Poland
Sunday in Paris with Chopin and Steve Villa-Massone, street pianist
After trailing the streets of Europe with his piano - literally carrying it around - for ten years, the dedicated French pianist and composer from Nice is now bringing smiles to Parisian passers-by. We tag along with him in the streets of the French capital - the more of us around to push this heavy instrument, the better
poland, paris, brunch, best of cafebabel.com, crise financière, europe, music
German, Swiss, Polish and local media on Romania prime minister resignation
Emil Boc resigned on 6 February due to massive protests against his centre-right government's austerity programme. Hours later president Traian Băsescu named the independent former head of the foreign intelligence service, Mihai Răzvan Ungureanu, as his successor. Romania needs an independent technocrat, but he will have his work cut out for him dealing with the intrigues of the opposition, commentators write
poland, technocrate, greece, romania, euweek, reform, politics
Euro 2012 Warsaw stadium: once a bazaar hosting pop star popes
With its roof looking like a waving Polish flag, the national stadium became the newest addition to the Polish capital's fantastic skyline on 29 January. It opened seven months later than planned on the historic banks of the Vistula river but still in time for the 2012 European football championships this summer
poland, football, best of cafebabel.com, solidarnosc, society, travel, city planning
Top three songs: Polish music legend Czesław Niemen
His John Lennon-style glasses and long hair were mandatory for a beat generation artist. An uneven beard completed the rock and soul musician’s look on the streets of Poland. 17 January 2012 marks the eighth anniversary of the death of the much-loved singer-songwriter, 64
Economic growth: the Warsaw I know
The Polish capital’s transformation can no longer be overlooked as Poland's economy continues to grow. One German student boards the time machine
poland, economic growth, economical crisis, society, architecture, economy, warsaw
Is Poland Europe’s El Dorado?
In less than two decades the current holder of the EU council presidency has gone from being communist to the sixth biggest economic power in the EU. Poland was also the only country to not suffer from the recession. Experts say this is the country’s golden era; a Polish expat and student share their views
poland, economic growth, best of cafebabel.com, euro, jobs, society, europe
Panic on Warsaw streets: media view of Polish independence day celebrations
A masked and angry crowd, rockets, bloodstained faces and burning cars. This was no war or terrorist attack but mere independence day celebrations - as seen by the Polish media
Pan-Slavism, Slovio and Polish the 'status symbol'
The Slavic languages all have their roots in Proto-Slavic. Since the twelfth century, however, they have drifted apart. One of them reached its zenith in the seventeenth century: Polish
poland, world affairs, belarus, tower of babel, lithuania, alcohol, languages
Rafał Blechacz, Poland's musical prodigy
Is it easier to play Chopin if you are Polish? Is it better to set up home in a bustling cultural centre rather than the countryside? We hear from the 26-year-old pianist who has been making waves in Poland for the last few years
How to make Polish potato pancakes
It’s cheap and available, warm and nourishing, omnipresent in most traditional European cuisines – but the starchy crop only hit the continent from South America as late as the 16th century
poland, italy, netherlands, cooking, potato, united kingdom, yum nyam
Barcelona extends football school to Warsaw
A year away from the 2012 European football championships in Poland and Ukraine, Warsaw’s city sports director has convinced the football club Barcelona to open the club’s first European football school outside Spain. Young Polish talent will train at the ‘FCB Escola Varsovia’ from the end of October. Barcelona is giving the Poles the ‘know how’ but not the money
Europe reacts: what Gaddafi’s expiration means
On 20 October the world saw a mediatised repeat of bloody images and videos of Osama Bin Laden and Saddam Hussein on their deathbeds: Muammar Muhammad Abu Minyar al-Gaddafi, 69, was killed in his hometown of Sirte. French, US and British forces were part of the Nato airstrikes in the Libyan civil war which began in February 2011. Read presidential and prime ministerial postcards from Poland, Malta, Italy, France and Germany after the news broke
poland, business, josé luis rodríguez zapatero, italy, angela merkel, germany, communism
Post elections: 'And that is what Poland is'
Let's judge this quote from 'The Wedding', a Polish drama written by Stanisław Wyspiański in 1901, from the run-up to the parliamentary elections on 9 October. 'Poland is' - the world's only transsexual in parliament or a parliament in which the third major force is a party calling for the legalisation of soft drugs and prohibiting the presence of clergy during national ceremonies. Young Polish politicians looked like Angelina Jolie in Lodz or released viral campaign teasers by screaming out their pledges with the help of heavy metal bands. However the same ovations were not received for the official video promoting Poland's six-month presidency of the EU (think animated tango in 3D), even if it was created by one of the country's top directors. 'That’s not Poland' - so what is Poland then?
- Read the special edition Post elections: 'And that is what Poland is'
- Poland October election campaign: vote for Kaczynski’s ‘Angelina Jolie’
- UNPOLISHED: understanding Poland through interior design
- Jędrzej Wijas: Polish election candidate’s heavy metal campaign
- Poland-Germany exhibition in Berlin: let the neighbours talk
- Director Tomasz Baginski: ‘We Polish often lack the ability to distance ourselves from issues’
Poland elections: another one bites the Tusk
Donald Tusk’s pro-European civic platform (PO) party won 39% of the vote in parliamentary elections on 9 October. It's the first time a ruling party has been returned to power since the fall of communism in Poland. The Spanish, Hungarian, Czech and local press react
poland, eu presidency, economical crisis, eurotopics, euweek, european union, politics
Germans ban ‘I Like’ facebook button, Spanish want to ‘Dislike’
The north German state Schleswig Holstein has announced that it is banning facebook’s famous ‘I like’ button, with websites which haven’t removed it before the end of September facing fines of up to 50, 000 euros (44,000 pounds). Whilst Germany and the UK have raised more general concerns, the Spanish were there first
poland, germany, facebook, twitter, united kingdom, google, social networks
Brave Festival: Wrocław stands up for endangered cultures
Brave is a festival for courageous individuals sharing a common aim, to fight 'cultural expulsion'. Anna Zubrzycki, co-organiser of the festival in south-western Poland and its artistic director for 2012, discusses her reasons for wanting to preserve endangered cultures
EU culture capital 2016 Wrocław: 'Bermuda' triangle between Germany, Ukraine and Poland
A snapshot from the Kino Lwów cinema, reflections on a city with various historical names and looking forward to the country's Euro 2012 football championships - debriefing on Wrocław
poland, football, cinema, culture, european capitals of culture, wrocław
Identikit of a pure, indigenous European
The True Finns are the third largest political party in Finland. Are these nationalists and eurosceptics an exception to the rule in their Nordic region? Alongside the new leader of the National Front party in France, Marine Le Pen, the collection of ‘Indigenous Britons’ in the UK and Italy's Northern League, Europe has never been more inhabited by so-called ‘pure’ Europeans. There are fewer than they would have us believe; at the risk of scaring those who wish it to stay that way
poland, identity, finland, nationalism, immigration, society, bloc identitaire
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