Dual-city Cieszyn. Polish, Czech, shared?
panorama of Czech Cieszyn, in the foreground on the right - Romanesque rotunda
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first impression
I came to Cieszyn by the best possible way from the perspective of an urban explorer: by camper van with an electric bicycle on board, from the direction of Bielsko-Biała, that is, by the superhighway S52. Drive - half an hour (from the center to the center), which means that in practice Cieszyn is a district of Bielsko-Biała, or Bielsko-Biała is a district of Cieszyn. The two cities are closely and comprehensively connected - I will write more about this bond in a moment.
So step one, getting to Cieszyn, I consider successful - because it was easy, nice, comfortable, which has not been the standard for the last almost a hundred years. The magnificent view of the Silesian Beskid from the route is an added value to the first key observation: it is only the first decade since the city of Cieszyn was reconnected with the rest of the country! It's a fact - until 2007 (the year of the opening of the S52 road section) the city was practically cut off from normal communications, with neither a meaningful rail nor road connection. This is one of the prime reasons for my Cieszyn ignorance and provincial stereotype about Cieszyn, about which more in a moment as well.
Sports Bridge
Photo: Wojciech Wandzel © UM Cieszyn
My first stop on the Olza River was the Pod Czarnym Bocian camping site. Great place, fantastic service, nice smiling people. My first bike ride over the Sport Park and the sport footbridge and bam - I'm in the Czech Republic. And I'm delighted with it. A cohesive, shared public space on both sides of the river. What a wonderful feeling to be once in Poland, once in the Czech Republic, and so alternating. Like many Poles, I love Czech culture and art, making no secret of my great affection and positive feelings for the Czechs. At the same time realizing that this is a rather unrequited love. And here, I thought, something could be done about it.
So, pedaling merrily, I made my way through the Czech part of Cieszyn, pleasing my eyes with Czech beers, Czech words on advertisements and shop windows, a Czech atmosphere different from the Polish one, sensed on a daily basis. Afterwards, I headed - for the first time in my life - towards Cieszyn's Old Town on the Polish side. In short: a revelation. Along the cobblestone Deep Street, my bike climbed, revealing the beautiful historic buildings before me. Cieszyn is lovely, even phenomenal, it has that something. I don't know what yet, but I can already feel it.
Tenement houses on Glebok Street
Photo: Wojciech Wandzel © UM Cieszyn
Market square, town hall, townhouses, Three Brothers Well, side streets, walking and biking, as if to write it in modern terms - just GR8! (which means great). It is worth walking step by step through the entire center, street by street, alley by alley, nook by nook. A visit to the bookstore Kornel and Friends is a must. This magical place saturated with books is filled to the ceiling with a world-class atmosphere, palpable from the very threshold. Delighted, I discuss Cieszyn with the locals here. I catch strong emotions about the city every time. I will have to understand and process them.
Kornel and Friends is such a great place that for its own sake it is worth coming here if only for a weekend. The restaurant is not of this earth. It radiates an extraordinary aura, until the air vibrates - at least that's how I perceived the place. I was extremely curious to see what was going on here, until I got goosebumps.
Kornel and Friends bookstore and pub
Photo: Mateusz Zmyślony
So, dear readers, Kornel and Friends is a classic of place magic. A territory - as the name suggests - dedicated to some Kornel. And his friends. Specifically, the writer Kornel Filipowicz and his friends. And among them not just anyone, but Mr. Kornel's longtime love, Wislawa Szymborska. And thus the mystery is explained. A place grown on great literature, passion and feelings. Something most beautiful!
I talk to more people in Cieszyn, my impression of uniqueness constantly intensifies. I wander around Castle Hill, say hello to the iconic roaring pink deer in front of Castle Cieszyn. I've heard a lot about this place - in the design-related industry it has been building its brand for years, organizing, among other things, the "Silesian Thing" competition. It is an important institution for Cieszyn's contemporary identity - traces of its influence on reality are visible all around, including on the Street of Cieszyn Women, in the form of a lot of designer city furniture, swings, a wicker bike, a pink chair (the color pink is important here).
The pink deer on Castle Hill
photo: Mateusz Zmyślony
I'm talking to a barmaid from Presso - it's a castle pub. Yes, Cieszyn is a very artistic city, there is a campus of the Silesian University, Faculty of Arts and Sciences of Education. There are good secondary schools of music and art - I'm happy to see how beautifully the soft power potentials hidden in such a city can be used.
I talk to the mayor, to City Hall employees, I accost passers-by - there is a specific, in my opinion good and certainly unique energy everywhere here.
