KRK/PL News Bulletin: Anti-smog greenery / Auschwitz vandals sentenced / PM recovers from car crash / More…

A building on the campus of Babinski Psychiatric Hospital
A building on the 52-hectare campus of Babinski Psychiatric Hospital

Krakow

City combats smog with greenery

Krakow will spend 100 million PLN this year on greening the city in an attempt to improve the air quality. The most visible project will be a four-meter tall, wall of moss dubbed the CityTree, which won the anti-pollution Smogathon 2016 tech contest and will cost around 110,000 PLN. Additionally, ZZM (the local greenery agency) plans to plant 2,500 trees and 300,000 shrubs as well as vines and flowers throughout the city. [Onet]

Psychiatric hospital renovations complete

Patients at the Babinski Psychiatric Hospital in southern Krakow will move into a renovated building today. The project, which cost around 2 million PLN, provides rooms with a capacity of five patients maximum rather than 20. The 100-year-old hospital can house up to 800 patients in a facility nested 52 hectares of green space. [Radio Krakow]

Auschwitz vandals sentenced

Two Portuguese 17-year-olds who attempted to carve their names into a gate at the Auschwitz Nazi concentration camp have been sentenced to one year in prison, two years’ probation, and a fine of 1,000 PLN to be given to the museum. The teenagers were in Poland for World Youth Day and plead guilty, admitting to wanting to leave their mark. Judge Konrad Gwoździewicz gave them a lesser sentence than requested by the prosecution; nevertheless, the defense attorneys plan to appeal the verdict. [TVN24]

Poland

Polish Prime Minister Beata Szydło
Polish Prime Minister Beata Szydło

 

Polish PM fine after car crash

Beata Szydło announced live on Polish television last night that she feels well after a government car carrying her crashed into a tree in her hometown of Oświęcim on Friday. The Prime Minister, 53, remains hospitalized but says the injuries are not serious, crediting her seatbelt. Her driver and bodyguard also required medical attention. The oncoming driver responsible for the crash may face up to three years in prison. [AP]

Penderecki wins US Grammy award

Legendary Polish composer and conductor Krzysztof Penderecki won his fourth Grammy award Sunday night for a recording of “Penderecki Conducts Penderecki Vol. I” by the Warsaw National Philharmonic Orchestra and Choir. The 83-year-old, who has been called “Poland’s greatest living composer” by The Guardian, is probably best known for his 1960 work Threnody to the Victims of Hiroshima, and his music has been used in films by directors such as Andrzej Wajda and Stanley Kubrick. “Classical music is like philosophy,” Penderecki said. “This means that the music is not for everyone.” [TVN24]

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