History sprayed for location jubilee

The graffiti mural project was hotly debated by the Krakow Municipality, which was divided on whether it would be proper to propagate graffiti in Krakow. In the end, however, the Municipality was persuaded to accept the project as an official part of the 750th Anniversary Location Jubilee.
Work began on May 7 under the supervision of the Tourist Department of the Municipality. The world?s biggest historical graffiti, the chronological history of Krakow, will adorn a 100-meter wall with scenes from legendary times to the present. The wall will not only be covered with miniatures and frescoes referring to 19th Century historical paintings, but will also incorporate modern graffiti. The graffiti?s name, ?Silva Rerum,? is Latin for the ?forest of things.? It refers to chests that were kept in the olden days in Polish manors and houses to store important documents, or personal journals where important notes were written. The assumption is that this huge painting will serve as a sort of ?Silva Rerum,? safekeeping the past thousand years of Krakow history.
From Krakow and across Poland, top graffiti artists, historians and students of the Academy of Fine Arts collaborated on this project. The idea for a project of this type surfaced a year and a half ago, but the jubilee has finally made it possible. The work is impressive even now with only about 80 percent of it finished. Young zealots of graffiti art are not bothered by the scorching sun or the noise from the street right behind them.
?We have a solution for that,? one of the graffiti artists says, fingering the earphones that lay about his neck. ?Besides, we wouldn?t want any other job in the world. This is cool!? Everyone agrees.
?But,? I ask them, ?what happens if some pseudo-artist wants to add a little something to your work??
?This,? he says, indicating his foot menacingly. Everyone laughs. ?From now on, the wall will be guarded at night. And after we?re done, it will be covered with a special anti-graffiti wax.?
The graffiti will be officially shown on June 8, during the festive week of Krakow?s jubilee. The most impressive view of the wall will be from Krakus mound or from the footbridge over ul. Powstancow Slaskich.
 
To get to the wall from the city center, take any tram that heads for the Biezanow Nowy (71, 13) or Kurdwanow destination (34, 36, 38). The name of the stop is ?Powstancow Wielkopolskich,? and is about a 15-minute ride from the center.