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Poland’s athletes bring home a total of 11 medals from the Rio Olympics, one more than during the 2012 Games in London. In the overall medal tally, Poland finishes in 33rd place with two golds, three silvers
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rofessional sports are no longer about sports; they are about profit and emotions. The Rio Olympics demonstrated this more vividly than any of the previous Games.
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Countries like to show off their sporting successes because they allegedly testify to their greatness as well as the organizational talents of local officials. Meanwhile, all manner of officials and organizations are bending over backwards to profit from the Games. They are counting their money, not ashamed of the way they’ve earned it. Take the head of the Irish Olympic Committee, who was arrested in Rio amid embarrassing
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accusations that he was involved in the scalping of tickets to Olympic events. The sad thing about sports is that billions of people in front of their TV sets let themselves be manipulated emotionally—though actually that’s no different to what happens on any other market as well as in politics. It’s really embarrassing how many cynics these days have learned to make a fortune on our emotions. And it’s gotten to a point where it’s hard to tell whether these emotions are genuinely ours or whether we’ve been tricked into feeling them. I may be aware of all this, but having written these words, I duly turn on my TV and watch the nerve-wracking rivalry of the thousands of competitors even though I thought I couldn’t care less.
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POLITICS & SOCIETY World Youth Day: An Unforgettable Encounter in Poland 6-8 NATO Warsaw Summit: Commitments Confirmed 10-17 Remarks by U.S. President Barack Obama after Bilateral Meeting with Poland’s President Andrzej Duda in Warsaw, July 8
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World Youth Day: An Unforgettable Encounter in Poland Hundreds of thousands of young Catholics from around the world flocked to Poland in late July for this year’s celebration of World Youth Day (WYD). Autumn 2016, The Warsaw Voice magazine Limited Edition
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event, held in the southern city of Cracow and nearby areas July 26-31, was led by Pope Francis and marked the largest international gathering in this country in the last several decades. Anywhere from 1 million to 2.5 million pilgrims took part in the main festivities at Cracow’s sprawling B∏onia Park and on a huge field in the nearby village of Brzegi. The jamboree was organized by the Roman Catholic Church to infuse young Catholics with fresh passion for their religion. Many of the pilgrims arrived in Poland a few days before the event. They stayed with host families in selected Polish archdioceses and dioceses from July 20 to 25 before heading for the main festivities in Cracow. Pilgrims could choose from a list of 14 archdioceses and 27 dioceses. The average cost of a stay in a diocese was EUR 30, a reasonable price tag made possible by hundreds of people of goodwill who hosted the young pilgrims and provided them with
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accommodation and food. Many volunteers also helped their parish priests familiarize the pilgrims with Poland and its customs, culture and cuisine. This was particularly important because many of the pilgrims came to Poland from outside Europe. The Days in the Dioceses helped prepare the pilgrims spiritually for the main celebrations in and around Cracow. They took part in multilingual prayer meetings and religious services, using the help of hundreds of volunteers from all over Poland. This multicultural spiritual experience made a deep impression on the young pilgrims, many of them from Asia, Africa and South America. Many emphasized that, despite cultural differences and different customs, they felt at home in Poland and had no communication problems. Many also said the visit enabled them to broaden their intellectual and emotional horizons. The main religious ceremonies, during which the pilgrims listened to the teachings of the pope as well as bishops from both Poland and abroad, were accompanied by hundreds of other events. One example was the Zone of Glory: Poland 1050 concert organized by the National Center for Culture. The name of the event referred to the 1,050th anniversary of Christianity in Poland, and the concert featured both Polish and foreign performers. The Days in the Dioceses as well as the events in Cracow also included debates, art exhibitions and theatrical performances. Most of the cultural attractions were available to WYD participants for free.
Darek Delmanowicz/PAP
World Youth Day is a global gathering of Catholic youth that takes place every two to three years and actually lasts several days. The tradition was begun by the late Polish-born Pope John Paul II in 1985. In subsequent years, the events were held in Santiago de Compostela in Spain (1989); Poland’s Cz´stochowa (1991); Denver, Colorado, in the United States (1993); the Philippine capital Manila (1995); Paris (1997); Rome (2000); Toronto, Canada (2002); Cologne, Germany (2005); Sydney, Australia (2008); and Rio de Janeiro, Brazil (2013). This year’s World Youth Day in southern Poland was held for the 31st time. The next World Youth Day will be held in 2019 in Panama.
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8 event’s church organizers. Polish intelligence services had identified potential threats and experts mapped out evacuation scenarios as well as contingency plans for neutralizing potential attackers long before WYD got under way. Several dozen thousand uniformed police and military police officers as well as soldiers, firefighters and plainclothes security service officers oversaw the largest gatherings, including the event’s opening and final Masses. A nofly zone was introduced over Cracow, Cz´stochowa and Auschwitz-Birkenau. It was violated on one occasion by a small drone and then again by an attempted flight by a Russian aerobatic aircraft near Cz´stochowa. In both cases, the Polish air force made the intruders leave the zone and land in order to explain the reasons for violating the restrictions. Every time a pope visits Poland, security services are put on alert and state institutions do an immense amount of organizational work. An army of volunteers is usually deployed as well. Pope Francis’ route was changed several times during WYD for various reasons. For example, despite original plans, the pope went to Auschwitz and Cz´stochowa by car, and not by plane. According to those responsible for the pope’s safety, this was in line with a set of alternative plans drafted before the pontiff’s visit. In all, the World Youth Day festivities in Cracow were calm and peaceful, and no major incidents occurred.
While in Poland, Pope Francis conveyed a powerful message of Christian mercy as he addressed the pilgrims in Cracow. He also called on the young people to stand up to violence, hatred and terror instead of being “couch potatoes” glued to “the screen of a cell phone.” He said they should step away from the “sofa” of comfort and not “confuse happiness with a sofa,” while fostering the values that Christianity is built on. Pope Francis did not miss the chance to mention the current dramatic events in Syria and the Middle East as well as the tragedy of refugees from those areas. He urged people to follow the Christian virtue of mercy and welcome those who had lost their homes and the possibility to live a normal life as a result of wars and armed conflicts. The pope also called on the young people to show courage in face of the challenges of the modern times, which many commentators said was an apparent reference to the late Polish-born Pope John Paul II’s “Have No Fear” dictum. The pope’s message was not only about words though. Francis’ visit to Auschwitz-Birkenau was marked by silence. The pontiff did not give a speech there. But his silence was one of the most touching moments of his trip to Poland. Overall, this year’s WYD was marked by deep reflection on human imperfection and weakness and on the tragedies of today’s world. But the festivities were also about the spontaneous joy and enthusiasm of the young Christians who came to Poland from all over the world.
Krzysztof Renik
Pope Francis (left) and Poland President’s Andrzej Duda (center) with First Lady Agata Kornhauser-Duda (right), during an official welcoming ceremony at Cracow’s Wawel Castle
Grzegorz Momot/PAP
One of the key attractions in Cracow in the run-up to World Youth Day was Cracovia Sacra Night, an event during which churches, monasteries and museums in Krakow enabled visitors to see some rarely exhibited documents and manuscripts. The event’s official Maria: Mater Misericordiae (Mother of Mercy) exhibition at the city’s National Museum was available for a token entrance fee of zl.4. Ninety-four masterpieces of religious art by celebrated Italian, French, Dutch and German artists from the 11th to the 18th centuries—among them Donatello, Giotto di Bondone, Lorenzo Ghiberti, Andrea Mantegna, Hans Memling and Peter Paul Rubens—were on display as part of the exhibition. Social engagement and enthusiasm ran high throughout WYD. More than 1,500 volunteers, some of them from abroad, were on hand during the prayer meetings and other events associated with WYD. Pope Francis met with the volunteers on his last day in Poland; he thanked them and encouraged them to continue along the path of helping others selflessly. While in Poland, Pope Francis visited Cracow, the Jasna Góra shrine to the Virgin Mary in Cz´stochowa, and the Nazi German Auschwitz-Birkenau death camp. All these sites define Poles’ national identity. Cracow was once the capital of the country; Jasna Góra is a symbol of Polish Catholics’ fidelity to the Christian tradition; and Auschwitz-Birkenau is a site marked by the suffering and tragedy of the Holocaust at a time when Poland was occupied by Germany. The memory of World War II still plays an important part in how Polish people think about the past and the role of Germany in modern history. Despite worries, this year’s World Youth Day in Poland was free from organizational glitches. The transport of pilgrims was efficient thanks to numerous additional rail and bus connections. Medical services were also up to scratch. Both civilian and military paramedics were involved, with dozens of ambulances and airlifts on standby. No major emergencies or incidents were reported. Ensuring safety was a key challenge for authorities during WYD, especially as the Cracow festivities followed a series of terrorist attacks in Europe. No wonder then that security was a top priority for both Polish state institutions and the
Autumn 2016, The Warsaw Voice magazine Limited Edition
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WARSAW
SUMMIT Commitments
Confirmed
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NATO leaders meeting at a summit in Warsaw reaffirmed their decision to deploy military forces to Poland and the Baltic states in response to Russia’s 2014 annexation of Crimea from Ukraine.
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With Poland’s President Andrzej Duda and Defense Minister Antoni Macierewicz as the official hosts, the 2016 NATO summit was held at Warsaw’s National Stadium. Among the 2,000 delegates were heads of state and government from all 28 NATO member states, in addition to leaders from 26 affiliated countries and top officials from 11 international organizations, including the European Union, the United Nations and the World Bank.
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our multinational battalions totaling 4,000 troops will be deployed to the alliance’s eastern flank from January 2017. They will be led by the United States in Poland, Britain in Estonia, Canada in Latvia, and Germany in Lithuania. At their July 8-9 Warsaw summit, NATO leaders also discussed issues such as efforts to fight the so-called Islamic State, relations with Russia, and an ongoing migration crisis in Europe. The allies demonstrated their unity on a number of issues, including key threats to global security.
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First session of the North Atlantic Council, Warsaw’s National Stadium
NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg presided over the debates, and some of the most prominent participants included U.S. President Barack Obama, German Chancellor Angela Merkel, French President Francois Hollande, and outgoing British Prime Minister David Cameron. The event was accompanied by an Expert Forum organized by the Polish Institute of International Affairs and Slovakia’s GLOBSEC organization, with several hundred global security experts, political scientists and former politicians in attendance. Expectations were high ahead of the event and it remains to be seen whether it will prove to be a milestone in NATO’s history. Some commentators say that, for all their historical significance in political terms, the summit’s decisions were hardly groundbreaking from a military point of view.
Deterrence and dialogue The alliance decided to strengthen its eastern flank with four multinational battalion-size battle groups with a total of 4,000 troops. However, in military terms, the move can hardly be expected to radically boost the alliance’s defense capacity in the region. NATO’s presence in its eastern flank will be increased, but it will remain insignificant compared with the division-size forces Russia has been deploying to its western frontiers. But military considerations are not of primary importance in this case. The four multinational battalions will be deployed to Autumn 2016, The Warsaw Voice magazine Limited Edition
Poland and the Baltics on a rotational basis and their importance is chiefly political. The deployment of forces to Poland and the three Baltic states will mark the end of a policy whereby NATO did not reinforce its eastern outposts. In the 1997 NATO-Russia Founding Act, the alliance undertook not to station any permanent major forces near Russia’s borders. With the multinational battalions stationed on a rotational basis, the promise will be kept, officials say. The difference is not that obvious to Russia, however. According to Moscow, NATO has reneged on the agreement. Still, what the Kremlin seems to be forgetting is that NATO’s decision was triggered by Russia’s aggressive policies, including its invasion of Georgia in 2008, its 2014 annexation of Crimea, and the military support it has offered to rebels in the Ukrainian region of Donbass. In more general terms, Russia has been hostile toward former Soviet republics that gained independence after the breakup of the Soviet Union and have since sought to strengthen their ties with the EU and NATO instead of the Eurasian Economic Community under Moscow’s auspices. NATO’s relations with Russia started to deteriorate because of Russian expansionism, not because of what the alliance itself was doing. NATO’s Stoltenberg described the decision to strengthen the alliance’s eastern flank as a defensive and proportional response to Russia’s actions, including the conflict in eastern Ukraine and the seizure of Crimea. He stressed that nobody in NATO had ever considered taking such steps before the
Jacek Turczyk/PAP
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Meeting of foreign ministers American political scientist John Lenczowski, the principal Soviet affairs advisor under President Ronald Reagan, said in Warsaw that international law had been violated when the Russians engaged in what was described as a “hybrid war.” Lenczowski, who attended the Expert Forum, said such warfare was an element of Russian neo-imperialism. He also said that Russia’s aggressive ways were a result of
Jakub Kamiƒski/PAP
developments in Ukraine. The latest decisions, according to Stoltenberg, demonstrate the strength of the transatlantic connection and mean that an attack on one NATO member will be treated as an attack on the entire alliance. Stoltenberg added that NATO’s enhanced forward presence in the east was an open-ended commitment that would last as long as necessary.
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Defense ministers Autumn 2016, The Warsaw Voice magazine Limited Edition
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U.S. President Barack Obama (left); Michael Froman, U.S. Trade Representative and member of President Obama’s Cabinet (2nd from left); Donald Tusk, President of the European Council (3rd from right); Federica Mogherini, High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy (2nd from right); and Jean-Claude Juncker, President of the European Commission (4th from right), during a meeting at Warsaw’s Marriott Hotel.
that country’s belief that other nations were weak. But now, Lenczowski argued, NATO has demonstrated its intellectual and mental power, showing that it stays alert at all times. By holding its summit in Warsaw, NATO made an important statement of moral, intellectual and psychological strength that helps deter enemies, according to Lenczowski. But any deterrence strategy is good only so long as it makes one party feel that the other is determined to protect its vital interests, Lenczowski said. The Warsaw summit confirmed that the interests and the resolve were both there, he added. Addressing hybrid warfare and related threats originating from Russia, NATO signed a joint declaration with the European Union to work closer together in this area. This is the first such document to address the fight against hybrid warfare. According to Stoltenberg, neither NATO nor the EU can effectively stand up against such threat unless they work together. Under the joint declaration, cyberspace is regarded as a military zone, just like airspace, sea and land. In this way, NATO telecommunications, missions and operations will be given better protection. Russian affairs were a key item on the summit agenda, and it seems that NATO is pursuing a dual policy with regard to Autumn 2016, The Warsaw Voice magazine Limited Edition
Moscow. On the one hand, the allies want to pursue a deterrence strategy; on the other, NATO remains open to dialogue provided Russia abandons its belligerent expansionist policies. Stoltenberg repeatedly said during the summit that NATO was not seeking a new Cold War or a new arms race. While enhancing its deterrence and defense capacity, NATO is still seeking constructive dialogue with Russia, according to Stoltenberg.
War on terror A lot was said at the Warsaw summit about NATO’s involvement in the fight against the so-called Islamic State (ISIS), terrorism and the migrant crisis caused by instability in the Middle East and North Africa. Stoltenberg said that NATO would directly support anti-ISIS forces. NATO’s AWACS surveillance airplanes will back the anti-ISIS coalition by monitoring the territories of Syria and Iraq from international and Turkish airspace. Stoltenberg sees this as a clear message NATO is sending about its determination to fight terror. NATO will also start a new operation in the Mediterranean called Sea Guardian. The operation will be part of Active
Poland’s President Andrzej Duda (right) and British Prime Minister David Cameron (left) Endeavour, a mission in the Gibraltar Strait area to protect commercial vessels against terrorists. Stoltenberg announced in Warsaw that NATO would continue its involvement in Sophia, an EU operation in the central part of the Mediterranean Sea. NATO and the EU will also go on working together to combat human trafficking in the Aegean Sea. All these projects are part of NATO’s efforts to strengthen the alliance’s southern flank. According to Expert Forum participant Michael Chertoff, a former U.S. secretary of homeland security, NATO’s primary objective in southern Europe is to reduce the number of people whom criminal gangs smuggle into Europe across the Mediterranean Sea. As part of strengthening its southern flank, NATO will officially take over Aegis Ashore, a component of the U.S. missile defense system located in Romania and comprising a battery of land-based SM-3 missiles. According to Stoltenberg, Aegis Ashore will be capable of responding to threats coming from outside Europe. When it comes to the war on terror, the Western world has not been particularly active in this area, according to Chertoff. He described this as a dangerous mistake, but said that people in the United States and Europe were tired of terrorism. NATO’s involvement in the war on terror is connected with a decision by the summit participants to extend NATO’s mission to Afghanistan beyond 2016. NATO confirmed its commitment to financially support Afghan armed forces with $1 billion a year. The United States will on its part contribute a similar amount to Afghanistan’s military sector. Stoltenberg said that the Resolute Support mission would continue as a non-combat one and comprise support, training and consulting for security forces in Afghanistan. Next year, NATO will maintain its presence in Afghanistan at around 12,000 troops. This coming autumn, NATO member states
will make final decisions about the size and make-up of those forces. Commenting on NATO’s decision to extend its presence in Afghanistan, Chertoff said the allies could not afford to make the same mistake they made in Iraq several years earlier. NATO’s premature withdrawal from Iraq created a void that was promptly filled by extremists. The same could now happen in Afghanistan, said Chertoff, adding that the vacant space could soon be taken over by the Taliban or other terrorist formations. That would jeopardize the region’s stability and present a serious threat to Europe and the United States. The allies meeting in Warsaw resolved to continue providing training for Iraqi officers in Jordan and start training programs in Iraq itself. A team tasked with preparing the Iraq training mission will soon be sent to Baghdad. Stoltenberg said that small and medium-sized countries would be able to offer support to Iraq through NATO and added that Albania had declared to send a “considerable number” of instructors to Iraq. The NATO secretary-general also said that the alliance would establish an intelligence center in Tunisia to support the country’s security services, and continue its extended cooperation with Jordan. Stoltenberg added that work was under way to assist Libya in areas including the fight against ISIS.
NATO open to new members The delegates in Warsaw agreed that NATO would keep its door open to all countries that are keen to join and capable of meeting obligations bound with NATO membership. The summit participants made it clear that no country had the right to thwart the NATO membership or partnership aspirations of other nations. NATO also reiterated Autumn 2016, The Warsaw Voice magazine Limited Edition
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Unity reaffirmed It was only natural that individual NATO member states differed in their agendas, but the main conclusion from NATO’s Warsaw summit is that the allies continue to stand united. Those who were eager to strengthen NATO’s eastern flank were happy to see that a clear message had been sent to
Moscow that NATO would stand up for every member state in case of an attack. Those delegates who were more concerned about the alliance’s southern flank also left the summit satisfied because NATO leaders undertook to restore control in Europe’s southern frontiers in the Mediterranean region. Importantly, the summit was not dominated by any one group of countries trying to push its own agenda and lobby for either the East or South. What also matters is that, while opting for deterrence in its relations with Russia, NATO is still willing to maintain a dialogue with Moscow. This dual policy should be welcomed both by NATO members that advocate deterrent signals and those who seek dialogue and a gradual thaw in relations with Russia. Crucially, there was no rift within NATO in its assessment of what had happened in Ukraine. The allies demonstrated an unequivocal stance on the annexation of Crimea and the unrest in Donbass; they refused to accept any attempts at redefining national borders in Europe and destabilizing sovereign states. NATO seems to have confirmed all of its earlier commitments at the Warsaw summit. Seen that way, this was a thoroughly successful meeting, especially given the difficult and extremely complex international situation.
Krzysztof Renik
Polish President Andrzej Duda (right) and Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko (left), during a bilateral meeting Autumn 2016, The Warsaw Voice magazine Limited Edition
Jacek Turczyk/PAP
its support for Ukraine and the country’s sovereignty and territorial integrity. Still, nothing specific was said about the membership prospects of countries such as Ukraine and Georgia. According to Chertoff, the admission of new members to NATO comes with enormous responsibility. Asked about NATO enlargement prospects, Chertoff said nobody should undertake responsibilities they would be unable to live up to afterwards. He pointed out that Russia would see any enlargement of NATO as suspicious and utterly unwelcome, which meant that such an enlargement could be a risky move. Consequently, Chertoff suggested that NATO should be prudent in encouraging its neighbors to join the alliance. He was particularly referring to countries whose historical relations with Russia could spark tensions across the region if they became NATO members.
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Remarks by U.S. President Barack Obama after Bilateral Meeting with Poland’s President Andrzej Duda in Warsaw, July 8
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zieƒ dobry. Thank you, President Duda, for welcoming me today. This is my third visit to Poland as President. I’ve got very fond memories of my visit here two years ago when I joined Poles in Castle Square to celebrate a quarter century of Polish freedom. And it’s wonderful to be back. As always, I bring greetings and friendship of the American people, especially the many proud Polish Americans, many of whom live in my hometown of Chicago. We’re here, of course, for the NATO summit, and the fact that it’s being held here in Warsaw is a testament to Polish leadership. In the United States, we consider Poland one of our most committed and important allies. Poland is a leader in NATO as one of the nations that pays its full share—2 percent of GDP—for our collective security. Poland supports alliance missions, including in Afghanistan, and I thank Poland for its new contributions to the campaign against ISIL— F-16 aircraft and special forces trainers. And Poland has stepped forward as host of interceptor sites for our defense system against ballistic missiles from countries like Iran and as a linchpin in the defense of NATO’s eastern flank. Here in Warsaw, I want to once again affirm the enduring commitment of the United States to the security of Poland. As treaty allies, we have a solemn, binding Article 5 duty to defend each other. And in this obligation, we will never waver. These are not just words—they are backed up by deeds. When I first came here five years ago, I promised to increase our commitment to Poland’s security, and that’s exactly what we’ve done. We have kept our promise. We now have a continuous presence of U.S. troops in Poland with our aviation detachment at Lask Air Base. We continuously rotate personnel and aircraft into Poland. Under
the European Reassurance Initiative that I announced here two years ago, we’ve increased training, exercises and readiness. Earlier this year, I announced a four-fold increase to this effort, proposing $3.4 billion to pre-position more U.S. heavy equipment in this region and to continuously rotate an armored brigade in Europe. Today, I’m announcing further steps to bolster NATO’s defense and deterrence posture. As the alliance prepares to enhance our forward presence in Central and Eastern Europe, I can announce that the United States will be the lead nation for the U.S. - for the NATO enhanced presence here in Poland. And that means the United States will deploy a battalion—roughly 1,000 American soldiers—here, in Poland, on a rotational basis to serve shoulder-to-shoulder with Polish soldiers. In addition, when the new U.S. armored brigade begins rotating through Europe early next year, its headquarters will be here in Poland. In other words, Poland is going to be seeing an increase in NATO and American personnel and the most modern, capable military equipment, because we will meet our Article 5 obligations to our common defense. More broadly, I want to thank Poland for its continued strong support for Ukraine’s efforts to defend its sovereignty and territorial integrity in the face of Russian aggression. We discussed the importance of continuing to provide Ukraine with the assistance it needs to strengthen its military and to pursue political and economic reforms. And we fully support the efforts led by Germany and France to resolve the conflict in eastern Ukraine diplomatically. And the United States and Poland are united in insisting that sanctions remain in place until Russia fully meets its obligations under the Minsk agreements. Autumn 2016, The Warsaw Voice magazine Limited Edition
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On the economic front, our two countries will continue to work together to enhance Poland’s energy security. Poland recently opened a new terminal to receive liquefied natural gas, and the President was describing in detail the plans involved in these facilities. This is going to help diversify Poland’s energy supply. American companies are investing their high-tech expertise in wind and solar to help Poland harness more renewable energy. And we’ll continue to deepen our cooperation as we pursue a cleaner, more sustainable energy future together. And finally, I want to congratulate Poland on recently celebrating the 225th anniversary of its constitution—the oldest written constitution in Europe. And this speaks to the long yearning of the Polish people for freedom and independence. Indeed, after the Cold War, the rebirth of Polish democracy was an inspiration to people across Europe and around the world, including in America. Because Poland’s progress shows that democracy and pluralism are not unique to any one of our cultures or countries—they are describing universal values. And a central tenet of American foreign policy is that we speak up for these values around the world, even with our closest allies. And it’s in that spirit that I expressed to President Duda our concerns over certain actions and the impasse around the Poland’s Constitutional Tribunal. I insisted that we are very respectful of Poland’s sovereignty, and I recognize that Parliament is working on legislation to take some important
U.S. President Barack Obama
and Poland’s President Andrzej Duda Autumn 2016, The Warsaw Voice magazine Limited Edition
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steps, but more work needs to be done. And as your friend and ally, we’ve urged all parties to work together to sustain Poland’s democratic institutions. That’s what make us democracies—not just by the words written in constitutions, or in the fact that we vote in elections, but the institutions we depend upon every day, such as rule of law, independent judiciaries, and a free press. These are, I know, values that the President cares about. These are values that are at the heart of our alliance, which was founded, in the words of the North Atlantic Treaty, “on the principles of democracy, individual liberty, and the rule of law.” And when I think of all the progress that we celebrated two years ago in Castle Square—all the odds that the people of Poland have overcome throughout history, and how the Solidarity movement helped defeat communism, the freedom that the Poles have won—it makes me confident in the future of Polish democracy. And the fact that Poland stands and needs to continue to stand as an example for democratic practices around the world. With the new commitments that I’m announcing today, the people of Poland, and our allies across the region can remain confident that NATO will stand with you, shoulder-to-shoulder, no matter what, today and always. So, again, Mr. President, thank you for your hospitality. Thank you to the Polish people. I know that it’s a lot of work to prepare for these summits, but I can tell that you’ve done an outstanding job and I’m sure it will be a great success. So dzi´kuj´ bardzo, President Duda.
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CEE on a Mission to Outperform: Report Jaguar Land Rover investing $1.6 billion in Slovakia; the world’s first Hyperloop futuristic high-speed railway on the drawing board to connect Bratislava and Vienna; Poland and the Czech Republic in strategic deals with China; the four-nation regional Visegrad Group establishing itself as Germany’s most important trading partner; nine Romanian cities among the world’s top 15 cities with the fastest internet download speeds.
If
these facts surprise you then it is high time to catch up with some of the latest developments and explore the economic and investment potential of the region of Central and Eastern Europe. According to the latest CEE Investment Report 2016: Mission to Outperform—compiled by Skanska, JLL and Dentons, in cooperation with the Association of Business Service Leaders in Poland (ABSL)—GDP growth in Central and Eastern Europe (3.1 percent) in 2015 was nearly double that of the euro area (1.6 percent). The long-term GDP outlook seems to be similarly positive, the report says. The highest GDP growth is expected in Lithuania (3.6 percent), Poland (3.5 percent), Estonia (3.4 percent), Romania (3.3 percent), Slovakia (3.2 percent) and Hungary (2.1 percent). CEE is one of the safest parts of the world in terms of business operational risk, according to the report. Threats common in emerging economies, such as geopolitical and social risks, are not present in the region. The Czech Republic, Slovenia, Poland, Hungary and Slovakia are all ranked among the world’s 25 safest countries, according to the Institute for Economics and Peace. CEE, with its approximately 100 million people and strong economic indicators, is a region with a strong focus on increasing its performance in terms of growth. Developing much faster than Western Europe, it is one of the growth engines of the EU economy, the report argues. Foreign direct investment (FDI) is one of CEE’s strongest growth engines. The region is experienced in advanced business services, IT and back-office operations, which are currently on the list of the most popular services for FDI in Europe. “Apart from favorable macroeconomic conditions, what matters to investors is the region’s well-educated, hard-
working and talented labor force,” says Katarzyna Zawodna, President of Skanska Commercial Development Europe. “Every year CEE produces 1.2 million graduates, many of them with working proficiency in 40 languages which they use on a daily basis. Poland, the Czech Republic, Slovakia and Ukraine provide the market with 285,000 engineers a year—more than the United States. In the OECD’s PISA rankings, Poland, Slovenia, the Czech Republic and Latvia are all in the top 30 countries with the best math results. It is evident that people are the real power of this region. They have all the skills they need to set ambitious goals and achieve extraordinary results for their respective countries.” Motivated young people who have the ability to push business forward are an important quality for the modern business services sector. In many rankings CEE countries are ahead of BPO/SSC/ITO giants such as India. This is no wonder as the region’s sector attracts even more companies with its geographical and cultural proximity as well as cost efficiency. The observation which illustrates the increasingly strong position of the CEE business services sector is that the number of shared services centers (SSCs) in Western Europe has declined, while the number of SSCs in Eastern Europe is on the increase. This trend is set to continue for the foreseeable future. According to the ABSL, in the first quarter of 2016, the sector employed 430,000 people in CEE countries, with 200,000 in Poland alone. Regional employment forecasts for 2017/2018 suggest that the CEE total may rise to 500,000. More than 1,300 centers in the sector have opened so far, with over 100 of them being Fortune Global 500 investors, and these numbers continue to increase. Autumn 2016, The Warsaw Voice magazine Limited Edition
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High yields attract real estate investors An expanding BPO/SSC sector does not just boost the economy but the construction market as well. Investment funds and real estate agencies point out that in CEE there is still a need for prime offices, shopping centers and logistics infrastructure. “CEE offers 24 million square meters of modern office space,” comments Tomasz Trzós∏o, Managing Director at JLL Poland. “Yields are higher than in Western Europe and therefore a combination of attractive risk-adjusted pricing and the availability of institutional quality product delivered by experienced developers provide multiple investment opportunities.” Commercial real estate transaction volumes confirm this opinion. Although Poland and the Czech Republic attracted 76 percent of the EUR 9 billion regional volume, 2015 also saw growth and continued interest in Hungary, Romania and Slovakia. Poland led the region in terms of volume, with EUR 4.1 billion, a 46 percent share in 2015. The Czech Republic came next (30 percent/EUR 2.65 billion), followed by Hungary (9 percent/EUR 790 million), Romania (7.5 percent/EUR 650 million), Slovakia (4.5 percent/EUR 412 million) and other CEE markets (3 percent/EUR 300 million). Dentons’ Pawe∏ D´bowski, Chairman, Real Estate (Europe), says, “Central and Eastern Europe is viewed as Europe’s darling by an increasing number of institutional investors based in Europe, including the UK, and more recently from North America, South Africa and the Far East. It is an attractive and safe region with sustained improvements in the business environment. This is particularly evident in the commercial real estate sector, where investors can tap into products that deliver profitable yields and long-term profits. TPG Real Estate and Round Hill Capital are just two of those investors who have entered the CEE property market in the last 12 months.” There is no doubt that CEE is a good choice for doing business and investing in real estate, the report concludes. It also notes that the region is creating a new image for itself and its prospects for the future look good. The CEE Investment Report 2016: Mission to Outperform is a short analysis of the region’s potential as an investment location, focusing on Poland, the Czech Republic, Romania, Hungary and Slovakia. It presents macroeconomic indicators, analyzes strengths, and highlights challenges. The report contains information about CEE and comments from investors who have already invested in the region. The report was compiled by Skanska, JLL and Dentons, in cooperation with the ABSL. It was officially presented at the 7th ABSL Conference on June 29. Skanska is a multinational construction and development company based in Sweden. JLL is a professional services and investment management company specializing in real estate. Dentons is a multinational law firm with a presence in more than 125 locations in 50-plus countries. Autumn 2016, The Warsaw Voice magazine Limited Edition
Katarzyna Zawodna, President of Skanska Commercial Development Europe
Tomasz Trzós∏o, Managing Director at JLL Poland
Pawe∏ D´bowski, Dentons Chairman, Real Estate (Europe)
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Tourism: A Driver of Dawid Lasek, undersecretary of state at the Polish Ministry of Sport and Tourism, talks to the Voice’s Juliusz K∏osowski about the role of tourism in the economy. ■ Do you think tourism could be harnessed to spur Poland’s economic growth? It certainly could and I actually believe it should, as evidenced by what has happened in other countries, and I don’t necessarily mean countries with a warm climate as their key asset. Our data shows that tourism accounts for 5.7 percent of Poland’s GDP, which is a good result as it is, but the potential is much higher when it comes to tourism focused on culture and natural beauty or tourism related to business and meetings. In order to make the most of this potential, we want to see to it that policymakers treat tourism as a crucial sector of the economy, one that could become an underpinning of Poland’s economic growth. This is the status the Development Ministry has attributed to tourism in a recently drafted strategy for responsible development. The importance of tourism extends to many different areas. Tourism strengthens international cooperation, stimulates different economic sectors and fosters the synergy of culture, education and the economy. Once it meets a range of organizational, legal and financial conditions, I am convinced that tourism will become a key driver of the Polish economy. While drawing from own experience, potential and culture, we should also take advantage of the achievements of countries such as Switzerland, Italy, France, Germany and the Benelux nations. ■ How and where will Poland put all this into practice? There are many examples, but let me cite one that I can personally relate to. It is the Podkarpacie region where I come from. Until recently, Podkarpacie did not mean anything to Europeans—not even Germans and the Swiss, who are avid fans of specialty tourism—despite the fact that it is a highly attractive region with unique landscapes and a distinct culture. Since recently, Podkarpacie has also had good transportation links with the rest of Europe thanks to a freeway and an international airport. Podkarpacie has cuttingedge meetings facilities with a modernist conference center in the region’s capital city of Rzeszów, which means the region presents high potential to the meetings industry. And Poland has many other regions where a lot of money has been invested in infrastructure and transportation and which have a lot to offer in terms of culture and natural beauty.
These regions need assistance as they develop international cooperation and advertise their tourist attractions. This is where Poland can use its international experience and connections as a member of international expert organizations. We need to make the most of Poland’s advancements and try to follow the latest European trends that pertain to tourist destinations. Tourists today seek destinations that are both attractive and safe. ■ This shows in how Polish people have suddenly embraced vacations in their own country instead of traveling to regions that are seen as less safe than before. On a related note, do you think domestic and inbound tourism are mutually exclusive? On the contrary, they form a perfect synergy. Growing inbound tourism means Poland has been increasingly popular among foreign tourists, and that can only stimulate Polish people’s interest in their home country. It is like a recommendation that we want to take. Besides, growing numbers of visitors from abroad will further raise the standards in the Polish tourism sector. Increased inbound tourism also fosters hospitality, encouraging people to welcome other cultures. We want to strengthen such attitudes. ■ One example was this year’s World Youth Day in southern Poland, an immensely successful event attended by hundreds of thousands of young people from all around the world. Absolutely. Poland received a lot of praise as the host of the event. People congratulated us on how well organized and safe the event was and how hospitable and open we were. But there are more examples of how well prepared Poland is to host major international events. The July NATO summit in Warsaw was a success on both the political and organizational levels. Poland is perfectly capable of handling the largest events and the toughest challenges that come with them. This has been evident since at least the Euro 2012 European soccer championships in 2012. That was the first time that hundreds of thousands of soccer fans from across Europe realized that, in addition to stadiums, good roads and airports, Poland had excellent organizational skills and knew how to ensure safety for its guests. Autumn 2016, The Warsaw Voice magazine Limited Edition
VOICE - BUSINESS & ECONOMY / POLAND—MEETINGS DESTINATION
Growth they offer is all set to compete internationally. But it all takes strong and coherent promotion of local tourist brands in order to ensure faster local and nationwide development of all tourism branches. ■ Is this the idea behind the House of Polish Tourism Brands project?
■ After all these successful events, what do you think the prospects are for the meetings industry in Poland? Conventions, conferences and exhibitions in developed EU economies account for 3-5 percent of the GDP. Is Poland headed this way? The meetings industry plays a strategic role in Poland’s tourism sector and fosters synergies. Meetings-oriented tourism has high potential in Poland and will probably become a major driving force behind the growth of the tourism sector as a whole. Conferences, exhibitions and other such events are attended by more and more people from abroad, which above all means higher revenues and becomes a natural form of advertising for the country and its cities and regions. We are talking influential people here, including business leaders and politicians. Mind you, those who travel on business and attend conventions and conferences spend a lot more money in Poland than the average recreational tourist. The increasing number of visitors translates into local investment, including in hotels. This mechanism is best exemplified by the meetings industry and is the most evident in metropolitan areas. Poland’s Cracow is already a recognizable brand abroad, but then there is also Poznaƒ, the Tricity area in northern Poland, Wroc∏aw and, of course, Warsaw. More cities are following suit with well-developed conference facilities, including Katowice, Lublin, Ostróda and Rzeszów. The infrastructure Autumn 2016, The Warsaw Voice magazine Limited Edition
Poland has a huge diversity of tourism products. Suffice to mention the wide variety of landscapes from high mountains to picturesque foothills and plains to lake districts, primeval forests and sandy beaches on the Baltic coast. Poland is also a melting pot of cultures where regional heritage lives on. A lot of money, including EU funds, has been invested in Poland in recent years, resulting in top-notch tourism facilities and transportation grid. A large part of the Polish hotels, conference centers, freeways, new airports, modernized railroads and train stations are a product of recent years. Having so much to offer, Poland needs good promotion on both the national and local levels. This takes joint work, coordination and a coherent concept. Stronger brands can, after all, benefit from helping the more obscure ones grow. Regional brands should work with city brands and local brands, especially those that the public is more familiar with. One idea could be bonus packages offering sightseeing tours to those attending major conferences and other meetings. The House of Polish Tourism Brands project deserves to become part of the development strategy for the Polish economy. It will enable support for local brands other than government funding. Such funding is limited while coordinated work is a form of support as well. ■ Speaking of spending on tourism, would you agree that tourism brands could benefit considerably from regulations allowing local authorities to introduce tourism fees? Funds raised in this way would be spent on local tourism products. Small fees levied on every tourist are extremely popular in Europe and around the world. This is an excellent mechanism that works particularly well in Switzerland and other countries, producing considerable funds—even though the fees as such are low at around 1 or 2 euros a day. Polish local brands, including cities, need such fees and I, for one, will advocate regulations to allow these. But in order to make this happen, Polish policy makers will need to learn a few lessons. We need to realize that there is more to tourism than vacations, mountain resorts and sandy beaches. Tourism above all enables higher investment and faster development.
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POLISH Hospitality Market Continues to Grow There is a positive outlook of stable growth for the Polish hospitality market, as the country’s hotels continue to attract both domestic and foreign tourists. Warsaw remains one of the most popular destinations, especially for business travel, with 139 hotels offering over 15,000 rooms.
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nvestors and developers highly appreciate Poland’s strong potential due to the size of the market, strong local demand, substantial development opportunities and excellent location with great connections to other European countries. Poland also has a well-educated talent pool with competitive wages and outstanding partnership with Scandinavian countries, which boost the corporate and leisure segment. The market is growing dynamically, with several investment projects in the pipeline. The number of overnight stays in hotels in Poland has been steadily growing since 2009, reaching 32.6 million in 2015. This represents an increase of 9 percent compared with the previous year. Roughly 3.5 million arrivals and 5.7 million overnight stays were recorded in the central Mazowieckie region (with its capital in Warsaw) in 2015, representing an increase by 8 percent in arrivals and 9 percent in overnight stays in comparison to 2014. Thanks to strong local demand, the Polish market was less affected by the drop in interest from foreign customers during the global economic crisis, unlike other CEE markets that depend mainly on foreign visitors. The hotel stock in Warsaw comprises 139 hotels, making it one of the country’s most developed hotel markets. It is dominated by the 3-star segment (60 hotels), while the 5star category is the smallest, with only 10 hotels. After a slight decrease due to the global economic crisis in 2009, the market showed a steady upward recovery
until 2011. From 2009 to 2011, the growth was driven mostly by occupancy, representing a growth rate of 7.1 percent, while at the same time the average daily rate increased by only 2 percent. The year 2012 was record-breaking thanks to the European soccer championship hosted by Poland together with Ukraine. However, this resulted in a sharp decrease in performance in 2013. The new supply added to the market prior to the tournament put pressure on revenue per available room (RevPAR) for the years after 2012. The ratio dropped to PLN 187 in 2014, before recovering to PLN 205 in 2015. The hotel market in Poland has been continuously getting stronger. The latest data (year-to-date May) show an encouraging increase of RevPAR by 10.4 percent, driven by both occupancy (5.3 percent) and average daily rates (ADR; 4.8 percent). As a result of recent threats in Europe, we have seen changes in both the leisure and Meetings, Incentives, Conferences and Exhibitions (MICE) segments. Tourists are seeking safer destinations and we predict that both occupancy and ADR will increase on the Baltic coast this summer. The same applies to the MICE segment, where the decrease in RevPAR has been obvious: 13.3 percent for Brussels, 3.1 percent for London and 12.4 percent for Paris (YTD April 2016), while Warsaw experienced a growth of 10.4 percent in the same period.
Sˇárka Chapman, Senior Analyst – Poland, Global Hospitality Group at Cushman & Wakefield
Autumn 2016, The Warsaw Voice magazine Limited Edition
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How Will Brexit Affect Polish Agriculture? Britain’s departure from the European Union may affect Poland’s agriculture, though its actual impact is hard to predict, says a local expert.
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ccording to Szczepan Wójcik, head of Polska Ziemia (Polish Land), a foundation that supports Polish farmers, the United Kingdom’s exit from the EU may lead to long-term fluctuations in exchange rates and will thus have a major impact on Poland’s exports and imports of agricultural products. Food and agricultural products constitute a lion’s share of Poland’s overall exports, and the country’s foreign trade revenue will naturally be affected if the Polish zloty currency loses ground against the dollar and euro, coupled with a continued depreciation of the British pound, Wójcik says. While a more expensive dollar and an appreciating euro is good news for Polish exporters, the plummeting pound is not, given that Poland exports EUR 1.5 billion worth of food and agricultural products to Britain a year. Wójcik points out that the terms of Britain leaving the EU will remain unclear for a long time to come. “It’s hard to say to what extent the yet-to-be negotiated bilateral and multilateral agreements will retain the regulations that safeguard the four EU freedoms,” he says, referring to the free movement of goods, services, people and capital. “We may expect that some British regulations will be discriminatory to services and capital from abroad and, above all, foreign goods and employees. But it is totally unfounded to argue that Polish laborers and professonials
will be kicked out of Britain. What we can anticipate instead are cuts in certain social benefits, especially financial aid for family members who do not in fact reside in Britain.” Wójcik also believes that Poland should do its best to promote its food now that British consumers recognize it as the most natural food available. “Otherwise, we will find it increasingly hard to market our food in British stores,” Wójcik says. The British government is on Poland’s side as far as security issues are concerned, according to Wójcik, but in terms of the EU’s Common Agricultural Policy, Britain has traditionally opposed payments for farmers. It has, in fact, frequently challenged the policy as a whole. Even though EU outlays on agriculture will decrease dramatically after 2020, funds for farmers were a controversial issue during heated debates leading up to the current EU budget and the one before it, Wójcik says. “And it is worth noting that the British government took a totally different stance to that of Poland in those debates,” he adds. According to Wójcik, Brexit could also have a strong impact on EU-U.S. negotiations concerning the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP). It is in Poland’s best economic interest to see the partnership formed as late as possible, Wójcik argues. He also observes that the EU “is sure to lose some of its appeal” once Britain leaves it. “In a bid to dissuade Britain from leaving the EU, the Americans said a long time ago that there would be no negotiating of a separate, post-Brexit agreement with Britain, which for obvious reasons will remain outside the partnership,” Wójcik says. “The question is what the United States is going to do now. After all, the TTIP is a tool meant to strengthen the U.S. economy at the expense of all EU member states except Germany. Slowing down these disquieting negotiations could turn out to be the main upside of Brexit.” There is also a social aspect to Brexit, Wójcik notes. Many young citizens of Poland and other EU member states made the tough decision to leave for Britain in search of a better life, and their decisions need to be respected. Still, while there will be “no throwing of Poles out of Britain,” Poland would actually benefit if some of the emigrants chose to return home. This beneficial effect would extend to agriculture, Wójcik argues. According to Wójcik, a crucial test awaits the Polish government, which should start working hard to make sure that Brexit actually benefits Poland and its people in the long term rather than harms them. “Unlike [European Commission President JeanClaude] Juncker and [European Parliament President Martin] Schulz, we cannot hold a grudge against the British for their rather unexpected decision,” Wójcik concludes.
Source: Polish Press Agency Autumn 2016, The Warsaw Voice magazine Limited Edition
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Over Half of Poles Struggling to Make Ends Meet: Poll Autumn 2016, The Warsaw Voice magazine Limited Edition
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Fifty-six percent of Poles only earn enough to meet their basic needs and cannot afford major expenses, a poll shows.
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Fifty-eight percent of respondents say they earn less than zl.3,000 net a month. Of this, one in five respondents makes between zl.2,001 and zl.3,000, and roughly 20 percent earn between zl.1,501 and zl.2,000. Twentytwo percent earn less than zl.1,500. Fourteen percent declined to respond. Many Poles complain their salary is only high enough to pay for day-to-day expenses, with no possibility to put aside money in a savings account. However, Lindorff experts suggest that the lack of savings may be due to poor household budget management skills rather than insufficient earnings.
any Poles are dogged by financial problems and struggling to make ends meet, according to the Financial Habits of Poles study by credit management company Lindorff. One in five respondents says they have to deny themselves many things in order to satisfy their basic needs. Six percent say they cannot afford to even cover their most urgent needs. Only 16 percent of those surveyed are happy with their financial status. Of this, 15 percent say they have enough funds to meet all of their needs, and 1 percent consider themselves well-to-do. Eight percent were unable to clearly define their financial status.
How would you describe the financial situation of your household? 6% 0%
14% 10%
56% 20%
30%
40%
50%
1% 8%
15% 60%
70%
80%
90%
100%
■ We don’t have enough money to even pay for our most urgent needs. ■ We have to deny ourselves a lot of things to make ends meet. ■ We have enough money for our everyday needs, but we can’t afford bigger expenses. ■ We have enough money to cover all our needs, including major expenses. ■ We are well-to-do. ■ Hard to say.
What is your net monthly income? 22% 0%
10%
18% 20%
30%
18% 40%
■ under zl.1,500 ■ zl.1,501-2,000 ■ zl.2,001-3,000 ■ over zl.3,000 ■ Don’t know/Hard to say ■ Decline to answer Autumn 2016, The Warsaw Voice magazine Limited Edition
50%
20% 60%
70%
7% 80%
14% 90%
100%
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Polish Households Cautious with Money: Survey Polish people are cautious spenders; they spend their money on daily essentials rather than pleasure and extravagance, a survey shows.
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he study, entitled The Financial Habits of Poles, identifies the most common types of expenditure in Polish households and reveals differences between the spending habits of men and women in this country. Conducted by credit management company Lindorff, the survey portrays Polish people as rather reasonable spenders in that, instead of pleasure and enjoyment, they spend most of their earnings on utility bills and loan repayment as well as daily necessities such as food and cleaning agents. These types of expenses were named by up to 80 percent of respondents, while over half of respondents said they spend their money on their children, and almost just as many (47 percent) on themselves. Other popular types of private expenditure include hobbies (28 percent) and travel (26 percent). A total of 15 percent of respondents said they invest in learning.
Caring women and comfort-loving men A total of 80 percent of respondents usually spend their income on basic expenses and the percentage is identical for men and women. When it comes to paying bills and loans, the difference between the sexes approximates the standard error, with a 2-percent prevalence of male respondents. The gap widens for essentials such as food and cleaning agents, with 77 percent of women and 71 percent of men spending the most money on those. The most striking differences are in spending on children, hobbies and pleasure. In each of these categories, women and men differ vastly in their responses. The survey corroborates the widespread belief that women are more concerned about their families while men tend to think more of themselves, according to Lindorff. For example, 62 percent of women say they usually attend to their children’s needs while spending money, whereas the figure for men is 37 percent. This is the biggest gender-based difference among all eight spending areas probed by Lindorff. The discrepancies are surprisingly large in questions concerning spending on hobbies and pleasures. Only 20 percent of female respondents confessed to splashing out on their hobbies, in contrast to 35 percent of men. The figures for pleasurerelated expenses are 40 percent and 55 percent respectively. The Lindorff survey also reveals an intriguing fact about spending on learning. Even though only 15 percent of all respondents say they spend money on continuing their education, the number of women who do so is twice that of men. Overall, The Financial Habits of Poles study seems to indicate that Polish women focus more on their families and are more responsible then men. Compared with male respondents, they see child-related expenses and investment in their own
education as far more important. Interestingly, three times more women are likely to spend their money on their children (62 percent) than on their own hobbies and interests (20 percent). The corresponding figures for male respondents are 37 and 35 percent.
Saving, Polish style The survey shows that Polish people are keen to spend money on their children, hobbies, traveling and other entertainment-related expenses. Home budgets permitting, there is nothing wrong about doing so, Lindorff says, but seeing how one in three respondents has no money put aside, Poles appear to be rather short-sighted in their spending habits. Few seem to realize that, in the absence of any savings, financial trouble could be just around the corner. Many respondents say they can barely make ends meet as a result of tight home budgets. This also applies to families with relatively high incomes but with just as high monthly expenses. The reason is poor money management at home, which is why many Polish families should consider reviewing what their money goes to, according to Lindorff. Once this is done, people could realize that by giving up certain pleasures and cutting down on others, they could save up quite a lot of money. Lindorff is a leading European provider of credit management services, with a history going back to 1898. It specializes in services for financial companies, especially banks and insurers. The company’s Polish subsidiary, Lindorff Polska, provides its customers with a range of debt collection services, in addition to legal advice. The Lindorff group is headquartered in Oslo, Norway, and has 3,700 employees in 13 countries. In 2015, the corporation reported a net revenue of 534 million euros.
Autumn 2016, The Warsaw Voice magazine Limited Edition
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How
Poles
Use Credit Cards:
Study A new survey on the financial habits of Polish consumers probes the popularity of credit cards in this country and the credit limits that Poles have on their cards. The survey, conducted by credit management company Lindorff, also identifies demographic differences between various groups of card holders.
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oles have long embraced credit cards for the convenience of quick and easy access to extra cash without all the formalities of taking out loans from banks. According to Lindorff, credit cards come in particularly handy in summer when many people cannot afford a dream vacation because they have little or no savings. The Financial Habits of Poles survey by Lindorff shows that credit cards are the second most common type of payment cards in Poland, used by 43 percent of those polled. Almost 60 percent of respondents say they use debit cards on a daily basis interchangeably with cash. Poles mainly use their debit cards to shop and withdraw cash from ATMs. A total of 56 percent of respondents say they have enough money to make ends meet, but cannot afford bigger expenses. Almost 60 percent say they rarely plan their spending more than a month ahead. Consequently, many consumers are tempted to use credit cards to pay for lastminute vacations or urgent expenses such as car insurance or repairs, Lindorff comments. Fifty-six percent of respondents aged 41-50 hold at least one credit card, according to Lindorff. In the 25-32 age group, the proportion is 39 percent, and among those aged 33-40 just over a third of respondents have at least one credit card. Autumn 2016, The Warsaw Voice magazine Limited Edition
The study identifies the average credit card holder as a mature person with a stable financial situation comprising a steady job and an apartment or house of their own. Most credit card holders in Poland have children and live in cities with a population of over 500,000, the survey shows. Credit card holders aged 41 and older outnumber those aged 25-40 by around 20 percent. This is largely because many young people have financial obligations such as mortgages and cash loans and are consequently hesitant to incur more debt, Lindorff says. Thirty-five percent of respondents have credit card limits of up to zl.2,000. One in five Polish credit card holders has a credit line of zl.4,001 to zl.6,000 and one in 10 has a limit of zl.2,001 to zl.4,000. Ten percent of card holders have limits ranging from zl.6,001 to zl.10,000, and 12 percent mention the zl.10,001-20,000 range. One percent have a credit line of more than zl.20,000. Men tend to have higher limits on their credit cards than women. Only 3 percent of women have credit card limits ranging from zl.6,001 to zl.10,000, compared with 16 percent of men. Not a single female respondent said they had a limit of over zl.20,000 on their credit cards. Credit cards are also seen as a status symbol in Poland. Those with the highest limits are often marketed as “gold,” “black” and “platinum” cards and come in customized designs.
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Krynica Economic Forum: Europe in the Face of Challenges Autumn 2016, The Warsaw Voice magazine Limited Edition
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Krynica Economic Forum: Europe in the Face of Challenges More than 3,000 prominent politicians, financiers, businessmen and academics from across the world, accompanied by crowds of journalists, will descend on Krynica in southern Poland in early September to discuss the most pressing political, economic and social problems in Europe and further afield. This year the key subject of debate will be “Europe in the Face of the Challenges of Tomorrow: United or Divided?”
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his year’s Krynica Economic Forum will be held for the 26th time Sept. 6-8. It will feature six plenary sessions and more than 150 panel discussions, lectures and debates attended by participants from more than 50 countries. The conference will sum up NATO’s July 8-9 summit in Warsaw and ask questions about European Union’s future after the Brexit vote in Britain. Forum participants will also examine cooperation within the Visegrad Group of Central European countries and comment on the latest developments in Ukraine, in addition to discussing the future of Polish-Russian relations. They will also look for solutions to some of Europe’s most pressing economic problems and discuss the future of the eurozone. Other topics will include an evaluation of the energy policies of Central European countries and a look at how innovative technology is changing business. Social issues will be yet another important topic addressed in Krynica. This year, forum participants will focus on family-friendly policies in Central and Eastern Europe and discuss opportunities and threats resulting from the migration crisis in the European Union. Forum participants will include Vytenis Andriukaitis, European Commissioner for Health and Food Safety; Tibor Navracsics, European Commissioner for Education, Culture, Youth and Sport; and Jan Figel, European Commissioner for Education, Training, Culture and Youth. Other guests will include Polish parliamentary Speakers Marek Kuchciƒski and Stanis∏aw Karczewski and government ministers, among them Mateusz Morawiecki, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Development; Dawid Jackiewicz, Minister of the Treasury; Krzysztof Tchórzewski, Minister of Energy; Anna Zalewska, Minister of Education; and Witold Baƒka, Minister of Sport and Tourism. Businessmen in attendance will include Zbigniew Jagie∏∏o, CEO of PKO Bank Polski; Micha∏ Krupiƒski, CEO of PZU; Robert Pietryszyn, CEO of Lotos Group; and Tomasz Bogus, CEO of Bank BG˚ BNP Paribas. The Economic Forum in Krynica, organized by the Institute of Eastern Studies, has an established reputation as one of the most important economic conferences in Central and Eastern Europe. First held in 1992, it regularly brings together prime ministers, government officials from across Europe, EU officials, company CEOs, experts and economists.
Zygmunt Berdychowski
Co-founder of the Institute of Eastern Studies and chairman of the Krynica Economic Forum’s Program Council
The Warsaw Voice is a media partner of the:
26th Economic Forum www.forum-ekonomiczne.pl Autumn 2016, The Warsaw Voice magazine Limited Edition
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VOICE - BUSINESS
36
KEY ROLE for POLAND in CHINA’S
‘NEW SILK ROAD’ PROJECT Businessmen and government officials from China and Poland met at a conference in Warsaw in June to discuss economic relations between the two countries.
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China-Poland Online Silk Road Economic Cooperation Forum was organized by the Osell Group, “an evolutionary business concept” designed to connect global businesses with China. The event, held on June 20, was among the highlights of an official visit by Chinese government officials to Poland. The main speeches at the conference were delivered by key figures in Chinese industry, including the CEO of household appliance producer TCL and the deputy CEO of China’s IT giant Huawei. Polish speakers included the mayor of the northeastern town of Go∏dap, the director of a Polish association of exporters and importers, and the president of the Warsawbased Vistula Group of Universities. The conference was moderated by Adam Bro˝ek, who heads the international cooperation department at Poland’s Development Ministry. In his opening address, Bro˝ek spoke about long-standing trade relations between Poland and China, voicing his hope that the two countries would forge even stronger ties in the future. Wenting Liu, executive director of the Osell Group, announced the opening of an exhibition warehouse that the
group’s key partner, the Global OConnect Group, had built in Warsaw. The facility is crucial to Osell’s global strategy aimed at connecting Chinese businesses with international markets. One of the Osell Group’s projects is a website endorsed by the Chinese government to support online business-to-business (B2B) deals that help boost foreign trade in China and promote Chinese products internationally. Highlighting what he described as the friendship between Poland and China, the Osell Group’s Liu told the conference that the two countries were looking forward to strengthening trade along the historical Silk Road. “The Osell Group and the Global OConnect companies have chosen Poland to be their first stop in Eastern Europe,” said Liu. “We have trust in Poland and Eastern Europe. We believe that the Osell Group and Global OConnect can make a difference in this business environment and thus bring real benefits to people.” Founded in 2015 and partially funded by the Chinese government, Osell Group Cross-Border E-commerce Co. Ltd. plays a key part in China’s strategy to promote its products abroad.
Source: Polish Press Agency Autumn 2016, The Warsaw Voice magazine Limited Edition
VOICE - TOURISM
38
Hospitality and Excellence Since it opened in 2009, the four-star andel’s by Vienna House hotel in the central Polish city of ¸ódê has won a slew of awards for its architecture, design and development.
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hotel is housed in a former weaving mill built by local textile magnate Izrael Poznaƒski in 1878. The red-brick building stood empty for many years until it was transformed into the four-star hotel in 2009 after two-and-a-half years of renovation work. OP Architekten Ziviltechniker GmbH, a Polish-Austrian architectural firm led by Wojciech Poplawski, renovated the building in line with guidelines governing the restoration of historic structures and oversaw its meticulous conversion into a modern hotel with a spacious conference center. The hotel’s interior design is the work of London-based designers Jestico + Whiles, who succeeded in creating a highly atmospheric experience while retaining the industrial character of the building’s historic walls. The old pillars and beams were preserved, and the 100-year-old stairs and cast-iron gate were restored to their original splendor. At the same time, the new glass roof and the skylights illuminate public spaces. This blend of elements from the past and the present creates a harmonious dialogue between the historical aura of a cultural monument and the language of contemporary architecture. From the very beginning, andel’s by Vienna House ¸ódê has been managed by Vienna House, Austria’s largest hotel group. With its 277 rooms and suites and 16 flexible conference rooms on a total space of 2,500 square meters, andel’s by Vienna House ¸ódê is among Poland’s most modern city and business hotels. Since its opening in May 2009, the four-star hotel has won several awards for architecture, design and development. The first was the Architecture of the Year: Conversion of an Existing Building to Hotel Use distinction at the 2009
European Hotel Design Awards. Soon after that, the hotel was named Best Hotel Development and Best Development Overall by the Construction and Investment Journal (CIJ), Central and Eastern Europe’s premier real estate magazine. The hotel also won the 2010 Contract Magazine Interiors Awards in the Adaptive Re-Use category for the transformation of an existing historical building into a modern conference hotel. This was followed by the CEE Real Estate Quality Award in the category of Hotel, Leisure & Residential Development of the Year 2009 by CEE Insight Forum in association with the Financial Times. In May 2010, the hotel’s Delight restaurant was awarded the prestigious Hermes Statue, and in 2014 and 2015 it received two “toques” from the influential French culinary guide Gault Millau. andel’s by Vienna House ¸ódê is also rated as “a traveler’s choice” among the top 10 hotels in Poland by TripAdvisor, an American travel website that provides reviews of travel-related content.
Autumn 2016, The Warsaw Voice magazine Limited Edition
VOICE - BUSINESS
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Black Hawk Rising Polish defense giant Polska Grupa Zbrojeniowa (PGZ) July 11 signed a memorandum of understanding with Sikorsky, a Lockheed Martin company, and its subsidiary PZL Mielec under which PGZ companies will have significant involvement in the S-70i Black Hawk helicopter program if Sikorsky and PZL Mielec are selected by the Polish government to provide a fleet of multirole helicopters.
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ccording to a Lockheed Martin press release, the agreement underpins its position as a trusted partner for Poland’s defense sector. It has the potential to extend Lockheed Martin’s involvement with Polish industry to include PGZ companies in developing and testing armament solutions for international Black Hawk helicopters and in the supply of components and assemblies for aircraft and other products manufactured by Sikorsky and PZL Mielec. Under the agreement, which was signed at an air show in Farnborough, England, PGZ will support the positioning of the multi-role S-70i Black Hawk helicopter in Poland as well as
Autumn 2016, The Warsaw Voice magazine Limited Edition
potential export markets in Central and Eastern Europe. The agreement is subject to a decision by Poland’s government to procure Black Hawk helicopters, which are produced at PZL Mielec. In addition to the July 11 agreement with Sikorsky and PZL Mielec, other Lockheed Martin businesses are in talks with PGZ regarding involvement in numerous programs spanning air, sea, air and missile defense, weapons and artillery systems and space, according to the press release. Polska Grupa Zbrojeniowa is one of the largest defense groups in Europe.
VOICE - REAL ESTATE
40
Non-Corporate
Human-Scale Architecture:
Park Avenue Yuval Ben Ari, representing Park Projects Group, a developer active on the Polish real estate market in the last 15 years, talks to the Voice. â– The office space market in Warsaw is not an easy one. The vacancy rate in the city exceeds 15 percent, and no wonder because the new supply of office buildings in the city has never been so high. In the first half of the year, 16 large-scale office buildings were completed, including the Warsaw Spire, Q22, Atrium 2
and the Prime Corporate Center. Is there still room for newcomers? Today, when all the high standards with modern IT and telecommunication systems, detailed finishing, effective use of adjustable space, are just obvious in the highest quality office investment, there is at least one factor that makes a
Autumn 2016, The Warsaw Voice magazine Limited Edition
VOICE - REAL ESTATE new office building an outstanding offer: a unique location. We have it. There is no such site available in Warsaw like Wspólna 70. With this address you are not only in the very center of the city; you are located at the connection point of some of the most important transportation routes in the city with easy access to any place in Warsaw by any means of transportation. Whether by car or city transportation, or even by bike, you will get here and from here easily, quickly and comfortably. The very best part of the quality office space in Warsaw is available far from the city center and the main communication routes. But with the Park Avenue project the situation is much different; you are in the very heart of the city. People who will work in this building will also be able to easily plan their shopping or leisure time after work. Why? Because we are not talking about another business or office center in the city but about the very real heart of it. A perfect location for a five-star Class-A office building. Park Avenue will be the best quality Class-A five-star office building in the prestigious area around the Marriott and Hampton by Hilton hotels. This unique project, designed by JSK Architects, will be delivered to market in mid-2018. At the moment, Warbud SA is working on the underground levels. ■ Why should tenants choose Park Avenue instead of those offered by your competitors, even if those are not located so perfectly but still within the Central Business District of the city? We are aware of the strong competition in the Warsaw office market as there are a lot of new projects under way in the Central Business District. Potential tenants have multiple choices but the final decision is going to be taken based on the most important factors like location with full transportation convenience, excellent standard and cost efficiency. Park Avenue is going to be a special, non-corporate office building. It will offer 14,000 square meters of modern Aclass office space located in a 15-floor-high tower and its adjacent seven-floor-high low-rise building in the best location in the central part of the city. But what makes it even more unique is the niche of the market we decided to dedicate it to. Park Avenue is going to be a perfect choice for those clients who would like to be located in the city center, however not in a big skyscraper but in a building where non-corporate character is an added value. What’s more, we do not focus on big space leases, which is a quite standard approach among office space developers and administrators. We await even those occupiers who will look for 150or 200-sq-m space. Still, we offer them the highest standard working conditions, with the latest technology, maximized efficiency, reduced costs and increased comfort levels. We are open to negotiations since we believe there is a need for an individual approach. This kind of attitude is fair and will give us an even more competitive position. Our non-corporate-style building will accommodate firms that appreciate its location, human-scale architecture, unique character and high standard of finishing, but also an individual approach. ■ Construction work on Park Avenue Wspólna 70 started in July, with the facility due to open in mid-2018. Don’t you need an anchor tenant for the building right now? Autumn 2016, The Warsaw Voice magazine Limited Edition
41 Not really, we have already leased 1,800 square meters and we do not focus on looking for the big client. Why? Because we do not focus on big tenants at all. We are looking rather for potential tenants who will understand the uniqueness of the project and our philosophy of providing a friendly, human-scale office facility with a prestigious location in the very center of the Polish capital. What is special about Park Avenue? We welcome the small or medium-sized clients who usually, if lucky, are offered the “left-outs,” or premises that giant tenants left in the buildings. Those companies are simply losing potential exposition and their importance in big office buildings among the big fishes. What we intend to do is fill a market niche by offering them dedicated, price-effective, state-ofthe-art office space with the best possible, prestigious address in the city.
Quality in the Heart of Warsaw The construction of the Park Avenue office building began in Warsaw in July. The prestigious five-star, class-A office building will be located at 70 Wspólna Street in the very center of the Polish capital, near the city’s Central Railway Station and the Marriott and Hampton by Hilton hotels. The first tenants will be able to move into the building in mid-2018. The building’s modern design, by the renowned architectural studio JSK Architekci, enables easy arrangement of office space. Openable windows and daylight in every room; minimized common space; seven fast elevators with very short waiting times; individual design for every tenant; charging stations for electric cars in the underground parking garage; shower facilities with parking for bikes—these are just some of the amenities that Park Avenue has to offer. The L-shaped building will consist of two interconnected units of seven and 15 floors, with specious terraces. They will create a natural corner facing the courtyard of the neighboring facility and thus providing a local cozy space. The facility will offer a wonderful view on a nearby park as well as on St. Barbara’s Church, the Marriott Hotel and the Z∏ote Tarasy shopping center. All this makes it a unique location in the very center of the city. In addition to its perfect location and access to a range of amenities in the neighborhood, the project offers an interior design meeting the needs of individual tenants as well as numerous office layout possibilities, fast internet connection, and spacious terraces on the roofs. There is also a modern, highly-efficient air-conditioning system controlled from every room, combined with energy-saving features, and much more. The first floor of Park Avenue will house an elegant two-level lobby with a business lounge and café as well as retail and service section. Around 1,400 square meters of office space is available for lease in the lower part and around 510 sq m in the upper part. Leases in the building will start from around 200 sq m, perhaps even 150 sq m, an arrangement rarely seen in other classA office buildings in the city. As a result, Park Avenue will fill a niche in the Warsaw real estate market.
Investor: Park Avenue 2010 Sp. z o.o. tel. +48 22 329 11 76 e-mail: office@parkavenue.com.pl
VOICE - REAL ESTATE
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Office Supply in Warsaw Sets
a New High Cushman & Wakefield, a global real estate advisor, has published its Property Times report on the Warsaw office market for H1 2016.
In
H1 2016, total modern office stock in Warsaw reached nearly 5 million sq m, of which around 3.5 million sq m (70%) was in non-central locations. With buildings totalling around 1.33 million sq m Upper South remains the capital city’s largest office zone. The highest volumes of new office space were delivered in the city centre, where office schemes offering 180,000 sq m were given occupancy permits, in South West (60,000 sq m) and North (50,000 sq m). This supply trend is expected to continue given the large number of office buildings planned or under construction in or close to central locations. The largest office completions in H1 2016 included Ghelamco’s Warsaw Spire A (59,000 sq m), HB Reavis’ Gdaƒski Business Center 2 (buildings C and D totalling 49,000 sq m) and Echo Investment’s Q22 (46,400 sq m). Katarzyna Lipka, Associate Director, Consulting and Research, Cushman & Wakefield, said: “Sixteen office buildings received occupancy permits in the first two quar-
Katarzyna Lipka
ters of 2016, providing a total of 350,000 sq m, which represented a nearly 30% increase on the last year’s total supply. Approximately 100,000 sq m is scheduled for completion in H2 2016, which will bring the annual supply to a new record high of 450,000 sq m.” The first half of 2016 saw strong leasing activity on the Warsaw office market with 360,000 sq m transacted, a figure comparable to the office take-up noted in the first half of the record-breaking 2015. 75% of the space leased during the first six months of 2016 was located in office buildings in the city centre (Fringe and Core) as well as the Upper South and South West subzones. Renegotiations made up 30% of the gross take-up and pre-lets around 17%. The largest transactions in Warsaw included Allegro’s new lease of 7,600 sq m at Q22, the renegotiation by NC+ of its 7,500 sq m lease at the Canal+ building, and Budimex’s pre-let of 7,350 sq m at the scheme at 16-20 Skierniewicka Street. Net absorption reached 133,000 sq m compared to 284,000 sq m in 2015. At the end of H1 2016 the average vacancy rate in Warsaw stood at 15.4%, which represented a rise of 1.3 percentage points on the vacancy rate noted in Q1 2016 and an increase of 3.1 percentage points on the rate at year-end 2015. The large volume of new office space coming onto the market pushed the city centre’s vacancies up to 17.6% with the vacancy rate in other office zones averaging 14.4%. Richard Aboo, Partner, Head of Office Agency, Cushman & Wakefield, said: “Given the expected supply and take-up trends, prime headline rents are likely to remain flat by the end of 2016 at EUR 24/sq m/month in central locations and at EUR 13–16.50 in non-central locations. Tenants continue to enjoy the upper hand in negotiations benefiting from the strong availability of office space both in existing buildings and schemes under construction or in the pipeline. Therefore, owners of office buildings will continue to offer attractive incentive packages that include rentfree periods or fit-out contributions.”
Richard Aboo Autumn 2016, The Warsaw Voice magazine Limited Edition
VOICE - MEDICINE
43
Therapy for Stroke
Patients A new clinic in Konstancin-Jeziorna near Warsaw offers innovative treatment to neurological patients to help them recover from strokes and enable them to live independent lives again. The clinic’s medical services mark a milestone in stroke therapy.
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art of the Lux Med Tabita Nursing and Rehabilitation Center in Konstancin-Jeziorna, the clinic opened April 7, specializing in a method called ergotherapy. The method relies on exercise and other kinds of physical activity as a way to treat diseases, neurological conditions in particular. The new clinic imitates an ordinary house to enhance the mobility and independence of people after strokes and other kinds of cerebrovascular damage. Patients spend time in a home-like environment with typical household rooms, including a kitchen with special disabled-friendly features such as silverware with extra broad handles for a firmer grip. On their way to recovery, the patients are assisted by physicians, physiotherapists and other medical personnel. The clinic also features a computer lab. Lux Med’s Dr. Miros∏aw Wróbel says the clinic aims to teach neurological patients how to look after themselves so they can become as independent of others as possible. “From putting on socks to preparing a meal to using the toilet, all without getting anybody else involved,” says Wróbel. “We also want to show how it’s possible to adapt an apartment to an existing disability.” For example, Wróbel says, tabletops need to be at a different height when designed for wheelchair users. The time the clinic needs to improve the condition of its patients depends on how far the disease has advanced and the severity of the brain damage. Some patients require very little help or recover practically on their own, while others, especially older people who have suffered severe strokes, might never become self-sufficient. “Someone who was perfectly able-bodied before a stroke can remain severely disabled Autumn 2016, The Warsaw Voice magazine Limited Edition
despite months of therapy,” says Wróbel. “This varies dramatically. Some only need a month, whereas others will need help for the rest of their lives just to retain what they were able to achieve through therapy.”
Source: Polish Press Agency
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Voices of the World Music from Peru, Israel, Brazil and many other corners of the world will ring out during the 12th Cross Culture Festival in Warsaw, Poland’s largest world music event. This year’s festival, held Sept. 24-Oct. 1, will showcase folk musicians and others who incorporate ethnic music into their work.
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ross Culture artistic director Maria Pomianowska says this year’s event will focus on traditional music with participants from nine countries on three continents. “Their music takes strength from ancient songs combined with the sounds of today,” says Pomianowska. “These remarkable performers feel perfectly at home in traditional music and have a clever way of incorporating old tunes into electronic, soul, jazz and pop music.” The festival will open with a performance by Peruvian singer Susana Baca, who at the age of 72 is a legendary figure on her country’s music scene. She has also worked in diplomacy and used to be Peru’s minister of culture. The winner of two Latin Grammy awards, Baca likes to explore her African heritage in her music, revisiting the almost forgotten African element in Peruvian music. Warsaw audiences will then hear the charismatic Ester Rada from Israel, an up-and-coming star of Ethiopian Jewish origin. Compared to Ella Fitzgerald and Nina Simone by critics, Rada sings what is described as new soul with an Ethiopian touch. One of the highlights of this year’s Cross Culture Festival is the U.S.-Cuban duo of Tim Eriksen and Omar Sosa. Essentially a jazz musician, Sosa likes to combine his music with world music, whereas Eriksen is a researcher as well as a singer specialized in polyphonic Protestant hymns. Working together, Eriksen and Sosa manage to make a coherent whole out of two seemingly incompatible genres: ethnic African-Cuban music and traditional songs from the early years of the United States. Festival highlights also include Brazilian female vocalist Renata Rosa whose energetic performances take audiences to the vibrant tribal communities and working-class neighborhoods of Sao Paolo. Another much anticipated performance will be delivered by the ethnic ensemble Chouk Bwa Lib Te from Haiti, well known for musical experiments with traditional Voodoo tunes, impromptu songs and dance
Renata Rosa hailing from ancient Africa. Finally, fans of oriental sounds will be glad to hear Ghada Shbeir, a Lebanese songstress who excels in traditional Arabic melodies and religious songs. First held in 2005, the annual Cross Culture Festival has so far featured 215 music acts from 61 countries on six continents. It is Poland’s largest celebration of cultural diversity and world music. All festival performances this year will be taking place inside a large tent between Âwi´tokrzyska Street and the Palace of Culture and Science. The festival is organized by the Warsaw-based Sto∏eczna Estrada entertainment agency. For the festival program and further information go to: www.festival.warszawa.pl
MR Autumn 2016, The Warsaw Voice magazine Limited Edition
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Warsaw Through the Lens Vintage photographs of Warsaw by the late Polish photographer Zbyszko Siemaszko are on display at a square in the Polish capital.
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orn before World War II in Vilnius, in present-day Lithuania, Siemaszko (1925-2015) had long-lasting ties with Warsaw and spent years documenting the city’s postwar transformation and the everyday life of its residents. His photographs depict Warsaw as a dynamic and vibrant city that was coming back to life after the ravages of war. Entitled Sen o MieÊcie (Dream of the City), this outdoor exhibition is available to the public on Ks. Jana Twardowskiego Square by the Krakowskie PrzedmieÊcie Street section of Warsaw’s landmark Royal Route. The exhibition was put together by the History Meeting House and the Format Polish Photography Agency. Katarzyna Madoƒ-Mitzner, one of the exhibition’s curators, says the project is a result of the organizers’ fascination with Siemaszko’s architecture-related pictures shot from high above and from a distance. “There are many panoramic photographs of 1950s’ and 1960s’ Warsaw that show the city in a highly extraordinary fashion,” says Madoƒ-Mitzner. “The buildings, streets, squares, churches, railway stations and stores are all there, but the artist rearranges them into a suggestive vision of his own.” The photographs on show focus on contemporary architecture that was at the center of photo-reportages Siemaszko did for the Warsaw-based Stolica magazine. The pictures feature new districts, modernist buildings, newly opened cafes and stores along with neon signs whose increasing presence signified a modern era in postwar Warsaw. Visitors can also see photographs of cars, buses, street furniture, store windows and home furnishings designed half a century ago, a distinctive look that is becoming trendy again. Siemaszko went to great lengths to get the most spectacular shot, waiting long hours for the perfect lighting and trying different perspectives. He would bring his medium-format camera to rooftops, cranes, airplanes and helicopters. Back at street level, he liked to take pictures of Varsovians going about their daily routines: commuting to work, visiting popular cafes and restaurants, and strolling down the city streets. The Sen o MieÊcie exhibition comes with a 180-page coffee-table book with text in Polish and English.
Until Oct. 30 Ks. Jana Twardowskiego Square at the junction of Krakowskie PrzedmieÊcie and Karowa streets. Autumn 2016, The Warsaw Voice magazine Limited Edition
46
The Magic Mountain Made into an Opera
The Magic Mountain, a highly successful opera by Polish composer and clarinetist Pawe∏ Mykietyn, will be staged in Warsaw in mid-September.
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ased on the novel by German writer Thomas Mann, the opera (Polish title Czarodziejska Góra) premiered to rave reviews during last year’s International Malta Theater Festival in the western city of Poznaƒ. Critics hailed it as a moving experience that instilled enthusiasm and admiration in audiences. The Magic Mountain will now be brought for the first time to Warsaw
audiences, who will see it Sept. 17 and 18 at the Nowy Teatr International Culture Center as part of the 59th International Warsaw Autumn Contemporary Classical Music Festival. Incidentally, this is the same festival that saw Mykietyn debut more than 20 years ago with his composition La Strada. Alongside Mykietyn, The Magic Mountain owes its success to director
Andrzej Chyra, librettist Ma∏gorzata Sikorska-Miszczuk, and visual artist Miros∏aw Ba∏ka, who designed the sets. Though based on Mann’s novel from 1924, the Polish opera takes a different approach to the familiar story. The book follows protagonist Hans Castorp in his intellectual, emotional and spiritual development at the Berghof sanatorium in Davos, Switzerland. The opera redirects viewers’ attention to a character that only gets a brief mention in the book’s opening: an American woman who had died before Hans arrived at the Berghof and was assigned her room. The story in the opera is filtered through the American’s eyes. Her presence blurs the boundary between the living and the dead, turning the opera into a “story of growing up to die,” as the director put it. The Warsaw staging will star top Polish opera singers Agata Zubel, Jadwiga Rappé, Karol Koz∏owski and Marcin Wawrzynowicz. The production has won Chyra the Konrad Swinarski Award for director of the season, while Mykietyn has received a special prize from the Teatr magazine, in addition to the 2015 Polish Music Coryphaeus Award for Personality of the Year.
MR Autumn 2016, The Warsaw Voice magazine Limited Edition
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New Polish Art at Its Finest ■ Work by some of Poland’s best young visual artists is on show in a new exhibition at the Zach´ta National Gallery of Art in Warsaw. Entitled Common Affairs, the exhibition showcases the winners of the Views Award founded by the Zach´ta Gallery and the Deutsche Bank to promote young Polish visual artists. First given out in 2003, the Views has since become the most coveted award in this field of art. It is presented every two years. The Common Affairs exhibition presents the award winners with an opportunity to show their work to wider audiences. Designed as a forum for a variety of artistic statements, this year’s Common Affairs exhibition was put together by art curators Stanis∏aw Welbel from Poland and Julia Kurz from Germany. Working with each other and with the featured artists, the two curators probe the meaning of artistic freedom in today’s world. They also focus on the exchange of artistic ideas at a time when artists receive funds from both the government and private sponsors.
Art as a Game of Chance ■ Work by the late Polish painter and set designer Ryszard Winiarski is on show at Warsaw’s Spectra Art Space Gallery, revisiting the artist’s visionary Game Arcades concept from the 1970s. As a young artist, Winiarski pursued simplicity in his work and to this end, he used black and white as the visual equivalents of the numbers 1 and 0 in the binary code. His derived his paintings from squares in a chance-based creative process that involved throwing the dice and drawing random numbers. Paintings under this concept were the combined result of programming and chance events. For example, Winiarski would devise a program to choose the size of the base square, the dominant color and the spot from which his newest composition would start growing. But the final choices were up to random events such as the toss of a coin. Still, chance acquired a certain logic in the artist’s hands and became a cognitive process. The world according to Winiarski was “structured of random elements” and real life abounded in “examples of accidental situations and random events.” The element of chance soon became the trademark feature of Winiarski’s work and in the 1970s, the artist began to engage his audiences in his game of chance concept. Viewers were at first only passive recipients of his work. For instance, a monumental installation Winiarski mounted at Warsaw’s Zach´ta Gallery in 1970 allowed viewers to walk inside and around it, without altering its shape. Two years later Winiarski came up with a project to enable a creative contribution from gallery visitors. The artist recollected later how they joined in a game he had planned for them. “In the spring of 1972, I was able to transform a gallery room into sort of a ‘Game Arcade’ that came with my main event,” Winiarski said. The project Autumn 2016, The Warsaw Voice magazine Limited Edition
The items on display make frequent references to history, including important historical and social events and processes such as industrialization, war and political transformation. The exhibition also explores issues such as art production and distribution. The artists featured in the Common Affairs exhibition include Pawe∏ Althamer, Karolina Bregu∏a, Agnieszka Polska & Witek Orski, Karol Radziszewski and Konrad Smoleƒski.
Until Oct. 30 Zach´ta National Gallery of Art, Warsaw; www.zacheta.art.pl involved large boards on which viewers created different black-and-white and multicolor elements. It gave rise to a series of paintings collectively entitled Games. The exhibition at the Spectra Art Space gallery looks back at a 1976 show in the Dutch city of Gorinchem where Winiarski’s artistic innovation was unveiled at its fullest. That exhibition featured seven games designed by Winiarski and based on classic board games. Forty years on, the full set of the Gorinchem boards has become part of the art collection of Anna and Jerzy Starak, forming the centerpiece of the Warsaw exhibition. Just like in 1976, viewers get to play the main part in the project by creating new works of art and having a good time in the process.
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Music in the Mountains
Jonathan Aner
Some of the world’s most acclaimed chamber musicians will flock to the Polish mountain resort of Zakopane to perform at this year’s “Music on the Heights” International Chamber Music Festival Sept. 3-10.
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eld annually since 2009 at the foot of Poland’s highest mountains, the Tatras, this year’s eighth “Music on the Heights” festival takes the concept of time as its central theme. Audiences will be treated to music written at different times in history, from early music to contemporary chamber pieces. Chamber classics will be played in their original versions, but many will also be given more contemporary treatment.
Olga Pasichnyk
The festival will open Sept. 3 at 7 p.m. with a concert by Poland’s Koz∏owski brothers. Tenor Karol Koz∏owski and his younger brother Mischa will perform a string of Dichterliebe songs composed by Robert Schuman. The stage will then be taken over by the Royal String Quartet, one of the most dynamic string quartets in the world. Other composers featured this year will include Domenico Scarlatti, César Franck and Olivier Messaien. One of the signature pieces by Messaien is Quatuor pour la fin du temps, which the French composer wrote while
at a prisoner-of-war camp in the German town of Görlitz. Ranking among the most important chamber pieces of the 20th century, Quatuor pour la fin du tempswill be performed in Zakopane Sept. 9 by celebrated clarinetist Shirley Brill and award-winning pianist Jonathan Aner. The two Israeli musicians will be accompanied by Polish violinist Izabella Sza∏aj-Zimak and cellist Micha∏ Pepol. Festival audiences will also hear Polish-Ukrainian singer Olga Pasichnyk, the LutosAir Quintet and a group of musicians known as the {oh!} Historical Orchestra. The artistic director of the festival is Pawe∏ Mykietyn, one of Poland’s finest contemporary classical music composers. This year’s performances will be held at the modern Holy Cross Church and the historic St. Clement’s Church in Zakopane. www.muzykanaszczytach.com
Shirley Brill
The Royal String Quartet
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New Season at TR Warszawa TR Warszawa, one of Warsaw’s most innovative theaters, is getting ready for autumn with a series of international productions, in addition to an art-house film project and plays directed by both seasoned and novice theater directors.
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his season’s first new production at TR Warszawa is a music show entitled Elementy dzie∏a muzycznego (The Elements of Music). Scheduled for opening Oct. 15, the play is directed by contemporary classical music composer Wojciech Blecharz. It revolves around sound as its central theme and ponders the role music plays in society. The libretto features excerpts from contemporary classical music manifestos. These are recited by TR Warszawa actors, who perform to a score Blecharz wrote specifically for the production. The music is played on a wide array of instruments from glockenspiel, gongs and Tibetan singing bowls to violins and electric guitars, in addition to everyday objects and unique instruments designed for the show. Viewers are encouraged to control the course of the play by making their own contributions to the musical and visual side of it. International projects at TR Warszawa will include a new production of Iwona, Ksi´˝niczka Burgunda (Yvonne, Princess of Burgundy) by Polish writer Witold Gombrowicz. Directed by Grzegorz Jarzyna, one of Poland’s most prominent theater directors, this version is a joint production by TR Warszawa and the Theater of the Nations in Moscow. The play will open Oct. 10 with a cast of some of Moscow’s best theater actors selected through auditions. Later in October, TR Warszawa will hit the road with a play entitled Ewelina p∏acze (Ewelina Is Crying), taking it on a tour of Poland as part of the Teatr Polska (Polish Theater) project
Jewish Inspirations ■ Tracks by some of the best performers of Jewish music are now available on a compilation album accompanying this year’s Singer’s Warsaw Festival of Jewish Culture in the Polish capital. Entitled Jewish & Jazz Inspirations, the album is the fifth compilation to be released as part of the festival, which this year will be held Aug. 27-Sept. 4. It will include a series of jazz concerts at the Kwadrat Theater, the No˝yk Synagogue and several other Warsaw venues. The album features the likes of the Nahorny Trio, Paul Brody and The Klezmatics, in addition to other international jazz stars from Poland and
Grzegorz Jarzyna
launched by the Theater Institute and the Ministry of Culture and National Heritage. On Nov. 7, 14, 21 and 28, TR Warszawa will stage four contemporary Spanish plays in the form of stage readings. The theater will carry out the project jointly with the Madrid-based Acción Cultural Espanola agency that promotes Spanish culture abroad. Once a month, TR Warszawa will screen some of the most interesting recent art-house movies and ones that set new trends in contemporary cinema. Audiences will mainly see previews of brand-new features and documentaries by up-and-coming Polish filmmakers. Some of the movies will feature actors and other people who work with TR Warszawa on a daily basis. Each showing will be followed by a discussion with the audience and interviews with the makers of the featured film.
abroad. It delivers a broad musical spectrum from Jewish-inspired jazz to klezmer music. Jewish & Jazz Inspirations includes tracks by Sefardix, Frank London’s Klezmer Brass Allstars, Savannah and The Stringz, Leszek ˚àd∏o, Lena Pi´kniewska, and Kuba Sienkiewicz. The artistic director of the Singer’s Warsaw Festival of Jewish Culture is actress, singer and theater director Golda Tencer, who also manages Warsaw’s Jewish Theater. The festival’s jazz concerts, collectively billed as the Singer Jazz Festival, will be held under the artistic direction of Adam Baruch, one of the world’s most esteemed jazz experts and critics. The annual Singer’s Warsaw Festival of Jewish Culture is one of the most
Autumn 2016, The Warsaw Voice magazine Limited Edition
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important Jewish culture-themed events in Europe. First held in 2004, the festival is a tribute to Polish-born Jewish American Nobel Prize-winning writer Isaac Bashevis Singer, who felt a strong affection for Warsaw and wrote about the city in many of his novels.
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Oriental Vibes ■ If you have ever been curious about oriental avant-garde and electronic music, make sure not to miss this fall’s Radio Asia project in Warsaw featuring innovative music acts from Southeast Asia. The Radio Asia project comprises a series of three concerts designed to showcase outstanding niche musicians from Southeast Asia who are yet to be discovered by European audiences. Most of these performers strive to push the boundaries of music genres while on a quest for authenticity. They reach beyond mainstream music to defy whatever stereotypes you might have about Asian music. The concerts will introduce Polish audiences to South Korean synthpop, hypnotic marimba beats with a Japanese twist, and freestyle music from a border region between Burma, Laos and Thailand.
Radio Asia 2016 Oct. 25—Jeon Cha Sik (South Korea) Dubbed the Nick Cave of South Korea, Jeon Cha Sik is a versatile musician whose music combines a wide variety of genres from psychedelic rock, trip hop and synthpop to folk, tango, and traditional Korean music. Nov. 29—Rasmee Wayrana (Thailand) A vocalist and composer, Wayrana delivers a combination of soul, jazz and R&B, complete with a take on molam, a kind of traditional folk music from the Isan region of northeastern Thailand. Dec. 20—Midori Takada (Japan) A drummer and composer, Takada is a well-known figure among Japanese avant-garde musicians. Performing as a solo artist, she plays the marimba and other percussion instruments while experimenting with electronic music. All the Radio Asia concerts will be held at the TR Warszawa Theater at 8 Marsza∏kowska St. in Warsaw.
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Art in Cyberspace A website called Your Art Maison Gallery offers artists an alternative venue to exhibit and sell their work. Taking the digital gallery concept to the next level, the project is the brainchild of Krystyna Polus and her daughter Joanna. Both ladies love and collect art. At one point, they decided to use cyberspace to connect with art collectors and buyers around the world. So far they have worked with artists including sculptor Tomek Górnicki and painters Zibi Krygier and Ivo Nikiç. Their gallery has also exhibited work by architect and photographer Bartek Haduch, who won the Poland National Award in the Sony World Photography competition earlier this year. In addition to promoting art online, the Your Art Maison gallery stages pop-up exhibitions in Poland and abroad, including in London, Dubai, Paris and Beijing.
www.yourartmaison.com Ivo Nikiç
Tomasz Górnicki
Zibi Krygier
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Children’s Movies on Tour A fun-packed film festival for kids will kick off in Poland Sept. 17, treating audiences across the country to some of the best children’s movies recently made, in addition to music concerts, sporting competitions and meetings with filmmakers.
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esigned for children aged 412, the third Kino Dzieci (Children’s Cinema) Film Festival will take its audiences on “Movie Travels, Big and Small,” a promise contained in this year’s festival slogan. In the week of Sept. 1725, the festival will come to 27 Polish cities and towns with screenings held at over 30 theaters. A total of eight feature-length movies have been selected for the festival’s main competition and all eight will be screened at all the festival venues. Two of the entries were recently shown at the Berlin Film Festival. As far as short films are concerned, children will vote for their favorite characters at selected venues. This year’s Kino Dzieci festival will introduce young viewers to French cinema thanks to a partnership with the French Institute in Warsaw. Festival audiences will see short films from the Folimage studio, including Les quatre saisons de Léon (The Four Seasons of Léon) and The Painting directed by Jean-Francois Lauionie. The French section will also comprise painting sessions and live music performed by children tutored by music teachers from the Chopin Institute in Warsaw. Finally, Kino Dzieci viewers will be taken on an overseas visit to
Japan with productions from that country’s Studio Ghibli, famous for its much-loved animated movies My Neighbor Totoro and Spirited Away. The Kino Dzieci festival is organized by the New Horizons Association, an NGO that promotes film education.
The Painting
Spirited Away
My Neighbor Totoro
Les quatre saisons de Léon
Autumn 2016, The Warsaw Voice magazine Limited Edition
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Trail of the Eagles’ Nests If you like scenic landscapes dotted by massive limestone rocks and crisscrossed by picturesque ravines and creeks, you should check out the Trail of the Eagles’ Nests in southern Poland.
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his breathtaking tourist trail is named after a chain of medieval castles it passes by. The castles have come to be known as the Eagles’ Nests because most of them are perched on limestone cliffs. Leading through the eerie ruins of the medieval castles and strongholds, the trail will take you to no less than 15 such sites. One of these structures has been renovated so you can now spend a night in a genuine castle with a history going back centuries. Built in the 13th, 14th and 15th centuries, the castles are scattered over a 160-kilometer stretch of land between the cities of Cracow and Cz´stochowa where Poland had emerged as a state in the early Middle Ages.
Olsztyn Castle
Olsztyn Castle
Autumn 2016, The Warsaw Voice magazine Limited Edition
VOICE - TOURISM
53 Mirów Castle
The fortifications were primarily intended to defend local trade routes and the seats of dukes of the Piast dynasty, who were Poland’s earliest rulers. If you want to see all the “Eagles’ Nests,” make sure to take a longer vacation. You can hike and cycle your way between the different stops, but you can get close to the castles in a car as well. One option is a short expedition to the northern section of the trail where you can take in three castles in a day. However, a whole weekend in the area will certainly be worth your while. If you start in Cz´stochowa, you will first reach the ruins of the Olsztyn castle. Originally a 13th-century stronghold, the structure was gradually enlarged, but all that is left of it now are two towers and fragments of the castle’s ramparts. Sitting amid picturesque limestone rocks on a gentle slope, the ruins and the sweeping view make the castle hill a perfect picnic setting. Moving farther south, you will come to the ruins in Mirów. The local castle was built around the same time as the one in Olsztyn. It sits among limestone inliers and is surrounded by lush vegetation. The castle’s courtyard was recently closed for conservation, but even from the outside, the castle’s towering presence is impressive enough. The limestone rocks and ridges in the neighborhood rank among Poland’s most attractive and popular rock climbing sites. If you decide to spend a night in the area of Mirów, the castle at dusk will be a sight to remember. Once your visit to Mirów is over, the next stop in Bobolice is within a walking distance of just 2 kilometers. Just make sure to
Bobolice Castle Autumn 2016, The Warsaw Voice magazine Limited Edition
Mirów Castle
wear a pair of sturdy shoes, as the route will take you over stones and rocks. Sneakers should be good enough. The reconstructed, creamy-white castle in Bobolice looks a bit like what you might remember from fairy tales. This castle offers accommodation to tourists and stages different performances on a daily basis. There is also a quaint restaurant right next to the castle. Enjoy your trip and remember to take pictures.
Photos by Julis Simo www.JulisSimo.com
Bobolice Castle
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with a strong and provocative character, or “urban Nomads,” as he likes to describe them. The names of the individual fragrances have been borrowed from the artificial Esperanto language created in the late 19th century for use by people around the world. This universal character best fits the Jeroboam line, according to its designers. The Origino (Beginning) perfume features a woody note resonating with a sensual charm. The Insulo (Island) composition comprises light oriental notes with a tempting and velvety hint of vanilla. The floral Hau ˘to (Skin) fragrance offers a magnificent and sensual leather accord. The Oriento (East) fragrance is like a cocktail of resins mixed with musk and alluring rosy notes. Finally, the Miksado (Mixing) variety is an oriental and woody blend of floral, woody and spicy notes.
Perfume for Urban Nomads François Hénin, the founder and owner of the Jovoy brand of perfumes, has unveiled a new fragrance line called Jeroboam. Created by unaffiliated designer Vanina Muracciole, the Jeroboam perfumes have an intense, musky base note. They are encapsulated in simple, 30-milliliter flasks, a stark contrast to what their name comes from. Originally the name of a biblical king, Jeroboam is a word the French traditionally use to refer to large, threeliter wine bottles. The Jeroboam fragrances contain a heavy concentration of perfume extract, which according to Hénin is perfect for people
www.perfumeriaquality.pl
Time Exposed
The new True Open Heart watch from Switzerland’s Rado timepiece manufacturer sports a light look with luxury and comfort written all over it. The face has elegant openings in it that reveal the watch’s eponymous True Open Heart: a lavishly ornamented Swiss mechanism. Exposed to the user, the enigmatic wheels and cogs make the watch feel extra light yet large inside. The clockwork is further highlighted by an ultrathin mother-of-pearl coating layer on the face. The True Open Heart is locked inside Rado’s signature monobloc casing, offering all the benefits of the brand’s favorite material: high-tech ceramics that are lighter and harder than metal.
www.swatchgroup.com
www.rushdnm.com
Small is Powerful
The new High Performance Sound Isolating earphone set from the consumer electronics maker Verbatim delivers outstanding sound quality in noisy environments thanks to special silicone earpads. The set features 10-millimeter speakers that produce crisp sound with dynamic mid-range frequencies and powerful, rich bass. The speakers are locked inside aluminum casings that are available in either a silver or gold finish. The earphones boast an impendence of just 16 ohms and a sensitivity rate of 96dB at 1 kHz. The set comes with a tangle-free cable and an in-line microphone with controls to help you navigate playlists and answer calls.
www.verbatim.com Autumn 2016, The Warsaw Voice magazine Limited Edition
Compiled by Marzena Robinson
Fashion on Two Wheels Two Polish fashion brands—Rush DNM and Pan tu nie sta∏ from the central city of ¸ódê—have joined forces to roll out a collection of clothing designed specifically for avid bike riders, both men and women. Called Peleton (Peloton), the collection is divided into two lines, one for fans of out-oftown biking expeditions and one for city bike users. Both lines are above all about functionality, with features such as fluorescent elements and flat seams in the T-shirts. Peleton sweatshirts come with pockets with facilitated access for wearers busy pedaling, while the denim fabric in the pants is enhanced with Spandex for better riding comfort in urban conditions. The clothes come with belts fitted with special U-Lock clips.
VOICE - GREAT GEAR
55 extreme weather and other adverse conditions. The TG-Tracker shoots pictures and videos even 30 meters underwater; it is dustproof, works just fine at minus 10 degrees Celsius, and it is crushproof to 100 kilograms. The camera offers 4K HD video resolution with superb picture quality enabled by a high-performance image processor, 5-axis image stabilization and an extreme angle lens to help you capture live action better.
Tough Camera for Tough People The new TG-Tracker action camera from Olympus is a durable and easy-touse device that offers top performance in
No More Lost Keys communicate with Android 4.3- and iOSenabled smartphones. When activated, the application automatically connects with up to 10 iTags to display a map with whatever you are looking for on it, as long as the assigned iTags are within a 25meter radius from your smartphone. You are sent a warning each time an iTag gets out of reach.
Gel for Figure-Conscious Men
The Body Creator Abdomen Toning Gel by Shiseido was designed specifically for men who like to stay healthy and look good. This new skincare product helps reduce the amount of unwanted fat tissue, especially in the abdominal area. The gel produces a cooling sensation on application, making the skin feel exceptionally fresh long afterwards. While the Body Creator Abdomen Toning Gel makes your skin more toned, smoother and firmer, it also has a stimulating effect on blood circulation. The safe formula features ideally balanced moisturizers and oils, leaving a long-lasting grapefruit scent to stimulate your sympathetic nervous system.
Smart Urban Car
the Italian city of Tivoli, the car has been inspired by the work of Italian designers. The first eye-catcher is the car’s highly original and compact body (4,195 mm in length). Take a look inside and the Tivoli will surprise you with how capacious it is. The interior is finished up with quality materials and the car also has an elegant and easy-to-read dashboard. The Tivoli provides the user with three power steering modes. Aptly called Comfort, Normal and Sport, they facilitate parking in city streets and ensure dynamic handling on the open road. The Tivoli is available in two engine versions, including a 1.6liter/128 hp gasoline unit and a 1.6-liter/115 hp diesel. The front-wheel drive model comes with a six-speed manual or automatic transmission. A 4x4 version is available at an extra charge.
The Tivoli compact SUV from the South Korean car manufacturer Ssangyong is now available in Europe. Taking its name from
Autumn 2016, The Warsaw Voice magazine Limited Edition
Compiled by Bartosz GrzybiĆ’ski
If you want to make sure your child never gets lost in a crowd, if your dog likes to run off after a cat, and if you have trouble finding your wallet or locating your car in a parking lot, the new iTag tracking device by NTT is the perfect solution for you. Working the iTracking application available from Google Play and Apple Store, this smart device uses Bluetooth 4.0 to
VOICE - SPORTS
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For Love of the Games The 31st summer Olympic Games ended in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil on Aug. 21. For 16 days, more than 11,000 athletes from over 200 countries competed for medals in more than 300 events, and hundreds of millions of viewers watched the games on television.
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oland’s athletes brought home a total of 11 medals from the Rio Olympics, one more than during the 2012 Games in London and the highest count in the last 16 years. In the overall medal tally, Poland finished in 33rd place with two golds, three silvers and six bronze. Some Polish officials and athletes were hoping for more before the games, with especially high hopes held out for track-and-field events and the water sports of rowing, sculling, canoeing/kayaking, windsurfing and swimming. However, all the water sports put together yielded only four medals for Poland at the Games, including one gold by rowers Magdalena Fularczyk-Koz∏owska and Natalia Madaj in the women’s double sculls. The swimming results were a particular letdown for Polish sports fans. Swimmers like Rados∏aw Kaw´cki and Konrad Czerniak, on whom the nation had pinned high hopes, turned in times way below their personal bests and none of them even made the finals.
Poland’s fighters and wrestlers did not pack much of a punch either, with 36-year-old freestyle wrestler Monika Michalik being the only medal winner after taking the bronze in the under 63 kg division. Most other Polish wrestlers and boxers were eliminated during the opening bouts. In a doping scandal, two Polish weightlifters—Tomasz Zieliƒski and his brother Adrian, an Olympic champion four years ago in London—were expelled from the Polish Olympic team in Rio de Janeiro and sent home after testing positive for a banned substance. Polish athletes put up a disappointing performance in team sports. Only the men’s volleyball and handball teams had qualified for the Olympics, but neither won a medal in Rio. The volleyball team, the 2014 world champions, crashed out in the quarterfinals, while the handball players had a few good games, but lost to Germany in the bronze medal match and finished fourth. Other big letdowns included Poland’s brightest tennis star Agnieszka Radwaƒska, who was eliminated in the first round, and Autumn 2016, The Warsaw Voice magazine Limited Edition
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GLOBAL AUDIENCE
MORE THAN MEDALS
The Olympic Games enjoy huge interest among television viewers worldwide despite the fact that watching live broadcasts is sometimes difficult due to time differences. The Rio Olympics opening ceremonies on Aug. 5 were watched by 342 million people in all, according to the International Olympic Committee. This year’s television coverage of the Olympic Games in Rio attracted an estimated 3.6 billion viewers around the world who “watched at least one minute,” according to the IOC. The world’s population is roughly 7 billion.
For most athletes, winning an Olympic medal is the crowning glory of their sports career. Many would not hesitate to trade their world championships medals and other trophies for a Olympic gold. But some athletes decide to donate their medals for charitable causes. For example, discus thrower Piotr Ma∏achowski has put the silver medal he won at the Rio Olympics up for auction in order to help a boy struggling with eye cancer. This was after the boy’s mother wrote to him shortly after the competition asking for help in saving her son.
two-time hammer-throw world champion Pawe∏ Fajdek, who failed to qualify for the Olympic final after fouling on his first attempt and producing a pair of disappointing throws that were about 12 meters shy of his career best. Previously Fajdek also failed to qualify at the 2012 London Games after fouling his first three throws.
Olympics eight years ago, when she also took the silver. Cyclist Rafa∏ Majka took the bronze in the men’s road race, and a somewhat surprising bronze went to Oktawia Nowacka in the modern pentathlon. Other bright spots included 20-year-old Maria Andrejczyk who finished fourth in the javelin, with a throw just two centimeters shorter than the bronze-medal winner. Andrejczyk had advanced to the javelin finals after setting a new Polish record and achieving the best result in the world this year. The 245-strong Polish contingent was the fourth-largest ever, after those in Moscow in 1980 (306), Munich in 1972 (290), and Beijing in 2008 (257). The Polish Olympic Committee had set aside zl.720,000 in funds from sponsors for each gold medal in team sports, zl.480,000 for silver, and zl.300,000 for bronze. Athletes competing in individual sports could hope for zl.120,000 for a gold medal, zl.80,000 for silver, and zl.50,000 for bronze. Crews, relay teams, and doubles were eligible for zl.90,000, zl.60,000 and zl.37,500 respectively, and coaches could count on zl.60,000, zl.40,000 and zl.25,000 respectively. Altogether, the 11 medals bagged by the Polish athletes at Rio cost the Polish Olympic Committee a hefty zl.915,000. Each gold medalist was additionally eligible for a bonus of zl.64,400 from the government, with the bonus for a silver medal at zl.46,000, and that for bronze at zl.36,800.
POLISH MULTIMEDALISTS Polish athletes have officially competed in the Summer Olympics since 1924. Earlier, when Poland was under foreign rule, the occupying countries used Polish athletes as members of their national teams. The record number of medals, 32, was won by Polish athletes at the 1980 Olympics in Moscow. This year the general expectation was that the Poles should do no worse than four years ago at London, when they grabbed 10 medals, two gold, two silver, and six bronze. Historically, track-and-fielder Irena Szewiƒska, a sprinter and long jumper, won the largest number of Olympic medals for Poland, seven: three gold, two silver and two bronze. She took part in five Olympic Games between 1964 and 1980. Race walker Robert Korzeniowski won a total of four medals, all of them gold, between 1996 and 2004. On the other hand, Anita W∏odarczyk exceeded expectations in the women’s hammer by bringing home gold and setting a new world record. Her next-closest competitor was more than five-anda-half meters behind. In other sports, Maja W∏oszczowska brought home a hard won silver in mountain biking, repeating her feat from the Beijing
RIO OLYMPICS BY THE NUMBERS
✔ 11,178 athletes competing in 28 sports ✔ 207 countries represented at the Games, including South Sudan and Kosovo for the first time ✔ 2 new sports included in the Games: golf (reinstated after a hiatus of 112 years) and rugby sevens ✔ 1st ever Olympic Games hosted by a South American country ✔ 4,924 medals handed out in 306 events ✔ 7.5 million tickets for spectators ✔ 45,000 volunteers, including several hundred from Poland, helping during the Games ✔ 6.45 million people living in Rio de Janeiro ✔ 24 million trees and bushes planted across the city to neutralize increased carbon dioxide emissions during the Games ✔ 74,738 grandstand seats available at the famous Maracana Stadium Autumn 2016, The Warsaw Voice magazine Limited Edition
HOW POLES FARED GOLD • Magdalena Fularczyk-Koz∏owska and Natalia Madaj in women’s double sculls • Anita W∏odarczyk in women’s hammer throw SILVER • Piotr Ma∏achowski in men’s discus • Marta Walczykiewicz in women’s kayak single 200 meters • Maja W∏oszczowska in women’s mountain bike race BRONZE • Rafa∏ Majka in men’s cycling road race • Maria Springwald, Joanna Leszczyƒska, Agnieszka Kobus and Monika Ciaciuch in women’s quadruple sculls • Karolina Naja and Beata Miko∏ajczyk in women’s kayak double 500 meters sprint • Monika Michalik in women’s 63 kg freestyle wrestling • Wojciech Nowicki in men’s hammer • Oktawia Nowacka in women’s modern pentathlon
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OPINION
Goodbye Rio The celebrations are done and the Olympic torch extinguished; the most important sports event of the last four years has come to a close. What were the Rio Olympics like? ■ Many of those heading to the Games had a few worries about Rio de Janeiro. One of their main worries was the mosquito-borne Zika virus, which is especially dangerous for pregnant women but has also been linked to some neurological disorders. Most athletes and journalists remembered to take a large bottle of insect repellent with them. But this turned out to be completely unnecessary. During my three-week stay I barely saw a mosquito in Rio, although I regularly visited the city’s open-water areas, including the Lagoa Stadium, where rowing, kayaking and canoe sprint events were held. Just how the Brazilians managed to deal with this problem will remain their secret, but they must have sprayed hundreds of tons of repellents all over the city because we could smell the characteristic odor in various places, especially at the beginning of the Games. One way or another, Zika has for the most part proved to be the Games’ biggest non-story. Some swamp areas had been drained and leveled specifically for the Olympics, for instance to be used as a golf course. Golf made a comeback as an Olympic sport at Rio after a hiatus of 112 years. The fears of the allegedly contaminated Guanabara Bay, where the sailing races were held, turned out to be grossly exaggerated as well. The organizers did their best to make sure that the Olympic crews, especially windsurfers, were spared the experience of running into an old sofa, an oil spill, or a dead body of an animal while competing for medals. Just a few years ago, only 17 percent of the sewage in Rio was treated. By March this year, the figure had increased to 60 percent and then rose a bit further by the time the Games started. It’s another thing that some small freshwater areas smell somewhat unpleasant in this kind of climate even if the water is clean. Before going to Rio, we were also worried about crime and traffic jams, which locals say are one of the biggest problems in this city of over 6 million. The problem of crime was solved in a simple way: by deploying several divisions of troops to the scene. Officials said there were some 85,000 soldiers, police, and other security personnel—over the twice the size of the force used at the London Olympics in 2012—stationed around the city, including many of them at the Olympic venues. Some of the khaki-uniformed soldiers carried machine guns and had their fingers on their triggers—a sobering sight that became a powerful symbol of the Rio Games. But all this did the trick: For all its reputation as a city of favela gangs and street robbery, Rio was safe to visitors during the Olympics. While some incidents were reported, few of them were serious even though the city attracted roughly half a million people from all over the world during the Games. Tight security checks were routinely performed at most Olympic venues. There were high fences, barbed wire and
checkpoints with equipment for screening cars for bombs. This, however, is pretty much what all the Games have looked like since Munich 1972. And compared with London and especially Sochi, Brazilian security officers were much more friendly though sometimes they seemed a bit laid back. And the ubiquitous soldiers not only ensured security but also served as interpreters. Not many people in Brazil or South America in general speak English, while the soldiers, especially higher-ranking ones, were usually fluent enough to enable communication. When it comes to traffic, Rio is indeed notorious for its massive jams that almost never cease. And no wonder because the city has been developing spontaneously for decades, without any specific plan, and the road and rail network simply could not keep up. For instance, the Rio coastline along the Atlantic Ocean is almost 200 kilometers long. All this had to be joined with an infrastructure, and efficient transportation had to be ensured. A lot had been done before the Games: the subway line was extended, and more public buses and trains were put into service. But, above all, a whole new car-and-bus transportation system was established for the exclusive use of the athletes and Olympic staff. Admittedly, the Games were mired by shortcomings affecting the Olympic Village. Some athletes abandoned housing at the Village amid complaints of no hot water, faulty plumbing and other issues. The same was true of the Media Village, in which I had the dubious pleasure of staying for three weeks. Issues included missing windows, clogged pipes and exposed wiring. However, overall the problem was somewhat blown out of proportion by the “fifth estate” on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. Authorities in Brazil hoped the Olympics—just like the 2014 soccer World Cup—would help spur the development of the country. The problem is both these events took place at a time when Brazil, South America’s largest country, was suffering from a major economic and political crisis. Still, the city itself has undoubtedly benefited from the Olympics, which for the first time in history were held in South America. Thanks to the Games, Rio de Janeiro has many new venues and, above all, it has new roads and tunnels, waterworks as well as sewage treatment plants that would have otherwise been too expensive to build. While most of the Olympic venues will remain in the city, about a quarter of them were temporary. This shows that the Rio organizers learned from the experience of previous Olympics and did their best to limit unnecessary gigantism and build projects as efficiently as possible, using existing structures and adapting natural sites. Many of the sports arenas featured temporary seating that will be dismantled after the Games in order to create smaller venues for amateurs and youths to compete. Other venues will revert to their original purpose as exhibition halls or will be converted into shopping malls or housing estates. The Olympic Village is a case in point. Sports-wise, the Games were as rewarding for fans as ever. Stunning performances, records broken, new sporting stars born, favorites proving their superiority, underdogs springing surprises—Rio 2016 had it all.
Tomasz Wolfke Rio 2016 correspondent for www.olimpijski.pl online news service Autumn 2016, The Warsaw Voice magazine Limited Edition
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