Berlin to Odessa Day 4: Lubin
Today we took a fine detour around the countryside to end up at our next destination, Lubin. Normally it's only about 30km away from Zielona Gora, but that didn't seem very bike tour-y of us at the moment, so we took a fine detour to Gora and then back down to Lubin.
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Not sure what the deal with these maps are - sometimes I see them and sometimes I don't. If they are not being shown here, you can click the text in the upper left hand corner and it will take you to the page.
According to our host, Jan, in Lubin and the surrounding areas are all developed as mines. Most specifically copper mines but there are some other things going on there as well. One of Poland's largest companies - which happens to be a mining company, KGHM has set up shop here.
We got to do a little tour of Lubin at night. The city is quite well laid out, and very modern, with a huge stadium and shopping mall. As our host pointed out, it is missing a center. Each neighborhood is a little central unto itself with restaurants and shops but in the actual historic center of the town there is an undeveloped hole.
There is also a memorial in the center to a miner uprising against communism in 1982 which backs onto the field where it took place. An essentially peaceful process turned into a bloody encounter with the police after the government had instituted martial law (which is still very controversial to this day, as the original reason for instating martial law was to keep the Russians from invading, which they might well have except for the tanks patrolling the streets).
We also saw one of the highest climbing walls in Europe - which has been constructed on the side of a water tower. Climbers, eat your heart out.
The last stop on the tour was a tank training ground. This would have been cool to see during the day, although we did not have a chance to go back, but at night it had a certain aura. Basically you are able to walk through a boulevard of blasted-through brick walls that had been constructed around the first world war. There are boulevards of about 6 or 7 solid brick walls with enormous holes blown through them. Walking through it at night is a little eerie because of the space between the walls, and given the fact that it is in the middle of the forest, envelops you in darkness until the next wall becomes visible.
We stayed up a good part of the night discussing everything Polish with our host. And drinking some fine Zubrowka. Next it's off to our first big city, Wroclaw.
<iframe width='465' height='548' frameborder='0' src='http://connect.garmin.com:80/activity/embed/216199683'></iframe>
Not sure what the deal with these maps are - sometimes I see them and sometimes I don't. If they are not being shown here, you can click the text in the upper left hand corner and it will take you to the page.
According to our host, Jan, in Lubin and the surrounding areas are all developed as mines. Most specifically copper mines but there are some other things going on there as well. One of Poland's largest companies - which happens to be a mining company, KGHM has set up shop here.
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| A sampling of the mineral ores found in the Lubin area (among them dolomite, granite, and sandstone) as well as the man who discovered copper deposits over 100 years ago |
We got to do a little tour of Lubin at night. The city is quite well laid out, and very modern, with a huge stadium and shopping mall. As our host pointed out, it is missing a center. Each neighborhood is a little central unto itself with restaurants and shops but in the actual historic center of the town there is an undeveloped hole.
There is also a memorial in the center to a miner uprising against communism in 1982 which backs onto the field where it took place. An essentially peaceful process turned into a bloody encounter with the police after the government had instituted martial law (which is still very controversial to this day, as the original reason for instating martial law was to keep the Russians from invading, which they might well have except for the tanks patrolling the streets).
We also saw one of the highest climbing walls in Europe - which has been constructed on the side of a water tower. Climbers, eat your heart out.
The last stop on the tour was a tank training ground. This would have been cool to see during the day, although we did not have a chance to go back, but at night it had a certain aura. Basically you are able to walk through a boulevard of blasted-through brick walls that had been constructed around the first world war. There are boulevards of about 6 or 7 solid brick walls with enormous holes blown through them. Walking through it at night is a little eerie because of the space between the walls, and given the fact that it is in the middle of the forest, envelops you in darkness until the next wall becomes visible.
We stayed up a good part of the night discussing everything Polish with our host. And drinking some fine Zubrowka. Next it's off to our first big city, Wroclaw.
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