made it her goal to locate the once glorious building of the Lubavitch Yeshivah school traveled to Poland numerous times in recent years She became interested in Jewish Poland after her parents died;her father was a Holocaust survivor and her mother immigrated to Brazil in 1936 At the time she studied Polish at the Polish consulate in S and in 2009 she went on a three week language immersion trip to Poland where she visited her father’s shtetl Sila happened upon the small town of Otwock asked if we would like to see the town and the Jewish cemetery,” she recalled “It was a town in the middle of the pine woods He wanted to show me the beautiful houses in świdermajer style where Jewish families lived.” Eventually, Sila learned that there was a Chabad center in the town before WWII that was used until the first Nazi bombardment of the Jewish area. Herself once a student at a Chabad seminary, she visited Lubavitch World Headquarters in Brooklyn, New York in 1980, where she met the Lubavitcher Rebbe Hence her interest in exploring Chabad’s roots Otwock was a vacation area for many Chasidic Jews It was also the base of Chabad-Lubavitch operations in Europe for many years prior to WWII spearheaded some two dozen schools in Europe Israel and many more in the Former Soviet Union “all I found was an empty piece of land,” she said Sila was bothered: could it be that the entire school building was actually demolished while all the homes in the vicinity were still standing “I looked at the pictures of the neighboring homes Rabbi Shalom Ber Levine, author of Toldot Chabad b’Polin, [The History of Chabad in Poland] and chief librarian of the Chabad-Lubavitch Library did extensive research on that era and location He and other researchers believed that the building did not exist anymore “The building was built from wood and presumably did not survive since it was abandoned in 1939,” said Levine explaining why no one looked for it until now Her efforts were well-rewarded when she learned that at some point Photos from the building reveal the surrounding gardens and trees where students would relax study or spend hours in contemplative prayer Sila had her eureka moment: “I could not believe my eyes when I saw the house from outside.” the building was owned by the city until it was recently sold showed up and offered to give Sila a tour of the inside “We went inside and I felt like it was all a dream where thousands of students studied until the Nazis destroyed Jewish life in Poland,” she told lubavitch.com The interior of the building has since been renovated and the structure reinforced but all the exterior details remain unchanged “I feel that all my visits to Poland were worth this discovery.” Δdocument.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value" Δdocument.getElementById( "ak_js_2" ).setAttribute( "value" A fire broke out at the National Center for Nuclear Research in Poland. It is located near Warsaw, RMF FM reports the center is located in the town of Otwock Preliminary reports suggest that a gas explosion occurred in a laboratory rented by an external company the incident took place far from the nuclear reactor He believes the fire most likely occurred due to "someone making a mistake." It is worth noting that the National Center for Nuclear Research is one of the largest research institutes in Poland It houses the only research nuclear reactor in Poland Earlier, RBC-Ukraine reported that a powerful fire and explosion occurred in the Polish city of Poznań around midnight on August 25 "Otwock was a very important juncture, one that restored us to a more or less normal course of life. Although [we were] without our parents, [and] not at home, that feeling of being together and that sense that everyone felt - it raised our spirits."Janek Młotek, from the online exhibition: “A Time to Heal - They Story of the Children’s Home in Otwock, Poland”. most children remained without a home or any relatives to return to children’s homes were set up throughout Poland in order to house those who remained alone One such children’s home was set up in Otwock Originally set up in January 1945 by Holocaust survivor Franciszka Oliwa the home was shortly thereafter aided financially and formalized and by June 1945 housed 130 child survivors Most of the teachers and staff were themselves survivors who saw in their work a mission and a deep sense of purpose as well as providing a degree of relief from their own grief and feeling of loss Arrival at the home was fraught and difficult mainly as the children were is poor physical and mental condition These children then had to readapt to life in a proper functioning society the home was tremendously important for these children - as it was for many in other children’s homes - and enabled a process of rehabilitation and recovery.  “Suddenly you see children in your situation We are relatively sane because of the fact that we were in a children’s home where we told each other exactly what we had experienced during the Holocaust.”1 "They were in essence our first friends The whole war we practically had no friends And even if we were playing with some children we were always fearfully aware that we have to hide something were children with whom we could be friends Immediately a group was established that was very homogenous Very strong relationships were formed between the children Upon liberation most of the children - as was the case with many other survivors - discovered that they were orphaned and alone in the world to find a place to call home - was basic and pressing If during the war these children had to endure the breakdown of the family unit and take sole responsibility for themselves and for their fates now the “togetherness” in the children home became tremendously meaningful they were now surrounded by children and staff members who had gone through similar experiences and who could relate to their own trials.               children’s homes were set up throughout Poland in order to house those who remained alone One such children’s home was set up in Otwock the home was tremendously important for these children - as it was for many in other children’s homes - and enabled a process of rehabilitation and recovery “Suddenly you see children in your situation. Everyone has shaven heads, everyone has a story. I think that this is what molded us, to an extent. We are relatively sane because of the fact that we were in a children’s home, where we told each other exactly what we had experienced during the Holocaust.”1 now the “togetherness” in the children home became tremendously meaningful The extreme and difficult experiences during the war deeply affected the children’s views and even basic concepts This is the condition in which the educational staff at the Otwock home - who themselves had endured the Holocaust and had lost family members - received the children “The staff of the home were people who had lost their families Some of them didn’t have any family or children For the teachers of the institution… ‘More than the calf wants to drink the cow wants to nurse.’ There were intensive attempts at all costs to restore us to completely normal behavioral patterns "Before bedtime a teacher would tell a story she would speak with each child and stroke their heads [...] The teachers [...] I think that primarily what helped them was the atmosphere of work The staff tried to help them bridge the gap in their education; to teach them how to study and learn because these were children who had no study habits or work habits All of the educational work was basically the work of psychologists Everyone worked together closely in this regard."4 the children were forced to learn how to lie not to trust adults - or almost anyone - all in order to survive they had to rebuild their relations of trust appreciation and love with the adult world many children had not been educated during this time had lacked any daily routine and had largely forgotten peacetime social norms the guides had to teach them how to stick to a daily schedule and adjust to a daily routine they were not forced to struggle in order to obtain food and survive form new friendships and maintain regular relations with the other children and more generally - reconstruct how to be children.This process of learning and recuperation was shared by the children and the guides which in turn contributed to the healing of the entire staff themselves bearing the heavy burden of trauma and loss the educational process that they were imparting was a corrective experience Sharing their own experiences with the Otwock staff allowed them to confront what they had gone through and begin the actual process of healing - for children and guides alike                                                                      The extreme and difficult experiences during the war deeply affected the children’s views and even basic concepts some of the children were forced to adopt assumed Christian identities which included publicly performing Christian practices in order to maintain believability the children began the process of reducing these practices the return to their Jews roots was a complex and often painful process the children were reacquainted with Jewish festivals and customs "It was the first place where we could walk with our heads held high We were Jewish once again.We didn’t have to be afraid You could say that we didn’t have a childhood The wartime instances of children in hiding and living under assumed identities spotlight some of the many elements that make up our identities: one’s father and mother survival during wartime effectively required cancelling all these in their original form in order to understand the complexity and the meaning of the return to life for these children which required a reversion that for many proved very difficult spotlight some of the many elements that make up our identities: one’s father and mother “I think that primarily what helped them was the atmosphere of work and hope for the future - and friendship.”6 Through the love and dedicated guidance of the Otwock children’s home staff trust and ultimately - to hope for a better life the stories and testimonies featured in the online exhibition.We can see the strong bonds that formed between the staff and the children in the many letters and photos that the children sent them The children saw the staff members as family often sending photos from central events in their lives The ties that were formed in the children’s home both between the children and the staff members and among the children themselves remained long after they had left the home and moved on to further stages in their lives “I think that primarily what helped them was the atmosphere of work, creativity, activity, and hope for the future - and friendship.”6 Through the love and dedicated guidance of the Otwock children’s home staff The ties that were formed in the children’s home The Yad Vashem website had recently undergone a major upgrade The page you are looking for has apparently been moved We are therefore redirecting you to what we hope will be a useful landing page For any questions/clarifications/problems, please contact: webmaster@yadvashem.org.il was a guest scholar at a shabbaton at Chabad of Poland under the auspices of Rabbi Sholom Ber Stambler including a group led by Cracow shliach Rabbi Eliezer Gurary Rabbi Dalfin discovered many of the places where the Rebbe and Frierdiker Rebbe lived including the location of the Rebbe and Rebbetzin’s wedding The historian intends to lead Chassidic tours in the area These willinclude visits to the Warsaw cemetery Otwock – where the Chabad yeshiva was from 1935-1939 – and a 5-mile radius in the former Jewish ghetto of Warsaw which included two Chabad shuls during the 1920s and 1930s one of Europes largest including graves of Harav Chaim Brisker The Rebbes wedding was held in what was later called 'inside the ghetto' Aug 31, 2023 | Culture, History, Society A Polish town has launched a scheme providing those seeking to build new homes with free architectural designs based on a famous style that developed in the area in the 19th century a town of 45,000 that sits alongside the capital Warsaw announced the scheme as part of a campaign to promote the architectural heritage of the town which is famous for its wooden “Świdermajer” style “This architectural design is original and unique on the national level which significantly increases the aesthetic value of the buildings,” said Margielski “We should try to incorporate elements of it as often as possible but we should also encourage residents to take inspiration from this style.” Otwock oferuje darmowe projekty domów typu „świdermajer” czyli klasycznego wzoru domu z tej okolicy. No i brawa dla Otwocka👏 Dobry pomysł na poprawę estetyki i krajobrazu kulturowego. pic.twitter.com/QPWyGOYgY4 — Jan Mencwel (@JanMencwel) August 30, 2023 The plan was first announced by Margielski in July and this month the municipal authorities published free downloadable construction and design plans for Świdermajer-style houses on the town’s website Residents can choose from three designs – entitled Classic Modern and Natur – which were created by an architecture studio selected through a competition and paid for by municipal funds The city then obtained the copyright to all three designs and made them available to use free of charge The design plans are intended for the construction of two-storey, single-family houses up to 70 square meters in the hope that the Świdermajer style will be “revived in our town and be an inspiration to residents” The Świdermajer style marries traditional elements of local wooden architecture with Swiss-style wide roofs and wooden porches with large windows of the type commonly seen in rural Russian houses It was first created by 19th-century Polish illustrator and architect Michał Elwiro Andriolli who is also known for his illustrations of Adam Mickiewicz’s epic poem Pan Tadeusz The name Świdermajer is a combination of the terms “Biedermeier” – a decorative movement that was created by and for the middle class between 1815 and 1848 – and “Świder” the name of both a river along which a number of villas were built and a village between Warsaw and Otwock that was home to many Świdermajer houses — Chancellery of the Prime Minister of Poland (@PremierRP_en) November 3, 2021 Anna Hackett is an assistant editor at Notes from Poland She is a recent graduate of European Studies from Trinity College Dublin and has had previous journalistic experience with the Irish Independent News & Media group , , The proportion of Poles saying the US has a positive influence on the world has also fallen to its lowest recorded level , , Poland has recorded the strongest rise in consumer sentiment across the EU this year , , , The stunt has also been criticised by Ukraine’s ambassador to Poland as well as politicians from Poland’s main ruling party Apr 30, 2025 | , , , That response will include “large Polish and NATO exercises in Poland” Apr 29, 2025 | , , , Those employed in Poland work on average the third-longest hours in the European Union Apr 28, 2025 | , , , , Westinghouse and Bechtel were first chosen in 2022 as partners on the 192 billion zloty ($51 billion) project please consider helping us to continue and expand it [email protected] Copyright © 2025 Notes From Poland | Design jurko studio | Code by 2sides.pl Senior Research Fellow at the Global Europe Centre ARTICLES BY THIS AUTHOR Weronika Strzyżyńska is currently studying journalism at Goldsmiths as a Scott Trust Bursary recipient She  has written on issues immigration and Brexit for New Statesman and Prospect Agnieszka Wądołowska is managing editor of Notes from Poland She has previously worked for Gazeta.pl and Tokfm.pl and contributed to Gazeta Wyborcza ARTICLES BY THIS AUTHOR ARTICLES BY THIS AUTHOR Daniel Tilles is editor-in-chief of Notes from Poland and assistant professor of history at the Pedagogical University of Krakow He has written on Polish affairs for a wide range of publications The Independent and Dziennik Gazeta Prawna ARTICLES BY THIS AUTHOR Stanley Bill is the founder and editor-at-large of Notes from Poland.He is also Senior Lecturer in Polish Studies and Director of the Polish Studies Programme at the University of Cambridge Stanley has spent more than ten years living in Poland He founded Notes from Poland in 2014 as a blog dedicated to personal impressions cultural analysis and political commentary He is committed to the promotion of deeper knowledge and understanding of Poland He is the Chair of the Board of the Notes from Poland Foundation ARTICLES BY THIS AUTHOR ARTICLES BY THIS AUTHOR Professor of European Studies at Oxford University ARTICLES BY THIS AUTHOR Professor at the Institute of History of the Jagiellonian University ARTICLES BY THIS AUTHOR Executive Director of Taube Family Foundation ARTICLES BY THIS AUTHOR Associate Professor at the Institute of Political Studies of the Polish Academy of Science ARTICLES BY THIS AUTHOR ARTICLES BY THIS AUTHOR ARTICLES BY THIS AUTHOR children who had been in hiding emerged and began the long process of returning to a normal life Many of the children had survived by hiding behind false Christian identities which demanded that they openly practice the Christian faith in order to maintain their credibility leading to a certain adoption of the assumed identity by the child the children began to shed their false Christian personae and learn to live as Jews once again returning to their Jewish roots was a difficult and complicated process In the home the children were exposed to Jewish customs and holidays and were encouraged to live openly as Jews proud of their heritage As part of the network of children’s homes established by the Central Organization of Polish Jewry the children’s home in Otwock strove to educate the children to be proud Jews as well as patriotic Polish citizens who strove to inculcate within the children a love for Yiddish culture and civilization along with a vision of a Jewish future in Poland Zionism’s message that the only guaranteed future for the Jewish people lay in the land of Israel began to penetrate the children’s home and underground Zionist youth movements became active there Though the administration attempted to stem this tide the antisemitism the children had encountered during their schooling and their contacts with the surrounding environment only helped to bolster the Zionist feelings of many in the home Some of the older children ran away from the children’s home and entered homes run by the Zionist movements where they began their long journey to the land of Israel Global Sisters Report a project of National Catholic Reporter Sign up now Sister Alicja of the Franciscan Sisters Servants of the Cross pushes Ukrainian refugee Jan at the monastery where they help blind children in Laski View Author Profile View Author Profile Warsaw train stations were overflowing with women and children It was as packed as it would be for a "futbol match" said Olga Sulkowski a 36-year-old mother of three and emergency response coordinator with Caritas in Poland recalling that the women and children were the same age as she and her own children Sulkowski and other Polish families have opened their homes or assisted in some way the estimated 3.6 million Ukrainians who fled the war in their homeland While about 1.5 million Ukrainians have returned home large numbers remained in Poland and nearby countries as the war reached the 100-day mark June 4 on the faculty at Cardinal Stefan Wyszynski University said the couple prayed about what they could do to help and agreed they would open their home in Otwock "We live comfortably in our home," he said explaining that they are helping in any way they can until the conflict is resolved The population of Poland's capital city has risen by more than 17% since March Refugees are not seen lingering on the streets because they have found assistance and jobs locally through the generosity of Poles It tore 46-year-old Svetlana Starovytska's heart to leave Kyiv because her husband and 21-year-old son were obliged to stay in the city and fight Ukrainian refugee Svetlana Starovytska comforts her son at the home of Olga and Mariusz Sulkowski in Otwock Starovytska's brother took her and her children a driver came by and offered a free ride to a border crossing at Medyka the family climbed into the small car and made their way west Starovytska described the trip as confusing because Ukrainians had taken down road signs in an effort to thwart navigation for Russian soldiers The family crossed the border in the middle of the night making it to a refugee reception center at the Torwar arena in Warsaw the exhausted family collapsed in a heap only to be awakened 15 minutes later by Mariusz Sulkowski's smiling face but it was very comfortable to have a safe place for the children," Starovytska said of the three months her family has lived with the Sulkowskis The Sulkowski home is full of the endless movement of play between the six children living within its walls Communication happens in four different languages simultaneously add some Polish and Russian and end with English," Olga Sulkowski said laughing and explaining how the war has made them a new kind of family for life refugees have sought a different path to safety As the bombs fell in Ukraine's capital of Kyiv soon after Russia's invasion three Franciscan Sisters Servants of the Cross ran to their chapel to retrieve the Eucharist before hunkering down for safety in the lowest level of their convent One of the nuns, Sister Karolina satchels of essentials by their side so could flee at a moment's notice if necessary as rockets fell in Zytomierz in northwest Ukraine, Sister Karolina said she and the other sisters called the families of the blind students the sisters teach at their day care center and told them not to come to school The situation on the ground was changing rapidly and the dangers of war were unknown the sisters left their convent and care center they have taught blind children to learn the basic activities of everyday life is a house known as Our Lady of the Rosary where they care for blind children during the week The sisters were drawn to confirm the safety of the families regularly and provided them with food and humanitarian aid donated by the local community and Caritas-Spes Ukraine the situation became too dangerous for the families to stay in their homes Sister Angelica of the Franciscan Sisters Servants of the Cross talked with a visually impaired refugee student from Ukraine at their monastery in Laski Coordinating with their motherhouse in Laski the sisters helped desperate mothers trying to protect their children and provided an escape plan The mothers left husbands and older sons behind to fight the war They were given shelter within the sisters' school and convent on the outskirts of Zytomierz until they could safely travel to the sisters' motherhouse Hidden on the edge of the primeval Kampinos Forest Children laughed as they played under a canopy of tall pines with blooming lilacs and wild flowers nearby Spring has brought certain warmth in contrast to the bleak winter the refugees spent under siege Among the simple dormitory buildings and classrooms are a vaulted folk-like chapel with a rustic interior constructed of unpeeled pine tree logs The Angelic Mother of God Chapel is the center of prayer for the monastic Franciscan order Sister Fabiana of the Franciscan Sisters Servants of the Cross hugs 10-year-old Katia The congregation was founded after World War I by Servant of God Mother Elizabeth Róza Czacka she lost her sight at age 22 after a horse-riding accident Rather than remain lost in her own darkness of sight young Elizabeth traveled throughout Europe studying methods of helping those without sight so they integrate into society instead of living on its fringes Her order's mission is to serve the physically blind as well as the spiritually blind Ukrainian refugees have found safety and support from the order Newly arrived blind children from Kyiv are not as adventurous as those who have been in residence for years One of the women religious, Sister Alicja said the children are "weary of voices they do not recognize" and are easily frightened The Franciscans comfort the kids with love and kindness which has been used as a hospital during both world wars that a community of 63 mothers and children live work and have the opportunity to pray with the nuns who asked that only her first name be used Sister Fabian has difficulty imagining what human efforts will end the war "Only God's help will bring healing," she said then enter your email address and click "subscribe" Global Sisters Report 4 Lubavitch bochurim traveled Otwock, Poland, to search for the first Tomchei Temimim Yeshiva which stood at 1 Slowackiego Street. Full Story who were in Poland on Merkos Shlichus for Pesach traveled to the city where the first Yeshiva Tomchei Temimim Lubavitch once stood They took the 30 minutes drive from Warsaw to Otwock the town in central Poland that was home to the Yeshiva before the Second World War which has since grown into a network of more than 1,000 yeshivas It was the first to integrate the “Nigle” part of Torah (Talmud and Halachah) with the “Nistar” (esoteric teachings of Chassidism) in a formal study program While originally situated on 1 Slowackiego Street the bochurim told COLlive.com they only found a sand road and some trees going through the property “There were only a few small houses on the so-called ‘block’,” they reported said L’Chaim and sang a niggun and brought some Chassidishkeit back to a place which is now barren of it.” Sign up for the COLlive Daily News Roundup and never miss a story Δdocument.getElementById("ak_js_1").setAttribute("value",(new Date()).getTime()) Δdocument.getElementById("ak_js_2").setAttribute("value",(new Date()).getTime()) My uncle lived in the dorm for this yeshiva for many years May he rest in peace wherever he is buried in Poland one sec ..that bochur with the hat ..is’nt that mockin? isn’t that where R’ Gerlitzky z”lcame from i have just discovered an eldery friend has a set of machzorim given by prev rebbe when she was a refugee in Otwock but the address says “otwock prusa 6” inside cover.I would be interested to know if anyone can find out from the bocherim if they visited this address and what if any it has significance vas vet zayn ven r’laima vet zhen?!!1 as the sign tells you the name of the city on your way out Bochurim were there in the late 80’s as well the yeshivah was in one of the so called houses Sunday marked the 118th anniversary of the founding of Yeshivas Tomchei Temimim in Lubavitch Russia students of the Yeshiva study and converse in front of its home in Otwock where it relocated after the Previous Rebbe was expelled from Russia in 1927 Last year, the building of the Yeshiva was discovered still standing by publisher and researcher Sila Rosenfeld The one sitting in the middle looks Rabbi Rodal i think i see rabbi rodel sitting by the table its a hotel owned by the Gelbfish family that was used by the yeshiva as a dormitory It’s printed in Toldos Chabad B’Polin Lita V’Latvia (Kehot Budimex has been selected by PKP PLK the company that operates Poland’s railways which links Warsaw and Dorohusk with the Ukrainian border The two contracts are worth a total of 986 million zlotys Budimex will install new rails and overhead power lines create a control system and build or upgrade 38 structures It will also build new platforms that are adapted to persons with reduced mobility and buildings for rail traffic management and track maintenance This contract is to be completed in 22 months The second section, which is 30 kilometers long, connects Otwock to Pilawa. Ferrovial Agroman is participating in this contract alongside Budimex The two companies will upgrade 74 kilometers of track and modernize the stations in Otwock passes and tunnels) and 12 level crossings and modernize the electrical system overhead lines and water and sewer infrastructure Ferrovial Agroman’s Polish subsidiary has participated in executing a number of railway projects, including building Gdansk Metro HEAD OF EXTERNAL COMMUNICATION AND INSTITUTIONAL RELATIONS EXTERNAL COMMUNICATION AND MEDIA RELATIONS HEAD OF US CORPORATE COMMUNICATIONS AND BRAND Ferrovial is proud to announce that the Silvertown Tunnel a landmark infrastructure project that will significantly enhance transportation in East London has now officially opened This achievement delivered on behalf.. Budimex the Polish subsidiary of Ferrovial is part of the consortium responsible for designing and building the main line of Rail Baltica in Estonia The project scope includes the design.. Ferrovial in consortium with Gyocivil and Licuas will lead the project to transform the northern end of Paseo de la Castellana which includes works to depress the section between Calle.. Can try another term or browse the main menu to find what you are looking for A concrete obelisk that North Korean school children put up near their dormitory to honor Polish-North Korean friendship is seen in Otwock Fragments of the Polish inscription on the obelisk suggest it says” friendship” and the part of the date is April 19 North Korean war orphans lived and went to a school in the town in the 1950s before they returned to North Korea in 1959 The remain of a concrete obelisk that North Korean war orphans put up before they returned to North Korea in 1959 to memorialize North Korean-Polish friendship North Korea sent thousands of orphans it couldn’t feed to Eastern European communist allies Then several years later they were all abruptly ordered to return home shows the end of 1956/57 school year report and grades for North Korean boy Czou-Jun-czewu It shows he got excellent grades in behavior and drawing and good in handicrafts Flim director Kim Deog-Young speaks during an interview at the exhibition hall for Korean War in Seoul His film “Kim Il Sung’s Children” — referring to North Korea’s founder and wartime leader — will be released June 25 the 70th anniversary the Korean War’s start The three-year conflict destroyed much of North and South Korea killed more than 1 million people and orphaned an estimated 100,000 children.(AP Photo/Lee Jin-man) Film director Kim Deog-Young speaks near the exhibition hall of Korean War during an interview in Seoul sheds light on this mostly forgotten chapter of Cold War history using interviews with the North Koreans’ surviving European classmates and teachers.(AP Photo/Lee Jin-man) Film director Kim Deog-Young speaks during an interview in Seoul killed more than 1 million people and orphaned an estimated 100,000 children Film director Kim Deog-Young walks at the exhibition hall for Korean War in Seoul Film director Kim Deog-Young speaks during an interview at the exhibition hall for Korean War in Seoul shows a picture of North Korean and Polish school children whom she taught Polish in 1956-57 when North Korean war orphans lived and went to school in Otwock This photocopy of an undated picture provided by Primary School No 5 in Otwock shows the signatures that North Korean and Polish primary school children placed on the reverse side of their class VII North Korean war orphans lived and went to a school in Otwock in the 1950s This photocopy of an undated photo provided by Primary School No 5 in Otwock shows North Korean and Polish primary school children with their Polish teachers in front of their school in Otwock where North Korean war orphans lived and went to school in the 1950s 5 in Otwock shows North Korean and Polish primary school children with their Polish teachers inside their school in Otwock looks through the school reports of the North Korean war orphans whom she taught the Polish language in 1956-57 Then several years later they were all abruptly ordered to return home.(AP Photo/Czarek Sokolowski) in the primary school classroom where she taught Polish language to North Korean war orphans in 1956-57 5 in Otwock shows North Korean and Polish primary school children at their school in Otwock South Korea (AP) — Six decades after they returned to their homeland traces of thousands of North Korean children orphaned by the Korean War linger for the elderly Europeans whose lives they briefly touched Some 5,000 orphans were sent to live in Poland Czechoslovakia and East Germany — all communist allies — as part of Soviet-led projects to reconstruct war-ravaged North Korea The orphans studied in local schools and made local friends “We weren’t told — not at all — they just stopped coming to school,” said Halina Dobek “These children were leaving Poland with no enthusiasm.” It’s a mostly forgotten slice of Cold War history but a new documentary shines light on the lives of the orphans whose departure still weighs on the Europeans who knew them The film “Kim Il Sung’s Children” — referring to North Korea’s founder and wartime leader — will be released June 25 the reconstruction of both countries — including what to do with the orphans — became a part of the Cold War rivalry At the same time the North Koreans were being sent for education in Eastern Europe thousands of South Korean orphans were being adopted by families in North America and Western Europe the United States and the Soviet Union were competing such as who could first send people into space they also competed on ways to show whose political system was more humane and more superior,” said Kim Deog-Young When the North Koreans started arriving in Europe the countries were still reeling from the devastation of World War II The film shows Bulgarians giving flowers to North Korean children who lives in the Bulgarian town of Parvomay recalls in the film that her new classmates were fed five times a day and wore leather shoes while local students had rubber shoes “We played football and volleyball together on a hill Some orphans were haunted by memories of wartime bombing and hid under tables when they heard the sound of planes North Korea sent its own citizens to Europe to teach the children the Korean language while European teachers handled other subjects She told AP that the children “needed the warmth of our hearts.” “The younger ones wanted us to stroke their heads Most of the North Koreans lived in dormitories The film includes footage from the Romanian national archive that shows the orphans saluting a North Korean flag with an image of Kim Il Sung and marching with military-like precision at their new school The orphans sang “The Song of General Kim Il Sung” so frequently that some classmates still remember some words some elderly Bulgarians sing together in Korean about “our general Kim Il Sung whose name is glorious.” there are still faded photos of the North Koreans as well as report cards showing they got excellent grades in painting the pine trees the North Koreans planted have grown tall and the remains of an obelisk they put up to memorialize the nations’ friendship can still be found that the North Koreans started returning home The film shows footage from 1959 of young North Koreans reaching through train windows for farewell handshakes with Bulgarian friends says she and her North Korean friend Kim Jin Wu cried together while hugging before saying goodbye There was never a public explanation for why the orphans were ordered home but both the film and experts speculate that Kim could have been concerned about the young North Koreans being too influenced by a foreign culture at a time when there were some anti-Soviet protests in Eastern Europe and calls for political reforms some of the orphans sent letters to teachers and classmates told AP that one student sent her mother a painting he had made of a Korean landscape She said others wrote letters saying they wished to return to Poland What happened to most of the orphans is not known told AP that his Russian language teacher in the 1980s had been sent to Romania as an orphan and reminisced about feasting on bread chief of Korean studies at Poland’s University of Wroclaw said three former North Korean diplomats dispatched to Poland and a fourth who taught Polish at a Pyongyang university were orphans sent to Poland Their now elderly European friends wish the North Koreans the best “I wish my friends could live as innocently as we did when we were children,” Lilka Anatasova Log in and download the free e-publication of the latest A&B The printed version is available for sale online in our store and press salons throughout Poland unique e-mail [will also be used as login in the portal] Only name - check the correctness of the data Only the last name - check the correctness of the data password must be at least 8 characters long * fields required for registration; data can be completed in account settings after logging in ** establishment of a student account follows verification of the validity of the student ID card Please try later or let us know: contact Technology: aitnet.pl Ⓒ AiB Publishing House 2025 whose leg was broken during the Warsaw Uprising and healed abnormally while he was in hiding underwent surgery at a Russian military hospital in 1945 in Otwock As an archivist at the YIVO Institute for Jewish Research it’s not unusual for me to hear from people who are still searching for information about their relatives but most of the queries end up in dead ends turned out differently because of a single article in the Forverts that — not once but twice — had an extraordinary impact on several lives I was one of those caught up in an amazing circle of fate The story begins with George Saltzberg of Toronto who called me with an inquiry but had only the sketchiest of details He was hoping to find a story about a Polish orphanage that had appeared shortly after World War II in a New York Yiddish newspaper who was cared for after the war in the children’s home in Otwock Before the Worst: Wacek Zalcberg (right) walks in Warsaw with his mother one of several children’s homes run by the Central Committee of Jews in Poland had worked there after her liberation in May 1945 I had run across an article in the Forverts I remember spotting the piece and fixating on the headline staring back at me from the microfilm reader It read: “Tsvishn di geratevete kinder in Otwock” or “Among the rescued children in Otwock.” I quickly began to search for my grandmother’s name I felt that this article could be important — if not for me stuck it between the pages of a Yiddish book resting on my kitchen table and promptly forgot about it I went home that night and took the article out of the book I saw that it included a segment on his father who today goes by the name of Walter Saltzberg I promptly e-mailed George Saltzberg the good news along with a brief summary of what the article said about his father Power of Print: An article in the Forverts twice led to powerful connections and the next time I was at the YIVO office I scanned the entire article and e-mailed it to George Saltzberg He told me that upon receiving the article he had phoned his father to tell him about it had had to pull over to the side of the road because he was so overcome with emotion and so grateful to know that the article had been found It was not the first time that this newspaper story had had a big impact it had played a pivotal role in Walter Saltzberg’s life as I learned from several exchanges with George and his father Wacek Zalcberg was born into an upper- middle-class family in Warsaw in 1931 His family’s apartment was on Leszno Street which nine years later fell within the borders of the Warsaw Ghetto acquired papers that allowed them to work in a German factory a family friend and a member of the Polish underground smuggled Wacek out of the ghetto and hid him in his apartment Wacek was never to see his parents or brother again Wacek remained hidden in the apartment for two years including a young man 10 years his senior who went by the Polish pseudonym Piotr Jabłoński Wacek was buried up to his head in rubble and had suffered a badly cut and broken leg Piotr led Wacek to a new hiding place and did his best to tend to the boy’s wounds He also protected Wacek from the few other Jews who were concealed in this underground space and who wanted to kill him rather than risk discovery from the boy’s involuntary cries of pain because of his broken leg Wacek and Piotr remained in the tight crawlspace until January 1945 subsisting on little more than some water and a bag of rotten onions found in the ruins of another building Wacek finally got medical treatment for his leg in May 1945 his leg had healed abnormally and was badly twisted and shortened Piotr placed Wacek in the care of the Otwock Jewish orphanage And this is where the Forverts article played its first pivotal role in the Saltzberg family story The Yiddish newspaper article described in detail what had happened to Wacek when he was hiding in a “hole in the ground” just above a sewer who was being cared for at the Otwock orphanage was expected to go to Stockholm for a follow-up operation Shortly after the Forverts article appeared was walking along a New York City street with a friend he spotted Wacek’s name in the article about the Otwock orphanage he had assumed that the entire Zalcberg family had perished Shwartzapel quickly arranged for Wacek ­­— now Walter Saltzberg ­— to join distant relatives in Winnipeg in 1947 and overcome the hardships of his early life led him to marry raise a family and become a well-respected civil engineer He recently shared his thoughts with me by telephone: “For many survivors but I did not want to let it consume me.” This is clearly the motto by which he has lived his entire life After surviving life in two ghettos and two concentration camps Piotr Jabłoński — later Peter Jablonski — also moved to Canada he translated the Yiddish article into English for the Saltzberg father and son His obituary in the Toronto Star noted that Peter lost his parents and a sister in the Holocaust “led him to save the lives of many during the war,” among them Walter Saltzberg Walter Saltzberg had made a yearly trip to Toronto to visit Jablonski had helped care for Jablonski and his wife I cannot help but marvel at what this simple inquiry and a set of unusual coincidences brought me: friendship and the warmth of family As George Saltzberg has conveyed to me more than once it is difficult to believe that we have known each other only a short time and have never met and yet we have become “a virtual family.” Although my grandmother — who passed away in 1999 — was not mentioned in the Forverts article Walter Saltzberg and my grandmother overlapped at the orphanage I only wish that my grandmother were still alive so that I could ask her more questions about her days spent tending to the young Holocaust survivors Contact Rivka Schiller at [email protected] I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward American Jews need independent news they can trust At a time when other newsrooms are closing or cutting back the Forward has removed its paywall and invested additional resources to report on the ground from Israel and around the U.S rising antisemitism and polarized discourse This is a great time to support independent Jewish journalism you rely on See our full guidelines for more information, and this guide for detail about canonical URLs subject line “republish,” with any questions or to let us know what stories you’re picking up Copyright © 2025 The Forward Association 2021Get email notification for articles from Ofer Aderet FollowJan 26 The photographs on display in “My Lost Childhood,” the new exhibition on the Yad Vashem website present an aspect of the post-Holocaust renaissance that is full of life Apr 20, 2021 | Culture, History but also periods of stability and prosperity That has produced a varied architectural landscape as well as those – such as Warsaw’s Old Town – that have been rebuilt from ruins But it has also left behind a trail of places forgotten Their eerie shells have now been overgrown by forests offering intriguing detours for intrepid travellers Below is a selection of ten of Poland’s most interesting abandoned places from a German Nazi torpedo platform and Soviet nuclear site to a graveyard for kiosks and the world’s tallest pope statue Resting on sunken caissons some 300 metres from a beach in Gdynia’s Babie Doły district an abandoned Nazi torpedo test site has long intrigued swimmers and inspired architects Source: Czonek/Wikimedia commons (under CC BY 4.0) The skeleton is all that remains of a platform that was erected in 1942 when the area was still part of the former German state of West Prussia the station was later used by the Soviet Army for military dive training It eventually fell into disrepair and the long wooden pier was blown up to cut off access It is now unsupervised and only reachable by swimming or boat a plan to transform the relict into a monastery for Franciscan monks was chosen as 2020’s top student project by the Association of Polish Architects (SARP) Paweł Lisiak’s vision of a sea-bound monastic escape was lauded for “confronting the sacred with the profane” The railway line from Warsaw to nearby Otwock a spa retreat especially popular with the pre-war Varsovian middle class is lined with distinctive local wooden villas Their wide roofs conjure up images of Swiss chalets and their windowed porches hark back to tsarist-era Siberian dachas A Świdermajer cottage in Józefów (Bonvol/Wikimedia Commons, under CC BY-SA 3.0) Renovated Abram Gurewicz Sanatorium, one of the largest wooden buildings in Poland (Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Poland/Flickr, under CC BY-NC 2.0) The trademark local style is known as Świdermajer – a neologism combining the name of the local river Świder with the 19th-century central European Biedermeier aesthetic built such a house for himself after settling in Otwock followed by a dozen or so more villas for rent Regular guests included Poland’s Nobel prize winner in literature Władyslaw Reymont poet Julian Tuwim and educator Janusz Korczak Of the hundreds of villas built by the turn of the 20th century today only around 180 remain under conservation in Otwock The town is now building a dozen bus shelters with lace-like spruce woodwork emulating the cottages to keep the local history alive “Lodusieńka” villa, built in 1934 in Otwock (NA/Wikimedia Commons, under CC BY-SA 3.0) A dentist’s surgery in Otwock (Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Poland/Flickr, under CC BY-NC 2.0) Napoleon ordered the construction of the Modlin fortress as his army marched on Moscow the sprawling site was taken over by the Poles and expanded including a neo-Renaissance granary added to the complex in 1853 A view of the Narew (left) and Vistula (right) rivers (Piotr Zakrzewski/Pixabay, under Pixabay License) Granary at Modlin Fortress (Piotr Zakrzewski/Pixabay, under Pixabay licence) The brick building was chiefly meant for grain storage but the lower floor windows were built to also serve up a sprinkling of artillery fire The bomb-damaged shell was saved from demolition by Polish architect Jan Zachwatowicz who led the reconstruction of nearby Warsaw after the Second World War The Modlin fortress on the other bank of the Narew served as a military facility until 2000 and is now open to visitors It includes 2,250-metre hexagonal barracks that could house 20,000 soldiers in peacetime and up to 100,000 people during wartime and are believed to be the longest building in Europe Military barracks in Modlin Fortress (Piotr Zakrzewski/Pixabay, under Pixabay licence) Military barracks in Modlin Fortress (Piotr Zakrzewski/Pixabay, under Pixabay licence) Poland’s first nuclear power station is scheduled to go online in 2033 the country came close to launching its first nuclear plant as early as the 1980s in Żarnowiec Unfinished main building of Żarnowiec nuclear plant (Mzywial/Wikimedia Commons, under CC BY-SA 4.0) the site 50 km northwest of Gdańsk was shaping up to house two 465 MW reactors Yet the Chernobyl disaster in neighbouring Ukraine in 1986 spooked the authorities and a 1990 provincial referendum showed that 86% of local residents opposed the construction of the plant the government liquidated the nuclear project abandoning the site to looting and flooding and the other two sold to Finland and Hungary recovering $6 million of the estimated $500 million outlay How Chernobyl fake news poisons nuclear energy debate in Poland A dozen medieval-looking towers poke out of the forest near the village of Łapalice the castle’s unpainted brick walls and empty window openings betray it for the shell that it has become since it was abandoned in 1991 A side view of Łapalice Castle (Marian Naworski/Wikimedia commons, under CC BY 4.0) Polish artist Piotr Kazimierczak set out to build a grand studio a series of legal and financial obstacles meant construction was halted and never resumed While the estate is not officially open to visitors, the property is reportedly accessible through a gate. Another attempt to build an even grander medieval-style castle on a lake in the protected Notecka Forest has hit similar snags as evidence emerged that the residential development extended beyond original building permissions and seven people involved in the project were detained last year Officials detained over medieval-style castle residence built in EU-protected forest in Poland the pre-war Hydrierwerke Pölitz petrol plant produced a large share of Germany’s liquid fuels and lubricated much of the Nazi war effort The plant used high-pressured hydrogenation processes to turn brown coal into synthetic fuels for the Luftwaffe Kriegsmarine warships as well as Wehrmacht cars and tanks Abandoned railway station near Police (Tomasz Przywecki/Flickr, under BY-NC-ND 2.0) Sachsenhausen and Ravensbrück concentration camps sent around 30,000 prisoners to forced labour at the factory The plant was hit by a dozen major air raids and abandoned by the retreating Germans Factory structures in Police (Tomasz Przywecki/Flickr, under CC BY-NC-ND 2.0) they sent any valuable technological elements back to the USSR Today the decaying structures – located in what is now the Polish city of Police – have been repopulated by bats Post-industrial “Venice of Szczecin” to be revitalised wow! https://t.co/hlbVcHwSTv — Żaneta Gotowalska (@gotowalska) July 16, 2019 operator of around 2,000 kiosks and newsagent stores across Poland the field is meant as a “parking space” for unprofitable kiosks that are to be either relocated or scrapped A glance at the football team names graffitied on many of them indicates that they are from nearby Łódź Another junkyard in Tomaszów Mazowiecki harbours tens of rusting cars with other sites around the country previously also hosting retired trams and trains a deadly nuclear arsenal is believed to have been hidden in the forests near Borne Sulinowo So secretive was the Soviet military enclave – accessible only with special passes until 1991 – that even nearby residents were unaware of the stock of nuclear warheads ready for a sudden attack by NATO forces pictured in 2001 (Wojciech Olkusnik/Agencja Gazeta) The lush local forests are scarred with a long military history the town hosted a Nazi prisoner of war camp before becoming the USSR’s military facility stationing up to 12,000 troops Old officers’ house in Borne Sulinowo (Kamil Porembiński/Flickr, under CC BY-SA 2.0) Soviet military cemetery in Borne Sulinowo (Kamil Porembiński/Flickr, under CC BY-SA 2.0) Now the barracks have been converted into residential apartments but the forest is still littered with cement skeletons a large military hospital and a railway line remains a mystery Unique ant colony trapped in abandoned Polish nuclear bunker survived by eating its own dead the mayor of Częstochowa eagerly unveiled the world’s tallest statue of a pope The local archbishop blessed the likeness of Polish Pope John Paul II a businessman who believed that the pope helped rescue his son from drowning on holiday the 13.8-metre statue drew large crowds to the surrounding Sacral Miniatures park John Paul II statue in Złota Góra miniatures park (Greger Ravik/Flickr, under CC BY 2.0) These days the gates to the tourist park are locked The towering white figure – criticised by some for bearing more semblance to Polish strongman Mariusz Pudzianowski than the former pope as well as for betraying John Paul II’s own principles of modesty – looms over nearby houses With the park now up for sale getting a closer look at the abandoned giant is mainly possible by having local residents kindly let you in through their back gardens And further down the local religious route, the largest JP2 (14m) statue in the world – unveiled with great pomp in 2013, now forgotten – awkwardly looms over the neighbourhood from inside an abandoned sacral miniatures entertainment park pic.twitter.com/1WM16PPifz — Maria Wilczek (@mariawilczek) March 7, 2021 What is believed to be the largest metal turbine in Europe took Józef Antos a quarter of a century and roughly one million zloty to put up The locksmith from the village of Rębielice Królewskie began working on his project in 1978 His turbine was to have a rotor of almost 280 blades and a diameter of 32 metres topped on a 54-metre tower above a control room with the goal of generating 35KW of power at a wind speed of 2m/s The rusting 240-tonne construction is expected to be taken apart in the coming years Communist-era skyscraper completed in Kraków after 45 years Poland is home to a number of well-preserved bunkers and imposing industrial warehouses that have not made the above list as in recent years event organisers and architects have started to revitalise their shells to host hip food markets Enthusiasts of off-the-beaten-track relicts will soon have to compete with not just trees and bats but increasingly also developers and architects Main image credit: Łukasz Nowak/Flickr (under CC BY-ND 2.0) Maria Wilczek is deputy editor of Notes from Poland , , , , , [email protected] Rabbi Moshe Feder, one of the elder Chasidim of Montreal who was one of the students of Otwock and Shanghai, passed away. Full Story one of the elder Chasidim of Montreal who was one of the students of Otwock and Shanghai passed away in Montreal early Sunday morning Rabbi Feder was an outstanding Torah scholar and orator who started his Lubavitch Yeshiva education back in Otwock in 1936 when the Previous Lubavitcher Rebbe was still living there Rabbi Feder escaped along with fellow Yeshivah students Moshe Eliyahu Gerlitzky and Menachem Zev Greenglass to Vilna Feder and 53 other students of the Chabad Yeshivah managed to secure transit visas from Japanese consul Chiune Sugihara in Kaunas ultimately finding refuge in Japanese annexed Shanghai Rabbi Feder taught and inspired thousands of students at the United Talmud Torah in Montreal He was often called upon to substitute as the magid shiur at the legendary Reb Avrohom Karp’s daf yomi shiur in the yeshiva and he was a yodaya sefer as well as well versed in chochmos umos ha’olam and history,” a friend told COLlive daughters Rivkah Mattel (Ricky) Hollander – Boston NY and son Yankie Feder – Five Towns Sunday at 12 noon at Chessed Shel Emes in Montreal and at 12:45 at the Lubavitcher Yeshiva He will be buried on Har Hamenuchos in Eretz Yisrael Rabbi Moshe Feder points out to Mendy Alevsky of the My Encounter project who is who in a picture of bochurim in the Lubavitcher Yeshiva in Shanghai I graduated from Herzliya high school in the early 80s I was privileged to have rabbi Feder as a teacher who in his own way inspired my Talmud and Torah learning May his memory be for a blessing for so many that still learn today A kind teacher with a sense of humour and patience which we did not always deserve as a bunch of rowdy He was respectful to the girls and this was a rare feature amongst Gmarah teachers in HHS He made the subject interesting and relevant Rabbi Feder always had a smile and a great love for his students May his family be comforted among the mourners of Zion and Jerusalem He was a good zaidy and always had a smile I love you zaidy and may we be reunited with the coming of moshiach soon Rabbi Feder was my teacher in Grade 6 @ UTT and I had him for many shiurim @ Herzliah He was a beloved and highly respected teacher who truly cared about his students He was very close with Harav Aryeh Leib Baron Zatzal going back to Shanghai and would daven with us @ Rabbi Baron’s on Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur to being our Shaliach Tzibur for Shacahrit and Kriyat Hatorah There was an emesdikeh kavanah to the tephillah that I not experienced since those very special days Rabbi Feder was blessed with a… Read more » We were blessed to know Rabbi Feder who was a scolar and a gentle and kind man to all I distinctly remember his davening and torah reading on Rosh Hashana and Yom Kipur May the family be comforted among the mourners of Zion [email protected] [email protected] HaMokom Yenacham Eschem BSoich Shaare Aveilei Tzion Virushayalim Is there anywhere that we can send Nochum Aveilim How fortunate for our community that Hashem brought you to Montreal CA Immo exits non-core market Serbia with the sale of the 19,600 sqm office building Sava Business Center in Belgrade Both the sales price and the buyer are subject to confidentiality As the PBSA sector finally takes off in Poland it is now increasingly attracting international operators and investors Eurobuild CEE spoke to Xior's investment manager about why it has such confidence in the Polish market Residential developer Develia has signed a preliminary agreement to acquire all the shares in Bouygues Immobilier Polska the Polish subsidiary of Bouygues Immobilier ESA logistika has leased 15,000 sqm in Prologis Park Piotrków GLP has completed the development of its Wrocław V Logistics Centre and has received a BREEAM rating of Outstanding Panattoni has secured EUR 40 mln in financing from BNP Paribas for the development of Panattoni Park Sosnowiec IV Newgate Investment (NGI) and Redkom Development are developing a large retail park in Bydgoszcz Deutsche Hypo – NORD/LB Real Estate Finance has provided a five-year green loan to Olivia Seven for the refinancing of the Olivia Prime A office building in Gdańsk-Oliwa communications and security company Motorola Solutions has signed a five-year lease renewal 18,000 sqm at the Green Office complex in Kraków’s Podgórze district Falling interest rates and easing monetary policy across the eurozone and CEEi are boosting investor confidence in the region’s commercial real estate market reveals Colliers in its ‘Beyond Real Estate | Economy’ report Panattoni is to build the Panattoni Park Mainz Süd in Erbes-Büdesheim bei Alzey Axi Immo has presented its latest report “Warsaw Office Market – Q1 2025 The market opened in 2025 on a steady footing with a notable increase in leasing activity and a modest decline in vacancy landlords continue to focus on upgrading existing assets and prioritizing quality over quantity Convenience store chain Żabka has officially opened a new logistics centre in Kąty Wrocławskie The first stage of the development will serve 1,500 stores in the Wrocław area Romanian Post has leased over 5,000 sqm of logistics space in CTPark Bucharest to serve as its temporary regional courier and logistics hub for Bucharest JLL has announced the sale and leaseback of two properties by a manufacturing company in a deal worth over PLN 1 bln Warehouse developer CTP is adding 2,000 sqm to its Clubco coworking development in Brno pbb Deutsche Pfandbriefbank has extended an investment facility to PineBridge Benson Elliot for the Diuna Office Park in Warsaw The hotel market in Bucharest continued its recovery in 2024 while the ADR has finally surpassed the milestone of EUR 100 Torus has announced its All.inn students’ residence concept that is soon to appear on ul BIG Poland has acquired the Multishop Suwałki retail park comprising 13,000 sqm of retail space The company now owns nine fully commercialized retail parks in Poland Slate Asset Management has sold three OBI retail stores to the Lindner Group from Germany Cushman & Wakefield has conducted a survey the findings of which are presented in the report From Shopping to Experiences: A Customer’s View on Shopping Centres and Retail Parks Cushman & Wakefield notes that despite evolving shopping trends both retail formats continue to hold strong appeal Multi Poland has taken on the management of the Galeria Przymorze shopping centre in Gdańsk The store offers lifestyle and sporting clothing and is to open this spring According to the "Quo Vadis E-commerce" report released by Cushman & Wakefield the online commerce continues to be a growth driver for the industrial & logistics real estate sector generating significant opportunities for developers and investors the investor behind the Projekt Góraszka shopping and entertainment complex in Wiązowna on Warsaw’s eastern outskirts has obtained a building permit for a mixed-use development Poznan-based company Scallier is opening another facility under the Funshop Park brand in Romania According to the latest report “At a Glance: Modern Retail Market in Poland Q4 2024” from BNP Paribas Real Estate Poland Poland’s retail market experienced record growth in 2024 Cushman &Wakefield has summarised the situation on the Polish retail market Over half a mln sqm of new retail space came on stream last year marking the highest new supply level in Poland since 2015 This robust development activity occurred amid rising demand from new retailers and improving consumer sentiment which boosted retail sales A new retail park with a total area of 24,000 sqm is set to be developed in Otwock under the name Świderek The investment will be led by Redkom Development Empik has opened a flagship store in the revitalised former Cepelia pavilion in the centre of Warsaw the modernist building has regained its former glory and once again impresses with its original appearance and modern interior Trei Real Estate Poland has opened its 40th Vendo Park The investment was created in Wrocław and has 5,000 sqm Vendo Park Wrocław is the first facility under this banner in the capital of Lower Silesia The retail park was built on a plot of approx An 800 sqm Biedronka grocery store is to open on the ground floor of the Moje Bielany residential complex which is being developed by CeMat A/S at ul Wólczyńska 121 in Warsaw’s Bielany district Spring has very much sprung and everywhere is bathed in the first warm sunshine of the year I have in the back of my mind the terrifying fo .. The Polish warehouse market has finally stabilised after the post-pandemic boom but new challenges and opportunities are on the horizon for the sector UBM Development has been given the go-ahead for the first wooden office building in Poland: Timber Park in Poleczki Business Park in Warsaw The office market in Warsaw is currently experiencing a period of stability in terms of supply and take-up Recent data on overall tenant activity indicates that clients in the cap .. Receive all the latest information from the world of real estate by e-mail the construction of the Aura residential building designed by Robert Konieczny's office KWK Promes According to a report by research company Spectis “Construction companies in Poland 2025-2030” the total revenues of the 300 leading construction gro .. The Globalworth Foundation has provided the authorities in Bucharest with office space for a Covid vaccination centre Panattoni BTS and Commercecon together support the establishment of the second Centaurus Foundation centre in Poland to help horses and other animals intends to focus on operations in other reg .. Six class A office buildings in the PRO Portfolio which is jointly owned by PineBridge Benson Elliot and Sharow Capital have been granted BREEAM In-U .. Who won this year's 14th edition of the Eurobuild Awards The jury and guests gathered at the Double Tree by Hilton hotel in Warsaw chose this year's .. Enjoy the last set of recordings with comments straight from this year's MIPIM we asked experts from our home country for their input will take place on 9-10 April 2025 at the Norblin Factory Event Hall in W .. we invite you to hot episode of the "Eye to eye" podcast The UN Nansen Refugee Award award will go to Poland for the first time According to the office of the UNHCR High Commissioner this year's regional wi .. Czech developer CTP has been granted a EUR 200 mln loan from the European Investment Bank for the roll-out of its large-scale solar panel installation .. while the ADR has finally surpassed the milestone .. Jarosław Szanajca plans to resign from the position of president of the management board of Dom Development at the end of the year and join the superv .. The Polish and Danish governments have entered preliminary discussions for the construction of a tunnel between Szczecin and Copenhagen underneath the .. Viterra has moved into its ​​new 1,500 sqm offices in Olivia Prime part of the Olivia Centre business complex in Gdańsk Panattoni has acquired two properties near Gothenburg The brownfield sites will be replaced by a modern 43,000 sqm facility Contemporary cities are grappling with the challenge of fostering dynamic growth while alleviating environmental pressures Colliers has taken over the management of the Studio B office building located in the Warsaw Wola district The property is owned by Stena Real Estate .. The University of Warsaw has signed a contract with the general contractor for a project at ul The new building will house the faculti .. Velis Real Estate Tech is officially changing its name to Singu adopting the title of its property management product the construction of the Panattoni Park Unterfranken has officially started That’s more than Oscar Schindler managed with 1,200 Though recognized by Yad Vashem in 1965 as being one of the Righteous Among the Nations (a non-Jew who saved Jews during the Holocaust) the rest of the world knew virtually nothing about her until 1999 when students at a rural Kansas high school were looking for material for their school play Sendlerowa was nominated for a Nobel Peace Prize but lost it to Al Gore Sendlerowa was born on 15 February 1910 in the town of Otwock “jump into the water to save someone drowning whether or not you can swim.” He did just that which was why he was the only doctor in Otwock who’d treat Jews requiring Jews to sit in assigned seats away from non-Jews Many protested this by refusing to sit down in class Sendlerowa took up Polish Literature at the Warsaw University and joined these protests for which she was suspended for three years and found a job with the Warsaw Social Welfare Department Sendlerowa was among those responsible for the state-run canteens In the early weeks of the German occupation Jews who went to these canteens got something extra: false documents to help them pass off as Catholic This ended in 1941 when helping a Jew became a crime punishable by death a sentence that was extended to the entire family Of all the countries under German occupation Poland was the only one in which such a stiff penalty was imposed it made no difference because of what she saw the previous year an orphanage in Warsaw for Jewish children but that ended in early August 1942 when they were ordered to the Treblinka extermination camp A number of the German soldiers recognized their childhood hero when they came to collect the 192 or 196 children under his care Since some prominent Jews with international reputations were spared death insisting that he accompany his charges to Treblinka Sendlerowa saw them all that day – the children dressed in their best She also saw Korczak’s face and understood she’d never see any of them ever again That’s when she decided to take up his legacy by joining Zegota; a Polish resistance movement also called the Council to Aid Jews Sendlerowa was assigned to its children’s section and sent to the Warsaw Ghetto The ghetto had been set up in late 1940 – a few walled-off blocks spanning 1.3 square miles into which were packed over 400,000 Jews they were denied food and medical care so they could die slowly they allowed social workers in to monitor the situation but she couldn’t resist wearing a Star of David armband to annoy the guards and to show her solidarity with the Jews she and other colleagues did what they could to convince parents to hand their babies and toddlers over to them the dog would start barking loudly so the guards wouldn’t hear the cries guards were told they were dead and were being taken out for disposal recording the names and details of each child hoping to one day reunite them with their parents These names were put into a jar and buried beneath an apple tree right beside the German barracks Each child was given a false identity and sent to Catholic homes Older children were taught Christian prayers and how to behave in a Catholic mass Sendlerowa was arrested and interrogated but refused to name her co-workers or give details on the Zegota and she escaped and she went into hiding for a while she returned to Warsaw under a false identity and worked as a nurse in a public hospital where she managed to hide five more Jews so Sendlerowa was arrested in 1948 for her involvement with the Home Army (which resisted communist rule) This arrest caused her to give birth to her son They eventually released her on condition that she would join the communist party but they never stopped being suspicious of her When Israel recognized what she had done in 1965 Poland refused to let her leave to receive the award the very day that students at Uniontown High School in Kansas found a small news clipping about her They chased down other leads and made a play based on her story called “Life in a Jar.” Then in February 2000 so they got in touch and sent her a translated copy of their manuscript the Polish government finally gave her the Order of the White Eagle and the Uniontown High School nominated her for the Nobel Peace Prize but it was given to Al Gore for his work on Climate Change Shahan Russell is one of the authors writing for WAR HISTORY ONLINE The Polish Football Association will build the National Centre for Football Training Research and Coaching in Otwock with the help of funds from the state budget The Ministry of Sport and Tourism has granted the federation's application for funding for the investment under the programme of investments of particular importance for sport and the investment is worth more than PLN 400 mln "By handing over a cheque for the creation of a multifunctional National Centre for Football Training we are launching a fundamental investment within the framework of the programme of investments of particular importance for sport we are at a stage of development that allows us to implement the most ambitious sports projects including representatives of the world's most popular team game to be able to hone their skills at world-class facilities within our country coaches and referees will be able to train at the absolute top facility in the world," said Kamil Bortniczuk "National teams should have their own 'home' The establishment of this centre will be a key investment for us It will ensure the optimal level of development of female and male football players allowing us to join the best European federations," said Cezary Kulesza President of the Polish Football Association The project involves the creation of a multifunctional National Centre for Football Training which is a strategic investment in the context of further development of football in Poland at various levels through research and implementation of innovative methods and technologies to organisation of international qualification tournaments (including futsal The planned investment is expected to support the development of sports and will also take into account the needs of people with disabilities thus promoting football and physical activity located on a 12ha site in Otwock is to include eight pitches with grass surfaces as well as a covered pitch (sports hall) a medical centre and an equipment warehouse The project also includes an administration and education building with an underground garage a hotel and a dormitory for players for training at the Sports Championship School "The creation of a national centre is a necessary condition to be able to realistically think about regular competition for the most prestigious trophies in football three of our national teams advanced to the final tournaments of the European Youth Championships which had never happened before in a single year Infrastructural development will certainly contribute to making such situations not the exception but the norm," said the President of the Polish Football Association dedicated to all of Poland's national football teams will permanently solve many organisational issues while guaranteeing the standard necessary to improve individual and team skills Polish national teams will be provided ideal conditions for training during training camps," emphasised Łukasz Wachowski Secretary General of the Polish Football Association The activities of the National Centre for Football Training Research and Coaching will be based on a comprehensive educational and sports facility management model it will act as a training centre serving all Polish national football teams - men's (A as well as Polish national beach football teams (A The training of coaches and referees will also take place in Otwock (School for Coaches of the Polish Football Association and Referee and VAR Training Centre) The modern facility will also be used to organise training events of the Polish Football Association Research and Coaching will host UEFA and FIFA qualifying tournaments in the U-17 and U-19 age categories as well as national and macro-regional tournaments Research and Coaching will also conduct research on the development of football and coordinate the implementation of modern methods and solutions in the area of sports training "The combination of training and research functions will certainly bring benefits not only for Polish football Creating one of the most modern and best centres in Europe will give us the opportunity to make optimal use of the skills of professionals working with national teams," added the Secretary General of the Polish Football Association Construction of the National Centre for Football Training The investment is worth more than PLN 400 mln Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki met President of the European Parliament Roberta Metsola in Otwock (Poland) The highlights of the discussion included: support for people affected by the war in Ukraine the necessity of more effective sanctions against Russia and Russian oligarchs and funding for further support and reparative measures The meeting of the Polish Prime Minister with the President of the European Parliament reflects the solidarity of action in the face of the immense crisis created by Russia despite the massive scale of actions taken military and financial support needs to be continued and expanded Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki and President Roberta Metsola discussed actions that in the future would enable the building of necessary institutions and homes in Ukraine This would also bring hope to those conflict victims who have not left for other countries “The war in Ukraine – a war started by Russia – is much more than immense destruction This is also an approximately 10 million wave of refugees There are still about 6.7 million people in western Ukraine,” the Prime Minister emphasised And he added – “Roberta and I have also held a meeting with a group of war refugees today to talk to them All of them were speaking about a deep desire to live normal lives on the one hand but also to return to their home country and for this war to end The head of the Polish government and the President of the European Parliament agreed and emphasised that the existing sanctions must be made more effective and stringent – The ruble exchange rate is a litmus test here and it has returned to the level from before Russian aggression against Ukraine This means that not all of the micro- and macro-scale financial budgetary and monetary economic measures have proved as effective as some of the leaders had wished The Prime Minister also warned against a premature return to normal postulated by some European leaders: There is no returning to normal until Ukraine defends its freedom and sovereignty It would humiliate Europe and make it “toothless” and unable to defend its basic universal values Providing support and implementing the objectives discussed during the meeting requires additional funding from the European Union more workable sanctions are needed but we also need more concrete funds – not funds transferred from budget to budget but new European funds – to be able to help those people here and create perspectives of a normal life for them “One of the proposals by the Polish government is to fund war reparations from assets and property of Russian oligarchs You are asking – where to seek new funds Hundreds of billions of dollars are waiting in European banks in the Central Bank in accounts maintained for oligarchs It is necessary to confiscate those assets to actually help to rebuild Ukraine later on,” the head of the government stressed “The war fought by Ukraine is at the same time a struggle for the values that we share in Europe: today we need to help Ukraine tomorrow it is time for its rebuilding and later – for the path of the defended Ukraine towards Europe This is our shared responsibility and I thank all of you that together we are making efforts for the good and existence of Ukraine – of its freedom and sovereignty I believe that together we will achieve this goal,” the Prime Minister said Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki has taken part in the inauguration of the school year at the newly established General Julian Filipowicz Primary School No The Head of the Government told the students that he wanted their learning and upbringing process to be characterised by passion goodness and a constant search for the truth Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki reminded students that September 1 was a day of deep reflection as it marked the beginning of World War II "This is the day when we remember the beginning of the apocalypse that befell the nation and the Polish state," he said the Head of the Government insisted that September 1 was also a day full of hope because this was when the new school year began "It is a day of looking into the future looking for new solutions and new paths – towards a better Poland and a better future" Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki told the students that he wanted the the knowledge and upbringing they would acquire at school to serve them "I want students’ learning and upbringing process to be characterised by passion as well as responsibility and commitment" wonderful institution that created space for exchanging experiences creating new friendships and acquiring knowledge "Remember that Facebook will not replace your friends and Google will not replace your teachers," the Head of Government said to the students The newly built school building combines modernity and tradition Its architectural elements refer to Otwock's characteristic Świdermajer style and on the pediment of the school there is a bas-relief with a picture of its patron – General Julian Filipowicz integrity and patriotism are an example to the school community.  The cost of building the school was approx The source of financing for the investment was funds from the Government Local Investment Fund came from the budget of Otwock Council.