A New Photo from Poland

[Nelson Atwell]

I took this photo from a buddy's apartment this evening. It overlooks the city square of Bydgoszcz. The large monument is placed as a memorial of all the people shot or hanged in that spot by the Nazi's during WWII. The locals said public executions were common in this square during that time. It shows the character of the Nazis that they would do this just few feet away from the Cathedral seen in the background of this photo.



Today the square is filled with young children playing, couples holding hands and people feeding the pidgeons. Earlier this year there also was an ice skating rink set up. This square holds the heart of the city.



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[Kevin Palmer]

That is a very pretty shot...

 

[Thomas Rogers]

Nelson, is it as "clean" there as your pictures make it look?



If so, have you noticed an overall greater level of cleanliness and "order" in the cities there as compared to USA?



Tom

 

[Nelson Atwell]

There is not a lot of trash around. Even though a higher percentage of people here are smokers, I haven't seen any cigarette butts on the streets. Cigarette butts are one of my few pet peeves, so it is nice to see folks being so courteous for a change regarding them. The people here in general seem to be more disciplined and courteous than the average American.



There are some bad places in town that are poorly maintained, but that is due more to poverty than anything else. The worst thing I see is a lot of grafitti on buildings. There appear to be some teens who get a kick out of defacing buildings, but the buildings also look like they haven't been painted in 20 years, so I guess a lot of the "artwork" may be old. This city is an industrial town. There is a smaller, more touristic town nearby called Torun (the birthplace of Copernicus) which is wealthier and better maintained.



This country has only been free for one generation, so I think a lot of obedience has been forced upon them. Even today, there is a strong military and police presence. It isn't overwhelming, but you know they are there watching you. Additionally, there are thousands of private security personnel in this city. It seems every large business has their own force of security personnel. Many wear uniforms with "Ochrona" (means "security") marking, but others are plain clothes.

 

[David Tallent]

That is a beautiful picture

 

[Rodger Tellefson]

That is a very good picture. What camera did you use? Almost makes me want to travel there.

 

[Nelson Atwell]

It is actually an old camera -- a Canon PowerShot A20, which is only 2.0 megapixels. It is great for internet photos tjough, since the new 10 Mp cameras create huge images. I may upgrade this week though for my Prague trip.