A strange place
Trip Start
Sep 12, 2006
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Trip End
Sep 08, 2008
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Nysa, Opole Voivodeship, Poland
Sunday, October 15, 2006
Nysa isn't really famous for anything, and after an hour on the bus we soon found out why. Apparently it had once been one of the most important religious centres in Silesia, but it sustained massive damage during the Second World War, and all that remained were a few cathedrals, a strange tower, drab communist style apartment blocks and very sour looking people. We found the rynek within ten minutes, and were a little puzzled by what we saw. Perhaps it was the grey skies, but the place was quite literally dead.
Feeling a little peckish, we went into the first restaurant we came across and ordered some lunch and a beer. We weren't expecting to find much in Nysa, so food and beer was our main priority. After an hour or so inside the cosy restaurant we decided to at least see some of the city, so we spent an hour walking around. The main cathedral was the highlight; however the tower next to it was quite odd. Apparently begun in the 15th century, it was never completed, and consequently looked quite odd next to the huge cathedral. We found one quiet little cobblestone side street which made for some nice photos, but on the whole we just wandered around trying to make sense of the place. The post war architecture left a lot to be desired, and we continually walked past the same people. Within an hour we felt as if we knew everyone in the town! If the strangest thing we saw wasn't some old overgrown fortification, it was a Romanian or Bulgarian gypsy woman asking us for a cigarette. In English!
Having felt we'd truly done the place justice, we found a subterranean restaurant and bar in the square, and spent about two hours drinking some more Zywiec. We attracted a number of curious stares from people who probably weren't accustomed to the sound of a foreign language in their small city; however there was nothing we could do but wait until the next train, which incidentally was the last for the day. Although we were far from amazed by the place, it certainly was a change from another quiet Sunday in Opole, and we managed to find more than enough to amuse ourselves!
Comments
Weird derelict market
Now Will, I know you weren't in Nysa for long but I can tell you that the 'Market' you spoke of is actually a Fort, one on seven in the City.
I am an English Teacher in the town, I hope you enjoyed your visit to Tevere and the beers.
Eighty percent of the City was destroyed in the second world war, and those strange towers you spoke of (There are two of them) used to be the City walls and look out posts.
Without defending the place as it is quite dull and as you rightly said the people aren't the warmest to strangers, I have noticed that the longer you stay the more welcome you become and I am something of a local celebrity being the only English man in town.
Regards,
Mark Daws.
Too Bad
While surfing the net, I came across your commentary about my hometown - Nysa, Poland. It's too bad that you didn't enjoy your stay in Nysa, but I can assure you if you did your research, you would've had much better time. Nysa is a very historic town, and what may seem as unfinished structures to you, holds decades and decades of history. I was born and grew up in Nysa, later on moving to Florida, but I miss my hometown everyday. Now I don't know what kind of attractions you guys were looking into, but from what I read you sound like you like to drink and party. Nysa being a valley, is surrounded by great natural attractions, one of them being the big lake (Jezioro Nyskie) right on the perimeters of Nysa. There you would've found many water sport attractions, small beach, horseback riding, camping, and many young 'college crowd type' individuals enjoing the outdoors if you know what I mean. Also, every last weekend in May, Nysa celebrates its days, it's like Nysa Days Fest. It's a 3 day event over the weekend, and takes place in an open stadium. There are stages set up, famous musicians come into town and perform, great food, plenty attractions and raffles, and most of all beer beer and more alcohol. I attended few of those events when I was living in Nysa and always had fun. Even though I enjoy my nights-out on South Beach much better, I wouldn't mind heading home for the fest. So with that said, I hope sometime in your lifetime you get a chance to revisit and see what Nysa has to offer - really. By the way, I enjoyed viewing the photos you took during your stay.
Re: Too Bad
Thank you for your comment, I appreciate it. Admittedly, we did do very little research before visiting Nysa. Only after we returned to Opole did we find out that there was a large lake nearby.
You're correct, I don't mind a beer, but I also enjoy visiting new places and learning about the history. Since I visited Nysa I've met a few people who come from there, and they've all given me a little more insight into the place. I hadn't heard of the festival you mentioned in May, but that might be a good time for me to revisit the town.
Re: Weird derelict market
oi mark gis your email address....sean misses you so much he wants to give you a big hug and kiss....(obviously thats me really!!) how's you? natalie p.
Re: Weird derelict market
Must admit Nysa can be boring, there are only a few spots worth visiting, Tromba, if you can get in, the small pizzeria just opened last year is nice, if you can get a seat, Tevere is good fo a pizza and a beer, however there are no good pubs in Nysa. Last New Years Eve, My wife and I visted NYSA and couldn't get into any f the pubs, they hold all private parties and if you are not a local or invited, you aint celebrating New Years in NYSA, shouldve went to Wroclaw like I had planned, New Year 2008 was spent sitting watching TV at my wifes parents,, Yippeee, Thanks NYSA..
The lake is worth a visit in Summer, plenty of little cafes on the way down to the main beach area and they set up beer tents in summer.. Unfortunately when we were there last summer 2007, there were a load of fights between rival gangs, this went on most of the night spilling out over the beach and totally ruined the atmosphere of the place. Guards or Police did nothing, it was a free for all.. Too much fire water, oh and watch out they charge you to go to the toilet, so if you are at a restaraunt it can get expensive if you need to run to the toilet after buying the beer.
Re: Re: Weird derelict market
Of all the places I've been in the world and written about on my blog, why has Nysa received the most comments?! Anyway, from what you describe, it doesn't sound remarkably different from anywhere else in Poland (which was my initial impression). Some nice pubs where it's hard to get a seat, beer gardens, 'buraki' beating the crap out of each other and having to pay to take a piss! Hmm, maybe one day I'll make it back down that way, but don't count on it :)
Nysa Poland
My ancestors came from this town and/or small vilages in the area back in about 1850! I'd love to visit someday just for that reason.
Retracing the roots
Retracing your roots is a terrific thing to do. Nysa isn't the most interesting part of Poland by any means, but you could combine it with a trip to more exciting destinations in Central Europe.
I am from Nysa
You've made me laugh by this text: 'We attracted a number of curious stares from people who probably weren't accustomed to the sound of a foreign language in their small city'... Dude! We have thousands of tourists from Germany every summer. You can see them everywhere then. And they are not coming just for few hours like you did, but they are staying for week or two. A lot of their ancestors came from this city which used to be German.
You can ask what do they do here by such a long time. Well, if you would ask some local people to show you real Nysa, not just the Town Centre ('Rynek') I'm sure that you'd have better opinion about this place. You could at least try to ask - I can assure you that a lot of young people can speak in English. They would show you few GREAT pubs and amazing restaurants. I won't go into details but pub named 'Staromiejska' is doing huge impression on people even from Wroclaw or Krakow. Or pub/restaurant named 'Traba' or the other one 'Fort' are outstanding! But you must know where to look for.
Anyway, one of the biggest attractions in Nysa is big 'Nysa Lake' just next to the city. There is a lot of villas, houses for rent, campsite, two great, clean, big beaches, tens of small pubs and restaurants, and many young people (beautiful girls) from all country (and not only). If you were in Nysa during spring/summer time and you didn't go there - you saw nothing :)
If you like to see monuments we have tens of historic buildings in the city and many of them are recognized as a unique in european use. Churches, historic forts and bunkers, underground secret tunnels (left by nazi), outstanding old buildings. But again - you must know where to look for!
Well, if you would come to Nysa again (by accident), let mi know. I'll show the beauty of this place :)
P.S. - at the moment I'm in Dublin. Before Ireland I 've been in London. A just want to tell you something: there is as many 'buraki' as it is in Poland. Maybe even more :)
Best Regards
Re: Re: Weird derelict market
Mark Daws... How it's possible that I do not know you :)?
BTW - in Ireland when I say that I'm from small city with the population only 50 000 people they say: 'Small? It's big! Galway is one of the biggest cities in Ireland and it has 70 000'. Heheh... :D
Re: I am from Nysa
Don't mind my 'P.S.'... It's not what I wanted to say...
Aye!
Re: I am from Nysa
I'm sure Nysa has more to offer than what I saw. And perhaps there are a lot of German tourists there, but there certainly aren't many English speakers, which is why I drew the stares. Or perhaps I just looked strange.
Nysa used to be Neisse
Nysa used to be Neisse,known as the Silesian Rome. In January 1945 ,the inhabitants were evacuated as the Russians pressed closer. These people left mostly on foot in freezing cold temperatures, my husband, then aged nine was one of them. By the end of the war, much of the city had suffered numerous bombardments from the English and the Americans.It was truly in ruins, and most likely would have officially been declared dead by German authorities.
Neisse was once a very fine center of Prussian culture and history. For my information on this time in history, I recommend 'The Tragedy of Silesia' . It is out of print, but may be able to be obtained through your local library.
This area of Germany was given to Poland , and next to nothing was done to rebuild the city in any aesthetic style. My bother in law visited as part of a scientific exchange with the then Soviet Union and found that that gravestones from the cemeteries had been used to pave the streets. There was nothing left of most of the homes and villas he knew. He left sobbing, and his wife said she would never take him there again. It was simply too heartbreaking.
What you see in today's Nysa is a dead shell of a town that belongs to no one but the ghosts. How very sad, and indeed tragic. I hope that today's inhabitants are able to reflect on the blood that was spilled, the terror and destruction , and somehow respond in a constructive way.
Re: Nysa used to be Neisse
Thank you for your post. It's certainly the most insightful I've received here.
.... ive been to nysa.....
.... and i think i met the guy who has posted 'i am from nysa'... tomo?
anyway, i just wanted to say that i have been to Nysa and i am from the UK and i happen to think it is a pretty cool little place. yeah it is suffering a little from the migration of a lot of young people, but this is changing fast.
I didnt get to see the forts or the tunnels or the beaches (i did drive over the dam!) because the weather was awful when i was there last year (very brittish i must say!), but i met a lot of cool people and there are lots of cool bars (especially Tromba) and reterants, some pretty cool little shops if you look and the countryside around is stunning. I will say however that local knowledge is a must to get the best out of this little town which is in fact jammed with historic interest and buildings which have survived times that hopefully none of us can contemplate.
i cant wait to go back there in the summer and hang out at the lake for a while... and see what happens when the sun is shining....... and of course have some kashanka in tromba with a zywiec!!
Nysa is delightful!
Hi,
I was shocked to read the neg comments about Nysa! Nobody there considers the foreign tourists or their language' strange'. Most younger locals study English or German and everyone seems very hospitable.
I visit Nysaevery two or three years and I think it's a very nice old Polish town though not as charming or interesting as Opole. It does have a great town square, a couple of wonderful restaurants and ice cream and pastry places. The park along the lake is wonderful too.
You should make it a base for exploring the wonderful Polish Spa resorts of Szklarska Poreba, Polanica, Duszniki (with its August Chopin Music Festival)and many others.
Nina
Re: I am from Nysa
Hi, I will be visiting Nysa for a week in June and would like to know where the best places are to eat and go for a quite drink.Would also appreciate any more info
Thanks
Hi Will. After 2 years i visit your profile again. I see that you have few new comments about Nysa. Most interesting for me was the one added by Ihklose. How can she write "This area of Germany was given to Poland , and next to nothing was done to rebuild the city in any aesthetic style."?!
Fu*k! Poland and Soviet Union were the most destroyed countries in Europe during the WWII! You think that Poish authorities didn't have bigger worries than rebuilding the cities in aeshetic style? They had to provide any places to live for the people, reconstruct the roads, watter-supply systems, wiring systems. Everything, all the basics! Because Polish people had NOTHING afther the war which they never wanted & and after 6 years of devastating GERMAN occupation. As you know from the history, despite of fact that we were on the winners side, we didn't have so much luck as Western Germany. We had to suffer 44 years of communism and soviet domination, we didn't have chance to use some money from Marschall Plan. Poland after the war had no resources to think about "aesthetic"! We didn't have access to billions of American dollars which - for instance - Western Germans did have.
Will - sorry for this comment. I know that this is not the right place to talk about politics and history. But i hate hypocrisy which Ihklose represents! I'm suprised by her digression as she's not the young person, and she should remember some facts. If she wants to blame someone for lack of aesthetic in Nysa, she should blame only Germans. Not Poland & not allies. Russians, Americans & British were bombing the city not for fun. They were trying to finish the tragic war which was started by German authorities choosen in democratic elections.
Sorry once again Will. Best Regards!
I do agree that the lack of an aesthetic look in Nysa is not the fault of the Poles, but instead it lies entirely with the Germans and Russians. However, I also agree that Nysa is a tragic place that belongs to the ghosts, similar to many other towns in Poland. My girlfriend is Polish and we have had long discussions about this. It is a VERY different place from what it was before the war. And I'm not referring to how it looks either.
Nysa doesnt belong to the ghosts but to the people who live there. you people are making it sounds like a depressing town, and if thats what you got out of it then you missed out.
Nice to come back to this blog it is now 2010. Last year they opened a new pub in Nysa at the Fort, Bastion Sw. Jadwigii, Kazamaty means dungeon in Polish. Went for some beers there with friends July last year 2009 and I can honestly say the interior of the building is outstanding and of course the beer was too. I hope they manage to put a kitchen in there soon as it would be a great place to eat also. The fort is looking well however unfortunately many of the units remain vacant. I will be again in Nysa in July 2010 and will of course visit my usual haunts, Tevere, Piec, Traba and of course my favourite place in Nysa now Kazamaty. I agree what was said in relation to the people in Nysa staring, I think it is only curiosity when you are an English speaking visitor as the most visitors are German however most can speak some Polish. NB: I visited the lake again last year 2009 and didn't observe any fighting gangs, hopefully the ones I experienced in 2007 were only a one off. The lake by the way is well worth a visit and the food and beer is always good. Maybe see some of you guys there July 2010.
Maybe a little late here but I cannot let the statement made by 'marianogotto' stand unchallenged, giving the impression that it might leave in people's mind. With all due respect.
"......They were trying to finish the tragic war which was started by German authorities choosen in democratic elections." (sic)
In studying German history of the thirties, the phrase 'Dictatorial rule' with underlying terror forces is more appropriate than that incorrect phrase. A vast difference. There were no democratic elections as we know them between circa 1924/1930 (The Weimer Republic times) and the late post-war 1950's.under the admirable Konrad Adenaeur..The entire Hitler time. He was desperately appointed Chancellor by the aging, sick President Hindeberg in 1933 with the hope that he and his cronies could be controlled by the parlament. A very forlorn hope. Any puiblc voting before the complete power given him by 'The Enabling Act', was backed by terror groups and horrific concentration camps.. Remember there were at least four assassination attempts in his time.
I have been to the 'Wolf's Lair' in war time East Prussia..It is very striking to visit. The brave von Staufenberg's effort which saw him shortly afterwards brutally executed along with some hundreds of 'plot' vague connections in due course..Including the great Field Marshall Irwin Rommel, The Desert Fox..
I came to this forum here to sort out the finality of the contentious Odra-Nysa line border. Any help please. I think it is the other, smaller Nysa River, the 'western'.Nysa.
dear australia2,
there are three rivers called "nysa": nysa klodzka, nysa luzycka and nysa szalona.
The first one crosses the city Nysa. The second one (Nysa Luzycka) is a border river, the third one is a very short. When you read/write about the Polish-German border on Nysa and Odra river, it is all about Nysa Luzycka (Lausitzer Neisse in German).
Best regards,
Yes, there were democratic elections in Germany, but I agree that it was not the same democracy as we know today, and not the same Germany. Violence and terror is too simple explanation for nazi raise to power in Germany 1933. No matter how hard you will try, if you have at least a drop of historic honesty, you won't deny that most of the Germans in 30's were supporting nazi. Especially after first few succesful moves of their administration.
About nazi party election results:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adolf_Hitler#Rise_to_power
But let's leave Hitler's subject. There is thousands of sources about nazi and Hitler and the Third Reich. Everyone can check himself how was it.
Hear, hear ! Agreed. :-)
Thank you.
Just 'jumping back' to geography, The full length of the Odra/Oder River was for some time the border. Please correct me if I'm wrong. I really want to verify this
As far as I can tell it has its beginnings ( it 'rises' in English terminology ) amongst the mountains in the 'basin' of the Czech coal mining town, Ostrova. Then runs northwards, of course, travelling a very long distance junction between Poland and Germany..
I have a Silesian friend here in Australia whose family name is 'Czech'. So the interest. We drove right around in '94, but not just there. Into Szklarska Poreba from Prague, a little west. Later, after the 'Poland circuit' ended, just east, near Biesko Biala and up to Katowice and onwards then 'across and up' ultimately to Berlin.
(Our 12,000 km Uk and Europe self-drive trip is all written up on another respected Tourist website.)
I come from NYSA. You just have to know the People and the city well to understand how we live. I find Your comment extremely offensive because You have no right of dissrespecting my city and all the people that live there. Nysa is a live city.. we have 284 parties every year. We have concerts and everyone is having a great fun ever day ! people come to visit our city every day.. maybe if You could learn to speak polish more you would be able to find this place Amazing. But not my fault that God made one mistake (you) too bad.. go there again and I hope You'll change Your mind Mr.
284 parties a year huh? I guess we just went on one of the days where there weren't any parties.
I'm form poland and that's the first time I hear of this town
Come on people! Not everyone must love Nysa! I think the same, that Will is wrong, especially if he says that he even didn't go to check on the lake. But he has right to not like Nysa and we should respect it.
Pat, you can't be from Poland and never hear about Nysa, because EVERY Pole knows the car "NYSA", and only morons didn,t know where it took its name form, and where it was produced :) Or maybe you are 10 years old, and then you are justified.
No I'm21 and I never knew about this place lol .. well now I do
I love this blog. My mother and her family were from Nysa during WWII. She was one of the Germans forced to leave. I have heard many stories about this town and we went for a visit in July of 06 with my mother. When we got to the Mill that my grandfather owned in the 30s and 40s we found a wonderful Polish man by the name of Jozef Tajdus who owns it now. He was so generous and let us go inside the house and see the old ruins of my mothers home and mill. He took us to the lake where he owns a bar and campground with cabins. Took us out in a boat ( an American boat Bayliner) ! What a great little place to find your roots. We stayed in the Catholic Church Priest Monastary where they fixed our food for us. My cousin from Munich went with us and fell in love with the town too. He owns textile and antique stores (KOKON) in Germany and goes to Nysa and the surrounding cities to buy now. I WILL be back next year and hope to meet some of you when I go. My grandfathers tombstone was sold by the priest there to ground into the streets. Cant say that I blame him. If any of you know Josef tell him thank you for me.
This is a very interesting post, and perhaps there may be someone who would know the location of the grave an Uncle of mine. He left Australia in 1929 to share the gospel in Germany. He was there only a few years, when he died. His family in Australia received letters with the account of his death and burial, and it has always been a desire of mine to find his grave. After reading some of these post, it may be in fact true that his grave may now lie unmarked.
Some of the details in this letter may identify the location of the church, and if it is still existing.
I will share an extract from the letter:
Otto died in Niesse hospital on Sat 7th (1932).
The simple coffin and the little group that followed from the hospital to the cemetary gave surely the impression of a poor mans burial.
It took quite a lot of trouble to get the burial place for Otto. Even the police were not much pleased to help in the matter because none sects had first room for Otto. But at the last, the Catholic Church gave the request to the police. And Otto's grave lies withe their dead. No of the grave 163. The burial was at 16 o'clock and was to be without any speech and song at the grave, but at the last moment we got word from the arch priest that if we observe not to insult in any way their creed etc, we could pray and sing at the grave, which we did...............
So....wondering if anyone could identify maybe the hospital/church/graveyard that this may have been.
Thanks in advance if anyone can help.
I should have written Nysa also in the comment above. It was known by its German name Niesse at the time.
thanks again