THE NEW OLD WORLD
Buffalo's Polish Sister City Is Rewriting Its Destiny
Rzeszow, Poland appeared through the windshield of a Russian made Lada automobile. The streets were full of people enjoying the bright autumn Sunday afternoon in Buffalo's Polish sister city.
At a bazar , a now-common Polish venture that resembles a sprawling flea market, vendors were selling everything from food and clothes to mineral water and used automobile parts. It was the only true retail trade that day, and business was brisk. This was capitalism at its most basic and practical.
Later, venturing to the Hotel Rzeszow restaurant for dinner, I was relieved to learn that there was an English language menu. With only a weak command of Polish, I became acquainted with some of the other patrons. They were Speedway drivers.
Contrary to common belief, soccer is not the most popular sport in Poland, or at least not in Rzeszow. Speedway - team motorcycle racing - ranks first. Teams compete all over Europe to compile points for their international standing.
Perhaps the drivers were biased, but the popularity of their sport was confirmed later. When I tried to notify Mayor Mieczyslaw Janowski of my arrival, I was told that he was at Speedway.
Rzeszow has been Buffalo's sister city for more than a decade, but for years no efforts were made to build on that connection. Now, making up for lost time, I found myself alone six time zones from home. But the people were friendly and I had already met Mayor Janowski and City Council President Jan Rejman when they visited Buffalo earlier that month (in September 1991). I had met Deputy Mayor Jozef Gorny at a municipal cooperation conference in Prague the week before.
Going to City Hall early the next day - the usual Polish work day lasts from 7:30 AM until 3:30 PM - I was warmly received by Mayor Janowski.
In contrast to the Buffalo area, where most of our officials are professional politicians, it seemed that most people in the new government of Rzeszow had backgrounds in the hard and technical sciences. Rationalism, practicality and freedom from political preconceptions are their assets in the fledgling government.
Besides trying to build a new government, they have to cope with problems left by the disintegration of the old one. Defense contracts with the former Soviet Union that were an important part of the local manufacturing base have been canceled. I met a businessman from Montreal who was in Rzeszow to supervise some work at WSK-PZL, an aircraft engine manufacturing plant and one of the major employers here. He was involved in trying to help reorganize the plant to build parts for private airlines.
One evening, we discussed Poland's economic conditions.
He had done business in Poland since the doors were opened about three years ago, and had seen German, British, Canadian, and Japanese business people coming into Poland. But, he wondered, "Where are the Americans?" He could not understand why the potential for economic growth in Poland was being ignored by the American business community.
My impression was that Americans may have been concerned about the lack of political stability and the high inflation rate. (Since my visit, year-end figures say the inflation rate is easing and the American company Gerber has opened a plant in Rzeszow.)
In the new Poland, legislation and procedures are needed in almost every area, including real estate and commercial transactions, insurance, banking, securities, labor and landlord-tenant relations. Criminal law must find ways to deal with such new problems as drug trafficking and illegal aliens. Modern law office management techniques and equipment are needed.
City Council President Jan Rejman and a group of Rzeszow attorneys were interested in American jurisprudence and the New York State Court System. They were particularly curious about our jury system. Poland has nothing comparable.
They were warm to the idea of starting a lawyer exchange program between Buffalo and Rzeszow, so they can see our legal system in action.
Away from City Hall, Rzeszow is both escaping and recovering its past. Prior to World War II, the city had a Jewish population of 40,000, about one-third of its inhabitants. The only remnant of this once-thriving community is a plaque at the site of two former synagogues downtown identifying the place as a historic landmark.
They now house the Rzeszow regional archives, open to anyone interested in genealogy. I told one of the directors about the Polish Genealogical Society of Western New York and another bond between our cities was formed.
In an effort to break with the past, the city's new government had been changing Rzeszow's street names. "Karl Marx Street" and "Lenin Avenue" were changed, for example, to "St. Mary Street" and "John Paul II Avenue". Politically correct, perhaps, but the rewrites are confusing to the residents and the postal system.
Tongue in cheek, I suggested to my guide that using interim names such as "Groucho Marx Street" and "John Lennon Avenue" might serve the purpose and reduce the confusion. My guide chuckled, and said, "That just might work. I'll pass your idea on to the mayor."
One evening, I dined with the Janowskis and the Rejmans. We discussed the council president's campaign for a seat in the Polish Parliament or "Sejm" (pronounced "Saym"). He said he had to work within the $600 legal limit on campaign spending. That includes television advertising. (Perhaps America can learn something from the Poles in this area.)
They discussed the parking problem in downtown Rzeszow. It will only become more serious as economic conditions improved. My hosts were very interested when I told them how American cities deal with the parking problem and raise revenue at the same time.
Because I once served as director of Buffalo's Parking Violations Bureau and had been advised of Rzeszow's parking problem prior to leaving Buffalo, I brought a copy of Buffalo's parking regulations and a parking ticket. Depending upon the degree to which they implement my suggestions, I could soon become the most hated man in Rzeszow.
The next morning, I delivered a short speech on the American judiciary and the New York State court system to Rzeszow's district and provincial court judges. They too were curious about the jury system and the use of arbitration and mediation as alternatives to trial. Community service as a form of sentencing also interested them.
Under Polish law, judges have personal immunity, which means they cannot be arrested or sued for their actions, either in an official or a personal capacity. They are subject to discipline only from their judicial superiors. This may appear to place the judiciary above the law, but in the context of their recent experience, it becomes understandable.
For many years, the average Pole experienced the law as the tool of a repressive government, rather than as protector of rights.
Judicial immunity is among the interim steps taken to ensure the freedom of the judiciary from government intervention and to enhance the peoples' perception of the law as protector. As Poles begin to believe in this new independence of the judiciary, the legal system is expected to evolve accordingly.
The courthouse were I spoke with the judges was originally Rzeszow Castle, begun in the 17th century, which served as a prison during the communist regime. Some attorneys and judges, who had served time there for Solidarity activities, had reservations about its use as a court.
In criminal proceedings, Polish courts use a panel of three judges, one professional and two lay, rather than a jury. After hearing the evidence, the judges vote on the verdict. The majority opinion prevails.
In a trial I saw, a man was charged with using obscenities in the presence of a government official, a prison guard. When I mentioned that this offense could not exist in the United States because of our First Amendment protection of free speech, my Polish colleagues asked, "But what if someone said something disrespectful about your President?" I responded that, on any given day, you could probably find something negative about the President on any American newspaper's editorial page. They shook their heads in disbelief.
That evening, I dined with Mayor Janowski, Deputy Mayor Gorny and an Austrian delegation in town for the opening of a gallery featuring photos from Klagenfurt, Rzeszow's Austrian sister city. Conversation during dinner was challenging. Mayor Janowski spoke mostly Polish, the Austrian delegation spoke mostly German, and English is my language of choice. We were able, however, to communicate by combining our language with gestures. Overall, it was a very enjoyable evening, although I may never be sure what we discussed.
Many Americans of Polish descent tend to have an idealized conception of Poland. We expect the Polish people to walk around in traditional costumes and the radio stations to play nothing but Chopin and Szymanowski. We carry around a Poland in our minds based upon the memories of our immigrant ancestors and the myths they created from the love for the homeland.
This is not the reality that is modern Poland.
By U.S. standards, living conditions are not good for most Poles. Crime is increasing. Air and water pollution are serious problems. There are housing shortages.
But life is improving. Poland's new leaders recognize these problems, and seem dedicated to solving them. Contacts have been made with environmental consulting firms, including Buffalo's Ecology and Environment and Integrated Waste Management. High-rise housing is being built. A whole new governmental infrastructure is being created, but it takes time and it takes help from people who have the experience and expertise to help ensure success.
Our friends in Rzeszow are entering a world that is new and strange to them. Based upon my experience of the people of Rzeszow, I am very optimistic, and I am glad that Buffalo has a chance to somehow be a part of Rzeszow's new future.
(Originally published in the Buffalo News' "BUFFALO" Magazine on Sunday, March 15, 1992 - Excerpted from a Longer Unpublished Work)
Rzeszow, a city of about 160,000 people, is located in southeastern Poland in a region known as Galicia. It is found on a major international highway that connects Germany and Ukraine. This traditional trade route has been in use since the Middle Ages.
The city dates back to 1354. During its long history, it has endured invasions by the Mongols, Swedes, Saxons and Russians. The original bases of Rzeszow's economy were handicrafts and trade. Today, its major industries include textile and aircraft engine manufacturing and food processing.
Rzeszow is also a center for education and the arts. The world renowned New Polish Philharmonia Orchestra makes its home in the Rzeszow Philharmonic Hall. The Philharmonic Hall is a beautiful, modern structure with acoustics comparable to Kleinhan's Music Hall in Buffalo. The Lubomirski summer palace now houses a music school. There are various theaters, including a famous children's puppet theater, in this city. The Rzeszow Polytechnic Institute is considered one of the finest educational institutions in the area.
There are also many tourist attractions in the Rzeszow region. Lancut Castle is one of the finest examples of manorial castle in all of Europe. This palatial former residence of the Lubomirski and Potocki families is filled with beautiful antiques and art which must be seen to be truly appreciated. The castle is surrounded by an English style park. The grounds include a magnificent coachhouse where the Potocki family collection of coaches, hunting trophies and religious icons are exhibited.
Rzeszow became Buffalo's Sister City in 1978 when Mayor Stanley Makowski entered into a cooperation agreement with Rzeszow's mayor. This agreement was made possible because of the contacts made by a group of interested citizens which included Gus Franczyk, and Ann and the late Ted Mikoll. Unfortunately, the Buffalo committee remained largely inactive until November, 1990 when it was revived by Mayor James Griffin.
Since 1990, the Buffalo committee has been very busy. It has incorporated as "Buffalo-Rzeszow Sister Cities, Inc." and has obtained tax-exempt status. In early September of that year, a delegation consisting of Mayor Mieczyslaw Janowski, Deputy Mayor Dionizy Beda and City Council President Jan Rejman visited Buffalo, observing our local government agencies in action. The delegation also participated in the Pulaski Day Parade and made valuable contacts at the University of Buffalo and in the business community.
Rzeszow was featured in a Buffalo News Sunday Magazine article on March 15, 1992. Buffalo-Rzeszow Sister Cities, Inc. also sponsored a trip to Poland which featured a visit to Rzeszow in August, 1992. The group was honored as the AmPol Eagle's Organizational Citizen of the Year for 1992; by the WNY Division of the Polish American Congress in 1992; and by the General Pulaski Association of the Niagara Frontier in 1994.
Buffalo-Rzeszow Sister Cities, Inc. has many ongoing projects. Benefit dances, theme tray auctions and fundraising solicitations sponsored by the group have provided valuable assistance to the Rzeszow Small Children's Home and the Crisis Intervention Home of Rzeszow. Over the years the heating system and windows of the Children's Home have been replaced. In 2000, a new playground was dedicated on the grounds of the Children's Home as the result of the organization's fundraising efforts. The Sister Cities group has also enlisted the assistance of the Polish Union of America to supply the Children's Home with toys and clothing each holiday season for the past few years.
A medical team headed by two Buffalo area ophthalmologists, Dr. Arthur Mruczek and Dr. Ken Klementowski, taught modern eye surgery techniques and delivered over $300,000 in donated medical equipment and supplies to doctors in Rzeszow as part of the "Eyes on Rzeszow" Program.
Buffalo-Rzeszow Sister Cities, Inc. also cooperates with Pomost International, a WNY group that has taught the English language at Summer camps in Rzeszow for the past ten years.
Efforts are underway to fund a number of scholarships for educational, cultural and business exchanges. Plans also are being made to co-ordinate a trade mission to Rzeszow in the near future.
The Sister City program offers Western New Yorkers a chance to participate, on a personal level, in the economic, political and social metamorphosis taking place in Poland. Anyone interested in becoming involved can contact:
<http://www.city-buffalo.com/document_615_84.html>
POLAND - USA SISTER CITIES
Here is a list of the current Sister Cities relationships between governmental
entities in Poland and the US:
Bialystok - Milwaukee County, WI |
Moryn - Bronson, MI Olstyn - Richmond, VA Opole - Roanoke, VA Plock - Fort Wayne, IN Poznan - Bay City MI; Toledo, OH Pultusk - New Britain, CT Rzeszow - Buffalo, NY Slubice - Yuma, AZ Szczecin - St. Louis, MO Torun - Philadelphia, PA Wadowice - Chicago Heights, IL Warsaw - Chicago, IL Wroclaw - Charlotte, NC Ziebice - Brighton, CO Zielona Gora - Aurora, CO |