Wednesday 15 October 2008

Rush hour in Białystok

I will praise Polish cities where they deserve praise. Krakow, Wrocław, Lublin, Poznań, Katowice - even Łódź, pulling itself up rapidly, Rzeszów, with its surprisingly beautiful old town, all fine places to visit. However, I find it difficult to write anything positive about Białystok, the most north-easterly of Poland's provincial centres. These photos were taken between five pm and half past, when the main railway stations of the other big Polish cities would be writhing with home-bound office workers, commercial travellers, shoppers and tourists.

Above: the station car park. I'm surprised I wasn't arrested for taking a photo of Poczta Polska's sorting office. The Fiat 125P has a car park pass for TVP Białystok, clearly the state regional television station is not paying its staff well enough. The atmosphere reminded me of a visit to Legnica in November 1990, when I was monitoring the first free presidential elections in Poland on behalf of the Polish Government in Exile in Lower Silesia. Depressing post-communist klimat.

This was my fourth visit to Białystok and, to be honest, the town has yet to inspire me with confidence that its improving rapidly, that its citizens are growing happier. Maybe a fifth visit is in order.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

it is because most people in Bialystok and suburbs used to travel by bus. Trains in Bialystok have no economical sense.