Warsaw to Krakow - Part 2 Great Continental Railway Journeys

I'm embarking on a new railway adventure

that will take me across the heart of Europe.

I'll be using this, my Bradshaw's Continental Railway Guide,

dated 1913, which opened up an exotic world of foreign travel

for the British tourist.

It told travellers where to go, what to see,

and how to navigate the thousands of miles of tracks

criss-crossing the continent.

Now, a century later,

I'm using my copy to reveal an era of great optimism and energy

where technology, industry, science and the arts were flourishing.

I want to rediscover that lost Europe

that in 1913 couldn't know that its way of life

would shortly be swept aside by the advent of war.

I'm continuing my journey through Poland,

which began in the capital Warsaw

and continued to Lodz.

Today, I'll head west to Poznan,

then south to Wroclaw.

And end in the ancient capital of Krakow.

Following my guidebook, I'll cross the old border to Poznan

for my first taste of Polish lands

that were once ruled by the German empire.

Bradshaw's Guide 1913 contained a railway map of Europe

and a picture is worth a thousand words, as they say. Here we are.

This is Russian Poland and it appears as a white blank

on the map because the Russians had built very few railways.

By contrast, here in German Poland, well, it's absolutely black

with railway lines, running in all directions.

For my next destination, I have to move away from

the Russian section in Bradshaw's to the German section.

More precisely, "The German empire or Deutsches Reich, consists of

"the following 25 States in order of magnitude," and then Prussia

is listed first. In those days,

Prussia included Posen, or Polish Poznan.

"It's the oldest of Polish towns and a strong fortified place."

Well, of course it was. It was very strategically important.

It was on the eastern frontier of Germany

and I'm going there to find out how, to shore up German power,

the Polish territory was Germanified.

I'm travelling 130 miles northwest

to Poznan Glowny station, built in 1879

in what was the heart of German Poland.

I'll leave it to the morning to tour this fortress city.

Poznan is a good place to start my exploration

of the German partition.

It's one of the oldest cities in Poland

with roots in the early Middle Ages.

My guidebook tells me that there's a particularly noble building here,

dating from the 15th century.

The Rathaus referred to in my Bradshaw's guide

turns out to be a glorious Renaissance town hall

and there's a legend that many, many years ago,

a couple of goats escaped the cooking pot

and ran up to the top of the tower to avoid being eaten.

So, they've now become the symbol of the city.

-And, at noon every day...

-CLOCK CHIMES THE HOUR

..a couple of goats appear above this clock.

A mechanism that was restored in 1913,

the year of my Bradshaw's guide,

so it turns out to be not so much a Rathaus as a "goat house".

I want to find out more about what life was like here

in the early 20th century,

so I'm meeting British-born historian Hubert Zawadzki

at the Prussian Imperial Palace, completed in 1910,

and referred to in my guidebook as,

"The Royal Palace, a new Romanesque building."

Though new in 1913,

the architectural inspiration is medieval

and peppered with images from German folklore.

This isn't a lesson in German architecture, is it?

This is cultural and political.

Very much so. A powerful symbol of Prussian-German domination

in this part of Prussian Poland where there was quite a struggle

between the Poles and the Germans.

Poznan was of strategic significance, as well.

It was important in terms of the eastern approach to Berlin.

So, it was essential as a defensive position.

Following the unification of Germany in 1871,

Prussia's Chancellor Otto von Bismarck

wanted to ensure the loyalty of its subjects.

One tool he used was the so-called "Kulturkampf" -

a campaign to curb the power of the Catholic Church.

What was the attitude of the German authorities, particularly

of the very powerful Chancellor, Otto von Bismarck, to the Poles?

The important thing, from his point of view,

was to reduce the influence of the Polish nobility, the landed class,

and the Polish Catholic Church,

which were seen as the carriers of the Polish national ideal.

Hand in hand with this struggle

went a campaign to "Germanise" this part of Poland.

German replaced Polish as the official language

of local government and in schools.

In 1888, a new Kaiser, Wilhelm II, came to the throne.

Bismarck resigned soon after

but German repression of Poland continued.

The Kaiser's balcony!

Indeed! What a view!

The building over there was the seat of the Ansiedlungskommission,

which was to encourage German land-ownership

in this part of Prussian Poland.

-Encourage?

-Initially, government funds were provided

for the purchase of Polish landed estates

which could then be redistributed amongst German settlers.

Gradually from the mid-1890s, this policy hardens, and by 1908,

a bill is passed in the Reichstag

which provides for the compulsory purchase

of Polish landed estates.

These policies provoked a strong reaction both at home and abroad,

but Kaiser Wilhelm was impervious to criticism.

He visited the palace only twice,

but for those occasions, he insisted on a throne of suitable grandeur.

Well, Hubert, is this not the most extraordinary

-piece of megalomania you have ever seen?

-Indeed.

It reminds you of the glories of the medieval German Empire.

How successful in the end,

from the Prussian and German point of view,

was this repression of the Polish people?

This repression would have been more successful

had the German rule continued.

But, of course, it ended with the First World War.

-Would you say, in the end, it was counter-productive?

-Very much so.

It strengthens the link between the average Pole

and the Roman Catholic Church.

Well, it's quite a thought that within a few years

of this castle being built, of this throne being created,

Germany has lost the First World War,

the Poles become self-governing,

the Kaiser has escaped into exile.

-The glories of this world are transitory, aren't they!

-Indeed.

And in 1919, these lands were transferred

to the newly restored state of Poland

under the terms of the Treaty of Versailles.

German architecture and railway lines survive here.

This is one of the last places where steam engines

haul regular train services on the main line.

Howard Jones is so passionate

about this extraordinary railway heritage

that 17 years ago, he left behind his life as a travel agent

in Britain to dedicate himself to its preservation.

-Hello, Howard! Good to meet you!

-Nice to meet you.

Wonderful great locomotive!

How is it that so many steam locomotives survived

through the Communist period?

Well, Poland had a lot of coal,

so therefore, it was easier to run on non-electrified lines,

steam and diesel, which meant importing oil.

Wolsztyn as a depot, carried on till 1997, being the last working depot,

and I moved out here to help persuade the authorities

to keep it running as it's unique in the world

and it is now, by a long way, unique in the world.

Howard took over running the line in the 1990s,

operating ordinary commuter services as well as heritage tours.

Today, he's invited me to travel on a special train.

This locomotive is enormous.

I don't think I've ever been on the footplate of anything

as big in Britain. Is it Polish or Russian?

It's a Polish design, built after the war.

They're more designed for comfort.

Particularly here, remember, you have temperatures going minus 20,

minus 25 in the winter, so they're enclosed cabs so they're warmer.

Thank you very much.

If you finish oiling up there, we'll be away, I think!

-OK, then.

-Thank you.

What always amazes me about these locomotives

is the connection between man and machine.

Apparently, these two guys have only ever driven

steam locomotives throughout their careers,

so you can imagine how they feel every vibration

in the machine and respond to it.

I wish I could convey to you the smell! It's really pungent.

WHISTLE BLOWS

If you're used to heritage railways in Britain,

the great surprise is how fast this thing goes.

But as railway buffs say, the difference between a steam engine on a heritage line

and a steam engine on a main line

is the difference between an animal in a zoo

and an animal wild in Africa.

And this beast is uncaged!

I've been invited with hand signals

to put some coal on the fire.

I've done a bit of this in England.

I don't remember it being quite as hot as this.

There's no sign from the stoker

that he wants me to stop, so on I go!

A sign to stop thank God.

Oh, looks as if I've been sacked!

Bradshaw's tells me that my next stop

had four railway stations and was known as Breslau,

"one of the most important centres of industry and commerce in Germany,

"with engineering being especially prosperous."

In fact, it was driven particularly by the manufacture of locomotives,

part of Germany's early 20th century phenomenal industrial boom.

My journey is taking me south to a city now known as Wroclaw.

A new day on my journey through Poland,

and I'm in another picturesque city

packed with wonderful Baroque architecture.

Early 20th century visitor to Wroclaw

encountered a German industrial powerhouse.

I see that train manufacturing giant Bombardier continues that tradition.

Krzysztof Gablanowski, site manager in the transportation division,

has agreed to show me around.

A most impressive and enormous factory.

When did any sort of production begin here?

What is sure is the year - 1838,

but we are not sure whether it started with the wheelbarrows

or with the wagons!

But we are sure about the year.

'By 1913, this factory had grown

'into one of the largest manufacturers of rolling stock

'in Europe, producing its thousandth locomotive that year.'

After that, it grow even faster, because in 1920,

-it was 2,000 locomotives produced.

-Heavens.

-So, the rate of production had become enormous!

-Right.

'Soon after, the factory was also Europe's largest manufacturer

'of railway carriages.'

What do you do today?

We keep continuing over 100 years' tradition.

So, we produce car bodies for all the types of Bombardier locomotives.

-Would I see any of your products in Britain?

-Yes, indeed.

We have produced, in the past, a big batch of bogie frames

for a London Underground project.

And today, we are producing bogie frames for Manchester trams.

-Wroclaw to Manchester!

-Right.

'Krzysztof is taking me to see how these chassis frames,

'known as "bogies", are produced.'

Here, we can see the welding process.

By using this kind of jig,

we ensure the quality and ergonomy of the process as much as we can.

When do you think that will be running

on the streets of Manchester?

In one year from now, there should be some delivered to the city.

'And for my final stop on the tour, some on-the-job training.'

I feel like something out of Star Wars!

WELDING TORCH BUZZES

'Under heat, the metal pieces melt

'and fuse together to form a strong, clean joint.'

That's very beautiful!

So, how did you hold it?

Like that? You happy?

WELDING TORCH BUZZES

BUZZING AND CRACKLING

Hmmm.

-A little bit messy!

-Wow!

'Well, I hope that doesn't end up under a Manchester tram!'

As I leave this city with its impressive industry,

whimsical architecture, and quirky protest movement,

I'm pleased to see that its station

expresses the city's defiance of convention.

Wroclaw Station must rank

as one of the most delightfully over-the-top that I have ever seen.

There have been lines and platforms here since the 1850s,

but this extraordinary castellated facade

was added between 1899 and 1907.

So, it was new at the time of my Bradshaw's guide

and fully restored in 2012.

I'm embarking on the final leg of my journey to the city of Krakow

which my guidebook tells me was the ancient capital of Poland.

In doing so, I will be crossing the last of the old imperial

boundaries into Austria-Hungary.

Austria and Hungary says Bradshaw's are "independent states

"ruled by Francis Joseph I,

Emperor of Austria and King of Hungary. Heir Presumptive,

"it's Archduke Franz Ferdinand, nephew of the Emperor and King."

Within a year of my guide book being published,

he had been assassinated at Sarajevo plunging Europe into war

and bringing about the dissolution

of the three empires that occupied Poland.

My journey takes me 160 miles south east,

running close to the border with the Czech Republic

towards my final destination.

For Krakow, which is the grand finale of my Polish journey,

Bradshaw's mentions the Grand Hotel!

I discover that the Polish-born writer Joseph Conrad

frequented the Grand Hotel.

At school, I studied his novel about a journey

into the African interior

to discover a white man enjoying absolute power

and seduced into total depravity.

The Heart Of Darkness

was then made into a horrifying Hollywood movie

starring Marlon Brando - the 1979 epic, Apocalypse Now.

Conrad stayed here just a few weeks before the outbreak of the First World War

and was determined to show his young family the city he loved so much.

As the Austro-Hungarian Empire crumbled,

its grip loosened and this area began to enjoy

greater political and religious freedom.

It became known as the cultural capital of Poland.

I'm heading into the old town to see whether I can find any trace

of the third empire, which dominated this part of Poland in 1913.

Once again, the architecture changes markedly.

Russian and German influences are behind me.

This is so very Austrian!

That's particularly evident in this glorious square.

Four of the cities on this Polish journey

have been characterised by magnificent public squares.

Maybe this one in Krakow is the best of all.

One of the things I love about them is the chaotic juxtaposition

of different architectural styles.

The buildings are higgledy-piggledy and yet, somehow, it works.

And within them, a vast space for people to be boisterous and free.

In this Austro-Hungarian partition of Poland,

that sense of freedom extended to the Polish religion, Catholicism.

Krakow's most famous cleric, the recently sainted

Karol Jozef Wojtyla, was elected Pope John Paul II in 1978.

A year later, he visited his native Poland

still embedded in the Soviet Empire.

Millions flocked to see him.

His election as Pope and return to Poland helped to fire up

the workers' protest movement called Solidarity.

Apparently, when you're in Krakow you must eat a pretzel.

Thank you.

Thank you.

It seems that they are a left-over from the Austro-Hungarian Empire.

Personally, I can't stand them.

But I take my duties as a tourist seriously!

Hmm.

At the time of my Bradshaw's,

Poland was partitioned between three empires.

Travellers could hardly have guessed that all three would collapse,

but the empires returned - first Nazi then Soviet.

I'm off to visit Nowa Huta, a gift to Krakow

from the grimmest Soviet dictator, Joseph Stalin.

My guide is Maciek Nyzio, and my ride, a Soviet-era Trabant.

-Hello, Maciek! How are you?

-Good to see you. How are you?

-I hope your Trabant hasn't broken down!

-Everything is fine.

I was just checking it.

There's not much to check, because this is the whole engine.

It's engine more like for a motorbike or a chain saw.

26 horsepower engine!

Battery next to fuel tank!

The car is very elastic, too. Look!

In case of an accident,

I hope it will just bounce back from other car.

-Let's hope so!

-Jump in, it's open!

Made in East Germany,

the Trabant was the iconic car of the Communist era.

Painfully backward by comparison with vehicles

beyond the Iron Curtain.

I think this car is a good example of what real Communism was.

It's supposed to be very cheap car for the whole family, easy to get.

Finally, tiny car was designed and they were extremely expensive!

Maciek, which part of the city are we in, now?

We're in the oldest part of Nowa Huta, this perfect Communistic city.

Nowadays, it's one of the districts of Krakow.

It was built after Second World War as a separated city.

A gift from Joseph Stalin.

Construction of Nowa Huta began in 1949.

Stalin's aim was to showcase the industrial might of Communism

and to crush the middle classes by creating a uniform,

working-class centre, populated by industrial workers.

It was supposed to be a city to show the power of this new system

to convince people to this new ideology,

a symbol of Polish Soviet friendship.

They wanted to provide as many apartments as possible,

and to give people jobs, work at the factory.

That's the main entrance to the factory in front of us.

-What was it called?

-Up until 1990,it was Lenin Steelworks.

A vast, labyrinthine plant

with nearly 300km of railway tracks inside it,

the Lenin Works provided employment for the proletariat.

But by the 1980s, it had become a hotbed

of the anti-Soviet Solidarity movement.

This is Central Square.

Some time ago, our authorities added a name.

So, it's the Central Square of Ronald Reagan!

-Ronald Reagan?

-Yes, we like famous actors in Poland.

Ronald Reagan helped to donate a lot of money

to our opposition, to Solidarity.

He was friend of Lech Walesa,

our first democratically elected president after the war.

Under the leadership of Lech Walesa,

the Solidarity movement won the fight

for the first partially independent elections in 1989.

Poland became the first country in the Soviet Empire

to abandon Communism.

Leaving Ronald Reagan Square behind us,

Maciek and I are reconvening in a Communist-era bar.

Welcome to stylish restaurant!

Mmm, it has quite an old-fashioned feel to it!

It's one of the few places left in Communistic style here in Nowa Huta.

GLASSES TINKLE

I really enjoyed our ride in the Trabant.

Our ride through recent Polish history!

-Na zdrowie! To Poland!

-To Poland, of course!

A visitor to Krakow in 1913 might have guessed

that the Austro-Hungarian Empire was crumbling,

but not that it would shortly be joined in the dustbin of history

by the German and Russian Empires, too.

When Nazi Germany invaded Poland in 1939,

that was the start of the Second World War,

and after its end, there followed 45 years of Soviet domination.

Polish nationalism revived when Karol Jozef Wojtyla became Pope.

Poland became free in 1989.

During the course of this journey,

I've discovered that the Poles have often been oppressed,

but their spirit is irrepressible.

'Next time, I find my sea legs off Spain's Atlantic coast.'

Isn't that a beautiful beast? Isn't that fantastic?

'Sample a favourite British tipple in Oporto.'

It's a Martinez 1953, a very rare wine.

It's glorious!

'And in Lisbon, investigate an assassination.'

They're a group of armed Republicans, in five minutes,

they almost wiped out the entire royal family.

So, this square was the scene of appalling horror.