Short of a last-minute miracle, it seems that Cracow's oldest and finest sausage makers, Krakowskie Zaklady Miesne ( The Cracow Meat Company) are about to finish their 126 year history in disgrace. The company is is being closed down amidst revelations of fraud and embezzlement.
Until a couple of years ago the Krakowskie galleon seemed to be sailing on untroubled waters. The company had survived the post-communist transition with flying colours, and Cracovians still touted their sausages as the best on the market.
Problems began with the development of the Galeria Kazimierz mall, which is set to open this Spring. The sausage enterprise's factory was located in the area that Galeria Kazimierz investors were keen to develop.
However, theoretically, this should not have caused the company's demise. A settlement was agreed between Globe Trade Centre (the company behind Galeria Kazimierz) and the sausage stalwart. The Globe Trade Centre funded a brand new factory which was opened a year ago amidst considerable optimism. Cardinal Macharski himself attended the opening ceremony and performed the traditional blessing. President Majchrowski also took part in the occasion.
However, things were not as they seemed. And whilst Globe Trade Centre itself appears to be in the clear, newspapers have revealed that the owners of the sausage factory are in trouble. Vast sums of money have seemingly vanished into thin air, and such is the damage that there seems no hope of saving the factory, which employs over two hundred staff.
The company had flourished since the days of the Habsburg Emperor Franz Jozef. It's original address at ul. Rzeznicza (Butchers street) lay at the heart of the traditional meat-making district. Galeria Kazimierz is one of two malls currently under construction in Cracow.
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