We wczorajszej Rzepie Czesław Bielecki zamieścił artykuł, na temat konfliktu o krzyż przed Pałacem Namiestnikowskim. Artykuł ten jest rzadkim głosem przenikliwego rozsądku, napisanym z pozycji polityka głęboko zatroskanego stanem naszego Państwa, ale również głosem architakta i wizjonera rozumiejącego tkankę miejską, jak moło kto dzisiaj. Gorąco polecam jego lekturę, jako że z naszą pomocą, może się on stać początkiem końca chaosu w miejscu tak niezwykle dla nas ważnym, albo przynajmniej zarzewiem nowej rzeczowej i sprawiedliwej rozmowy o losie krzyża. Pan Bielecki, co bardzo ważne, nie tylko się "troszczy", ale podaje nam, bardzo godną naszej uwagi, propozycje jak skutecznie rozwiązać obecny impas. Zapraszam do lektury i dyskusji:http://www.rp.pl/artykul/2,520265.html
Poniżej - nieautoryzowane, ale dosyć wierne tłumaczenie jego artykułu na język angielski.
The Rift And How To Heal It
Czeslaw Bielecki - Polish politician, and an architect, in his article, published by the Polish daily Rzeczpospolita, provides us with what most likely is the only voice of reason in the heated and little understood debate raging in Poland over small, wooden cross, in front of the official residency of Polish President in Warsaw, to date.
He writs:
The Palace, which is an official residence of Polish President, since the fall of communist’s rule in Poland, has a long and significant history. Here the Warsaw Treaty was signed, sealing the devision between the democratic West, and communist East in hart of Europe in 1955. Here it all ended, after the Round Table proceedings took place in 1989, paving the way for the first in the communist world free elections in 1990 leading to the peaceful dismantling of the Soviet Empire. Here also an eight years old Frederic Chopin had his first public concert, the fact which at a volition of the President Lech Kaczyński, was honored by commemorative tablet. And it is here that hundreds of thousands of Polish people gathered during national mourning after Smolensk crash, which claimed the lives of the President, his wife, and 94 other high ranking government officials, as they were traveling to Katyń to honor the memory of 22 000 Polish officers murdered by Soviets in 1940.
THE PLACE WITHOUT THE HOST
This place is holding a special spot in our harts. The solidarity in pain was, and still is accompanied by keen sense of deep devision reviled in the nation. Some of us consider Smolensk catastrophe as an act of God for which nobody in particular is responsible. For the others the tragedy is, at the least, a result of intentional, criminal negligence on part of some politicians, or the rampant partisanship, or even assassination, and they know, even now, before the investigators finished their task, whom to blame for it...
Regardless of the arguments, and emotions behind each of those positions, there is one significant truth that is largely absent from the public debate. Which is that the administration discredited itself. It created a situation in which seemingly nobody was responsible for technical, and logistical aspects of presidential flight to Russia... In a similar way, this extremely significant place which became the focus point for the grief for millions of people after the loss of the President, First Lady, and so many distinguish citizens, has today no host. Nobody wants to take the responsibility for embarrassing events which are taking place over there now.
City administrators, and the Government were more then competent when organizing funerals of the Smolensk crash victims. But they are hopelessly inept when it coms to securing some ways of expressing those special feelings, which joined us all together in the days of mourning, in the public space.
And it is so important to prevent this situation to deteriorate to such point that it starts to resemble the times when communist government imposed marshal law on its citizens to crush the Solidarity movement. At that time in spite of massive police presence, people were bravely putting down huge flower crosses on the pavement of the Victory Plaza, believing that if they only overcome the fear of oppressive government, the Spirit will come down, and set them free. Before that, Polish people were putting down crosses in places where communist forces shot, and killed workers at the Gdansk shipyard, all of it in opposition to clear and strict rules prohibiting such actions.... So when in 1980 Solidarity movement broke out, one of the first thing the people did, was to erect huge monument consisting of three crosses, and anchors of hope, to commemorate the victims of brutal communist rule.
Metropolis, is build of memories of people, and places. Today this public space in Poland, is governed by democratically elected body. And if this government ignores signals from the people, if it fails to heed warnings of the significant gap between its actions and emotional needs of grieving people, if this government will start to be perceived as unwilling to meet public expectations in this matter, the people will feel they need to defend the right to publicly express their needs. And what better way to do it then, us always, under the sign of the cross? The government is responsible for the public space, and it is absolutely unacceptable for it to continue to try to avoid this responsibility. It is unreasonable for it to expect that the Church will take over from it and resolve the problem for them.
That which finally gets build in the public spaces - let it be a monument, or any other structure, can not simply be the result of a chaotic struggle between bands of people fighting for their particular points of view, with the cross in their hands, or without it. For the Metropolis is not simply a bunch of houses, and people. It is characterized by the presence of buildings, and public spaces organized around, and expressing the needs of its citizenry. There is nothing wrong with a grassroots movement, it can, and should initiate certain things in public space. But what is going on, for the past 20 years, is nothing but the destruction, forceful conquests of public space in Poland. This is the result of cowardly behavior of our government unable to pacify emotions of its citizens, or to control them, when necessary.
We the people have the right to demand that the memory of this tragic event will be preserved right there, close to the Presidential Palace. The role of the elected officials, from the Mayor of Warsaw, to the President of Poland, is to find an answer to this question: what and how should honor the memory of this dramatic moment in the life of our nation. And although four months have already passed since the tragedy, there is still no decision in the matter, but instead of it, we heard very unfortunate statement by President elect, in which he said that the wooden - temporary cross, has to be removed from in front of the Presidential Place.
Our government officials abdicated their public mission to enforce standards of acceptable behavior. As a result we see disturbing scenes in front of the official residence of the President of Poland. I see it as a continuation of a deep rift in the nation exposed by the Smolensk crush. And as it is in the case of the crush, nobody seems to be responsible for this situation.
The Blow
So, where is the proper place to erected monument commemorating this events? I've checked personally the area in question. First let me tell you what I wouldn’t do. I don’t recommend putting anything in the axis of the Palace. Not in front of it, not even across the street, as a diminutive corps de gardes in front of the building of Ministry of Culture, will hardly be able to bear any significant vertical element there.
But there is an excellent spot close to the left wing of Presidential Palace. Monument in this place would be easily visible at the distant of more then half a kilometer, in both directions along the Krakowskie Przedmieście street.
I think this monument should have the shape of a polished, black granite monolith, with a crack sculpted into top portion of it, crack large enough to be menacing. A symbol of the blow, we as the nation, sustained on the day of the catastrophe, also the symbol of the rift in our society, exposed by this blow. Inside of this fissure should be a burning torch signifying lasting memory of those who perished in the crush. On the surface of this smooth, black cuboid there should be, put in the relief, the Polish national emblem - the Crowned Eagle, also the word: Smolensk, and the date: April the 10 of 2010. This black granite monolith should be 4 to 5 meters high. Those standing in front of it would see their reflections in its polished surfaces. Front and the back of the monument should be exactly the same. On the narrow sides, I would put the red and white checkered emblem of the Polish Air Force, as the only hint at the way the victims died.
And that’s it. Nothing more. No names, no descriptions, no crosses. The very shape of the monument has to be enough, to evoke in us, the memory of the scale of this catastrophe. It should be a place, where we stop, and think about the failures of the Polish State. And as we do so, let us see our own faces reflected in the black granite. Let us remember how we courted this disaster for a long time, by neglecting our basic responsibilities. Let us, when we see ourselves reflected in the monument, remember that Poland is not only the most important thing to us, but also, that there is only one Poland, we all share. There is no need for any words, or figural expressions. Simplicity, restraint, noble durability of granite stone, should be enough.
LET US NOT PUT THE CHURCH ON THE SPOT
We ought not to forget the victims who died such a horrible death. They didn’t die on the battle field, never the less their deaths instilled in us a determined feeling, that equally absurd loss of life of so many distinguished citizens, should never happen again. It doesn’t make any sense to take such risks in the time of peace.
It is not the right thing to put the Church on the spot, and involve her in our secular affairs. Those of us who want to pray for the victims, will be able to do so in the sacred space of the church, into which the spiritual leaders are ready to receive the wooden cross, from in front of the Presidential Palace.
Somebody may say that my stroll along Krakowskie Przedmieście street took me way too far. Some will, no doubt, disagree with my harsh conclusions. But even if I will find myself in the minority among my fellow architects and politicians, I will insist:
Esthetic quality of our public spaces tells all about our State, about the weaknesses of it's institutions, as well as about the poor understanding among us, of what it means to be a responsible citizens. Tells all about irresponsibility of our politicians looking not just for the easy way out of making necessary decisions, but even trying to justify their failures, by pointing their fingers at the unruly citizens.
To me, the lesson is clear. Government’s fear of making decisions, procrastination, led to the loss of an opportunity for reaching a satisfying compromise. I always said, that the time is a currency of politics. In case of the cross in front of the Presidential Palace, the decisions where made way too late, and they were only half measures. The people defend this cross because, the Government never clearly declared, what and where, will replace it.
And when I think about the conflict surrounding the place in front of the Presidential Palace today, I can’t help but to remember one of my last conversations I had with the presidential couple.
In which the First Lady said to her husband: - Leszek, do you hear what mr Bielecki is saying? The last President, who was showing any interest in the architectural shape of the Poland's capitol, was Boleslaw Bierut, isn’t that awful?
- And that one was a communist usurper to boot - I added.
Horrible.
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