In July 2023, we celebrated the 600th anniversary of “the only known [Mark Koterski] cities of this size without a riverIt’s okay. ” Let this fact not confuse the reader, for it will not be a text that promotes or specifically criticizes my native city of "menel" (quoting this time by Boguslaw Linda). Although, like the lyricist of Andrzej Bursa from the poem "Sbot", I could free myself from the excess of energy that youth has provided me with, writing a study on the possible of developing tiny towns or larger towns like Łódź, but this time it will not. And it's not due to the fact that I'm a lyricist, She had “but she didn’t give a crap about tiny townsIt’s okay. ” Here there will be no analysis, no spiritual return to the fibre, monopoly or movie glory of this "promised land", a lamentation caused by current problems. No attempts at objectivity. There will be pure feelings. frequently ambivalent. And as always highly subjective, due to the fact that this is my city of lights.
So how do you actually compose here? If I don't want to drive or drive tourism by promoting a "mia100 tenement house" with the largest forest complex in Europe, Lagiewnicki Forest, nor join a choir complaining about a patodeveloper, eternal traffic jams, hollow streets or the general (not only here) deficiency of prospects for a “career” somewhere another than in services (i.e. a korpo)?
Maybe I could compose a poem, but unfortunately I am not the large poet who declared to the descendants of the conjecture "in Tuwim's case" that his castle – "It's Łódź, it's [his] native cradle!It’s okay. ”
And this is fundamentally where ideas end, due to the fact that how hard it is to compose highly subjective columns about your own city, so that on the 1 hand you do not fall into besides advanced a speech of local patriotism, and on the another hand, so that you do not attack your fellow citizens like years ago the actor mentioned earlier erstwhile shooting scenes for the movie about Władysław Strzemiński?
I could “flow” further, which this column will not be about – so as to yet express both love and hatred of Lodz. But I will not be reasoning to the readers, and that hatred and love are related feelings will shortly come to light.
Run away? But where?
I guess everyone erstwhile had a feeling of being tired of their own city, their own routine, their desire to escape. And whether the dream of uncovering a utopian perfect place concerns those who come from the mentioned tiny towns and thoughts moving towards the “great world” (the large planet for any could be Łódź) or vice versa – those who have had adequate of the noise, the noise, the deceptive promises of this large planet and in dreams they rush towards the deafness, nature...
So it is easier to realize this universal feeling – to escape, just to continue. For apparent reasons, the second case concerns me – the desire to escape towards nature. Where are you going? My beloved blue remedy, the sea?
In my mind, I can hear the murmurings of indulgences coming out of the mouth of imaginary opponents: “This ever-cold, dirty Baltic? She's crazy! After a month, she would have been bored!’
Where are you going? In my second remedium, from where you look, it seems that “there is all that is tormenting you” and “looking from above around, The planet seems better”?
The imaginary opponents do not sleep: “Polish mountains? That price? It may be beautiful, but she'll get bored faster than she thinks! Everywhere good, where we are not!”
Probably. The grass is expected to be greener on the another side, although I repeat this Truism rather thoughtlessly, due to the fact that I never truly tried to analyse the shades of its green from the another side. So he tempts...
Which is what?
Run away? But why?
Escape, like all another solutions, is for people. Besides, it is said that “everything is for people” (I repeat another truism that I did not check). It may indeed turn out that the described feeling of regular and fatigue is not a transitional state and that it is truly time for a permanent change.
But if it turns out that for any reason it is hard for us to cut off this cord of local patriotism or average habit or any another feeling, then... it would be worth learning to be with it.
In my case, then, it would be worth learning to be with these moments hated and sometimes loved by Łódź. How frequently do I feel here as the hero of my favourite Łódź movie “Poors Avenue”.
The individual who watched knows with what “wonder” the hero was moving around the city, and on the another hand, how he did not like to escape to the “better world” – in this case, it was about escaping to Warsaw, until which the boaters were eager to emigrate in search of a better existence.
In this film, there are opposing issues about my city of lights. In a way they reflect my utmost emotions towards Łódź, here is the first one:
“Dude, do you know that Łódź is the center of the earth? Here are the most crucial buildings from all over the world. Look – Poznań Palace – Louvres. St Teresa's Church in Pomerania – St Peter's Basilica. 2 towers of Textilimpex on Traugutta – planet Trade Center. Later you have household members on the Mill Priest – Manchester City. And so you can go forever, right? (...) Look, man, you don't gotta go anywhere, everything is in place.”
And two:
‘ - How's Łódź?
– You know... It hasn't changed much, has it?
– Things have changed. Last time I left for Warsaw, the commercial was on the street, and erstwhile I got back, she was gone.
- Where?
- On Kiliński.
– Oh, right. Things are changing so fast. There's a terrible time."
Well, in my utmost feelings about Łódź, I orbit somewhere between the center of the earth and the commercial on Kiliński...
Boat. The sculpture “The Mistaken Weight”, photograph by Sebastian Kołodziejczak“I want to be happy... the most here”
It may be that reality is simply a reflection of the state of our mind, but it may besides be that the outside environment affects its state.
How is it, then, that sometimes even these streets of Śródmieście, together with Piotrkowska, are so depressing? erstwhile do all the flaws and disturbing gates pay more attention than the renovated civilian Buildings?
When more than a combination of tradition and modernity on the corner of Narutowicz and Kiliński (St. Alexander Newski's Church vs the celebrated rust "city gate", or office buildings looking deserted anyway) attracts the sight of 1 decaying townhouse?
When do the faces of fellow residents appear to be more tired than satisfied with their lives?
When is it more than the incredible climate of the Balut (which I love not to be) to feel their overwhelming melancholy and the breath of hard history?
When the visible blocks scare with excess concrete and overheating in the sun, encouraging only to escape (Dworzec Widzew so close), and erstwhile the duplicate Retkinia is pleasantly wrapped in colours and encourages to walk over close Ner?
When do tiny blocks on Koziny appear natural friendships along with the surrounding tree stand, and erstwhile only the feeling of annoying drivers on the overcrowded, ever-capped Kasprzak dominate?
When Piłsudski/Mickiewicz delights with his grandeur, and erstwhile the full destroys the huge, fresh ugliness of white color, called the fresh Hilton?
When the delight of many murals is clouded by sarcastic touches on walls by fans of 2 hating sports clubs? ("LKS makes tea from water after dumplings"; "The seer laughed at Kac Wawa"; "ŁKS does not read books"; "RTS alternatively of a doctor goes to Health"). Whatever it is, I appreciate the absurdity of that sense of humor...
Finally, erstwhile returning from vacation, you think more of the categories of Adasia Miauczyński (Ł kurwa), than “I want to see my city (...) my dream city!”? This quote comes from a song, nomen omen, Łódź band (well, no nomen omen, here there are no cases) Reserve.
True, Andrew Adamiak sang about Paris, but the full communicative is: “I want to be happy to get there and return happy. I want to be happy there, and most of all hereIt’s okay. ” Here in Łódź?
It is not so impossible if you find your places that will never fail, and will always tuck into this (un)wanted boat.
In my case, they are theatres – the world's best Jaracz Theatre, the large Kamila Maćkowiak Theatre or the sometimes pleasantly amazing Universal Theatre and Nowy Theatre.
