The triangle of the Three Emperors

31 st March Monday 2014


Three Emperors' Corner is a former tripoint at the confluence of the Black and White Przemsza rivers, near the town of Mysłowice in the present-day Silesian Voivodeship of Poland. From 1871 to 1918, it marked the border between the Russian Empire, Austria-Hungary and the German Empire. At that time Poland didn't exist . Sosnowiec is a city which is located in Upper Silesia and it is  very interesting of historical point of view the Triangfle of Three Emperors is here. In 1815 - 1846 the boundaries of the Kingdom Prussia, the Austrian Empire, and the Russian Empire converged in this very place.The place was given its name in 1871, after the reunification of Germany, when it became  also the frontier point with the German Empire.
Now the Triangle belongs to Myslowice and Sosnowiec.

Three Emperors: Nicholas II of Russia, Wilhelm II of Germany, Franz Joseph of Austria and Myslowitz
Bismarck Tower.

Triangle nowadays.

Silesian Folklore

30 th March Sunday 2014


In Poland official language is Polish but in different parts of country there are variuos dialects like Siliesian, Mazurian and others. Silesian language dialect is similiar to German language because this part of Poland has belonged for many years to Germany. There are a lot of German influences in many fields even nowadays. Silesia has had a rich tradition in folk dresses which are very multicoloured and expensive ones. Nowadays some people wear them only for national holidays.

Typical folk dresses in Upper Silesia in 19th  and early 20th century ( these kind of dresses were worn in my city)

The term: “Silesian folk dress” as well as the dress from other regions of Poland means first of all daily and Sunday best clothes of country people.First notes of a folk dress come from the 13th century (legend about Saint Jadwiga) clothes of peasants and craftsmen were usually plain and universal.Men were wearing hats made of straw. Women were wearing long shirts and scarves on their heads. In the 18th century the dress started to change. A bonnet on the head of a woman meant that she was married. Woman was also wearing a dress with a bra, an apricon, shoes and fur coats in Winter.Clothes played some functions: practical, cultural-ritual, decorative, social, political, national. Colours played an important role, too; for example: white meant chastity, innocence.




Koszecin is a village located in Upper Silesia and it is famous as the residence of "Slask" Song and Dance Ensemble founded in 1953. Today "Slask" still popularises the folklore of Silesia, touring all over the world.

"Slask"

Museum of Matches in Czestochowa

29 th March Saturday 2014


Czestochowa is known all over the world, owing the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Czestochowa.


Today Czestochowa is well known for flourishing cultural life.There are two unusual museums : the first Museum of the Mining of Iron Ores. It was created in 1970 sin the the underground corridors imitating the real mining passages.  In the museum, you will find the presentation of various iron ore mining methods, drilling and transportation. There is also a replica of a pumping station and taken up by a windlass.

The museum of the Mining of Iron Ores.

The Sanctuary known all over the world among Roman Catholic

The second one is Museum of Matches situated by Czestochowska Fabryka Zapalek. In fact its old, 

pre- war production line.

 The Museum occupies a quarter of the factory. You can see how matches are made ( as they often cut out from the large pieces of wood) packaged and labelled. There is also an exhibition of old labels, match theme-stamps and made with great precision tiny match sculptures.

Museum of Matches - an exhibition

Hats from Kozieglowy

28 th March Friday 2014


Kozieglowy is a small town located in Upper Silesia about 52 km from my place. It is situated in a picturesque region near Czestochowa. There about 3500 people who livw there. It is a verry old town which dates back to Middle Ages. The name of the city means goats heads but I don't know why?

Kozieglowy it means Goats heads in English

Kozieglowy

But Kozieglowy is famous for the common aspen shavings used in production of hats. If you would like to be a fashionable woman or a man ytou should visit Kozieglowy and buy a hat. There are different hats so you find just one for you.

Hats from Kozieglowy

 But the most important Kozieglowy was enrolled in Guiness Book of Records because they

made the biggest hat in the world.

The biggest hat in the world - 2006

My workplace- High Junior School

27 th Thursday March 2014

I work as an English teacher in High Junior School. My students are at aged 13-16. High Junior School is compulsory in Poland. My school is located in Piekary Slaskie is 10 km from my apartment so every day I use public transport to get there. It takes me about 30 minutes and sometimes I drive a car.
My students and me travel every day to workshops in London and Brighton. Since last yea rt we take part in international Comenius project. Our partners are Germany, Romania, Turkey, Great Britain, Italy and Spain. Last November I was with students in Spain. In May we are going to Germany and in July to England so it means that I am very busy because I also work at University.

My school before renovation

After renovation

My students and me who work in the international projects

Hot Beer?

26 th Wednesday March 2014

There a number of ways to survive the winter in Poland and one of them is "Hot Beer.That 's hot beer in layman's term -essentially a frothing hot pint spiced with artificial ginger syrup, clove, cinnamon and other mulling spices.
There are a couple of things to consider with regards to hot beer.
 Firstly it takes a while 5-10 minutes to properly heat the drink without exploding it , so prepare to wait and be patient.
Secondly there is a tendency to immediately stab a straw into a glass to mix the syrup at the bottom throughout the drink. If the beverage is too hot this will result

Hot Beer

in it erupting all over you.

Polish Food - sausages

25 th March Tuesday 2014


Sausages in Poland you will find several varietes made primarily of pork, but sometimes using turkey, horse, lamb, and even bison. Few varieties to watch for including Krakowska, a Cracow speciality which uses pepper and garlic.

Biała kiełbasa (BEEYAH-wah keeyehw-BAH-sah) is fresh, uncooked and unsmoked sausage, made usually from pork shoulder and sometimes a little beef and veal, and seasoned with salt, pepper, garlic and marjoram, although this varies from family to family. It is boiled and browned or baked or even sautéed with onions. It is served hot or cold  with sauerkraut or noodles, and as a sandwich on rye bread. While eaten year-round, it is indispensable for Easter and Christmas, and in soup on Easter morning.

Kabanosy (kah-bah-NOH-sih) is the generic term for any thin stick sausage. They are usually made of pork, salt, pepper, garlic, allspice and sometimes caraway or crushed pepper for a spicy note

. But they are also made with chicken  or other meats according to the village's custom.

Kiełbaski myśliwska (keeyehw-BAH-skee mish-LEEF-skah) is a smoked and dried sausage made of pork with a touch of crushed juniper berries. 

Krupniok (KRROOP-nyee-ohk) is a Silesian blood sausage that is dark and has more blood than barley (or variously, buckwheat groats - kasza). Its cousin, kiszka (KEESH-kah), also known as kaszanka (kah-SHAHN-kah), is lighter in color and has more barley or buckwheat. It was originally made to use up the scraps -- ears, snouts, organ meats -- after slaughtering a pig and was fleshed out with spices and barley or kasza. Today better cuts of meat are used. The mixture is cooked and then stuffed into the sterilized large intestine of a pig. It can be served at room temperature without further cooking or either grilled or panfried with onions. 

The white sausage

Kabanosy

The hunter's sausage

Kaszanka

Polish Kaszanka - recipe

Polish kiszka (KEESH-kah), also known as kaszankaor krupniok, is sausage made with fresh pig's blood. It was originally made to use up the scraps -- ears, snouts, organ meats -- after slaughtering a pig and was fleshed out with spices and some type of grain, usually barley or buckwheat groats. Today, as is true with Pennsylvania Dutch scrapple, it can be made with choicer cuts of pork, as I have done here.

Here's a larger photo of kiszka. It can be eaten cold, heated whole on a grill or nonstick skillet, cut into rounds and fried, or removed from the casing and heated like hash.

Prep Time: 30 minutes

Cook Time: 2 hours

Total Time: 2 hours, 30 minutes

Yield: About 4 pounds Polish Kiszka

Ingredients:

• 2 pounds well-marbled pork shoulder
• 1 pork liver
• 3 cups buckwheat groats or barley
• 2 cups strained pork blood mixed with 2 tablespoons vinegar
• Salt and pepper
• 1 teaspoon marjoram

Preparation:

1. In a large saucepan, place pork and pork liver, and cover with water. Add 1 teaspoon salt. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer until meat falls off the bones, adding more water as necessary so it is covered at all times.
2. Remove meat from pot and reserve liquid. When meat is cool enough to handle, remove bones, veins and gristle, and grind coarsely.
3. Skim fat off reserved liquid and add enough water to make 7 cups. Add 1 teaspoon salt and bring to a boil. Gradually add buckwheat groats or barley, stirring constantly. Bring back to the boil and simmer until water is absorbed. Heat oven to 375 degrees. Cover buckwheat or barley and bake 30 minutes.
4. Have large, clean hog intestines ready. Mix hot buckwheat or barley with ground pork and pork liver. Taste and adjust seasonings. Combine with pork blood to which vinegar has been added to keep it from clotting. Add 1 teaspoon pepper and 1 teaspoon or more marjoram, mixing well.
5. Stuff hog casings and tie ends with butcher's twine or wooden skewers. Place kiszka in Dutch oven or large pot with warm water. Gently bring to boil, reduce heat and simmer 40 minutes. Remove from water, and hang to let it dry before refrigerating. Can be eaten cold or heated.

Worker's estate Giszowiec inKatowice

24 th March Monday 2014 Monday

In the outskirts of Katowice there are two worker's estates at Giszowiec and Nikiszowiec.  Nikiszowiec I have described earlier now Giszowiec.

Giszowiec estate was built in 1906-1910 for the workers of the Giesche mine, which had new shafts built in 1903-1910. The estate consists of one- or -two family houses and gardens, shingled roofs and gravel roads..

In Giszowiec you can enjoy a Silesian cuisine in "Silesian Inn","Silesain Chamber" and the restaurant "Pod Kasztanami" where you can find cold, delicious Polish beer.

An old house in Giszowiec.

Giszowiec in 19 th century.

One of the lovely houses .

Giszowiec Estate

The miner's band - typical view in Upper Silesia. 

Typical kitchen at miner's family in the early 20 th century

Good night from Katowice. The photo was taken last week. It presents the centre you can see Superjednostka building

The end of weekend - Bytom again

23 rd March 2014 Sunday


So we came back from our weekend it's so pity but tomorrow we have to go work. Jedlicze is 256 km from my apartment so it takes us about 3 hours to get there.
On Saturday I did spring cleaning in my small garden and planted gladiolas.In the garden we have only 2 fruit trees and a nut tree.
In the summer we have flowers and the most important we can organise BBQ.

The hall and my dog

Kitchen

Bedroom

Our old car now  we have a white one

Back yard

Front yard - my house

Our small garden

My daughter ang house

Kitchen