Wieliczka Salt Mine, (Krakow) Poland: Sculptured in Salt

August 2010
The idea of spending a couple of hours 135 meters (430+  feet) under the earth in a salt mine was not especially appealing to me.  However, everything I read and heard about a visit to the Krakow region of Poland told me to go.  So I did.  And in so doing, I understand I extended my life by a couple of minutes or so.  Unlike coal mines, there are apparently health benefits to the salt air, and they operate a health spa in the mine where people with respiratory problems can come for treatment.  I did find the air refreshing and easy to breathe.  However, too much salt,  and I guess you could end up too well preserved like this fellow!  Just kidding.

Salt has been a highly prized substance throughout history, as it not only preserves, but adds flavor.  Even Christ spoke of salt losing its savor.  So to find a huge deposit of salt in one's land pretty well guaranteed prosperity.  Mining at Wieliczka started in the Middle Ages.  By 1640, a main haft was sunk to 135 meters (the current tourist route), although the mine now goes to 327 meters.  Nicholas Copernicus, the great Polish astronomer,  visited in 1493 when he was a university student.  Since that time, the mines have continued to attract the great and the humble to see its wonders.

So what's so interesting about salt?  The salt walls, floors, and ceilings of the mine provide a shiny dark gray surface that is held up by wooden beams which become stronger as they are impregnated by the salt.  But the real attractions of this mine are the sculptures that the miners created in their hours underground.  Visitors walk down a total of 378 steps during their descent, but it is not strenuous, as one walks through 22 chambers on the way to the bottom.

 Some chambers demonstrate through salt carvings  how the salt mines operated in early times.  Others contain magnificent carvings to depict historical events or important people.  And someone with  good sense of humor placed a few salt gnomes around to keep an eye on things.  A number of carvings represent religious themes.  While it is an easy and safe walk through the chambers today, there were many dangers to the early miners, particularly methane gas which had to be burned out before the miners could advance.

Using a chamber dug out in the 17th century, Mieczyslaw Kluzek carved in 1967 six life size salt figures, telling the legend of the finding of the salt.  Kinga, the daughter of Bela IV, King of Hungary, was betrothed to the Duke of Cracow in the 13th century.   Kinga received a salt mine in as part of her dowry into which she threw her engagement ring (I wonder what the Duke thought of that).  According to the story, the ring and salt deposits miraculously traveled to Wieliczka.  When she came Cracow, she ordered the miners to dig in a particular spot in Wieliczka, and they found her ring as well as the salt mine.  St. Kinga became the patroness of miners and was canonized in 1999 by Pope John Paul II.

The most spectacular chamber, though, is St. Kinga's Chapel, near the end of the tourist trail.  The huge chamber was carved out in 1896 and for almost 70 years, miner sculptors created a chapel entirely from salt.  It contains remarkable statues and bas relief of scenes from Christ's life and is lit with elegant chandeliers made with salt crystals which causes the salt floors to shimmer.  In the past decade, additional sculptural projects have been completed.  It is difficult to describe the beauty of this glimmering chapel.  Photos do not do justice, as the shimmer of the salt causes reflections that hide the depth and remarkable detail of the carvings.


 Leaving the chapel, one goes through several chambers, greeting the statue of another famous visitor, Goethe, and passing a small brine lake before reaching  gift shops where one can buy salt, health-infused bath salts, and a variety of souvenirs or eat in an under-earth restaurant.  One is then quickly whisked back to our polluted earth's surface in a mine elevator, having added a few moments of health to one's life span.  So, yes, I would add the salt  mine to my list of recommended sites!

Further information:
http://www.krakow-info.com/wielicz.htm

Castles of Lviv, Ukraine

August 2010

As I explained in my last post about the night train to Lviv, this western corner in the current Ukraine has been a part of many kingdoms and countries.  It was mostly Polish during the Renaissance through Baroque eras, and some royals and notables found the countryside around Lviv a lovely place to call home.  There are at least 10 such old castles/ grand homes in the Lviv area, sometimes referred to as the "Golden Horse-Shoe" tour.  Through the English-speaking staff at InLviv travel agency, I booked a one day excursion to see three castle/palaces in various stages of preservation from the Polish era.

The Olesko Castle stands on a high hill about 75 km from Lviv.  It was built in the 13th century; became a stronghold of the Rus dynasty in the 14th century; but was remodeled in Italian Renaissance style and became a local residence from the 15th-18th centuries.  King Jan Sobieski III was born here in 1629.  While the building itself has an old castle feel and has some well-preserved frescoes on the walls, it is most remarkable for its art collection.  In the 1960s, it was designated as an extension of the art museum of Lviv and has a fascinating collection of art and furnishings from the 10th-19th century.

I especially enjoyed Renaissance paintings and sculptures of women holding books, obviously pleased to display their learning, and an old sailing map of the Mediterranean world that had been engraven on a massive desk.  There was the colossal painting by M. Altomonte of The Battle of Vienna where the Turks were defeated in 1683 with troops commanded by King Jan Sobieski III and the Habsburgs.  Until this journey, I had not grasped how significant that event was in the history and development of Europe.  The museum also housed religious art as well as some very distinctive portraits, including King Sobieski's  Queen Maria Casimira Louise de la Orange d'Arquien (Marysenka), a beautiful and powerful woman. The love letters exchanged between the King and Queen are reported to not only demonstrate their affection, but also to give insights into their times.  As Maria outlived two husbands, I understand that her interesting (and perhaps controversial) story extends beyond her time as queen.

I was saddened by the disrepair of the Pidhirtsi Castle.  It must have been amazingly beautiful when built in the 17th century.  Its facade and the Italian designed gardens cascading down the hill reminded me of some of the later French chateaux.  It was once the property of noble families and was considered the most beautiful palace in Poland.  It entertained rulers from King Sobieski III to Emperor Franz Josef (see Habsburgs).  Despite promises to restore the castle when it was sold in 1864, it was only superficially repaired in 1930 and then continued to deteriorate when it was used after WWII by the Soviets as a Tuberculosis sanatorium.  In 1956, it caught fire and burned for 3 weeks.  Despite all the damage, the exterior retains its touch of majesty, and it is easy to envision elegant lords and ladies descending the staircases into  fragrant gardens, accompanied by stately music.  Perhaps if there were more visitors to this hauntingly beautiful site, Lviv would have more money to continue its slow restoration.  It is a structure worth saving.

My tour ended at Zolochiv Castle that had been built in the 1630s  by the father of King Jan Sobieski III.  At first, I thought the site looked more medieval with its well defended steep ramparts and drawbridge, but the palace itself was in a late Holland Renaissance Grand Palace design.  As popular fashion changed, a "Chinese" Palace was added as a gift from King Jan Sobieski III  to his wife, Marysenka, with a lovely stream and gardens.  As with most of these disputed areas, the castle also served as a hospital, barracks, and prison, and a marker reminds one of the slaughter of Ukrainians here at the hand of the Bolsheviks in 1941.  There are also tales of brave men and women in these communities who gave their lives in resistance to Nazi conquest.  At Zolochiv, there was also a stone written in a still un-deciphered language or code to puzzle over.   I was grateful to have taken a day to not only enjoy the beautiful landscape, but to gain greater understanding of its story.

Click below for slideshow:
Polish Castles Near Lviv

Additional Information:
http://www.inlviv.info/services/castles_tour/

Night Train to Lviv (Lvov), Ukraine

I was comfortable about most of  my travel arrangements for my Eastern European adventure, but I admit I felt uneasy at the prospect of taking the night train alone from Kyiv to Lviv, Ukraine, even though everyone assured me it was the best way to go.  Being cautious, I had arranged in the US to buy a 1st class ticket voucher through select-a-room.com (to be picked up in Kyiv) which meant that there would be no more than  two people sharing the small sleeping car.  My friends, Steve and Lorraine, helped me take public transportation to the train station around 10 pm and to find my train and car.  What a pleasant surprise!  It was a new train; everything was clean; the stewards were helpful; the air conditioning was working; and I ended up with the room to myself (it wasn't a full train on Monday night).  I slept well to the rhythm of the rails and woke about an hour before our 6:30 a.m. arrival in Lviv to watch the sun rise over the misty countryside.

I was truly solo for this part of the trip.  I had made arrangements in advance through the tourist agency, InLviv (www.inlviv.com) and found them very helpful in scheduling tours and transportation over the internet in English.  My English-speaking guide from InLviv gave me a great walking tour of the city and an interesting one-day van trip with a German couple to the castles surrounding Lviv (next post).

The name of this town tells its history:  today it is Lviv in Ukrainian; older maps call it Lvov in Russian; the Austrians and Germans call it Lemberg,  as it was part of the Austro-Hungarian empire (and occupied by the Nazis); and the Poles call it Lwow because it was part of Poland. The city was founded in 1256 by King Danylo in honor of his son Lev. Whatever one might call the city, the lion is its mascot, and everyone agrees it is a lovely city.  Guidebooks call it an "undiscovered Prague."  This small UNESCO city in  Western Ukraine near the Polish border is a delightful mix of Medieval, Renaissance, Barroque, Neo-Classical, Art Nouveau, and Art Deco architecture that somehow managed to escape serious damage despite the  frequent wars that have plagued the area.  It even managed to avoid the invasion of concrete Soviet-style buildings.  However, the Jewish quarter and ghetto were mostly destroyed.  According to  the Lonely Planet's Ukraine  guide, 136,000 people died in Lviv's Jewish ghetto; 350,000 Jewish individuals from the region died in nearby concentration camps during the Nazi occupation.  There were also mass killings of Ukrainians and Poles at different stages of the wars.

When I got off the train, I had arranged for a room at the Grand Hotel, which still has a yesteryear elegance on the main square.  It gave me a place to freshen up and rest before starting my all day castles tour.  For complex scheduling reasons, I changed hotels and spent the night at the more modern Dnister Hotel overlooking the city.  I liked both.  The next day I had a refreshing stroll through Ivan Franko Park above the university to start my walking tour.  The facades of the buildings through town were fascinating, with sometimes elegant and sometimes quirky  carvings and statues.  A cafe/store in an old section of town still had lettering in Polish and Hebrew.  Many buildings in Lviv have been "re-cycled."  A more modern facade was simply put on an older building whose window trim or arches still show through.

 There were numerous beautiful churches to peak into.  I especially liked the old Armenian Cathedral that was started in 1363.  It was closed by the Soviets, but restored and re-opened in 2002 with dramatic new frescoes alongside ancient crosses and a Renaissance courtyard.   The used book market was presided over by a giant statue of Fydor, the monk who brought printing to the area, but  the open air market of painted eggs and traditional embroidery and crafts was presided over by the local women in fierce competition to sell their beautiful wares (I bought a table runner with embroidered eggs and pussy willows).   We passed remains of the old city's walls and arches, charming cafes, distinctive houses, and their renowned chocolate shop.

But the place where things were really "happening" was Prospekt Svobody--a pedestrian plaza in the middle of town where people gathered to visit on shaded benches, and little children enjoyed their mini-cars.  At one end was the famed Opera House (unfortunately closed for the August season).  On the other end is the statue of the famous Ukrainian poet/patriot Taras Schevchenko (see Kyiv, Ukraine post on Summer in the Parks).  Next to him rises a large bronze "wave" with cast figures of symbolic significance.  I can't find my notes or a description on the internet, so this is what I recall.  One side shows religious figures and events.  The other side shows a Ukrainian youth in the center with figures fading below him, representing the generations that were lost by the killings that had occurred, and figures fading into the future above him, representing generations yet to come.  As I understood, it was meant to remind us both of the devastation of wars and the hope for a better future.

I found even lovely Lviv had traffics jams.  Like the rest of the world, they were repairing the roads--only these involved cobblestones that had to be removed and replaced.  Poland and the Ukraine were jointly chosen to host the 2012 UEFA  football (soccer) competition, and Lviv was chosen as one of the sites. Lviv was busy fixing up the town.  As I understand,  the qualifying matches are being held this summer and fall in selected cities and final matches will be held in Warsaw and Kyiv next year.  Although Lviv's historic center is compact, there is much to see.  I wished I had given myself even more time to explore  Lviv and its surroundings.

Click below for slideshow:
Lviv

More Information:
http://www.inlviv.info/

Kyiv, Ukraine: The LDS (Mormon) Temple

August 2010

One of the delights of my Eastern European journey (see Eastern Europe and/or UA Ukraine sidebars) was that I ended up in Kyiv during the Open House for the newly built LDS (Mormon) temple in Kyiv.  This is the first LDS temple built in the former USSR.  Prior to the dedication of a temple, it is open for the general public to go through it.  I was fortunate to be there the first day of the general opening (they had had a prior day of VIP visits).

I chose to include the Ukraine in my post-Danube cruise itinerary based largely on the wonderful reports of friends who were serving a mission for the LDS church there.  Having been a successful lawyer and judge in the USA before retirement,  Steve and his wife, Lorraine, volunteered for a church mission and were assigned to Kyiv for 18 months to help with legal affairs and preparation for the dedication of this temple.  When I planned my trip, I knew they hoped the temple would be finished in the summer, but it was a pleasant surprise that I would be there during the two weeks of the Open House.

In the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, the temple is not the place of our weekly Sunday services.    Chapels or rented buildings, if necessary, are used for those services, activities, and other functions, and all are welcome to attend (members as well as those not of the faith).  Temples are special places that qualified members attend in order to perform sacred ordinances, such as marriages for time and eternity, in a beautiful and serene setting apart from the noise and influence of the world.  They are sacred places where covenants are made and precious blessings are promised, contingent on our faith and obedience, and where the Spirit of God is strongly felt.  Above the doors of each temple are the words:  Holiness to the Lord.  There are more than 134 temples around the world.

My friends very much enjoyed their time in the Ukraine and experiences with the Ukrainian people.  There were some adjustments in lifestyle:  a small apartment with no air-conditioning and using only public transportation for 18 months in rain, snow, and heat.  But they loved the fresh food markets and the arts that were available at inexpensive prices (opera, ballet, concerts) and adjusted to ice cream in a tube!  Mostly, they were touched by the faith and sacrifices of the people they worked with.

The Open House was advertised through the media and in the subways.  As the temple is on the ring road around Kyiv, free buses were provided from the nearest subway station.  There were missionaries to help people find their way as well as individuals of another faith trying to dissuade people from going, but it was amicable.  Needing to have a tour in English, I was privileged to be in a small group with the wife of President Biddulph, the first LDS mission president to the Ukraine, their daughter and son-in-law, and another couple.  It turned out that the son-in-law had been in the same ward (congregation) as my family many years ago.  Small world.  Through unfortunate circumstances, Sister Biddulph is now in a wheelchair and nearly blind, but her glorious spirit shown through.  It enriched my experience as we described for her the beauty of what we were able to see.

President Biddulph joined us in the celestial and sealing rooms as we talked about the miraculous growth of the church since it came to the Ukraine less  than 20 years ago.  There are now nearly 11,000 members in the Ukraine and many more who will be able to come to this temple from Russia and other former Soviet nations.  The temple design incorporates many aspects of the Ukraine.  The wheat motif is used in the etched windows and the interior as well as gold painted floral motifs.  The windows are placed so that the building is filled with light and, with the chandeliers, it sparkles like a gem.  I was filled with such peace and joy.  It was the highlight of my journey.

When we completed our tour, we were able to meet members of  a group of Ukrainian scholars who had been participating in a special conference on religious freedom in the Ukraine.  As  a conclusion to the conference, they had toured the temple and learned of some of our beliefs.  Their comments were very favorable.  One professor told us after the visit that he found the church was "spiritually irresistible." For all who toured, there were light refreshments and an opportunity to ask questions.  I had become so involved in the discussions that I didn't think of getting pictures until it was almost time to catch the shuttle back to town.

As part of the celebration prior to a temple's dedication, there is often a cultural night where youth perform.  Lorraine had been learning to play the bandura (national instrument) and was part of the orchestra which included both youth and adults.  Groups from the Ukraine and surrounding countries gave exciting performances.  Below is a link  about the performance before the dedication of the temple.  My next post will be the night train to Lviv in the western Ukraine.

Click below for video clip:
Kyiv Temple Youth Celebration

More information:
http://mormon.org/   http://lds.org

The Golden Domes of Kyiv, Ukraine

August 2010

 There are many remarkable things about Kyiv (see UA Kyiv on sidebar), but one cannot go through the city without catching a glimmer of its plentiful and glistening golden domes.  As noted in my post "On the Streets of Kyiv," Christianity came early to this city.  Early texts claim that the Apostle Andrew himself came to this area and dedicated it to Christianity, but it was hundreds of years later that Prince Volodmyr (Vladimir the Great) and his Rus people were converted to Christianity in 988.   Shortly after his baptism,  he married Princess Anna, sister of Basil, a Byzantine emperor.

Byzantium was still the stronghold of  Eastern Orthodox Christianity, and, in 1037,  Kyiv's  Prince Yaroslav started to build their own  St. Sophia Cathedral  to honor the great Aya Sophia Cathedral in Constantinople (Hagia Sophia in today's Istanbul).  Sophia means wisdom in Greek. Kyiv's almost a- thousand- year- old cathedral is graced with thirteen green (representing life) domes topped with gold (representing Christ and the Holy Spirit) spires. Stepping inside, I was transported through time and space to the era of the powerful and extravagant Byzantine Empire.  Whispered memories of kings being crowned and buried,  of foreign ambassadors being received, of faithful priests, monks, and peasants echo in the vast domes, arches, mosaics, and frescos of the church.  One third of the original  11th century frescoes and mosaics  remain and restoration of others is in progress.  In the apse, one immediately notices  a 6-meter mosaic of Mary, the Mother of God, but  looking up in the main dome one can find  the mosaic of Christ, the Pancrator (Almighty).  I like this icon best in orthodox churches, as it depicts Christ in his glory, not his suffering.

The shadowy coolness of the cathedral was a welcome relief from the heat, as we wandered through its maze of  side chambers.  The Soviets intended to destroy it in their godless society, but they were courting political favor with the French who greatly admired St. Sophia.  And so, this ancient treasure was saved.  In other cathedrals, I was able to pay to take pictures, but no photos were permitted of the interior of St. Sophia.  I don't think they could have captured its atmosphere and magnificence, anyway.

Along the Dneiper River is another important religious center--The Kyiv Pechersk Lavra.  In 1051, a Rus monk, Anthony, returned from the Greek Mount Athos Monastery and secluded himself in a cave for worship.  Other hermits soon joined him, so he moved further away.  Soon a  monastery  evolved with a strict monastic code.  The relics and bodies of many of these early ascetics remain in good condition today which many Orthodox view as part of the miracles and mysteries of God associated with this holy site.  Being respectfully dressed, we went into some of the caves and the surrounding 14 churches.  A modern and fun touch, both at St. Sophia and the Lavra, was sculpture / mosaics made from the brightly decorated Ukrainian pysanski eggs.

With a population of 50,000 in 11th century Kyiv, there were 400 churches.  Unfortunately, much was destroyed in the invasion by the Mongol-Tartars in 1240.  Many new and ornate cathedrals were built in the following centuries until the 20th Century (see post on Kyiv's Hard Times).  I especially liked St. Andrew's Cathedral with it teal-colored domes that looked like velvet with gold decoration.  The interiors of many of these churches has had to be restored or redone.  Some are painted in a pleasant Art Deco style.

Under Soviet domination a number of churches were destroyed (notably St. Michael's pastel blue cathedral across the square from St. Sophia).  Others were turned into recreational or scientific facilities.  The beautiful paintings by Victor Vasnetsov in St. Vladimir's Cathedral, built for the 900th anniversary of the baptism of the Rus, were preserved because the church  was turned into an anti- religion museum.   Some churches  were severely damaged during the WW II battles of Kyiv.  However, even after 70 years of the atheistic communist regime, Kyivites retained their faith in God and rebuilt and returned to their churches when freedom was restored.

I couldn't find a web site that told me how many churches are presently in Kyiv, but there are a lot.   While the Ukrainian Orthodox churches have the greatest membership and number of places of worship, the Ukraine has a policy of religious freedom.  There are (and have been) synagogues, Roman Catholic, Russian Orthodox, and protestant churches, and a few mosques.  My next post will share my visit to the open house for the newly dedicated Kyiv Temple of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (LDS or Mormon Church).  I felt a deep spirituality evident among many of the Ukrainians in spite of (or perhaps because of) all they have endured.

Click below for slideshow:
Kyiv Churches


Music: "Lord, Have Mercy," Polyphonic Orthodox Hymns,  St. Cyril and Methodius Ukrainian Church Choir  (distortions are in original recording, but it is still beautiful)
Additional Information:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_Christianity_in_Ukraine