This is where my sensors begin to pick up key signals for assessing the real condition of the city. There are pubs in Radomsko! And not just kebabs! What am I discovering here! Behind the crumbling, rusty old peasant pavilion - tasteful and hipster ice cream shop Plejada in a designer shipping container. And a line of shoppers. I drive on. I'm not surprised by the pizzeria, but already the (un)patisserie makes me wonder. What is a "no sugar no problem" vegan establishment doing here? Then I still discover the grazing diner Metalurgy, I wander around the center, noticing more and more signals saying that this city is full of life.
When I discover bistro Zagajnik, I already know that Radomsko will surprise me. Beautiful interior, an assortment like in Warsaw or Krakow, wow! And around the corner is Las restaurant! Again, super interior, menu like a fairy tale, and full of people.
There is a lot of well-groomed greenery in Radomsko; The city, where it can, invests in nature
© UM Radomsko
I'm starting to get to what's important. Modern Radomsko is a city where there is work. I'm connecting the dots. The Radomsko port, a huge logistics hub on the highway, next to a powerful special economic zone. That's why there are nice cars on the streets, above the national average. That's why there are such pubs - and people sit in them. They can afford it. I'm delving into this Radomsko, which was so unfamiliar a while ago, with increasing joy. Radomsko shows me that Poland can surprise not only its largest cities.
I talk to a few locals. For them, Radomsko is... OK. The young complain that there is nothing to do in their free time. They all point out the well-kept, taken care of city parks. The hunch about jobs is confirmed. Yes, next time I absolutely must go to this economic zone, take a close look at the factories.
The old market square in Radomsko on hot days drowns in greenery and shade
photo: Mateusz Zmyślony
For locals, Radomsko is also furniture and Fameg, a bentwood furniture factory. This is a separate, as we will see in a moment, very interesting story. In 1881, the Thonet Brothers factory was established here. It was one of several factories of the family of Michael Thonet - a famous pioneer of industrial furniture production, inventor of many new technologies related to the manufacture of bentwood furniture, a brilliant designer. His chairs are known all over the world, and they began their conquest from Viennese pubs in the good old imperial days. Tens of millions of Thonet chairs, we all know them - they are those bent classics with seats made of woven rattan. I already know that my next visit to Radomsko will also be a trip to Fameg.
The factory, which has existed for so long, has influenced the development of the entire city and region. Furniture competence has spread widely here, hence so many furniture factories, showrooms, workshops. I'm curious to see what I'll see inside - from the street the factory looks like one from a rather previous era... It's time to finish the third Radom reconnaissance.
Gluten-free, sugar-free, lactose-free, but vegan - such things in Radomsko
photo: Mateusz Zmyślony
