Full steam ahead?
This week, the UK's BBC News carried an uplifting report on one of Europe's last working steam engine depots, in a town called Wolsztyn, 60km southwest of Poznań. There lives Mr. Howard Jones who, after 30 years of running a travel company in Sussex, resigned, sold his home and moved to Wolsztyn to start a new life. When asked why, Mr. Jones made a remark which any Polish readers thinking of making a beeline for Britain on May 1 should take note of: "...But like a lot of things in Britain now, sadly all the fun's gone and it's all stress." Now he is the director of the Wolsztyn Experience course which, according to the report, is the only place in the world where you get to drive a passenger steam train taking hundreds of commuters to work.
Over the last six years, more than 1,500 people have traveled to Wolsztyn to take the one-week course. As a typical example, the program featured a father and son driving that day's train to Poznań, the son having bought the course as a sixtieth birthday present for his father, who was very happy doing the driving while his son heaved shovelfuls of coal into the furnace.
The report also contained a number of quotes typical for steam enthusiasts, as they described their passion for the trains, such as the "closest a piece of machinery comes to being alive" although they did say that their family and friends thought they were mad.
The money brought in by the tourists goes towards keeping the steam trains running, and Mr. Jones has an agreement with the state railway company (PKP) that lasts until 2007. He says there is a realization of how special and important Wolsztyn is, calling it industrial heritage rather than a museum, and he's confident he'll be able to extend the agreement beyond the next three years. It's nice to see that there remain some areas of transportation in which Poland still excels.
When it comes to car manufacturing, of course, it's a different story.
Regular readers of this column may remember a story a few weeks ago in which The Slovak Spectator reported that Slovakian TV mistakenly said that car manufacturer Hyundai had chosen Slovakia over Poland for its new zł.5.8 billion (€1.2 billion) car plant. This investment will create 2,500 jobs directly, and a further 5,000 indirectly, and the resulting facility will produce 200,000 new Kia cars a year by 2006.
Well, Slovakian TV was not wrong, only four weeks too early. Hyundai did indeed announce this week that the plant will be built in Slovakia - and Poland lost out again.
Chris Wells takes an unabridged ultramarathon through what the world's English-language press is saying about Poland
Over the last six years, more than 1,500 people have traveled to Wolsztyn to take the one-week course. As a typical example, the program featured a father and son driving that day's train to Poznań, the son having bought the course as a sixtieth birthday present for his father, who was very happy doing the driving while his son heaved shovelfuls of coal into the furnace.
The report also contained a number of quotes typical for steam enthusiasts, as they described their passion for the trains, such as the "closest a piece of machinery comes to being alive" although they did say that their family and friends thought they were mad.
The money brought in by the tourists goes towards keeping the steam trains running, and Mr. Jones has an agreement with the state railway company (PKP) that lasts until 2007. He says there is a realization of how special and important Wolsztyn is, calling it industrial heritage rather than a museum, and he's confident he'll be able to extend the agreement beyond the next three years. It's nice to see that there remain some areas of transportation in which Poland still excels.
When it comes to car manufacturing, of course, it's a different story.
Regular readers of this column may remember a story a few weeks ago in which The Slovak Spectator reported that Slovakian TV mistakenly said that car manufacturer Hyundai had chosen Slovakia over Poland for its new zł.5.8 billion (€1.2 billion) car plant. This investment will create 2,500 jobs directly, and a further 5,000 indirectly, and the resulting facility will produce 200,000 new Kia cars a year by 2006.
Well, Slovakian TV was not wrong, only four weeks too early. Hyundai did indeed announce this week that the plant will be built in Slovakia - and Poland lost out again.
Chris Wells takes an unabridged ultramarathon through what the world's English-language press is saying about Poland
