For the last two weeks (see weeks one and two here and here) I’ve been doing a photo series on the city that Holly and I have gone to the last 3 summers, Szczecin, Poland. This week, I wanted to end the series on my favorite part of the city, the park in the center of the city. The park is a long rectangle, surrounded by beautiful trees and walkways. On one end of the park is a really pretty government building (several hundred yards straight behind where the camera is pointed above), and on the other end is this monument.
The monument is called the Monument to the Polish Endeavor, or sometimes referred to as the three eagles monument by locals, and represents the three generations of Poles in Zachodniopomorskie (which translates to West Pomeranian Province, or the “state” where Szczecin resides). According to Wikipedia, the generations represented are the Pre-War Poles, the Poles who rebuilt the city after World War II, and the modern generation. It is a good reminder of what the city and her people have gone through.
I love this place for a number of reasons. It’s a beautiful spot, without question, but it also has a lot of fun memories for me. The park is where people go to socialize and hang out. It’s where we went to hang out with our Polish friends. We played Frisbee, talked, and of course, ate gelato from a little shop just outside the park area. I have laughed a lot in this park, and I’ve gotten to know people in this park. When I think of Szczecin, it is the first thing that comes to mind.
Interesting fact, the camera shows I took this picture at 10:40PM. Now, this is a long exposure shot (15 seconds), so it was dark out… but not so dark that your eyes couldn’t see the color that the camera caught. Now, think on this one… the sky was still navy at 10:40… and it is as bright as the noonday sun at 4AM there in the Summer. That’s a short night! When it’s in the upper 70s and low 80s during the day, it is easy to forget how far North you are!
–Dan Thompson