The hemisphere-shaped tent with a semicircular screen embedded in the dome is a spherical cinema – a novelty in the Garden of Experiences – Stanisław Lem. During the screenings, viewers can feel like participants of film events.
How does this odd cinema work?!
The impression of being a participant of the events was achieved thanks to the special structure of the cinema, which is a dome tent with a diameter of 8 meters with a laser projector with a lens, the so-called “fisheye” placed in the dome. thanks to this, the image gives the impression of “surrounding” the viewer.
How many seats does it have? How often the shows take place?
The projection room has approximately 30 seats. 3D and 2D projections will take place every day, at full hours. Tickets to the Planetarium can be purchased at the Experiences Garden ticket office for 8 PLN (an admission ticket to the Experience Garden is also valid). Currently, there is a reservation of seats for screenings.
What kind of movies will it show?
The repertoire will include films on various topics, for different age groups – as always in the Garden of Experiences, you can learn a lot from them and learn in a very attractive way. What will cinema viewers see in the Garden of Experiences?
“On the wings of dreams” is an extraordinary adventure about the history of aviation, allowing you to glide in a balloon, airship, plane, and … a spaceship. Viewers will discover the mystery of the flight with Leonardo da Vinci, the Montgolfier brothers, the Wright brothers, and other inventors. The film is intended for the age group: 7+.
Mars has fascinated people for centuries. Once mysterious, it may soon become our second home. We owe this chance to people like Johannes Kepler – steadfast in their quest to discover the truth, curious about the world, not afraid of challenges. It is our duty to continue their work: dream and discover! “Explore” 3D is an adventure for children aged 10 and up.
For the youngest, the cinema’s repertoire includes the movie “Mice and the Moon”, a lunar fairy tale for curious children, which helps to answer some questions about the moon and explains the scientific facts in a friendly way. In turn, “The Adventures of Rosetta and Philae” is a story about the Rosetta probe and the Philae lander, which after 10 years of flight and a distance of 6.5 billion kilometers through the Solar System in 2014. to his destination, ie comet 67P / Czuriumov-Gerasimenko. Rosetta studied the comet from a distance, and Philae landed on the surface. The animated screening tells the story of a successful mission prepared by the European Space Agency, allowing you to present important discoveries in a less serious way than usual through animation for children.
These are just a few selections from the cinema’s repertoire, a detailed program until October is available on the website of the Garden of Experiences.
The 17th edition of the Millennium Docs Against Gravity Film Festival was originally supposed to take place in May, but in the face of the pandemic, the organizers decided to postpone the event to September. This year’s festival, where we will see the best documentaries, will take place from 4 to 18 September in seven cities. The people of Krakow will have the opportunity to see selected films from the 17th edition at the Kino Pod Baranami from 11 to 13 September.
What is the Millennium Docs Against Gravity Film Festival?
The Millennium Docs Against Gravity Film Festival is the largest documentary film festival in Poland. It is also the only film festival in Europe that takes place simultaneously in 7 different cities. Documentary premieres can be watched in cinemas in Warsaw, Gdynia, Wrocław, Katowice, Bydgoszcz, Lublin, and from 2020 Poznań).
As every year, Kino Pod Baranami will show selected films from this year’s edition of the Millennium Docs Against Gravity festival. Full-length documentaries showing a look at various phenomena of the present day will be shown on the weekend from 11 to 13 September.
The program
6 unique documentaries portraying the phenomena of the modern world will screen in the Kino Pod Baranami. A special role in the review program will be played by women whose collective portrait is presented in the international documentary by Yanna Arthus-Bertrand and Anastasia Mikova. “Woman” is a unique project, in which 2,000 female characters from as many as 50 different countries took part.
Out of the multitude of female voices, Polish documentary filmmakers Małgorzata Goliszewska and Kasia Mateja choose one, belonging to the elegant seventy-year-old Jola, who in the film “A Lesson of Love” reveals her doubts about the emerging feeling for Wojtek, whom she met during the dance.
The dark face of new technologies is shown by Tonje Hessen Schei in “iHuman”, a warning essay on artificial intelligence. What will this novelty ultimately turn out to be? Will it be a salvation for mankind or a curse? The alarmist tone of the film is balanced by Tarantino’s documentary “Bastard of Cinema”, filled with pure fun, devoted to the work of one of the most important contemporary directors. The film features a number of actors known from the production of Quentin Tarantino (including Tim Roth, Jamie Foxx, Christoph Waltz), who reveal the backstage of famous titles and talk about the way the creator of “Reservoir Dogs” works.
The program of the weekend review also included two films dealing with the topic of religiosity. “Wall of Shadows” by Eliza Kubarska is a portrait of life in the shadow of great mountains, one of which is considered a divine place, inaccessible to people. Sherpas who live in a village at the foot of the massif are faced with a difficult question: can they break the eternal taboo and climb the sacred mountain to provide for their family?
An ironic look at the sphere of the sacred is offered in the documentary “How God Seeked Karel”, produced by Vít Klusák and Filip Remunda, authors of the famous “Bohemian Dream”. Their latest production presents the adventures of a group of Czech skeptics who set off on a journey through Poland to get to know the face of its religiosity.
From Friday, August 28, the Limited Traffic Zone returned to Kazimierz, Kraków. Entrepreneurs from this area are protesting against such changes.
Discontent entrepreneurs
“Our contractor confirms that he will be able to implement the new traffic organization project in Kazimierz from Friday morning (28.08.2020). Therefore, the changes planned by the city traffic engineer will come into force from that day” – admitted earlier on last week the Road Authority of the City of Krakow.
The Krakow office justifies that the SOR (Strefa Ograniczonego Ruchu = Limited Traffic Zone) in Kazimierz is restored in order to maintain a balance in the common space for residents, entrepreneurs, and tourists. It also comes as a response to the requests of the District Council I Old Town.
“The conducted analysis showed that the functioning of the Śródmieście Paid Parking Zone alone did not solve the problem of excessive car traffic in Kazimierz. It should be remembered that this is a place with increased pedestrian activity, which was also confirmed by the conducted analysis”.
Protests against SOR
Entrepreneurs from the Kazimierz area, who were also joined by residents, entrepreneurs, and taxi companies from other districts of Krakow, are protesting against the SOR. As a protest, on Wednesday (August 26th), they conducted a picket in front of the city hall. “By its decision to create a Limited Traffic Zone in Kazimierz, the office contributes to the collapse or deterioration of the already disastrous financial situation of our companies. The city’s policy also leads to the depopulation of the center of Krakow” – argue the protesters.
They also note that during the coronavirus pandemic, when the city’s financial situation has deteriorated significantly, the introduction of the SOR will result in the loss of a large part of the budget revenues from fees in the parking zone, which Kazimierz is covered by.
Restored SOR
The restored SOR will coincide with the area where restrictions have been in force since 2017. SOR will cover Plac Nowy and the surrounding streets, incl. Corpus Christi, Joseph, Esther, Kupa, Jakub, Wąska. “In addition, due to numerous complaints from residents about disturbing order and dangerous behavior of some drivers, on part of ul. Miodowa pilot, a traffic restriction will be introduced, applicable only on weekends, when most of the time there is no paid parking zone. However, this solution may change when a paid parking zone will be introduced on these days” – informs the City Hall.
Permits for SOR
Permits for entry to the SOR remain unchanged. The following vehicles will be able to enter this zone: with a type K parking subscription for sector A13 and with a type E parking subscription; between 6-11 and 16-20 only for and for the duration of loading and maintenance activities; with an electric motor without a trailer; bicycles; taxis; special services, municipal services, labeled medical assistance; commuting to the property, garage or reserved space purchased; with mail; money convoys to banks in the zone; with the permission of the road administrator.
“We would like to emphasize that the observed changes in the traffic intensity and the epidemiological situation may cause a change in the functioning of the Limited Traffic Zone” – emphasizes the office.
Original article in Polish language can be found here.
The communication revolution has reached Ulica Dietla. Now, as part of the Shield for Mobility, the rules of traffic organization are changing. Drivers will have fewer lanes, but there will be new parking spaces. Pedestrians can count on more space on the sidewalks. There are also roads for cyclists.
City Hall’s stand
“The renovation of Krakowska Street is coming to an end, along with the reconstruction of the intersection with Dietla Street. Taking advantage of the opportunity of reduced traffic in the area covered by the works, the Road Administration of the City of Krakow renovated Dietla Street. Completion of the above works is a good opportunity to comprehensively systematize the organization of traffic on this street” – explains Sebastian Kowal from the Krakow City Hall.
Introduced on ul. Dietl, new traffic organization solutions include freeing sidewalks from parked vehicles. “This will enable the comfort of walking and ensure social distance, which is so important in the current epidemiological situation” – emphasizes Sebastian Kowal.
Then and Now
So far, Ulica Dietla had 2 lanes in each direction. Now over 130 parking spaces will be designated on the outer lanes. They are to be built along their entire length, but additional turning lanes will appear instead of them at an appropriate distance in front of the intersections. There are also 3 kiss & ride (K&R) parking spaces for tourist buses in the vicinity of the Vistula boulevards, Kazimierz and Wawel, which is to reduce unnecessary access of coaches to the very center.
The remaining approx. 5 meters of the road on each side is shared by cars and cyclists. “The changes are made so that, as part of measures to improve the safety of all road users, the wide roadway does not encourage driving too fast, however, so that it is still comfortable and cyclists feel safe” – informs Sebastian Kowal. “Cyclists will be clearly marked with the way they move. At the same time, these changes, even with parallel parking on the road, will not restrict the passage of emergency vehicles”, he adds.
The first painted stripes of the Krakow Shield for Mobility appeared on the Grunwaldzki Bridge and Ulica Grzegórzecka and Wielopole. Public Transport Authority announced that the changes would be continued and now the time has come for Ulica Dietla. Currently, it is painted there, among others road for bicycles . On the Grunwaldzki Bridge, it was separated with separators and stakes, while on Dietla, a 2-wheeled path was painted on the road. For now, only on the side of Kazimierz, but the same changes will be introduced on the road leading to traffic from ul. Dietl to the Grunwaldzki Bridge.
Would this lead to blockades?!
“It should be noted that before the renovation of Krakowska Street, 24/7 lane parking was introduced on Dietla Street. This provided, in line with the expectations of local residents, parking spaces for them. The implemented solutions, despite the concerns of some skeptics, did not lead to the blockade of the street. At the same time, as part of the traffic organization, various solutions were tested for the duration of the works, aimed at streamlining road traffic, including improving the functioning of public transport, in particular trams, and, equally important, facilitating walking” – emphasizes Sebastian Kowal. “Therefore, changes in the target traffic organization are largely the result of experience and traffic observation. New solutions will offer residents the most effective use of the available space”.
The capacity of Ulica Dietla will improve turning off the traffic lights in almost all places. However, the new traffic organization adds the inability to travel by car straight between ul. Krakowska and Stradomska, in both directions.
The comprehensive implementation of all the new solutions at Ulica Dietla is scheduled for mid-September this year.
Citizen stand
Looking at the comments and discussion on the topic, it seems that the citizen of Krakow are split between liking the idea and totally dismissing it. Some say that the red stripes are quite vulgar and they do not blend in nicely with the historical architecture (which, IMHO, they are 100% right!), some state that having 1 lane (instead of 2) brings more traffic jams and more pollutions through the exhaust fumes… some mention that one lane will bring issues in case of emergencies (how can one yield the lane to the ambulance, firetrucks or the police?!)…
On another hand: more parking spaces! (and everyone loves that!) Mixed feelings but I think we need to see the lanes in action and see where that takes us… I, for one, wish more people would take bikes and public transport than using their own cars!
If you wish to read more, the article in PL language can be found here.
On April 10, 2020, the elite of Law and Justice politicians flocked to the Wawel Cathedral on the occasion of the 10th anniversary of the Smolensk disaster. It was the time of the greatest lockdown during the Coronavirus pandemic. Meanwhile, PiS politicians did not keep an appropriate distance and did not wear masks. Now the prosecutor’s office has opened an investigation into this matter and will check whether there has been a crime. Previously, the prosecutor’s office saw no such need.
Rules are made to be broken by those who hold the power :/
April 10, 2020, was the 10th anniversary of the Smolensk disaster. That day at Wawel Cathedral, at the grave of Lech and Maria Kaczyński, not only President Andrzej Duda appeared, but also a large group of leading PiS politicians. Among them was Prime Minister Beata Szydło, Deputy Prime Minister Jadwiga Emilewicz, Minister of Infrastructure Andrzej Adamczyk, and Deputy Speaker of the Sejm Ryszard Terlecki. The entire delegation appeared at Wawel Castle during the coronavirus pandemic when everyone was advised to stay at home at that time, and there were calls not to visit their relatives’ graves.
They broke the law – where are the consequences?!
The Center for Monitoring Racist and Xenophobic Behavior informed about the possibility of a crime being committed by PiS politicians. Its representatives notified the prosecutor’s office about the possibility of the crime. They referred to the ban on the organization of assemblies in force at that time and the possibility of causing an epidemiological threat.
However, the prosecutor’s office found that there were no grounds for the investigation and refused to initiate it. Now she has changed her mind after the appeal was lodged by representatives of the Center for Monitoring Racist and Xenophobic Behavior.
“The complaint against the refusal to initiate proceedings submitted by the president of the Center, Konrad Dulkowski and the founder, Rafał Gaweł, was accepted. The District Prosecutor’s Office in Kraków considered it justified and decided that an investigation would be conducted into the illegal meeting of politicians associated with PiS and President Andrzej Duda at Wawel, to which occurred during the pandemic,” we can read in the Center’s statement.
The photo report showed that the tomb of the tragically deceased presidential couple was also visited by prominent politicians of Law and Justice. At that time, it was the time of the greatest restrictions in connection with the coronavirus pandemic. You could leave the house only in essential life situations, such as going to work or going to the store to buy food, to the pharmacy or clinic
One of the regulations of Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki introduced at that time, inter alia, a ban on the use of areas with public functions and green areas covered with vegetation. According to the 2004 Nature Conservation Act, cemeteries also belong to such areas.
PiS politicians who visited Wawel on April 10, 2020, did not have masks and did not keep a sufficient distance between themselves.
What are your thoughts on this? I, for one, hate it when the Law is many only for some and can be broken by others. Others that are in power and give no flying f*** :/
The Ministry of Health has included Krakow in the YELLOW ZONE of the Sars-Cov-2 coronavirus epidemic. We appeal to residents and tourists to be cautious and follow all sanitary rules!!!
On Thursday, 233 new cases of coronavirus infection were detected in the Małopolskie Voivodeship. 59 cases were found in Kraków alone.
According to the guidelines of the Ministry of Health, if there are between 6 and 12 new cases per 10,000 in a given area, it is included in the yellow zone. If there are more than 12 out of 10,000 new cases, then it is included in the red zone. The ministry introduces restrictions on the basis of an analysis of the dynamics of increases in infections over the last 14 days.
The ministry announces that it will update its infection rate and map twice a week.
The colors of the zones correspond to the additional rigors of the sanitary regime. The restrictions concern, among others fairs, congresses, sports and cultural events, gastronomy, sanatoriums, weddings, transport and the obligation to wear masks.
In the yellow zone at various types of events, there will be no more than 1 person per 4 m 2 , and not 2.5 m 2 , as it has been so far . Audiences, including cinema audiences, will only be filled to 25%, and cultural events may be attended by up to 100 people.
The principles of the operation of hotels, gastronomy, aquaparks, and swimming pools have not changed. In amusement parks, amusement parks, or recreational parks, 1 person should be used for 10 m 2. At gyms, clubs and fitness centers, there may be no more than one person per 7 m 2 of space available to customers, while maintaining a distance of 1.5 m (excluding service).
The number of participants at weddings and other meetings has been limited to 100 people. Public transport, commerce and, for example, hairdressing salons, may continue to function unchanged.
The obligation to cover the nose and mouth with clothing or parts thereof, a mask, a mask, a visor or a protective helmet is maintained, e.g. in public transport, in commercial or service facilities, in workplaces and in public utility buildings and in generally accessible places, unless a distance of 1.5 m is kept. The obligation to cover the nose and mouth also applies during religious worship, including religious activities or rituals, in public buildings intended for religious worship and in cemeteries.
One may be exempt from covering the nose and mouth due to pervasive developmental disorders, mental disorders, intellectual disability (moderate, severe or profound) and difficulties in covering or uncovering the mouth or nose on its own.
Red zone restrictions:
In the “red” regions, the rate of increase of new cases per 10 thousand. inhabitants exceed 12 in the 14 days preceding the publication date. Mass events are prohibited in the red zone. The number of wedding participants is limited to 50. Only half of the seats are available on public transport.
The operation of cinemas and other activities related to the projection of films or video recordings is allowed indoors, as well as in amphitheaters or concert shells, provided that every fourth seat in the audience is available to viewers or listeners, except that no more than 25 percent. number of seats. In the absence of designated seats in the audience, a distance of 1.5 m between spectators or listeners shall be kept. Spectators, listeners, visitors or participants are required to cover their mouth and nose.
It is forbidden to organize fairs and cultural events. Sanatoriums are closed, and sports events may take place without fans.
Gyms, clubs and fitness centers can not be more than one person per 10 m 2 space available for clients, while maintaining a distance of 1.5 meters (excluding service).
In September 2017, Massive Dynamic AG Polska (a branch of Massive Dynamic AG based in Switzerland) submitted a proposal to build an underground metro network for Krakow and the Krakow agglomeration for about 45 billion PLN on the basis of a public-private partnership. Its representatives resent the president of Krakow and his subordinate officials that for three years their actions have only discouraged the investor from actions that would largely solve transport problems in the capital of Małopolska and neighboring municipalities.
What would the project mean?
The undertaking would consist in the fact that Massive Dynamic AG will design, build and finance the metro network, then use it and earn money on it until the return on investment (analyzes have shown a return on the investment after 22 years), and then it will hand over the property to the city.
The concept proposed by Massive Dynamic AG assumed the construction of 5 metro lines with a total length of over 170 km (139 stations and 19 park & ride parking lots with a total capacity of about 6,100 parking spaces). It would be a subway network that would connect Krakow with the adjacent municipalities. 4 lines would run radially with a common point at the Main Railway Station, and 1 line would be a circumferential line.
Fully autonomous Siemens metro trains could be used in the case of the Massive Dynamic AG investment in Krakow, Poland
The Numbers
It was noted that, according to preliminary arrangements with the provincial conservation authorities, the metro could run at a depth of at least 20 meters. The first 2 lines would be built within 3 years. The following ticket prices were adopted: tourists staying up to 3 days: 72-hour ticket – 54 PLN; tourists staying over 3 days: 7-day ticket – 74 PLN; students from outside the commune: monthly ticket – 82 PLN; students living in Krakow: monthly ticket – 65 PLN; people commuting to work from outside the commune: monthly ticket – 129 PLN; Krakow residents: monthly ticket – 92 PLN.
What happened?
The case was transferred to the Municipal Economy Department of the Krakow City Hall. “There, after the initial meeting, I was informed about the need to be patient. From the beginning of December 2017 to the end of March 2018, I was disposed of for all kinds of contacts with the Municipal Economy Department because of the lack of time for meetings regarding the metro” – admits Marcin Boroń, president of Massive Dynamic AG Polska.
In connection with the situation, in June 2018, Massive Dynamic AG submitted a petition to the Krakow City Council, in which it renewed its proposal to build the metro. As a result, there was finally a meeting with the management of the Municipal Economy Department, where president Marcin Boroń presented the concept of the metro to officials. He declared that the company had adequate financial resources and was in talks with companies involved in tunneling (Herrenknecht), rolling stock production (Siemens), and train traffic control systems.
Officials pointed out that a Study for Collision-Free Transport in Krakow is being developed, its effect may be the construction of the 1st metro line, therefore any works related to the construction of the metro line would have to be carried out in parallel and completely independent of the route of the metro in the eastern corridor analyzed in the Study West. Officials also pointed out that 3 metro lines were planned in the Krakow Development Study. The concept would, therefore, have to be adapted to this document or changed. The representatives of the city hall also expected more specific analyzes and documents confirming the investor’s financial capacity.
In October 2018, Massive Dynamic AG submitted to the office the preliminary analysis of the investment, and two months later it sent documents confirming the financial capacity. In order to read the documents sent, including agreements with foreign partners, the investor expected the city to sign a confidentiality agreement. The contract template was sent to the office at the end of 2018.
“After sending these documents, the Municipal Economy Department began to act very slowly. After many phone calls and messages sent by e-mail, a meeting with the vice-president of Krakow, Andrzej Kulig, was finally arranged on February 12, 2019, i.e. after more than 16 months from the moment our company submitted the proposal to build the metro“ – emphasizes President Marcin Boroń. “At the meeting attended by other representatives of the office, the scope of the project was initially discussed and it was agreed that a confidentiality agreement would be prepared. Later, the office again acted very sluggishly, in my opinion, so as to discourage us from further action in this matter”.
The interior of the subway cars for Kuala Lumpur – inspiration for Krakow Agglomeration Subway train-sets proposed by Massive Dynamic AG
2019 & The Mayor of Krakow
In April 2019, Massive Dynamic filed a complaint against the work of the vice-president of Krakow, Andrzej Kulig, and the Municipal Economy Department. The Mayor of Krakow, Jacek Majchrowski, found it unfounded. In response, he recalled that the proposed solutions for the metro were not in line with the spatial development study for Kraków. The president also emphasized that although the president of Massive Dynamic Polska had sent documents confirming financial credibility, officials could not read their content, because they were secured with a password along with the information that they could be read after signing a confidentiality agreement.
The president also asked attention that the proposed routes of the metro lines should be verified by professional analyzes and forecasts of traffic, as well as the locations of transfer stations/nodes so that they do not conflict with the existing development. The president also noted that the city could not afford to cooperate with one entity selected without respecting the provisions related to public procurement.
The proposed metro lines in the project of the spatial development study in Kraków (2014)
Lack of interest…
“If it were an investment under a public-private partnership, the city could have prepared a tender and started a technical dialogue with our company” – says President Marcin Boroń. “We presented the general concept of the metro lines, which could be detailed at subsequent stages of the works to meet the city’s requirements. However, about PLN 20 million would be needed to conduct detailed analyzes. We could not afford such an expense without any agreements, especially non-disclosure agreements. It is difficult to imagine that without it, we would disclose all the financial secrets of our company to the office” – he adds.
Massive Dynamic AG also submitted complaints to the Krakow City Council and tried to present its vision to the councilors at the RMK session. “Until today, however, we have not obtained consent for it” – says President Marcin Boroń.
On the other hand, the chairman of the Krakow City Council, Dominik Jaśkowiec (PO councilor), informed Gazeta Krakowsa that he would look at the matter. “We have not recently invited guests to the meetings of the Krakow City Council due to the coronavirus pandemic. If epidemiological conditions make it possible, a presentation of the subway project could be organized in September” – explains Dominik Jaśkowiec.
Krakow voted in favor of having a metro line!
In May 2014, the inhabitants of Kraków voted in favor of building the metro in a referendum. In September 2018, the city signed an agreement with ILF Consulting Engineers Polska to develop a study for collision-free transport, including metro, for 9.4 million. The contract includes a deadline for the completion of the works by the end of 2019. Just before that date, the Krakow authorities informed that the document would not be prepared on time, as the proposals for the location of underground stops for the metro (planned on the Nowa Huta – city center – Bronowice route) were negatively assessed by the conservation authorities.
Initially, the Małopolska Voivodship Conservator of Monuments Monika Bogdanowska agreed only to the metro stop at the Nowaka-Jeziorański Square, so in the vicinity of the Main Railway Station. There was no consent for stops at the Mogilskie roundabout, the intersection of Dunajewskiego, Karmelicka and Podwale streets, and the square between Karmelicka and Dolnych Młynów streets, where there is now an above-ground parking lot and a municipal park is to be built. The contractors of the study proposed new solutions for the stops and the conservation authorities approved two of them: in the area of the Mogilskie roundabout and ul. Karmelicka, but with conditions. In the case of the Mogilskie roundabout, the recommendation was that the stop should not collide with the remains of the former fortification buildings.
Half a year ago, it seemed that both parties would be able to complete all the details efficiently and by the end of June this year, the authors of the study would be able to complete the necessary work. However, there are further delays and so far the Study has not been presented…
For more details on how the proposed 5 metro lines would look like, please do check the Gazeta Krakowska article and photos.
Yours truly,
The Twisted Red LadyBug bringing you the Krakow News
The first session of the Krakow City Council after the summer break will take place this week. There are many indications that councilors will not yet deal with the issue of increasing the price of tickets for public transport. Officials want to give themselves and the councilors more time to talk about the final shape of the increases, before the latter deal with the project. This one has still not appeared among the draft resolutions awaiting adoption.
MPK PHOTO: KRZYSZTOF KALINOWSKI / LOVEKRAKÓW.PL
Officials plan to increase the public transport ticket prices
I was telling you already that the officials were getting ready to increase the prices of tickets for public transport. In July, it was officially known what changes were planned by officials. As they explained, the increases are necessary, because the Coronavirus pandemic had a negative impact on the city’s transport budget and if we want to maintain the pre-pandemic network and frequency of connections in the autumn, the increases are necessary.
It seemed that the councilors would deal with the raises at the first session after the holidays, which is on the last Wednesday of August (Yup! Tomorrow!). But they won’t! “In order for the print to go to the session, the president must submit it at least one week before the session, i.e. by 17th August. It has not happened so far and I doubt it will change” – Dominik Jaśkowiec, chairman of the City Council tells us. The draft resolution is still not in the Public Information Bulletin.
MPK_TramsInKrakow
Confirmation from The Mayor
His words are confirmed by a spokeswoman for Jacek Majchrowski. “The ticket resolution will not be available until one of the September sessions. We want to propose a project that has a chance to be adopted and will be a compromise” – says Monika Chylaszek. The officials will, therefore, work with the councilors on the project for some time to come.
What are the current propositions?
a one-way ticket for 6 PLN (now 4.6),
a 10-minute ticket for 3 PLN (now a 20-minute ticket for 3.6)
a 90-mint ticket for 8 PLN (now 6). The entire ticket tariff is to be changed. There will be no more monthly tickets for one or two lines. The current monthly ticket for all lines on the Krakow Card, instead of 69, is to cost 96 PLN (zone I) and 110 PLN (zone I and II).
New transport tickets may appear
A novelty will be the possibility to buy a 6-month ticket for all lines for the Krakow Card (i.e. for people paying taxes in Krakow) for 480 or 550 PLN (zones I and II).
Zone III is also to be a novelty – these are the farthest areas outside the city, where public transport from Krakow now commutes. However, we still do not know the border of the third zone. A monthly ticket for zone I, without Krakow Card, is to cost 128 PLN for the zone I, 96 PLN for zone II, and 69 PLN for zone III. In turn, a ticket without Krakow Card for zones I and II will cost 146 PLN(the same for zones II and III), and 166 PLN for all zones.
In addition, the tariff will include a monthly social ticket for 30, 50, and 70 PLN (zone I, I and II, zone I, II, and III) and an activation ticket for the unemployed for 50 and 100 PLN (zone I, I and II).
MPK_Tram-line-for-11-November_Krakow_Poland
Coronavirus affecting public transport/price of tickets
According to officials, the increases are necessary due to the coronavirus epidemic, which plowed through the city’s transport systems. How much Krakow’s public transport has suffered can be seen from the April data on the inflow of ticket sales – only 4.12 million PLN, compared to 23.76 million PLNin April 2019. It was a little better in May – 8.89 million PLN. But that was over 16 million PLNless than in May a year ago. In June, the proceeds amounted to 13.2 million PLN. A year ago, it was 22.7 millionPLN.
During the epidemic, the daily revenues from ticket sales decreased from approx. 1.5-2.5 million PLN to several dozen thousand zlotys or a maximum of 200-400 thousand PLN.
“We estimate that by the end of the year, the revenues from tickets will be at the level we forecast, i.e. in autumn they will reach 70%. what before the pandemic, we will lose PLN 100 to 140 million by the end of the year” – Łukasz Franek, director of the Public Transport Board told Gazeta Krakowska some time ago.
Already in this year’s city budget for public transport, a deficit of PLN 300 million was planned. If the above assumptions are met, at the end of the year the budget gap in public transport will start to reach half a billion zlotys.
Original article (in Polish language) from Gazeta Krakowska can be found here.
The city has announced a competition for the design of the Krakow Music Center in Cichy Kącik. We will know the winner in December!
New Musical Center in Krakow
The Krakow Music Center in Cichy Kącik is to be a musical showcase of the city and a contemporary icon of architecture harmoniously integrated into the surroundings, a room with outstanding acoustic values. The city has just announced an international architectural and urban competition for the design of the building. The winner will be announced on December 18 this year(2020).
This is not a new idea!
The city has returned to the idea from years ago and wants to build a modern concert hall in Cichy Kącik. The idea of building the Krakow Music Center assumes the construction of a complex that will use the world’s best urban, architectural, acoustic, and functional solutions.
The Krakow Music Center will not only be the seat of Capella Cracoviensis and Sinfonietta Cracovia but also a place used by other creative entities, non-governmental organizations, artists, and as a space for the presentation of festivals, such as Opera Rara, Music in Old Krakow or Sacrum Profanum Festival.
The topic of building the Music Center started years ago when prof. Stanisław Gałoński from the Foundation wanted to build such a facility for contributions. It failed. There was also a resolution of the Krakow City Council and the concept of building a Music Center together with the Marshal’s Office, but in agreement with the Marshal, we withdrew from it. Now we are starting the investment because the pressure from creative circles to build a real concert hall in Krakow is huge.
Jacek Majchrowski, Mayor of the City of Krakow
When did the competition start?
The competition was announced on Monday, August 17. Z oo, in cooperation with the Kraków branch of the Association of Polish Architects, will be responsible for the city. An international, two-stage architectural and urban competition will select the best solution for the building of the Krakow Music Center at ul. Piastowska in Krakow.
The music complex will use the world’s best urban, architectural, acoustic and functional solutions. The hall is to be a place that fits into the network of European concert halls, there will be radio, TV and internet broadcasts of concerts and performances, the place will build the prestige, brand and reputation of the city, which prides itself on the title of the European Capital of Culture 2000 and the Polish capital of culture.
When will we know the winner?
The decision, public announcement of the competition results, and the opening of the post-competition exhibition will take place by December 18, 2020. The pool of competition prizes amounts to 200 thousand zlotys.
Original Article in Polish Language can be read here.
In the coming days, Krakow will most likely be in the yellow zone, where additional restrictions are in force due to the Sars-CoV-2 pandemic. The number of infections per 10,000 people is decisive for hitting a given zone mark.
Coronavirus cases in Poland – 19 August 2020
Krakow hitting the yellow mark!
The fact that Krakow may end up in the yellow zone has been unofficially talked about for several days and such information also came from government circles. This is indicated by the growing number of infections in the Małopolskie Voivodeship and in Kraków itself.
Data per 19 August 2020: “In the last 24 hours, there were 140 new cases of coronavirus infection in Małopolska, 37 of which in Kraków alone. This is more than the previous day when 134 new cases were confirmed”.
Coronavirus cases in Poland – 19 August 2020
Numbers as of 19th August 2020
Since the beginning of the epidemic in Małopolska, 5,838 people with confirmed infection have been confirmed, of which 2,212 have been cured. The number of so-called active infections exceeds three and a half thousand and is currently exactly 3514. In Krakow, since the beginning of the epidemic, we have already had 1070 cases, 22 people died, and we had 351 convalescents. All this means that Krakow is approaching the border, after which the yellow zone is being introduced. This is determined by the number of cases per 10 thousand residents. The yellow zone is valid for the 6-12 index. In Krakow, it is already 6.03 (19 August 2020).
Coronavirus cases in Poland – Daily report from 18 August 2020
Division of Poland in zones
Along with the further development of the coronavirus pandemic in Poland, the Ministry of Health in August decided to regionalize the level of coronavirus risk and decided to introduce green, yellow and red zones for individual counties. The former are safe poviats, where the number of infections is low and there are nationwide, increasingly milder restrictions.
The situation is different in other zones. “Red” counties are those in which the rate of increase of new cases per 10 thousand inhabitants exceeds 12 in the 14 days preceding the publication date. In turn, poviats (regions) in the range from 6 to 12 cases are marked in yellow.
Official Twitter on the 3 Zones: Green – Yellow – Red
Rules for the Yellow & Red Zone
In the Yellow Zone, a maximum of 100 guests may participate in weddings. Mass events are forbidden in red. The number of wedding participants is limited to 50. Only half of the seats are available on public transport. The organization of fairs and cultural events is forbidden. Sanatoriums are closed, and sports events are held without fans. Gyms and cinemas remain open with additional security measures.
In the red zone, it is obligatory to wear masks everywhere in public spaces, also in the streets and parks. The yellow mask is worn as it is now, i.e. in means of collective public transport, in workplaces and public utility buildings, in commercial or service facilities, or in the course of religious worship.
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