Any newcomer to Cracow will be quick to spot the obwarzanki (pretzel) sellers that dot the Old Town. These hardy old grandpas and grandmas are to be found on every corner. The obwarzanek, quite simply a bread ring, is the classic breakfast for Cracovians and students who are running late for work. Jozef Pilsudski (1867-1935 ), the hero of Poland's independence, used to quip that Poland itself was like an obwarzanek, ie. a void in the middle and all the goodness running round the outside. Pilsudski himself came from the eastern borderlands, which made up a tasty chunk of the Polish obwarzanek. But just a decade after he had passed away, these lands were lost to Poland when Stalin got his way at the Yalta Conference (1945).
It's the lost borderlands (Kresy) that provide the subject for the current exhibition at the International Cultural Centre. Some hundred or so contemporary and pre-war photographs have been assembled, clearly presented and labeled by the ICC. Is Central Poland as dull as dishwater and the historic periphery the land of inspiration? Pilsudski may have been a tad biased, but having seen this exhibition, you'll get some idea of what he meant. 'Borderlands Rediscovered' is a stunning show that draws back the curtain on a world that remains little known to outsiders. The exhibition focuses on the south eastern stretch of the Kresy, taking in expansive cities such as Lwow (Lviv), ancient fortresses such as Kamieniec Podolski and smaller historic towns including Brzezany and Buczacz. Then of course there is the landscape - a world of flowing steppe and twisting valleys.
Today, many of the architectural pearls of the region are in a perilous state. As it was, some churches survived in a good condition simply because they had been turned into museums of atheism - standard practice in the Soviet Union. Many more fell into ruin. Polish/ Ukrainian collaboration has yielded some fine results since the collapse of the Iron Curtain, but there's still a vast amount to cover. Neither country is overflowing with cash, and in this light, 'Borderlands Rediscovered' shines a much-needed spotlight. The exhibition is due to travel across Poland - let's hope that this incredible heritage can be saved for future generations.
Borderlands Rediscovered: The International Cultural Centre, Main Market Square 25. Tuesday - Sunday 10am - 6pm. Until January 29th 2005.
|