Gary Kirkpatrick

Artist and travel blogger.

Poland’s Enigma in WW2

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We ran across the sculpture and exhibit concerning the breaking of the German Enigma code while walking in the downtown area of Poznan.    I’d heard both that the Polish a Brits broke the enigma code.  There is an excellent movie called “The Imitation Game” about Alan Turing, (see https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alan_Turing ) 

In late 1932 Marian Rejewski broke the code of the German Enigma machine.  Without knowing how the machine was wired, he was unable to read the messages. Hans-Thilo Schmidt, a French spy obtained information including the daily keys used in the fall of 1932.  They put these materials into Polish hands. With that information and actual coded messages Rejewski was able to turn the coded messages into understandable text.  Later the Germans added two more rotors.  The Poles did not have the resources to break the code again, and thus passed the baton to the UK in July of 1939.  Rejewski, and cryptanalysts Jerzy Różycki and Henryk Zygalski in the interim developed extensive materials which they gave to the UK as well.  Thus Turing was not starting from scratch.

Churches of Poznan

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There are three outstanding churches in Poznan.  The most important and oldest is not the most beautiful although in its setting it is quite charming.  The other two rank as among the best Baroque churches anywhere, which I say having been in all of the great ones in Rome, Palermo and elsewhere in Italy.  I have every reason to believe that they were both done by Italians using Italian marble and other materials.

Archcathedral Basilica of St. Peter and St. Paul is on Cathedral Island which is also shares with two excellent museums.   The first church on the site was built in 968.  The remains are still visible in the basement.  Starting in the 1300’s the church was rebuilt in the Gothic style, renovated into the Baroque style after a fire in the 1600’s.  The damage in 1945 led to its reconstruction in the Gothic we see today.  Pope John Paul II visited and is honored in the church.  The setting is a amidst lovely trees and buildings, some church owned, on the small island where Poland was founded.  The site was at one point a palace.   Archaeologists have excavated the area, which is in front of the cathedral.

 

my pen and ink of Poznan Cathedral

St Stanislaus 

This stunning church was built in the 1600’s.  Along with it is a Jesuit college.  For interesting details see St Stanislaus 

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Church of St Anthony

For more information click on the link above

 

 

 

Murals in Poznan

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Poznan has some excellent murals.  The largest and most fabulous is in the  Śródka district, one of the oldest towns in Poland, now a district of Poznan near Cathedral Island.

 

ul. Kantaka 8/9

ul. Kantaka 8/9,  Created by Italian street artist Blu, who has also painted murals in Wrocław, Gdańsk, and Kraków

Upside down tower

Strolling Torun

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Torun is small and thus easy to walk.  It is full of remarkable architecture, with many restaurants, bars and cafes to add to your enjoyment.   The buildings range from the brick structures daring from the 14th century Teutonic Knights to the Gothic to Art Nouveau and Art Deco.   The town was not damaged in WW2, so the buildings are not newly rebuilt.

One of Toruń ‘s fabulous buildings in the small old town

Toruń is another of several Polish city members of the Hanseatic League.  The prosperity led to the three main styles, Gothic (dating from 1200’s) in brick, Mannerism and Baroque.    The city walls and the now ruined castle are from the Gothic period.    

Torun old city walls

City Hall, Toruń , Gothic, 1274

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Cathedral of SS. John the Evangelist and John the Baptist (14th century) has some wonderful sculptures and paintings from the era, including a  Moses and St. Mary Magdalene.  The multiple altars are ourstanding.

 

Altars in the Cathedral

 

Copernicus was born here and, if you will allow just this one pun, the city revolves around him.  There are two museums that deal with him at least in title, this statue in front of city hall, and lots of reproductions of famous portraits.    

Copernicus

Street sculpture

Street sculpture

Ulica Szorka, Torun

While you wander about you are tempted by the lody – ice cream – which is very popular in this comparatively warm weather, with temperatures as high as 28c, 80f in generally partly cloud skies.  Donuts are elaborately presented,  a variety of calorie rich cakes.  The city is most famous for its gingerbread, which fortunately for my waist line I do not like.  There is very good cappuccino, espresso and macchiato (small cappuccino) —  be careful about the latter as there is a small macchiato espresso and a the very large latte macchiato.    There are waffles with real whipped cream and cherry jam.    Gone are the pretzels, hard and soft, found in Cracow and the multitude of fruit stands and street markets from everywhere we have been.      Remaining is the ever-present beer, with wine still an expensive alternative, and I hope you do not like sugar-free colas as they are harder to find if not impossible.  Pierogies are everywhere in Poland so here as well, but I could not find latke, potato pancakes.  Since our 1998 visit the Italians and Turks have moved in, so pizza and donor kebab are popular, as well as hamburgers even.

With our flat located within blocks of the Rynek (central square) we had the shortest possible commute.  This turned out to be not the case in our next destination, the historical city of Poznan.    On the other hand, we had two flights of these stairs:

Our staircase

Lech Walesa, two pieces in homage

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I have long been an admirer of Lech Walesa.  He was the head of Solidarity, having come to that position by way of his willingness to speak up for his fellow workers and take the jail time, periods of unemployment and other consequences.  He was a father and a husband, so his actions were not easy for him nor for his wife and family.  They helped develop Solidarity into a political movement with 9.5 million members at its peak, after having become the first non-government controlled trade union in the Soviet bloc.  Solidarity helped bring down not only the Polish communist regime but helped bring about the fall of the Soviet Union.  Lech maintains an office at the Solidarity Museum and at 72 still comes to work there.

Lech as a Young Man, pen and ink, 20×20 cm, 8×8″

Lech Now, watercolor, , 20×20 cm, 8×8″

 

 

It’s impolite to stair!

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It is impolite to stair! Our place for a few days in Torun. It’s two flights up, a piece of cake for us without baggage, a puffer with my 20 kilos. The exterior and staircase both need renovation, but the flat is beautifully done with some odd things left out, such as towel racks, soap holders for the shower, soup spoon and coffee maker of some sort — we travel with a hand-held cloth filter, having run across this more than once.  And really crappy kitchen knives, also a common problem, and one for which we  prepare.

 

stairs at 42 Kopernika (Copernicus)