Poland on Michael’s Domain

Germany's responsibility

Tue, 27 Jun 2023 00:00:00 +0000

It is difficult to spend vacation in Poland without coming across a concentration camp from Nazi-Germany. It happens to me every single time.Last time it was Stutthof , this week Płaszów. In Cracow, during my daily running, I suddenly saw the sign shown in the image next to the trail.,Remembering is one thing, but more important is to fight today’s fascism in all of its incarnations . Germany’s government should remember that Hitler’s expansionism was only stopped by concerted military action.

Amber from Stutthof

Tue, 01 Aug 2017 00:00:00 +0000

While running at the Baltic beach close to Kąty Rybackie (Poland), I picked up some amber. Some of it didn’t pass the floating test (in 20% w/v NaCl in water at room temperature), but I have not clue what the non-floating stones actually are (they are too soft for glass, maybe plastic?).I did not know when I arrived here for a one-week beach holiday, that the small village we were staying in belonged to the municipality of Stutthof , where one of the Nazi concentration camps was located. Actually, I twice made a detour from my daily morning runs at the beach to have a look at the camp, which is nowadays a museum. Interestingly, children below the age of 12 are not allowed to visit the site. This is different from those memorial sites of concentration camps in Germany that I know: the decision whether to take children for a visit is left to the parents.Another notable memory from these holidays were the road trips, which made me reconsider my firmly held opinion, that most car drivers in here in Finland are driving irresponsibly and mostly too fast. As a matter of fact, it was almost impossible to drive within speed limits in Poland as nobody seems to do so. I realized that traveling in a speed-limit-abiding car would be more dangerous than traveling in a recklessly speeding one as it would be subject to constant overtaking maneuvers on narrow country roads. Hence, I was also speeding. Not surprisingly, Poland features the highest traffic mortality rates in Europe ( https://www.economist.com/blogs/easternapproaches/2013/06/polish-driving ). The Polish government’s claimed intention is to reduce the numbers, but instead of lowering the speed limits, they increased them in 2011. According to Wikipedia the maximally allowed speed on highways changed from 130 to 140 km/h and on dual carriageways from 110 to 120 km/h. A rough estimate (based on these numbers ) shows that approximately as many people have died on Polish roads in the last 20 years as were killed by the Nazis in Stutthof in the years 1939-1945. Maybe the Polish police should start enforcing the limits?

Neulimburg - Die Siedlung im Wald

Tue, 02 Sep 2008 00:00:00 +0000

The village of Blota was founded in 1771. On Prussian orders, German settlers from the County of Limburg in Hesse set off with their carts, tools and livestock. This is also where the village’s German name, Neulimburg, comes from. Initially, 300 hectares of woodland were cleared and the resulting land distributed amongst the 30 or so farmers. The loamy soil was heavy and not very fertile. To improve yields, a three-field crop rotation system was adopted. Cereal crops were grown on two fields, whilst the third was left fallow. Later, by official order, potatoes and sugar beet were cultivated, and cattle breeding was also taken up. Straw became an export commodity for the army. In the second half of the 18th century, arable farming was intensified and the cultivation of fodder crops such as clover and fodder beet began. Vegetables were grown in the gardens behind the houses, whilst cows grazed in the front gardens. The village was a linear settlement. The houses were made of wood and thatched. Two rooms and a kitchen with washing facilities were separated from the servants’ quarters by a corridor. The corridor led round the back to the stables and the cellar.

Languages

Fri, 30 Mar 2007 00:00:00 +0000

POLISH

The Declination of Polish Nouns and Adjectives

HUNGARIAN

A névnapok összesített jegyzéke naptári rendben
Miklós Radnóti: Versek
Akarsz-e játzani?
8 óra munka
Közmondások
Presentation on the history of the Finno-ugric research at the University of Debrecen (in German, PDF file)
The lyrics of “Szerelem” , the most intriguing piece from the soundtrack of The English Patient from Muzsikás (vocals by Márta Sebestyén ).
Szeptember végén
Tiszta szívvel

FEBS 2004

Fri, 10 Sep 2004 00:00:00 +0000

My poster for the FEBS 2004 conference in Warsaw.