Muzeum Techniki

Until very recently, there was a Museum of Technology in the Palac Kultury i Nauki.  It closed on the 19th of May (the Night of the Museums).  I had never been there, I'm ashamed to say, even though I'm a big technology buff.  So, I decided to hit it up during its last day of operation.
The exterior matches the rest of the PKiN, but has a gigantic propeller and some other technological scraps lying about.  I was kind of excited.  I was anticipating mind-blowing exhibits, the type that would make me giddy to return to school.

The entrance.

It was reasonably priced at 6zl for a bilet ulgowny (reduced-price ticket for students).  The museum itself is worth the 6zl, but it's easy to see why it didn't make enough money to stay open.  The Centrum Kopernik in Powisle is flashy, new, and interactive.  This one is static and badly in need of an update.  That's not to say it was bad, but it wasn't exactly impressive.  It's like an Eyewitness book, but in 3D and worse captions.  They do have a large collection of old phones, sewing machines, computers they probably picked up at some yard sale (or got from school the donated all its moded hardware), and replicas and mockups of various rockets and flying machines.  It was a good two hours burned to wander through a section of the Palac I had never seen (and a reminder that the PKiN is actually pretty friggan huge).  There were some nice exhibits on the iron and coal industries and their histories in Poland.  It does help give a basic idea about how technology has evolved over time (especially in the 20th century).  It did make me feel old being able to point out several devices that I had used in the not-too-distant past (no Apple II though.)  Their display on photography was lacking (there was almost nothing, like four cameras), but they did have a bitchin' Canon XL.

How 'Mary' helped Grandma

The cities that could be broadcasting radio

Strange relics from the '80s and '90s

This was a not a display, but a curators desk (or a 'living' display).  No joke.

Like a VW Bug, only crappier.  There was a joke about crumple zones–zones that crumple up to absorb energy during a collision.  This car's crumple zones are the trunk and the engine bay (notice that the engine is within the passenger compartment).

It's sad to think that a museum like this will close its doors, but I'm honest when I'm saying that it was no great loss.  I'm hoping some other museum will open its doors soon there (it's such a great location). But, more likely, it'll turn into some cafe with a gym attached or a nightclub or something.  The collection can easily be sold on Allegro (Poland's eBay) and reap a tidy little amount of money for people hungering for nostalgia, or other museums of technology in sadder shapes than this one.  I'm comforted that the Centrum Kopernik still has long lines and rave reviews.  It's yet another museum I haven't been to, but I'll make it there, don't worry.

A 'certified' wallet elephant.

Well, that's about it for the Museum of Technology.

Noc Muzeow 2012

May 19th was the much anticipated Noc Museow.  I try to attend every year, and this one was no exception.  There also happened to be Juwenalia for Politechnika, but I chose to attend the 'high culture' option (i.e. go see some museums.)

I am ashamed to admit it, but I have never been to the famed Galeria Zacheta.  It's probably because most of its art is on semi-permanent exhibit at Muzeum Narodowy, but also because I just plain forgot to go.  Anyway, I gripped opportunity by the cojones and decided to visit this esteemed place of art.

It was a beautiful day, and as the sun set into evening, the lines started forming outside the many museums and galleries.  At Zacheta, there was some Wayne's World-looking fellow with a film crew and a pretty girl forcing interviewees to sign release statements walking about and being the area of much entertainment and interest of the crowd.  The crowd flooded in to the beautiful entrance of the gallery, to be welcomed with another crowd of people sitting everywhere.  Apparently, art was off the menu and ambient electronica was on.  The WEF Laptop Orkiestra Powered by Intel® was on the menu and playing up a gentle, soothing storm of bleeps, beeps, static, and thuds.  The Orkiestra was sitting on the upper level balcony at a long table covered with (you guessed it) laptops.  With names like Asdf, Xlorite, and Krzysztof Golinski, they seemed like true 1337s.  There was also a some small projections of shapes, lines, and the like to match the basic feel of the music.

The music wasn't terrible (at least, not in my taste) but I could take much of it, so I tried to find out else the Zacheta had to offer.  As it turned out, not much.  All other parts of the building were blocked off except an area dedicated to a modern art exhibit.  The topic of the exhibit was the Caucuses and the people and culture there.  There were some photos, split-screen video displays, static displays, videos, etc.  It wasn't too inspiring.  Like most modern art, it was both too loud and too quiet and rather slapdash.

I left the Zacheta feeling cheated.  I guess they only roll out the good stuff to paying guests.

Galeria Zacheta with the light display

Some media personality filming outside the Zacheta.  He interviewed a few folks (I was not one of them.) 

Right near the Zacheta is the Holy Trinity Lutheran Church.  They had open doors, lights, and music, the whole shebang.  The music consisted of organ music played on the main organ.  Downstairs the church houses an impressive open gallery (the space is impressive).  They had an exhibit called 'Know Your Brother' (or something to that effect).  A slow, heavy bass beat out with the repeating of "I love you" in different, distorted voices.  Not something I'd expect to hear in a church's basement.  Art students' paintings adorned the walls, ranging from quiet OK to total shit (I'm sorry, but I'd be slapping some Fs on them.)

A respectable portrait

Not my type

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, and I'm not one to judge (I've never been good at drawing).  I admire that the church went ahead and displayed this art, and I admire the whole Noc Muzeow concept as well.  I do think, however, that this one was not as successful as other nights.  Better luck next year.

Oh, and: I love you.

The Gallery

Noc Muzeów

The brilliant idea of Noc Muzeów (Night of the Museums)  provides an excellent opportunity to get out and take in some serious culture in a light and fun atmosphere.  It's something I've never seen anywhere else, which is a pity, because the whole idea of it is pretty cool.  It's my second time taking part (please see my previous post); however, due to some circumstances I pretty much saw the same exact thing as last year.  Also, my night ended early and tragically sober.
Noc Muzeów helps bring people out and experience their own culture, and gives them a reason to visit museums they normally wouldn't see.  It's before all the tourists come and clog the museums up anyway.  The timing is pretty much perfect: the time before everyone leaves the city for vacation but it's usually warm enough to enjoy a night on the town.  In Warsaw proper (although, the event was held across Poland), they were using it as a push for having Warsaw be the Capital of Culture in 2016.

The line to get into Museum Narodowy.

So, I went to the Museum Narodowy and the Museum Wojska Polskiego.  Bitwa pod Grunwaldem was again not on show, and that kind of sucked.  The line to the National Museum was long, but moved along at a good clip.  I waited in line fifteen minutes.  The Military Museum had some new equipment on show, plus they were letting people climb into the cockpits of various planes and helicopters.

Since my last run-in with the Straz Miejska, I have been awfully wary about drinking in public.  So, I viewed these two museums stone-cold sober.

You could sit in the cockpit of the MiG-29

Polish resistance reenactors.

Plac Zamkowy

The whole experience of Noc Muzeów is a festive one.  There were percussion bands playing on the street; there were people partying hardcore in the trams; there were people singing hymns in front of the presidential palace.

As the night gets longer, so do the lines.  The museums fill up with people and everything moves more slowly.  Most people only see two or three museums tops.  If you went to the Copernicus Center, you probably waited in line for hours upon end and saw only that (I didn't even attempt to do so.)

An old Double-Decker (straight from Londontown).

The An-24.

It's not just museums that were open this night.  Everything from libraries to the National Mint to police stations were open for visits.  The Warsaw University Library did close pretty early, which irked me as I was about to go there.  I can only hope this wildly successful idea is picked up and imitated elsewhere.

At the start of the line.

Warsaw's Gay!!!

That's right: gay, gay, gay, gay, gay.

Actually, on the 17th of July, there will be the EuroPride2010 parade in Warsaw.  A few years back, Lech Kaczynski quashed what would have been Poland's gay pride parade, but these days, the gayness is in full swing.  The gay festival has actually been in full swing since the beginning of July (NOTE:  I haven't been around much this July, so I haven't noticed it much.)
There has already been a large exhibit at the Museum Narodowe on Homo Erotica.  There was a big film festival, and after the parade it's party, party, party throughout the weekend.  Seriously.  It looks like it's going to be nuts.  Check out the calendar of events.

Night at the Museums

A few Saturdays ago, all of Poland hosted a fantastic event called "Night at the Museums." It was a cultural event, aimed at getting Poles to visit the country's cultural sites and be aware of the culture and learning possibilities that surround them. Most museums were open late (ranging from 12:00 AM to 3:00 AM) and were free for charge. A free Chopin concert was held in Lazienki park.

In Warsaw, special bus routes were set up, taking the ABC nomenclature. Also, they brought back the old-style buses, called ogórki (cucumbers) because of their shape. It was quite nice to see these little old buses zipping about on Warsaw's streets.

It was a raucous and successful night for all, with huge lines jamming every single museum. I waited in line for twenty minutes to get into the Museum Narodowe; when I exited, the line had doubled in length. Afterwards, I had planned to head to the Royal Palace, which I hadn't been to in about four years. Alas, the line was too long and I was too impatient, so I opted for the Polish Army Museum.

The Army Museum (basically a display of Soviet war machines) was chock full of Polish soldiers allowing access to the tanks and airplanes (one could go and sit in the cockpit of the MiG-29 or a Mil Mi-8.) This I declined, but I did marvel at the group of Polish soldiers decked out in Vietnam Era US uniforms and touting M16s atop a tank. It was quite a sight indeed.

The line looks long, but moved rapidly.

By all considerations, the night was a rousing success. Thousands took to the streets to admire the collections in the museums and learn a thing or two. The lines were long, and the museums were packed (packed!), but everything was going smoothly and rapidly.

Uprising Anniversary

Warsaw '44 — We remember!

Today marks the 65th anniversary of the Warsaw Uprising, the two-month long struggle to rid the city of Nazis before the Red Army marched in. As it is tragically known, the Red Army stopped across the Wisla and watched as the Home Army was systematically crushed.

The futility of the Uprising and the vast devastation it caused (85% of the city was reduced to rubble and all the inhabitants were shipped out to work camps) are the subject of controversy even to this day. So say it was heroic attempt to display Poland's strength and willingness to unite against both the Nazis and the Soviets, and others think it was a foolhardy, vain venture that resulted in unnecessary deaths. Regardless of the opinions, it was an impressive display of resolve and determination.

With the anniversary, soldiers of the Home Army are about, dressed in their finest (you can recognize them by their red-and-white armbands); Polish flags, along with the flag of Warsaw, adorn everything and are flying high; and fresh flowers and candles have been placed at all the markers and memorials of where units of the Home Army perished.

A Warsaw Flag with Polish flag behind it.

Museums

Poland is not really renown for its museums.  The city of New York probably has more artwork than the whole country; indeed, the Louvre probably has more (and only displays something like 10% of it's collection at a given time.)  Much of it was either burned or looted during WWII and not everything was recovered.

Krakow boasts a beautiful Leonardo Da Vinci (Lady with Ermine), and used to have a Rembrandt (it went missing in the forties.)  The Sukiennice also held a nice collection of paintings before it was closed for renovations (it won't be open until 2010.)  The Wawel has a very nice collection of Ottoman war treasures that were seized when King Sobieski came to the aid of Vienna in 1683.

The National Museum in Warszawa is worth a visit and is quite sizable.  They have a variety of artwork and historical artifacts, ranging from the ancient Egyptians and Greeks to the early Christians of North Africa.  They also have a good collection of Polish art.  This includes the jewel of the museum (in my opinion) Battle of Grunwald by Jan Matejko.

Kasia in front of Bitwa pod Grunwaldem

One place not to go for museums, is Kazimierz Dolny.  The Museums here are worthless, overpriced (the giant museums of Warszawa and Krakow are cheaper) and have collections that are dwarfed by most high schools.