Toszek Castle

30th June 2014

During my summer vacation I love travelling and especially I love visiting castles. One of them is located here.

Toszek Castle, one of major cultural heritage pearls of Silesia, is situated in the western part of the Silesian Voivodship in the land province of Gliwice.

 Its history is closely connected with the history of the region. The castle is a unique Gothic monument. Once owned by the Piasts of Opole and notable families, the castle was visited by such prominent guests as German poets: Johann Wolfgang von Goethe and Joseph von Eichendorf. In the 1960s it was partly reconstructed. Nowadays the Toszek Castle houses the Municipal Culture Centre which is famous for its wide selection of tourist attractions. Regularly knight tournaments, concerts and other outdoor events are held in the Toszek Castle. 

Toszek castle 

over 5 thousand people.

My place on the earth

29 th 2014

Today it is the first weekend of summer/ vacation/holidays but the weather is not typical summery. In the morning it was great and sunny but in the afternoon it was cloudy and stormy. I can't complain because two months of vacation is ahead of us so it is a long time and of course the weather will be better.

Today in the morning I took some photos of my suburb where I live ( except holidays when I live in my summer house - about 3 month we spend there). My heart is divided between two nice places - which is the most important I don't know both are nice but completely different. 

My suburb is very big (25 thousand people live here) and 97% of people live in apartments and there are a few detached houses here. 

My suburb - Bytom city

Our "skyscrapers"

My daughter's school - High Junior School

Yard next to kindergarten

Kindergarten 

Playground

Playground again

I live on the third floor.

Typical apartments in my city.

 It is the most industrialized part of  Europe but it is green too.

Traditional soup - wodzionka

28th June 2014

In the evening about 8 p.m. was a heavy storm so the photo of a rainbow . It was taken close to my apartment.

Wodzionka or brołtzupa is a Silesian  soup -  is the Silesian bread or water soup made from stale bread, fat, and water. Traditionally, wodzionka is prepared by soaking two- to three-day old stale bread in water or broth and adding garlic, bay leaves, pepper and other seasonings, fried bacon, and lard or butter. It was reportedly served in late autumn and winter, when cows had less milk. 

Wodzionka



Enjoy the meal.

Have a sunny Sunday.

The Bread Hut

27th June 2014

Gorkie Wielkie is a typical agriculture village in Upper Silesia with the Bread Hut. The Bread Hut is a main attraction. This is where you can try some old methods of threshing by flail, cereal grinding with a hard quern,or flatbread baking.

The Bread Hut

Machines connected with production of bread in the 19th century.

At my place bread is very delicious and tasty ( the same bread is Germany). It's definitely better than in English speaking countries where crispy bread is only available.

Summer in my city

26th June 2014

Tomorrow is the last day at school so it means we have summer holidays. We have to be at school the first week of July  but since 5 th July we  have long holidays till 24 th August. We start school on 1st September.

It's summer but not in my place it's rainy and cloudy. In the afternoon while I was coming back from school I took some nice photos of my city. Photos were taken next the bus and railway station in Bytom.

The big basket made from flowers.

There are a lot of these decorations in the streets in summer season.

Next to the shopping mall

The shopping mall

Bus station

Typical blocks of flats in my city.

Welcome in Bytom

Invitation to the region - Upper Silesia

25th June 2014

It is summer - the best time for travelling so what about visiting Upper Silesia. Silesia population is 4.64 million or 12,2% of all residents of Poland. One of the remarkable features of the Silesia is its multi-cultural aspect, as the province and its national borders changed throughout the history. This land was occupied by people of Polish, German, Czech and Jewish origin, but most of the  people who live here today feel Silesian, as this is the only and unchanged identity they have ever had.

Upper Silesia in the early 20th century.

Bytom my hometown today celebrates 760 years old.

Just my region Upper Silesia .

The province of Silesia is a region full of surprises:well-known and liked places, visited by crowds of tourists from all over the Poland such as the spa towns of the Beskids Mountains or Pszczyna Castle, and the quiet spots of the Silesian nature reserves, as well, where you can enjoy fresh air and the singing birds.

 Capital city of Silesia Province - Katowice - the biggest city

Different aspects of Silesia