Although protests by conservationists had marked the run-up to the unveiling of the new Galeria Kazimierz shopping mall, yesterday's opening ultimately passed without incident.
The American-styled mall is not in fact in Kazimierz, the city's ancient Jewish district (although it is pretty much in walking distance from that part of town) rather it is in the more difficult to pronounce district of Grzegorzki, once famous as the butchers quarter of the city. As it was, the 126 year old sausage company Krakowskie Zaklady Miesne was moved from here to make way for the mall, a deal which later triggered the collapse of the company. Nevertheless, the fall of KZM had more to do with the muddling of the owners than it did with the deals cut by the investors in Galeria Kazimierz, Global Trade Centre.
President of Cracow Jacek Majchrowski attended of the opening of the new mall yesterday, and he used the opportunity to defend the enterprise, describing it as 'respectable example of modern architecture' and all in all an admirable investment.
Shoppers have already begun to descend on the mall, where there are over a hundred brand name shops to choose from and a multiplex cinema. Projects to build other malls and supermarkets are already underway, a situation that has created anxiety amongst market stall holders and the owners of small shops.
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