On September 5, 2015, a unique event took place. All those who oppose the alleged greyness of Krakow’s youngest district took part in the “Nowa Huta WONDERLAND” action. On the initiative of the “Łaźnia Nowa” theater, something unique was created. Magdalena Miklasz was the director of the whole thing and the day was full of various actions. It was wonderful!
I wandered around my neighborhood, and at every turn I was met with something unusual: and it was a sandbox with molds for making cupcakes-Lenin (apparently, there used to be a sandbox on the spot where Lenin stood!), and it was a clapperboard with dolls (I also used to hang on the clapperboard for hours). The open-air museum of memories evoked… memories. The gates to the “Nowa Huta land of happiness” were opened. And since I try to be an optimist, I came up with my own idealistic version of Nowa Huta.
In the evening, City Hall Park turned into the land of the future. Characters from the future of Nowa Huta appeared in it. I wrote a role especially for this event. I played the President of Nowa Huta, a person who led to the separation of Nowa Huta from Krakow. After a successful two terms she is running for re-election. My performance was simply an election rally.
Here is my speech:
In 2040 we made it! We have separated ourselves from Krakow! We can decide for ourselves about everything, about ourselves, what we spend public money on, what is worth investing in, what to change. I have been president for 10 years. Here and now I want to thank you for them, I want to thank you and, of course, I’m running for further office. I will not settle on my laurels. I continue to work. I continue to plan. We have to fight. We have to fight for Nowa Huta. Because Nowa Huta is the most important! Because from Nowa Huta you can see best. You can see best from Nowa Huta.
Flying here to you, I saw these chimneys, these roofs. Those chimneys that in 2015 belonged to Mittal. And now it’s all ours. Ours! Now everything is New Steelworks! I flew and watched from above. I looked with pride at the new roofs of the new houses, at the new departure roof of the Nowa Huta Opera House, at the new roof of the MOCAH Museum of Contemporary Art. But let’s remember, there is still much to do. We can afford to do more! In every area! We Nowa Huta residents are like a family, like one big family. I am happy to be here with you, with the Nowa Huta people.
I am glad that we can meet, looking each other straight in the eye, tell each other what a great step we have taken forward. Nowa Huta is one big family. And in a family things may be different, but you have to love each other. It takes harmony! I want to thank you sincerely for your presence. Your presence is a token of appreciation for my deeds. Let me remind you that it was possible to build two subway lines, Huta – the most important factory in our city and, I do not hesitate to say it – in the whole of Poland. – now belongs to the citizens. We can be proud of this! We bought back the factory from Mittal. Now it belongs to us, the citizens of Nowa Huta! It is here in our steelworks that the ultralight composite material HUTEX is produced, which helped create the Enterprise 2050 shuttle, which has been on its way to Mars for two years. In this way, Nowa Huta contributes to the development of all mankind!
The Music School in Nowa Huta is one of the best schools in the world. Building an opera house was only a matter of time. I’m glad that together we were able to choose the project and build a building on our lagoon that is the envy of almost everyone. Its stage is the second largest in the world. Only the Sydney Opera House in Australia has a bigger one. It is worth adding that children also voted on the project, because children have a very important voice in Nowa Huta. This city belongs to them, too. To the children!
Our MOCAH Museum of Contemporary Art is the only museum of its kind in the world housed in a 10-story building. Because we Nowa Huta residents are creative. The Kalinowe estate, completely forgotten, has started to be vibrant again, with 8 million tourists visiting every year!!!
Nowa Huta also boasts bookstores and small cinemas. Some of us remember how our Skarbnica bookshop was closed in 2014. And the Skarbnica had existed since 1956! One of the symbols of Nowa Huta was liquidated! I say a firm NO to such actions. But the Treasury returned thanks to our determination. It is located in a new building, which was designed especially for Nowa Huta by prominent architect Frank Gehry!
I’m especially proud of our Hutnik team, in which only alumni of our Young Hutnik football academy play. We don’t have to buy players from abroad.
Our guys are playing better! The secession of Nowa Huta from Krakow winged the Hutnik football team. The club was promoted from the third league to the premier league, and in the 2044/45 season reached the title of Polish champion. Today, Hutnik is one of the top clubs in the premier league and regularly plays in European cups. In 2046 the team advanced to the final of the European Cup, and in 2047 won the Champions League by beating Bayern Munich in the final. As of 2048, Hutnik boasts the most modern stadium in southern Poland. The Hutnik Arena seats 90,000 fans. The club from Nowa Huta is set as a model in Europe in terms of training junior players. The basic eleven of the team are exclusively alumni of the club trained at the New Hutnik academy.
There is a subway in Nowa Huta! It is also thanks to you that two subway lines were built: the blue route from Mistrzejowice to Pleszów and the white route from Czyżyny to Wzgórza Krzesławickie. This is the shortest and fastest subway in the world!!! I for one am most proud of the alternative route for those of us who crave more adrenaline after a day of work or before work. Our subway is the only one in the world to have an alternative route – a roller coaster. Now it’s the turn of the subway connecting Krakow and Nowa Huta!
I want to thank you sincerely for your presence here. I am one of you, because in Nowa Huta, our city, we all decide. We are an example that direct democracy can work. It works! We make choices together! We were told that it couldn’t work. Meanwhile, everyone has a control panel and joystick at home. Today we can tell those unbelievers one thing: you were wrong!
It’s not always easy. We all know that. But in a family, there is always a need for consensus. In every family, in every neighborhood, in every community. That’s why we will win! Those who want consent will win. Those who like bold ideas and are not afraid to take risks will win. They also see Nowa Huta as a fashion capital, for example. TOMEX NEW HUTA FASHION WEEK has been held here since last year. We turned a nasty and ugly marketplace, for which there was no idea, into a great fashion fair. The great designer of the Chanel fashion house Karl Lagerfeld, who seems to have earned a patent on immortality, is a regular visitor to our city. He loves – I can reveal here, he won’t hold it against me, Karl, if you hear this, we salute you – he loves to drop by the Stylish Restaurant for borscht with croquette and beef tripe! In honor of our city, Chanel produces CHANEL perfume No. 1949. And 1949 is the year Nowa Huta was founded!
We will win, because every normal person, every person who loves his homeland, New Steelworks, wants consent and wants development. I am just returning from our friends in New York. New York has been our partner city for 5 years. I want to tell you that we received a wonderful gift! The Empire State Building! It will stand in Central Square. This was the will of the majority. The vote took place two days ago and it was Central Square (Plac Centralny) that was chosen as the location of the Empire State Building!
I am trying to. I ask for your votes in the upcoming elections. Let’s keep moving forward. I want there to be a chance to drive down the hill. I would like to remind you that this week a vote is underway on the name of a cake that would be a symbol of Nowa Huta. Krakow has a cake called “Sigismund’s Bell,” we can’t be worse either! Let’s vote!
ps. Last minute news: “Terminator 10″ will be filmed in Nowa Huta.
