Ismayil Fataliyev
Sirens, dwarfs, sirens, medieval architecture, more sirens, convenient public transport, sirens, a lot of students, sirens, sirens and again sirens. When back in Azerbaijan, this will be my answer to the question:"what do you remember about Wroclaw in the first month of studying there?"
A multicultural city on the both banks of the Odra River has plenty to offer to Azerbaijanis no matter what their purpose of the visit is. One has just to come.
The fourth largest Polish city is home to just over 640,000 people. This is two times more than the population of Ganja. However, one of the oldest cities in Poland, Wroclaw, turned 1020 a couple of years ago, is not a popular destination for Azerbaijani tourists. And this is despite the fact that, since the beginning of this year, direct flights have been established between our countries.
Wroclaw in Polish, Vratislav in Czech, Breslau in German, the city is located some 355 km west of Warsaw on both banks of the middle reaches of the Odra River in the Silesian lowlands. Curiously, the Czech and German capitals are even closer to it - 70 and 10 km, respectively. It is not surprising that in the Middle Ages the city changed hands and belonged to one of these three. It was always in the middle, like no man's land and anyone could reach it out. But surprisingly for me, our tourists do not come here en masse. Come on, guys?! Prague and Berlin are three-four hours away by train or bus.
Such a location could not but affect the medieval architecture of the city - the Catholic Cathedral of St. John the Baptist, the Orthodox Cathedral of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, the Saints Cyril and Methodius Cathedral, the traditional trapezoid-shaped buildings of the Rynek - market square in the old part of the city, the Town Hall building, the architectural building of the Hala Targova shopping center, where by the way I came out one can still bargain, the building of Wroclaw University and so on.
And since the city belonged to the Germans from the end of the 15th century until the end of World War II, its architecture is most noticeable. In a similar style, although smaller in size, such buildings could be present in our villages in Shamkir, Goygol, Tovuz, Agstafa, where German colonists used to live and construct in the 19-20 centuries.
In my opinion, the urban architecture of Wroclaw is in harmony with the landscape. Here, as a rule, there are no tall glass-concrete buildings like we have in Baku, especially in the center. But SkyTower is an exception to the rule. A multifunctional skyscraper of 60 floors with a height of 210 meters, is the third tallest building in Poland and the 31st tallest in Europe. The SkyTower consists of residence apartments, shopping malls and entertainment centers and is visible from all sides of the city. Undoubtedly, having a bird's-eye view of the city from a glazed viewpoint is a must to do.
Similarly, Wroclaw does not attract our labor migrants, whose numbers have been gradually increasing in Poland. Azerbaijanis prefer to come to the Polish capital, Warsaw, to earn money. "There are more job offers here," said 28-year-old Elchin, a Baku-Warsaw flight passenger as we waited in line at passport control at Chopin Airport. He got a job in Warsaw, either as a warehouseman or as a loader. Leave a random acquaintance at the airport?! My post-graduate compatriot who came to Poland with me to study under a scholarship program said the same thing.
And what about Wroclaw? Azerbaijanis go to Wroclaw to study. Why? Because it is the most student city in Poland. The number of both local and foreign students here is more than 130 thousand people! This is the population of the Barda region. There are many specialties here and the level of education is as appropriate as in many Czech and German universities. So people come here to study from all over Europe: "Here, tuition fees are low," one student from Italy told me. Later, I asked at my university about the tuition fee for the specialization of journalism. "3500 euros per year," they answered me. For comparison, last year when I was looking for information about tuition fees in the universities of Latvia, I did not find offers of less than 5,000 euros per year.
In addition, accommodation in a hostel fluctuates around 200-250 euros per month. It may seem a little expensive compared to Azerbaijan, but, guys, you should have seen the living conditions. I was immediately impressed by the entrance door at the reception desk and elevators of my hostel, Kredka. By the way, it means chalk in Polish. An additional benefit is a 50% discount for students when using public transport. A five-month pass costs 50 euros! And, of course, there are numerous canteens and cafes that offer discounts for students. At different hours of the day, they can also reach 50 percent. By the way, I also met a restaurant of Azerbaijani-Turkish cuisine here. Although I did not notice any discounts at the entrance. As for the leisure of students, discounts are offered for entrance fees to many museums, parks and, of course, to entertainment venues.
And in front of each building within the city center, one can see the symbols of Wroclaw - iron dwarfs, krasnals in Polish. There are more than 300 of them throughout the city. Very different and at the same time equally charming. I wonder how long it will take to find and photograph them all?
This is how one gets used to the city, i.e. finding and photographing one dwarf after another. So, I am getting used to it too. Just as I got used to the fact that bread in a cafe needs to be ordered separately here, to the fact that not a single supermarket is open on Sundays, except for Zabka - a network of small grocery stores throughout the country. I am getting used to everything. Except for the sirens of the ambulance or police, that are always on when they even drive through the deserted city streets at night time, as if reminding of themselves on purpose.
