TRAVELOGUE Polish Lesson: Krakow, a Present Loaded with Memory

The beginning of November found me in Krakow, I arrived there driven by a mix of motives and curiosities: geopolitical, cultural, historical and personal. The global context also played a role in my choice - a tense world that seems to be looking for its bearings again - but also the personal, financial one. On the spot, some of my opinions were confirmed, others were contradicted by reality. The Poles I met are people who look to the future with determination, but are not willing to forget anything about what was and is: from Hitler and Stalin to Trump, Soros, Putin. Several reminded me, without hesitation, that some Romanian politicians interfered, inappropriately, in their last electoral campaign (George Simion and Nicuşor Dan participated in rallies alongside the presidential candidates). Everything is said firmly, but without rancor. There is a calm dignity in their way of speaking, a memory that does not demand revenge, but respect.

Over a glass of Wyborowa (a local vodka produced since 1823), conversations flow differently. They easily switch from Romanian to English, then inevitably to Polish - a language in which they do not understand even what seems understandable. But the spirit of the place compensates for the language barrier. Old and new enemies are well-defined, but friendships are not forgotten either.

Krakow is amazing. History is in its place, solid, visible. Every street seems like a chapter in a book of memory. In Rynek G³owny - the Main Market Square, one of the largest medieval squares in Europe - tourists mingle with locals, and the white carriages and bell-ringing horses bring an air of fairy tale. The horses are magnificent, the smell they leave behind is not for sensitive noses. The Sukiennice, the old cloth hall from the 14th century, now houses elegant shops and small art galleries, but retains its Gothic charm. Amber is highly prized here, a tighter pocket would even say: very highly prized. Nearby, the Town Hall tower - the only remaining part of the old municipal building destroyed by fires - still stands watch, witnessing the centuries. A stone's throw away, St. Mary's Basilica announces its hour with the sound of the trumpet (hejnal), which echoes from the city's highest tower. Legend has it that in the 13th century, a sentry who raised the alarm at the sight of the Tatars was pierced by an arrow during the signal - which is why the melody abruptly stops, exactly where his life stopped. Nothing is forgotten. On the cobbled streets of the old town, between discreet cafes and small antique shops, time seems to stand still. The facades, touched by the passage of time, hide libraries, galleries, workshops and pubs that have not changed much in recent decades. In the Jewish district of Kazimierz, memory is even denser: the restored synagogues, the remaining walls of the ghetto, the cemetery, the Bridge of Silence and the museum in Schindler's former factory remind of a collective wound, but also of a dignified survival. On the streets of this district you can feel that silence that speaks louder than any speech. It is something that weighs you down. And when you read on a wall at the Kupa Synagogue: "Blood will not be covered with earth", you better understand the way of life of the local people. No crime against humanity can be buried.

Krakow is, more than a city, a lesson in balance between past and present. Wawel, the royal hill, with its castle and cathedral, dominates the Vistula and seems to say that strength does not lie in oblivion, but in continuity. Here, between the old walls, Poland's kings and national poets are buried - a sanctuary of identity. In front of this setting, everyday life follows its calm rhythm: students, cyclists, tourists, hurried locals, bagel sellers, street singers. Everything breathes a normality ... worth remembering. When I was asked how I would describe Krakow in two words, I said without hesitation: cleanliness and kindness. The answer was well received, perhaps because that is exactly what you feel here - a discreet respect for the place, for the people, for history.

• The living city of culture

Krakow does not live only from the past. It is a young, lively city, full of cultural initiatives and events that fill the agenda in every season.

Just a few minutes from the Main Market Square, the Bagatela Theatre and the Juliusz S³owacki Theatre preserve Poland's stage tradition, and the audience comes to their halls dressed elegantly, as if for a ritual. The Krakowska Opera and the Karol Szymanowski Philharmonic attract music lovers night after night, in a city that has preserved its respect for art as for a civil religion. At the same time, Krakow is a magnet for students. The Jagiellonian University, one of the oldest in Europe (founded in 1364), still pulsates with young energy, surrounded by bohemian cafes, author's bookstores, film, jazz and poetry festivals. Unsound Festival, Sacrum Profanum or Off The camera are just some of the events that transform the city into a global stage. At night, life moves to Kazimierz or Podgorze, neighborhoods where bars, wineries and small clubs host improvisations, debates or independent screenings. The atmosphere is relaxed, cosmopolitan, but without losing anything of the Polish sobriety - that combination of passion and decency that defines Krakow today. Between the medieval walls and the modern facades, Krakow manages a rare balance: it lives in the present without forgetting its past.

On the banks of the Vistula, where the spires of Wawel Cathedral and the lights of the bridges are reflected, you have the feeling that the city breathes slowly, wisely, with a memory that it carries not as a burden, but as a title of nobility. Sometimes we run after good examples far away, ignoring what is remarkable in our proximity.