AirVenture 2000 — A Week Among the Aircraft and the Atmosphere
04 Poland 2005 (Fourth Day)
By 2005, Poland was no longer a new destination for me. I had visited the country several times since my first trips in the early 1990s and had become familiar with its cities, people and distinctive atmosphere. This return offered an opportunity to revisit familiar places while also seeing how much had changed.
Poland had joined the European Union the previous year and was moving confidently into a new era. Streets and buildings were being restored, transport and visitor facilities were improving, and the country felt increasingly connected with the rest of Europe. Yet its history, traditions and individual character remained clearly visible.
These photographs record another stage in my continuing acquaintance with Poland: not the impressions of a first-time visitor, but observations made on returning to a country that had already become both familiar and rewarding.
The pyramidal clock tower of Kraków’s House Under the Globe rises above the ornate buildings of Długa Street in 2005. Designed by Tadeusz Stryjeński and Franciszek Mączyński and completed in 1906 as the headquarters of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry, the building is crowned by an openwork metal globe symbolising the international reach of trade.
The ornate southern façade of Kraków’s Sukiennice overlooks the café terraces of the Main Market Square in 2005. The external staircase rises to an elegant Renaissance loggia, while the upper floor houses the Gallery of Nineteenth-Century Polish Art. The green dome of the small Church of St Adalbert is just visible at the right.
The neo-Gothic Chapel of Blessed Bronisława stands dramatically against the grass-covered slopes of Kościuszko Mound in 2005. Designed by Feliks Księżarski and completed in 1861, the chapel was incorporated into the Austrian citadel surrounding the mound and now forms part of the entrance leading towards its summit
Wawel Hill rises above central Kraków in this telephoto view from Kościuszko Mound in 2005. The towers of Wawel Cathedral and the red-roofed Royal Castle dominate the historic foreground, while the tall chimney and cooling tower of the Łęg power station emerge through the haze beyond the city—a striking contrast between royal Kraków and its modern industrial outskirts.
Kraków spreads towards the hazy horizon in this panoramic view from Kościuszko Mound in 2005. The houses and gardens of Zwierzyniec occupy the foreground, while the great open space of Błonia Meadow provides a striking green contrast to the densely built city beyond. Part of the nineteenth-century Fort Kościuszko complex can be seen immediately below the viewpoint.
A hazy summer panorama of Kraków, photographed from the Kościuszko Mound in 2005. The twin towers of St Mary’s Basilica dominate the historic Old Town, while the tower of Wawel Cathedral rises farther to the right above the Wawel complex. Modern buildings fade into the distance beyond the densely packed roofs of the old city.
The steep, grass-covered slopes of Kościuszko Mound rise above the brick ramparts of the surrounding Austrian-era fortifications. Completed in 1823, the mound commemorates Tadeusz Kościuszko, the Polish national hero who also fought in the American War of Independence. Photographed during a visit to Kraków in 2005.
A twin-engined jet airliner passes high above Kraków, leaving two bright contrails across the clear blue sky. Photographed from the Kościuszko Mound in 2005; the aircraft is too distant for its type or operator to be identified reliably.
The tree-lined Aleja Waszyngtona descends from Kościuszko Mound towards Salwator and its tram terminus. Sunlight filters through the dense canopy onto the quiet avenue during the return journey into central Kraków in 2005.
A probable LOT Polish Airlines Boeing 737-500 descends towards Kraków–Balice Airport with its landing gear extended. The aircraft was photographed above western Kraków in 2005 while I was walking from Kościuszko Mound towards the trams at Salwator.
Visitors pass through the busy area beside St Florian’s Gate, where local artists display paintings, prints and views of Kraków against the medieval city walls. This informal open-air gallery has long been a familiar feature of the entrance to Kraków’s Old Town. Photographed in 2005.
