The Jews in Dynów

Dynów – a little, sleepy, provincial town in south-eastern Poland, a place where, as we sometimes say, birds are turning back, 40 km south of Rzeszów. But the landscape is really nice, San river, hills, a lot of green every direction you look. But to say the truth – nothing special.

So, you can easily understand how awe-struck surprised* I was seeing in Dynów such a scene as below.

The Jews in their traditional garb. It wouldn’t be a shock for me if it was some 70 years earlier. Polish towns like Dynów before WWII had essential Jewish minority, in some cases it could be majority as well. But after Holocust and after the war with “help” of ruling communists almost no Jew at all left in Poland, let alone ones practicing their habits.

I searched a bit in internet and found that Hassidic Centre of Polish Jews were built lately in Dynów and that’s why we can meet again guests of original culture, which was so closely tied with Polish before WWII.

* In the first version of this post, before edition which I made today I used word “awe-struck” instead of “surprised”. I admit it was my word-mistake as of course I hadn’t been frightened by these people 🙂 It’s because my English vocabulary is still too limited and sometimes my poor memory plays tricks on me. And it probably will happen again as it’s not such fun to check every second word in a dictionary and blogging should be fun, shouldn’t it?. And I did was awe-struck when I realised what I had published in the first draft 🙂

Bicycle trip from Rzeszów to Baltic coast, Pl, … chapter 16, 20th August 2014 – the last kilometres

Train from Gdańsk to Rzeszów with change in Bydgoszcz was due to leave just after 8 a.m. I traditionally (as for sleep in tent) woke up very early, about 5 a.m. and soon was ready to leave the camping. To my surprise gate was closed and as reception was supposed to open at 8 a.m. I got nervous that I’d miss my train. But luckily very soon next people came to go out and somehow they managed to wake up a guard so Gdańsk was again open for me.

Having apr. 2 hours to kill and being on the border of Sopot – the most famous Polish seaside resort I resolved to ride there for a while.

At the outset I rode through Sopot wooden pier, the longest in Poland (512 m). That early it was nice there without usual crowd and in addition for free.

Next stop – “lopsided” house on “Monciak”, the main promenade in Sopot.

The time came to slowly divert to Gdańsk. For the last time I turned to pay farewell to the sea.

I had opportunity to watch as fishermen just having returned from fishing carried their spoils onshore.

It couldn’t have been the other way, my last kilometers toward railway station in Gdańsk was constant struggle against the wind. But as I had big time reserve I won. I still had enough time to take a picture of a tank T-34, the first who entered nearby Gdynia in March 1945.

And it’s high time to thank my bike for it safely carried me along east and a bit of north Poland, we both reached Gdańsk railway station.

To my surprise my train had no special car for bicycles, it was just average regular one and I had to strain all my force to hoist my bike on. Train form Bydgoszcz to Rzeszów wasn’t any better. I had to leave the bike on the very end of a train aisle.

After 9 p.m. I reached my hometown Rzeszów where my wife awaited me on the platform. It was the nicest surprise of that day as I hadn’t expected her there. We walked together last 3 of 1.617 kilometres of my journey. The loop has been closed.