The real socialism in Krakow - Nowa Huta
In 1947 the communist national authority in Poland decided to construct the first socialist town and steel work factory. An industrial complex according to the Soviet models was raised a year later, hiring more than 30 thousand people. Nowa Huta was considered a gigantic experiment of social engineering. The metallurgical complex was to prove a socialist advantage over the Western European economy. Lots of songs and poems were written about Nowa Huta - a new district of Cracow, an example of social growth for the working class. In the 1980s, Nowa Huta became one of the centres of resistance to socialist realism. The inhabitants started their fight for the rights to the Catholic Church (The Arc of God church) and the trade union (Solidarnosc). During martial law the mass demonstration and the working protest against the regime of General Jaruzelski took place there.
This tour offers an unforgettable meeting with the communist reality within a period of Polish People’s Republic. Absurdity, faults, successes of the communist authorities and the remains of the people’s fight for freedom compose our trip. On a base of Nowa Huta you will learn about the actual economic and social situation based on a new system of real capitalism: unemployment, development opportunities, church, youth subcultures.
Services:
guided tour of Nowa Huta city, visit to the Arc of God church Duration: approx. 4 hours
Departure: 9:00 am everyday
