Poland : The Road Of Revival

e n [Music] [Applause] [Music] Poland situated right in the geographic heart of Europe has changed its political borders several times over the course of its history since the collapse of the Soviet Union the country shares its borders with seven other countries Poland's surface area is half that of France it has a 500 km Coastline on the Baltic Sea and is basically a flat country 75% of the country is lower than 200 [Music] m in the South the landscape becomes more mountainous the Carpathian Mountain Range Rises to an altitude of 2,500 m in Poland Poland has nearly 40 million inhabitants it is the sixth most populous country in Europe and one of the rare countries of Central Europe that does not have a significant ethnic minority 95% of the population is in fact of Polish origin the country is making great strides in modernization not only in the way its institutions function but also in its infrastructure and facilities for the mindset that for decades favored Collective housing has now radically changed the country's architectural Heritage is now being carefully restored Poland rebuilding the ruins left by the Second World War is accomplishing wonders in this domain entire cities have been reconstructed thanks to Archive documents and now their beauty shines forth as never before the finest examples of Polish architecture have been restored whatever their period the Barack curves were the forerunners of much more daring [Music] Creations Poland's history over the past thousand years has been quite turbulent the kingdom was in conflict with the tonic knights from The 14th Century on and several times the country was cut up by its neighbors Poland even vanished from the maps during most of the 19th century and yet it has survived proud and United around its people its culture and its jealously preserved traditions one of these age-old Traditions is beer brewing Poland is one of Europe's leading producers of pork pork has always been an important ingredient in the traditional cuisine but polish cooking has also been open to outside influences creativity and Imagination have transported even the restaurants like this one installed in a roadside airplane as in all the northern countries the Traditions are strongly linked to the changing seasons at the summer solstice some girls sport a wreath of flowers folklore has always played an important part in Polish culture this is true for the music of the great composer frederi schoper born in Poland of a French Father Arthur Rubenstein one of his fellow countrymen was one of his most brilliant interpreters [Music] the political upheavals That Shook the country in the 20th century often coincided with major changes in the local art [Music] Scene It took nearly 500 years for a non-italian pope to be elected John Paul II was polish he was witness and actor during the Revival of the Polish Catholic Church which Embraces 95% of the population the church is such an integral part of the society that only in the light of Catholicism is it possible to understand the customs and history of Poland the Catholic church is not however the only denomination in the country there is also a percentage of Protestants and Orthodox the second world war and the occupation by Nazi Germany were deeply traumatic for Poland with widespread destruction and massive deep pations the Polish Jews paid a heavy toll in lives before the war they made up 10% of the country's population they were exterminated in aitz and the half dozen other concentration camps set up on polish soil by the Nazis even today their mere names evoke images of [Music] horror the Communist Party took power after the war but the economic fumbling and oppression led to riots that were brutally suppressed in 1970 the militia quelled a wave of discontent that arose following a hike in the price of food the union solidarity led by Le valesa and created in 1980 was at the Vanguard of an even more militant movement that's when Moscow alarmed by the anti-soviet demonstrations ordered the Polish author authorities to declare a state of Siege solidarity was banned however in 1989 there were strikes once again and with the backing of the Catholic Church democracy emerged the courageous little electrician became president and left the shipyards Where it All Began now the former Communist Party headquarters is home to the stock exchange Poland's long drawn art emancipation eventually led to the European Union which It joined in 2004 Poland became one of the Agricultural powerhouses of Europe agriculture makes up a significant part of the country's gross domestic product this sector employs 1/ fifth of the workforce despite the small size of the farms and the sometimes rudimentary means Poland's agricultural production is both rich and varied the vast forests of Poland have found New Market Outlets all over Europe the success of pre-fabricated furniture and wooden houses have boosted the whole [Music] sector Poland is by far the largest coal producer of the European Union this indispensable fuel produces 95% of the country's electricity iron zinc and copper the country has a mineral resources the raw materials are used in processing Industries such as the automobile and aeronautical Industries Poland has made a name for itself in the fields of aircraft and helicopter construction and motorization as for the Craftsman they apply their knowhow to the Traditions that are bursting with colors Poland has to adapt to the European norms and so decrease the proportion of coal a heavy pollutant used to produce energy little by little the principles of sustainable development are being put into practice here tourism is developing largely thanks to the improvements in the road system the local traditions and the picturesque Landscapes are attracting a good number of visitors the country has a vast potential for tourism it's 20 national parks are havens of unspoiled nature in the 16th Cent Century Poland was one of the most powerful countries of Europe now it's taking up an ambitious Challenge on the paths of renewal Warsaw has been the capital of Poland since the end of the 16th century its appearance has greatly changed since then the Communists laid out wide Avenues ideal for traffic but rather impersonal these thorough fars are now evolving and more modern architecture is gradually making its appearance during the war the city was almost completely destroyed by the Nazis it is now risen from its ashes and with the help of paintings and photos they've done an impressive job of reconstructing certain sectors exactly as they were originally a Heritage saved from barbarous destruction and protected by the mermaid the symbol of the city and by UNESCO reconstructed with great care the royal castle was the residence of the kings of Poland then the seat of parliament the interior has also been completely restored to how it was in the second half of the 18th century fortunately many of the works of art had been taken to safety before the destruction carried out by the Germans who in effect made a great effort to systematically destroy all the symbols of the Polish nation and culture [Music] the younger generation are being taught to sharpen their concentration by listening to [Applause] music on the ramparts of the old city is the baracon a fortified BAS dating from the 16th century the city founded two centuries earlier very soon became an object of Envy it rapidly became the seat of both temporal and spiritual power the numerous churches built in a variety of styles show how important Warsaw was for the Catholic Church as well as for other religious denominations the Civil architecture Bears witness to the Splendor and opulence of the r of Poland's last king Stanislas patosi monuments and buildings several centuries old were destroyed in just a few days of fighting against the German occupying forces initiated by the Polish resistance movement the uprising of the population in 1944 was marked by violent combats a few buildings miraculously preserved still bear the scars the Jewish ghetto Uprising took place a year before despite the hardships the Jews were undergoing a group of intrepid youth mobilized to stand up against the Germans they found ways to communicate among themselves and acquired arms and ammunition in April 1943 the uprising broke out the odds were 100 to1 but they held out for a month and inflicted severe losses on the enemy [Music] the villain of Palace which survived the war is a shining Jewel of Barack architecture where the old structures couldn't be saved modern day architecture has taken over like here in the University Library with its surprising rooftop garden from the quiet library to the busling schmeel street is quite a change this pedestrian street is one of the capital's busiest arteries in the prago district your attention is caught by this curious band they play requests like a jukebox you choose your tune by sending a text message [Music] [Applause] night has fallen as the streets empty the jazz clubs fill up [Music] [Applause] [Music] in the northwest of the country lies a vast stretch of flat green land Missouri apart from the thousands of lakes there's practically nothing to interrupt the plane many consider it the most beautiful part of Poland it's surely one of the most rural [Music] [Applause] [Music] 34s of Poland lies in the vast European Plain that stretches from the southwest of France all the way to Russia in Missouri we run into the ordinary Barnyard animals that gaze at the passing trains and other species species that come and visit the region during the summer months such as the stalk this migrating waiter is a welcome guest the inhabitants even provide special poles to encourage nesting for Barbara DOA vola the stalks are almost part of the family the stalks arrive very early in the springtime the end of March beginning of April and that's how it is every year there's never a year they don't come the male AR first and prepares The Nest a few days later the female arrives in Missouri the white stalk is part of the [Music] landscape in the Middle Ages a vast Forest covered the region it was home to the European bison among other animals the European bison one of the largest land mammals on the continent is a cousin of the American Bison they nearly vanished on account of deforestation here the boret Skai Forest is a favorable habitat for the Bison Kristoff Z is a park ranger here in Poland there are about 1,000 bison and here in the boret forest 300 of which 80 roam freely there are three in this pen up until the first world war bison could be found living in in several regions in Poland during the war there was a severe drop in the Bison population and then their numbers increased once the war ended [Music] the many lakes of Missouri are the traces of glacial erosion the migrating Glacier carved out Hollows that then filled up with water the counts 4,000 Lakes some of them are linked by [Music] canals on the elblag canal the difference in water levels is too great for normal locks so they came up with an original solution like a water mill hydraulic Wheels Supply The energy needed to pull the boat out of the water and haul it up the slope the boat is cradled on a wide Carriage on Rails this ingenious system was invented in the early 19th [Music] century here on land that was long fought over by Prussia and Poland stands the malor castle an impressive brick Fortress built in the 13th century it is the largest medieval construction of this type in all of Europe the whole complex is in fact made up of three castles nested in one another malbok was used as headquarters for the famous tonic Knights when they returned from the Crusades in the Holy Land in the 14th century The Fearsome Soldier monks ruled over a large part of the north of present day Poland one century later the kingdom of Poland had to step in to put an end to the domination of the famous males cross heading for the coast the leafy trees give way to conifers a sign that the soil is becoming more acid and then suddenly there's sand it almost completely covers these trees that it has killed huge shifting Dunes up to 40 m in height are found throughout the slavinsky national park these Dunes pushed by the wind can move up to 10 m a [Music] [Music] year the dunes shift so much that in the 16th century the neighboring town of liba was engulfed by sand the inhabitants had to move and build a new community that is now a small fishing [Music] town on the coast of the Baltic Sea soot is Poland's summer Capital this town with its many cultural events is a favorite vacation spot [Music] these pompous buildings that have been dozing since they were built at the beginning of the 20th century must have been quite startled by the work of the architect zaleski who designed the Crooked house in 2003 it looks like it's straight so to speak out of a Walt Disney cartoon it is Poland's most photographed house [Music] [Applause] the seaside resort of soot is quite close to the large Port of Gdansk Poland's main port and one of the most active on the Baltic Sea the port of gdan has existed for over a thousand years thanks to the port the city has enjoyed complimentary names down through the centuries Gans has been called Poland's Golden Gate and even the pearl of the Baltic in the middle of the 14th century Gdansk was a member of a commercial Association the htic league it was first composed of German cities then it expanded to include northern Europe and finally all of Europe the member cities of the h atic League enjoyed immense Prosperity richly decorated Gates announced the affluence of the town the htic cities often adopted the same style of architecture the influence of Flemish architecture is quite evident here in these tow houses with their ornate facades the discovery of America modified the major trade routs and sounded the death nail of the htic league [Music] the power and Independence of the htic league eventually gave rise to a good deal of Envy even among the League's own trading ports the league was disbanded in the 17th century and as a result Gdansk suffered [Music] economically Amber was used as a currency for trading in Gdansk and it was a very old currency for the Amber route from the Baltic to the Mediterranean dates back to remote ancient times Amber is the fossilized resin of conifers Amber is mysteriously washed up on the shores of the Baltic Sea also known as the Amber Coast the resin came from a vast Forest of conifers that was covered by the Sea the crafting of amber glass and silver is a tradition here in the cities on the Baltic [Music] we finish up by polishing the stone which gives it its final shape the next step is placing it into the silver or gold setting and depending on the shape we got after polishing we decide whether we'll use it to make a pendant a ring or a bracelet this one here will be a pendant the ancient Greeks discovered that rubbing Amber with cloth would charge it with static electricity they called it electron meaning made by the sun the sun being the most powerful source of energy Amber varies in color from yellow to Brown it's more or less translucent depending on the amount of air trapped inside up River from warsa the Vistula and its tributaries cross the southern landscape 1,000 km long the vul is the only completely polish River kimat doy a city on the Vistula had its golden age thanks to the grain trade the rich grain Merchants built magnificent tow houses in the Renaissance style further east we come to Lublin [Music] the city was occupied by the austrians at the end of the 18th century then by the Russians in the early 19th century the Lublin Castle's facade has very Oriental lines inside the Jewish Tower is a vestage of the original Castle the Holy Trinity Chapel is built right into the ramparts and its Gothic vaults are decorated with Russo Byzantine frescos which are very rare in Poland they date back to the early 15th century and are proof of the city's Multicultural character throughout its history the city has suffered through many invasions and extensive damage all that is in the past and the city is now quite peaceful heading towards the Border we come into zamos the city was founded at the end of the 16th century following a simple grid-based layout the main Market Square is the geometric Center of of the city which remained the property of the founding family until 1944 5 minutes to noon in the tower of the Town Hall a man Dawns a traditional Cape noon the man takes his trumpet and steps out onto the balcony [Music] [Music] it's a tradition every day at the same time the trumpet sounds further south we near mapola a mining region that's been active for centuries this is the velichka salt mine [Music] 3,000 years BC they were already Gathering the surface salt here but the first shafts were sunk by monks in the 13th century 135 M below the surface is a Labyrinth of galleries spread over 350 km salt used to be worth a lot more than it is today mki the salt from the mine belonged to the king and the salt extracted from the vitki mine covered the needs of the entire country you could even say that the economy was really based on salt onethird of the king's revenues came from vit's salt salt was an extremely precious asset [Music] the mine has a specific microclimate that is especially beneficial in treating Asma and certain allergies the galleries are dotted with salt sculptures done by the miners and a variety of artists their Works represent the local Legends and in certain cases they can attain impressive proportions salt has infiltrated the supporting beams so over time they've become petrified a chapel as large as a warehouse contains some remarkable sculptures of notable Personalities in Polish history and different scenes from the Old and New Testaments carved in barf sometimes concerts are given here for the Acoustics are excellent in this large [Music] chamber as everywhere in Poland Pope John Paul II has a prominent place [Music] lods Southwest of Warsaw is Poland's second largest city at the end of the 18th century it was annexed by Prussia and later by Russia the Russians decided to make the city a textile center and fortunes were made as was the case for the posnanski family that lived in this Monumental dwelling of the late 19th century Israel posnansky was the owner of L's largest cotton mill his Mansion which gives a measure of his fortune but also of his aesthetic taste contains works of AR nuuvo very popular among the rich industrialists of the time the posnanski factory was right next to his Palace the huge brick building has been fully restored Mar vinak the manufacturer Center here were factories built in the 19th century by the Jewish Industrial IST Israel pansi it has the whole process for producing cotton cloth and right next to the factory is his Palace and the workers housing posnanski created a whole city within the city the manufactura center is now a post-industrial complex and is a good example of successful restoration the buildings which were not designated as a national landmark might have been torn down they were saved and restored to the Norms of contemporary architect cure and design there's a museum dedicated to the history and production of textiles in half a century the industrial activity transformed the quiet little town of Lut into a multinational [Music] Metropolis the posnanski factory covered several hundred hectares and was equipped with the most advanced machines and techniques of the time agneska zenova the Royal government granted free use of the land to attract the textile industry to this region starting in 1823 skilled Craftsmen were flooding into Lots from cesia czechia and Germany there were Spinners Weavers ders along with the techniques of production the museum also exhibits the artistic aspect of the textile industry embroidery and [Music] prints lods was a textile center but it was also chosen as home to a cinema school that now has a worldwide reputation Andre bedner most of the international known polish filmmakers have studied at our school there's Roman palansky Andre vajar Kristoff Kowski Y skolimowski and kristofh zenui and the top cameraman as well they all studied here like in other European countries the Polish film industry has the backing of different government institutions such as the Polish Film Institute we produce several dozen feature films per year and a good number of documentaries the cinema museum is housed in the Mansion of another textile industrialist among the different material and objects on exhibit there's a curiosity a 19th century bioscope it renders relief and movement from photographs the Lots Art Center which opened in 2005 is also housed in in a building from the textile era the center supports and organizes a good number of events and Exhibits in a variety of artistic fields from design and painting to photography Lots is experiencing an extremely creative period architecture is a prime example but there are also the graphic and decorative Arts all over Poland commercial centers are springing up they use state-of-the-art materials and techniques to advance on the paths of [Music] renewal surprisingly a design style Hotel manages to blend into the old posnanski textile Factory the structures of brick and Metal make for a striking contrast with the elliptical openings and pastel colors it's a very popular Center for fashion designers to show off their latest collections the paths of renewal sometimes take odd routes like down the catwalk of a fashion show an organizer yek clack someone just had to go ahead and do it for the first time and why LS because this city has a long tradition in the clothing industry in the 19th century this was the largest cloth weaving Factory in this part of Eastern Europe and in the 20th century it became the largest clothes manufacturer in both eastern and western Europe now lods is becoming an active Center for fashion designers and creators there are major schools here to train in these professions and this is where the contests like the golden thread are held to promote young creators [Music] [Music] heading south the landscape becomes more hilly in the spring the rivers are swollen with the melting snow the first foothills of the Carpathian mountains rise in the distance the carpathians are the only Alpine Type Mountains in Central Europe they resemble the Alps in climate vegetation altitude and their sharp Peaks they're divided into smaller ranges such as the tatras where the town of zakupan is nestled near the Slovakian [Music] border it's rustic arm has made it a favorite place for Polish intellectuals writers and musicians they come for the climate and for the comfort of the wooden houses so typical of the region Yan capier is an [Music] architect this type of house is all made from wood before they didn't even have cellers the house was simply laid on four stones it's a house that's constructed like a piece of furniture what you see here behind me is a construction made out of tree trunks assembled so that they Notch together at the corners for insulation we fill the space between the logs with wool the Polish architect vikic developed the distinctive zakan style house a model in wood that is still very popular zakupan is a thriving Town thanks largely to its winter sports the funicular is an easy way to get to the ski slopes that go up to 2,000 m in altitude summer Bob sledding is also good for a [Music] thrill in the tatras range the pasture land up between 800 and 1500 m is used mainly in the summer VAV boots is is a shepherd and with his two dogs he's going out to see his flock the Sheep go up into the mountain in May and stay until September with the sheep milk the Shepherds make a type of cheese that dates back to the Middle [Music] Ages we take the used milk a bit of baking powder and we mix them together in a vat and then it rises and Rises something like yeast and that's how we make the cheese called OIP as soon as they finished milking they start making the cheese the milk mixture is allowed to ripen in a vat for 5 to 10 hours at room temperature then they do a warm ripening before adding the renit which curdles the [Music] milk then the cheese is hung so that the water and Whey can drain out once it has rested and been hand pressed the cheese is molded salted then [Music] smoked the traditional EK made from raw sheep milk has been designated Regional product by the European community so the ozipek is now a protected trade name the stands in the Market offer oipc in a variety of forms most often cylindrical or spindle shaped zakupan possesses other resources as well leather and pelts from a variety of livestock the furs are quite welcome here in this region where the average annual temperature is barely 4° [Music] C I sell leather products sheep and goat skins cow High here's a skin from our region from zakan the climate of the tetras is also influenced by a very strong wind the Hali it can blow at almost 300 km an hour luckily it's a warm wind [Music] [Applause] [Music] in Winter the haly is a curse for skiers in summer however it's a blessing for drying hay and the washing on the line there are also religious buildings of wood in the same style in debno the little church consecrated to the Archangel St Michael dates back to the 15th century it was built with Larchwood using dowels not a single nail inside the Magnificent poly decoration has held up well over time it boasts 33 different colors donations from parishioners have allowed the church to be kept up in impeccable condition the church has been designated a UNESCO world heritage [Music] site here on the shores of the man-made lake chin two castles have been standing guard since the 14th Century they were built as border posts on the former border with the kingdom of [Music] Hungary here on the shore of the Duna River they rope long wooden Skiffs together to form a solid but subtle raft the rafts are piloted by boatmen from the mountains like migd stst they've always floated Timber down this river right up to the 60s and' 70s they were still floating Timber down the river but that's not directly connected with what we're doing here the people that lived on the river have always had little skips they used to be made from hollowed out tree trunks they were used to transport people and cargo and then already at the beginning of the 19th century they were using them for tourist [Music] [Music] near the Slovakian border the road runs through HF with its traditional wooden houses all built without a single nail here woodworking is an art art Yan Zid is a wood sculptor I get my inspiration from religious themes and I specialize in nativity scenes I just did a wood sculpture of Christ for the church in zakan it was 1.8 m tall here I'm doing a Last Supper inspired by Da Vinci's work but I'm doing it in my own style of course as the country is so deeply Catholic most of Yan's commissions like his sources of inspiration are [Music] religious the paths of renewal also pass through kov the former capital and one of the oldest cities in Poland the marketplace is one of Europe's largest medieval squares in the center is the cloth Hall the old covered Market it now houses a number of shops selling the country's traditional craft work here you can find the entire range of traditional products and materials Pottery embroidery wood carvings metal sculptures and jewelry and of course Amber the fine town houses with their different styles make for an elegant [Music] [Applause] Decor the oldest part of the Church of our Lady dates back to the 13th century today they're getting ready for a ceremony in honor of the city's [Music] Craftsmen inside the church there's a surprising abundance of guilt paintings and Wood Sculptures some going back to the 15th century [Music] [Applause] [Music] the only thing that remains of the city's old fortifications is this imposing gate kov is also home to one of central Europe's oldest universities the the famous astronomer Nicholas kopernicus was a student [Music] here perched up on the vavel hill is the royal castle the residence of Poland's monarchs for 5 and a half centuries behind the ramparts is the gothic vavel Cathedral it was here on the banks of the Vistula that the coronations and funerals of Poland's kings and queens took place grov is very important for the Polish Catholic church it's the seat of an arch dicese the Archbishop of krov who may be a cardinal has authority over a number of Bishops the future Pope John Paul II was named Archbishop of krov at the relatively young age of 44 3 years later he was made Cardinal during his papacy he visited his homeland eight times K was once an independent city it was the Jewish District before it was absorbed by krov during World War II a German entrepreneur ran a factory producing enamel kitchen wear here his name was Oscar Schindler and he saved over a thousand Jews Steven Spielberg made a film on him which he shot here [Music] in June they celebrate the Vian Festival girls wear garlands of flowers that they cast into the Vistula to predict their future love life the city considers itself Poland's cultural capital and there's no problem holding a traditional Festival to the beat of modern rhythms [Music] in the Jewish District the soup festival always draws a good crowd that comes to sample the alternative music and the zurc a sour soup made from rye bread vegetables and hardboiled eggs [Music] this brass band is serving up a very different type of music but with the same [Music] enthusiasm Poland is forging forward on its often rocky road today in the light of its past experience Poland has all the resources necessary to continue on its Paths of renewal [Music] [Music]

Channel: Best Documentary

Views: 1,020,388

Keywords: film, documentary, Poland, tourism, guide, Warsaw, Museum, full, complete, bbc

Id: BM-CB-ND9d4

Length: 52min 26sec (3146 seconds)

Published: Sun Nov 06 2016