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"I must have been inspired" Joseph Conrad
PRL

Rare PRL-era 10-groszy coin sells for staggering PLN 33,000

The coin from 1973 was sold a few days ago at an auction run by Marciniak Dom Aukcyjny. With the auctioneer’s fee on top, the final price reached PLN 38,940. Marciniak Dom Aukcyjny

The key to the coin's value is that it does not bear the tiny symbol of the Polish mint in Warsaw under the eagle’s right leg. The omission makes it a rarity among collectors.

Wish you were here? Photographer captures haunting images of abandoned Communist-era holiday resorts

Once seen as evidence of the collective ambitions of the Communist system, today they stand as haunting, empty shells – an eerie reminder of a political order that would ultimately come crashing like a house of cards.

The ‘April Fool’s orange movement’ that helped bring down communism

Sometimes cited as one of the inspirations behind Ukraine’s Orange Revolution, and often widely (and incorrectly) credited as being the root cause behind Wrocław’s recent epidemic of decorative gnomes, the legends that surround the Orange Alternative hide an extraordinary story of a group that played a defining role in the fall of the PRL.

Toy Story: campaign underway to find retro playtime artefacts for PRL exhibition

Appealing to the public to send in both stories and toys, the Nowa Huta Museum has already been flooded with donations for an exhibition that will explore the wonders of childhood.

Pioneering PRL-era fashion house that ‘lightened the common grey and mediocrity’ awarded ‘historical’ status

The studio belonging to model-turned designer Grażyna Hase was a key part of Warsaw’s bohemian scene during the Polish People's Republic (PRL), and a critical innovator of Polish fashion design.

Beer still standing, yeah, yeah, yeah! TFN steps back in time to explore some of Warsaw’s oldest bars

For a minority, the essence of the weekend rests in the foggy little bars that were established during Communism. Though fast dwindling in number, and left utterly winded by the lockdown, these have tapped a new wave of fans among a small group of people.

Lubin man recreates communist past with intricate handmade models

Initially inspired by his grandfather’s old Fiat 126 p, Marcin Wasilewski’s models include not only the iconic PRL car but also complex clay copies of tower block apartments and their interiors.

Katowice’s Spodek ‘flying saucer’ celebrates 50th birthday

Opening its doors for the first time On May 8, 1971, the Spodek Arena in Katowice has since hosted dignitaries, rock stars and sporting royalty. Alex Webber looks back at the iconic building’s iconic history.

Renowned Polish cartoonist Papcio Chmiel dies

Henryk Jerzy Chmielewski, better known by his pen name Papcio Chmiel, a cartoonist famous for his adventures of Tytus, Romek and A'Tomek, has died aged 97.

Happy birthday, big boy! Warsaw’s Dworzec Centralny hits 45

Through Brezhnev and the bad times to its sparkling reinvention, TFN looks at the highs and lows of Warsaw’s central station.

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Top 5 articles:

  • Over 100,000 slaughtered with axes, pitchforks, scythes and knives: The Wołyń massacre started 76 years ago today and lasted for two years
  • The systematic massacre of all children under 10 will forever be a stain on humanity, says TFN’s Stuart Dowell
  • Mayor offers reward to first couple to have a boy in village where only girls are born
  • Beaten, starved and tortured: The horrifying story of Hitler’s concentration camp for children
  • It’s official! Kraków is the best place in Europe for food, says European Academy of Gastronomy
Life

Customs officials find pensioner with stash of gold coins worth 1.5million zł hidden inside her clothing

Officials discovered the five kilograms of gold coins during a routine search at the border crossing with Ukraine in Hrebenne south east Poland.

The first report:

  • Retail sales down y/y, up m/m in August - stats office
  • Ruling party leads in poll but not enough for parliamentary majority
  • Def. min. criticises Ukraine over proposed German Security Council seat
  • Polish president calls for special tribunal for Russian war crimes in Ukraine
  • Mortgage moratorium extension to be priority after elections says PM

Exclusive

Warsaw’s secret war against Moscow’s spies: Poland’s intelligence services have gone into overdrive to combat Putin’s covert assault

The arrest last week of a ‘dangerous’ spy network in Poland is the latest in the country’s secret war against Russian intelligence since Putin’s troops attacked Ukraine.

The Debrief
Revolt, power and Polish communists after 1945
Webber's World
Three cheers for the birthday girl: Łódź hits 600!
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