight, by 8:00, the Wrocław terminal was full of life like most European airports. A pleasant surprised for the staff who finished testing security, public address and monitoring systems only a few hours before the doors opened. Dariusz Kuś, President of Wrocław Airport, commented that the opening was perfect. He received much praise

by the passengers who expressed their feeling of joy for this achievement.

At 8:20, a flight inbound from Warsaw became the first aircraft to arrive at the new terminal. By 12:00 the airport had serviced 500 passengers traveling to Paris Beauvais, Dublin, Rome, Warsaw, Munich and Copenhagen. Later in the day, by 20:00, the new airport had successfully handled 26 flights and more than 4000 passengers, making its launch a success.

Source: Press Release, transcribed by Adnan Umar

The Wrocław International

March 2012

In addition, the Helios theater on Kazimierza Wielkiego will be showing select films that had previously premiered during the 2011 New Horizons International Film Festival, including:

Below is a list of upcoming new releases for Poland for March and April, their release dates and their titles in their native language (English, French, etc.) as well as in Polish. I have discovered that release dates can change, so the listing below is slightly different from the one in the February paper. For example, Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close was originally set to be released in Poland on March 9th, however, it is now set for April 13th.

March 30th: A Torinoi Lo (Koń turyński) - Drama (Hungary) April 13th: Arirang - Documentary (South Korea) April 27th: A Sírásó (Grabarz) - Drama (Hungary) Showtimes have not been released yet. Please check the Helios website for exact time information.

Movie times and theater locations can be found at www.google.com/movies (location “Wrocław”).

MARCH 9th: John Carter - Adventure/Fantasy; Starring Taylor Kitsch, Lynn Collins and Williem Dafoe

MARCH 23rd: The Hunger Games (Igrzyska śmierci) - Action/ Drama/Sci-Fi; Starring Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson and Liam Hemsworth

Dr. Seuss’ The Lorax - Animation/Family; Starring Zac Efron, Taylor Swift and Danny DeVito Wanderlust (Raj na ziemi) - Comedy; Starring Jennifer Aniston, Paul Rudd and Malin Akerman One for the Money (Jak Upolować Faceta) Action/Comedy; Starring Katherine Heigl, Jason Perfect Sense (Ostatnia miłość na Ziemi) Drama/Romance/Sci-Fi; Starring Ewan McGregor, O’Mara and Daniel Sunjata Eva Green and Connie Nielsen Forces spéciales (Terytorium wroga) - Action/ Drama; Starring Diane Kruger, Djimon Hounsou Wuthering Heights (Wichrowe Wzgórza) Drama/Romance - Starring Kaya Scodelario, and Benoît Magimel Nichola Burley and James Howson Copie conforme (Zapiski z Toskanii) - Drama; Starring Juliette Binoche, William Shimell and MARCH 30th: Jean-Claude Carrière Gone (Zaginiona) - Drama/Thriller; Starring La prima cosa bella (Coś Pięknego) - Comedy/ Amanda Seyfried, Jennifer Carpenter and Wes Drama; Starring Valerio Mastandrea, Micaela Bentley Ramazzotti and Stefania Sandrelli Wrath of the Titans (Gniew Tytanów) - Action/ Hors Satan (Poza szatanem) - Drama; Starring Adventure/Fantasy; Starring Sam Worthington, David Dewaele, Alexandra Lemâtre, Christophe Liam Neeson and Rosamund Pike Bon Howl (Skowyt) - Animation/Biography/Drama; Starring James Franco, Todd Rotondi and Jon MARCH 16th: Prescott This Must Be the Place (Wszystkie odloty APRIL 6th: Cheyenne'a) - Comedy/Drama; Starring Sean Noir océan (Czarny ocean) - Drama; Starring Penn, Frances McDormand and Judd Hirsch Adrien Jolivet, Nicolas Robin and Romain David The Devil Inside (Demony) - Horror/Thriller; Starring Fernanda Andrade, Simon Quarterman APRIL 13th: and Evan Helmuth Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance (Ghost Rider Mirror Mirror (Królewna Śnieżka) - Adven2) - Action/Fantasy/Thriller; Starring Nicolas ture/Comedy/Drama; Starring Lily Collins, Julia Cage, Ciarán Hinds and Idris Elba Roberts and Armie Hammer Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close (Strasznie We Bought a Zoo (Kupiliśmy Zoo) - Comedy/ głośno, niesamowicie blisko) - Adventure/Drama/ Drama/Family; Starring Matt Damon, Scarlett Mystery; Starring Thomas Horn, Tom Hanks and Johnansson and Thomas Haden Church Sandra Bullock Et maintenant, on va où? (Dokąd Teraz) American Reunion (American Pie: Zjazd AbComedy/Drama; Starring Claude Baz Moussaw- solwentów) - Comedy/Romance; Starring Jason baa, Leyla Hakim and Nadine Labaki Biggs, Alyson Hannigan and Seann William Scott Hans Kloss. Stawka większa niż śmierć - AcAPRIL 20th: tion/Drama; Starring Stanislaw Mikulski, Emil Karewicz and Daniel Olbrychski Intouchables (Nietykalni) - Comedy/Drama; Starring François Cluzet, Omar Sy and Anne Le Ny The Sitter (Facet do dziecka) - Comedy; Starring Jonah Hill, Ari Graynor and Sam Rockwell APRIL 27th: The Lucky One - Drama; Starring Zac Efron, Taylor Schilling and Blythe Danner Cinemas: Multikino Arkady Wrocławskie (Arkady shopping center) Helios (Kazimierza Wielkiego 19/23) Dolnośląskie Centrum Filmowe (Piłsudskiego 64a) Multikino Pasaż Grunwaldzki (Grunwaldzki shopping center) Helios Magnolia Park (Magnolia Park shopping center) Cinema City Korona (Korona shopping center)

The Wrocław International

March 2012

Additionally, the 12th Annual Spanish Film Festival will be in Wrocław from March 23rd to March 29th. This event is organized each year by the Spanish Embassy in Warsaw, the C e r v a n t e s I n s t i t u t e a n d AP Mañana, and the coordinator of the event in Wrocław is the New Horizons Association. The films will be shown in the Helios on Kazimierza Wielkiego, in theater room #5, and tickets will be 18 zł each. The line-up of the movies that will be shown is as follows: March 23rd at 7:00 pm: Morente - Documentary March 24th at 7:00 pm: Finisterrae - Fantasy March 24th at 8:30 pm: Los Años Desnudos - Drama/Comedy March 25th at 6:30 pm: Pa Negre (Czarny Chleb) - Drama March 25th at 8:30 pm: Pantaleón y Las Visitadoras - Comedy/Drama March 26th at 6:30 pm: Catalunya über alles! - Drama March 26th at 8:30 pm: Héroes (Bohaterowie) - Drama March 27th at 6:45 pm: Cinco Metros Cuadrados (Pięć metrów kwadratowych) - Drama March 27th at 8:30 pm: El Coronel no Tiene Quien le Escribano (Nie ma kto pisać do Pułkownika) - Drama March 28th at 6:30 pm: Planes para mañana (Tu i Teraz) Drama March 28th at 8:30 pm: Bicicleta, Cuchara, Manzana (Rower, Łyżka, Jabłko) Documentary March 29th at 7:00 pm: La Chispa de la Vida (Życie to jest to) - Drama/Dark Comedy

From July 19 to July 29, 2012, Wrocław will once again host the New Horizons International Film Festival. This unique film festival, which features films that push the boundaries of conventional cinema, is the largest film festival in Poland and is generally regarded as the preeminent film event in all of Central Europe. 14 full-length films from around the world will premiere and compete at the festival, as well as full-length documentaries and Polish and European medium and shortlength films. Numerous prizes are awarded in each category with the winner of the Grand Prix prize being awarded 20,000 EUR. Hundreds of films from around the world are screened during the event, with last year’s festival showing 483 films from 44 countries. Other festival events will include art exhibitions, concerts, lectures and workshops, with several of the activities focusing on music and contemporary art.

This year’s festival will include a special review of contemporary Mexican cinema and will feature a retrospective of the works of the acclaimed, and at times controversial, Mexican filmmaker Carlos Reygadas. Other Mexican directors’ whose films will be screened include Amat Escalante, Nicolás Pereda, Daniela Schneider, Jose Álvarez, Michel Lipkes and Matías Meyer.

Additional retrospectives featured at the 2012 festival will include films by the Serbian director Dušan Makavejev, Austrian director Ulrich Seidl and avant-garde author and filmmaker Peter Tscherkassky.

All films shown at the event are screened with English and Polish subtitles. This is a can’t miss event in Wrocław.

Further details will be provided in future editions of The Wrocław International.

Events 23 Academy Award Nominated Polish Film

Impart Art Centre ul. Mazowiecka 17 50www.impart.art.pl box office: +48 71 341 94 32

Kathryn Getty

Calendar

“In Darkness” (“W ciemności”) is an Oscar nominated film by Agnieszka Holland (“Europa Europa”), starring Robert Więckiewicz, Benno Fürmann and Agnieszka Grochowska. Nominated in the Foreign Language Film category, this was the ninth such nomination for Poland and it was the second Oscar nomination for Agnieszka Holland (her West German film “Angry Harvest” was nominated in 1985). While the film ultimately lost to the Iranian film “A Separation”, it remains one of the must-see movies of 2011-2012.

The movie is set during WWII in the Nazi-occupied Polish city of Lwów and is based on the true story of Leopold Socha, a sewer worker who, for more than a year, risked his life, and the lives of his wife and daughter, to save a group of Polish Jewish refugees by sheltering them in the dark labyrinth of the city’s underground sewer system. Socha is an unlikely Holocaust hero.

He is essentially a somewhat racist, occasional burglar, who does not initially possess altruistic, Schindler-like motives. He is offered a financial incentive by a Nazi officer for revealing any Jews he discovers hiding in the sewers in which he works.

When he discovers a small group of Jews taking refuge in the sewer system he opportunistically offers to keep their existence a secret in exchange for a more lucrative bribe. As the movie progresses, however, so does Socha’s moral character.

In addition to the griping storyline and superb acting, led by Robert Więckiewicz as Leopold Socha, the cinematography captivates viewers by visually immersing them into the terrifying, unspeakable and oppressive conditions of the dark underworld in which this small group of survivors lived for 14 months.

This story, like all Holocaust stories, is haunting and the emo-

Polish Cinema for Beginners Visionica Foundation is organizing the “Polish Cinema for Beginners” project. It is an initiative aimed at getting the

15, 16 III

March 2012

performance for children

17 III Dance Vibrations dance theatre performance 18 III From Piaf to Garou 20 III Nadzieja/Hope concert of Tadeusz Nestorowicz Z ota Kaczka

tions that the movie (and the books mentioned below) evokes will linger. In researching the movie and the story behind it I read an interview with one of the young child survivors, Krystyna Chiger, that took place two years after the war ended. It chillingly reveals the impact such a confinement has on a human being.

She stated that while trapped underground she could hear children laughing and playing only a few meters, but really another world, above her and how she longed to be able to join them.

She noted that when they were first freed and had returned to the surface, her younger brother (who was three when they first took refuge in the sewers) cried a lot and wanted to go back into the sewer because he was not accustomed to sunlight and was frightened by crowds of people.

“In Darkness” is based on the book In the Sewers of Lvov (1990) by Robert Marshall.

Krystyna Chiger has also written a memoir entitled The Girl In The Green Sweater: A Life In Holocaust's Shadow (2009).

The movie is currently playing in all of the major theaters in Wrocław, however, I am not aware of any of these theaters playing the movie with English subtitles at this time.

international groups of Wrocław residents acquainted with the most cult entries in the history of Polish cinematography.

During eight planned meetings, among others the following will be screened: Roman Polański’s “Nóż w wodzie [Knife in the Water]”, Krzysztof Zanussi’s “Barwy ochronne

Calendar

April 2012

– Tomasz Krajewski in concert 11 IV Mandala Performance Festival 2012 – dance spectacle 12 IV Spring concert– Impart Art Center for its City at the Saint Cross Church 12 IV Leningrad – musical theatre performance 13 IV Klezman!a – concert of Klezmer Band 13 IV Leningrad – musical theatre performance 15, 16 IV Zaczarowana Kolomotywa – spectacle for children 15 IV Mandala Performance Festival 2012 – dance spectacle 18-

– jazz festival

24, 25 IV Niebezpieczna gra/Killing Time – spectacle – J. Poprawa and B. Sobczuk recommend Joanna Kaszta - Przed Premier

Zaczarowana kolomtywa

Mandala Performance Festival 2012

[Camouflage]” or Wojciech Has’ “Rękopis znaleziony w Saragossie [The Saragossa Manuscript]”.

Before the screening, the spectators will have a chance to listen to a lecture (regarding the film) delivered by a film expert, who will also conduct a discussion panel with the audience afterwards.

Entrance is free (with invitations) and the films will feature subtitles in English. The festival begins on March 27 at 8pm, with film Kanał, at Dolnośląskie Centrum Filmowe, “Polonia” room, Wrocław. To make reservation, email pcfb@visionica.pl from 21st of March. For more information, visit our blog: www.polishcinema.wordpress.com

A scene from , a 1957 Polish film, directed by Andrzej Wajda, starring Teresa Izewska, Tadeusz Janczar and Wienczyslaw Glinski.

The Wrocław International

March 2012