Places to see in Warsaw: National Museum

The National Museum (Polish: Muzeum Narodowe w Warszawie) in Warsaw, Poland, is a national institution of culture, one of the largest museums in Poland and the largest in Warsaw. It comprise a rich collection of ancient art (Egyptian, Greek, Roman), counting about 11.000 pieces, an extensive gallery of Polish painting since the 16th century and a collection of foreign painting (Italian, French, Dutch, German and Russian). The museum is also home to numismatic collections and a gallery of applied arts.

Unfortunately, the museum is closed to the public from 18 July 2011 until Spring 2012 for refurbishment. But you can visit its branches in Warsaw:

• Muzeum w Nieborowie i Arkadii
• Muzeum Plakatu w Wilanowie
• Muzeum Rzeźby im. X. Dunikowskiego w Królikarni
• Muzeum Wnętrz w Otwocku Wielkim

Places to see in Warsaw: Fryderyk Chopin Museum

Muzeum Fryderyka Chopina is a museum in Warsaw, Poland dedicated to the great composer Fryderyk Chopin. It was established in 1953. The museum covers the history and works of Chopin, including original manuscripts and documents written by the composer, photographs and sculptures of him, letters, as well as hosting piano recitals and competitions of Chopin's works.

Frédéric François Chopin (Polish: Fryderyk Franciszek Chopin) 22 February or 1 March 1810[2] – 17 October 1849) was a Polish composer, virtuoso pianist, and music teacher of French–Polish parentage. He was one of the great masters of Romantic music and has been called "the poet of the piano".

Schedule for the VtES European Championship 2011

The schedule for the three-and-a-half days of the VtES European Championship 2011 has been given in more detail. The Welcome Party on Thursday starts at 20:00 and has the following rough schedule:

• Short introduction speech
• Lecture from Isak Esbjörnsson Bjärmark (and Swedish Friends) about deck buildings etc. etc.
• The Nations Cup -- a short quiz about VtES, WoD etc. etc. in teams
• Invitation to the Great Auction - one special item to buy, only on Thursday at the Welcome Party
• Drinking, Taking, Debating ..

The schedule for the next three days with VtES tournaments (Friday to Sunday) looks the same for all three days:

• Breakfast: 08.00 AM
• Registration: 08.30 - 10.30
• Round I: 11.00 - 13.00
• Lunch: 13:00 - 14:30
• Round II: 15:00 - 17:00
• Round III: 17:15 - 19:15
• Supper: from 19:15
• Final: 20:30 - 22:30

Shortlist for the Legendary Vampire Tournament

Last week the organizers of the VtES European Championship have published an updated list for candidates for the Legendary Vampire tournament, which is one of the first tournaments of the EC in Warsaw, Poland this year.

Participants by special invitations are:

• Erol Öngun (GER) -- Special Invitation
• Pascal Bertrand (FRA) -- Special Invitation
• Martin Weinmayer (AUT) -- Special Invitation
• Ben Peal (USA) -- Special Invitation

And the current list for the remaining 21 players, although not all of them will be actually going to the EC this year, looks like this:

1. Erik Torstensson (SWE) -- 44,93 Pts
2. Hugh Angseesing (UK) -- 28,19 Pts
3. John Bell (USA) -- 24,05 Pts -- NO
4. Brian Moritz (USA) -- 23,91 Pts -- YES
5. Greguss Csaba (HUN) -- 23,89 Pts -- YES
6. Mark Loughman (USA) -- 21,73 Pts
7. Jason Ryan (AUS) -- 21,25 Pts
8. Otso Saariluoma (FIN) -- 18,05 Pts -- YES
9. Martin Major (HUN) -- 16,51 Pts -- YES
10. Marcin Watras (POL) -- 16,06 Pts -- YES
11. Jerome Goyet (FRA) -- 15,55 Pts
12. Bill Troxel (USA) -- 13,39 Pts
13. Felipe Fiuza (BRA) -- 12,89 Pts
14. Jay Kristoff (USA) -- 12,73 Pts
15. Tomasz Izydorczyk (POL) -- 12,61 Pts-- YES
16. Matt Morgan (USA) -- 12,32 Pts
17. Peter Botos (HUN) -- 12,04 Pts -- YES
18. Izaak Havelaar (NED) -- 11,97 Pts
19. Robert Scythe (USA) -- 11,32 Pts
20. Alessandro Donati (ITA) -- 10,38 Pts -- YES
21. Matt Hirsch (USA) -- 10,00 Pts
22. Kamel Senni (FRA) -- 8,95 Pts

VtES Calendar 2012

From the upcoming VtES calendar for the year 2012. A limited edition can be bought on the Great Auction during the VtES European Championship 2011. You can also take a look at the trophies the winner of the EC tournaments will take home on the official EC website.

Places to see in Warsaw: Warsaw Old Town

Warsaw's Old Town (Polish: Stare Miasto, colloquially: Starówka) is the oldest historic district of the city. It is bounded by Wybrzeże Gdańskie, along the bank of the Vistula, and by Grodzka, Mostowa and Podwale Streets. It is one of Warsaw's most prominent tourist attractions.

The heart of the area is the Old Town Market Place (Rynek Starego Miasta), with its restaurants, cafés and shops. Surrounding streets feature medieval architecture such as the city walls, the Barbican and St. John's Cathedral. Part of the Old Town are also the Castle Square (plac Zamkowy) with the Royal Castle as well the Canon Square (plac Kanonia), just behind the St. John's Cathedral (as seen on the right).

Warsaw's Old Town has been placed on the UNESCO's list of World Heritage Sites as "an outstanding example of a near-total reconstruction of a span of history covering the 13th to the 20th century.

Some Taboos in Poland

Steffen Möller is German actor which came to Poland in 1994 and stayed there. First as German teacher, but he later became an actor/tv presenter in Polish television. He wrote a quite entertaining book about his experiences with the Polish people and differences in culture and daily life. The book "Viva Polonia" (in German) is a rather nice read, but I am not sure how many clichés are there in it, since I have never been to Poland myself. (Of course, I am going to change that in November).

According the book, there are few things to consider when traveling and/or living in Poland. Actually it's a list of do's and don'ts (and this a short excerpt from it):

• Don't criticize your teacher, boss. professor, priest or voivode.
• Don't tell any jokes about Karol Wojtyła. Telling jokes about Joseph Ratzinger is acceptable though.
• Don't be the first to leave a party.
• You can't refuse the first or second glass of vodka. Only during the third round you may politely decline.
• Don't ask your coworkers how much money they make.
  
• Don't deny that the Polish women are the most beautiful in the world!
• Don't say anything about Kraków.
• Don't talk openly about how you really don't see the big fun in the great Polish film comedies like Reijs, Mis or Seksmisja.
• Don't speak out in a positive way about politicians, the police, the Polish State Railways, the Polish Health Service or the Polish National Football team.

Country Roll Call

The number of players who have already pre-registrated for the VtES European Championship 2011 has reached 89 (as of 2011/Oct/09). Breaking this down to the individual countries the players come from you get this:

Places to see in Warsaw: Warsaw Uprising Museum

The Warsaw Uprising Museum (Polish: Muzeum Powstania Warszawskiego), located in the district of Wola in Warsaw, Poland, is a museum dedicated to the Warsaw Uprising of 1944. The institution of the Museum was established in 1983, but no construction work took place for many years, and the museum finally opened on July 31, 2004, marking the 60th anniversary of the Uprising.

The Museum sponsors research into the history of the Uprising, and the history and possessions of the Polish Underground State. It collects and maintains hundreds of artifacts, ranging from weapons used by the insurgents to love letters, in order to present a full picture of the people involved. The Museum's stated goals include the creation of an archive of historical information on the Uprising and the recording of the stories and memories of the still living Uprising participants.

Places to see in Warsaw: Powązki Cemetery

Powązki Cemetery (Polish: Cmentarz Powązkowski), also known as the Stare Powązki (English: Old Powązki) is a historic cemetery located in the Wola district, western part of Warsaw, Poland. It is the most famous cemetery in the city, and one of the oldest. Found here are the graves of many illustrious individuals from Polish history, including those interred along the "Avenue of Notables" (Aleja Zasłużonych) established in 1925.

A few of the notables buried here are:

• Jan Kiliński (1760–1819), the leader of the 1794 Warsaw Insurrection,
• Wojciech Bogusławski (1757-1829), theater director and playwright,
• Stanisław Konarski (1700-1173), educational reformer,
• Hugo Kołłątaj (1750-1812), Enlightment era politician and publicist,
• Bolesław Prus (1847-1912), director and writer,
• Władysław Reymont (1867-1925), Noble Prize winning writer,
• Leopold Staff (1878-1957), poet,
• Maria Dąbrowska (1889-1965), writer