Krakow Local News: Wednesday, 27 January 2016
Tribut![By Premia (Own work) [CC BY-SA 3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)], via Wikimedia Commons](data:image/svg+xml,%3Csvg%20xmlns='http://www.w3.org/2000/svg'%20viewBox='0%200%20300%20225'%3E%3C/svg%3E)
e to Polish fighter unveiled
![By Premia (Own work) [CC BY-SA 3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)], via Wikimedia Commons](http://www.krakowpost.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/A4_Zalas_04-300x225.jpg)
e to Polish fighter unveiledYesterday, a bronze bench in the likeness of Jan Karski was unveiled on Szeroka Street in Kazimierz. The author of the work is ASP professor Karol Badyna. Jan Karski was a resistance movement fighter during World War II who later went on to be a professor at Georgetown University after the war. [RadioKrakow.pl]
16 schools to remain open
After threats of closing or relocating up to 16 different schools, all of them will stay open. The changes were prevented by Law and Justice (PiS) councilors during deliberations with the Krakow’s President Majchrowski. Open debates were to take place to discuss the reforms; however, an overwhelming amount of votes from Law and Justice members has put the plan to bed for now. [gazetakrakowska.pl]
Pigeons kept out of roundabout
Necessary measures are being taken to improve the state of the Mogilski roundabout. Nets are being put in to prevent pigeons from causing a mess and swarming around the roundabout. A few years ago pigeons were a main problem for the roundabout, with many complains from pedestrians stating that there were not able to go through the tunnels souring the roundabout due to the mess and groups of the animal. [lovekrakow.pl]
Express route to Tatry in the works
A new express route from Krakow to the Tatry Mountains is in the works. As of January 15th companies have been placing bids on the project, with aims to find a company in the second half of this year. [naszemiasto.pl]
I remember driving on the severely backed up highway to Zakopane on a Friday afternoon a few years ago. At the time, Krakow was considering bidding for the Winter Olympics, and I could not imagine this happening without building a twinned highway to the resort town where the downhill events would be held. Now I’m curious where such an expressway is to be built. If its along the same route, there will have to be some pretty major appropriations of farmlands. The current non-twinned route has residential properties along either side for a significant portion, and winds through many tiny villages and towns.
Poland tends to build expressways in segments along major routes. So I’d guess where they can get farmland, they’ll build it and where they can’t, they’ll end the expressway and return to normal, then back and forth til they get where they’re going. Maybe in time, they’ll build the whole thing out but I doubt it.
Olympic Games without major transport investments would be a certain failure. And for years they were not able to build a proper highway, not to mention acceptable train connection (though it’s a 100 km route with long rail traditions and, as a rail connection to the mountain resort, seems to be a natural route for railways). So fans would go there by buses or rather choose a four hour long rail journey?
I imagine they could strongly recommend people use transit, but many would still drive there. Hypothetically speaking.
I’m flashing back to my very first trip to Zakopane, on the milk run during a very warm September day. The temperature in the old communist train car was absolutely sweltering, and the train moved so slow that you could not get a breeze inside, even with all of the windows open.
Upon arriving, we wandered about the town, and as we made it to the edge of the touristic area I noticed a highway sign that said ‘Krakow – 99 kms’. I was absolutely beside myself with disbelief. We spent 4 hours on that cattle car and only travelled 99 kms! I’ve taken many trains in Poland since that day, however my 2nd and 3rd trips to Zakopane were not via the train.