Moving into the afternoon of my April Wednesday in Lublin, after visiting the Lublin Village Open Air Museum and Chachmei Lublin Yeshiva Synagogue, I went back to the apartment, parked the car, most likely ate something quick from Zabka, and started walking up to Lublin Castle. It takes about 20 minutes to walk up there, heading north on Zamojska to Wyszyńskiego, then I took the east curving loop, skirting around old town.
It was a quiet, peaceful walk.
(Love this shot)
Got my first glimpse of the tower.
Not sure exactly what we are looking at here, but I love me some symmetrical European facades, so I took the picture.
And then we turn around and see the facade of the Castle complex itself.
Now, if you check the Castle's Wikipedia entry you will see a lot of history and maybe learn a thing or two. Something relevant has been on this site for 900 years. I learned what a 'keep' is (fortified tower within medieval castles, kind of their version of a safe room or nuclear bunker). Some of the history is proud and impressive, like the signing of the Union of Lublin in 1569. A good chunk of the history is sad. Between 1828 and the 1950s it served as a prison / torture compound for various regimes. You get some of this on the explanatory signage outside the compound, too.
Since 1957 it has served primarily as the home for the National Museum
When you pop inside you get a little bit of Castle history. But not before you go through a hall of featured paintings.
I was under the impression that the entrance I purchased had a fixed time slot on it, so I raced through the gallery rooms and made my way over to the 'keep', which has an open observation area at the top, where I snagged a video and a couple of pics.
(Beautiful, no?)
The climb up was pretty interesting. A spiral staircase of stone steps with some uneven heights and different styles between levels. And it was kind of cramped. Anyone particularly tall or large may not enjoy the climb very much. I snapped shots on the way down. Note, these are only some of the levels, I didn't capture every level.
I made my way all the way down to the lower level where you find this memorial to those who died during the Nazi and Soviet occupations around WWII.
Satisfied that I covered the tower / keep within my allocated time slot, I made my way through the various museum exhibits. And wow, what a variety of things they have. If you are a museum person and have the time to engage with all the exhibits, there is a lot. I could have benefited from a guide for sure. But then, I simply didn't have time for a longer visit. What follows are just the things that caught my eye in chronological order.
First was this guy. Very arresting when you encounter him in the space. He may or may not have been of the culture that was using the clay vessels on display in the following foto.
Then, more warriors, plus examples of what I guess they used to kill you if you tried to harass their womenfolk or otherwise disturb the peace.
Next, some fancy 19th century furnishings. Lovely wooden whatever that thing is.
Then there was the special exhibition on Tamara Łempicka, who I had never heard of.
Her Wikipedia entry is a great read. And I was surprised to hear of the Mexico connection, as she lived her final years in Cuernavaca. Who knew? The gallery had vibes for sure.
And check out these self-portrait shots.
I think that's what they'd call 'aura' today. Maybe? Not sure if I have that lingo right.
Finished with my museum / castle visit, I popped outside and took some broader setting shots before leaving.
And how beautiful is this view as you head into the heart of Stare Miasto?
Next on my list, after visiting the Lublin Village Open Air Museum was to check out the Chachmei Lublin Yeshiva Synagogue. This brought me back toward the center of the city, as the Synagogue is just north of old town. You can see it marked with the red pin in the top right of the image below (or hit that link above to open it up in google maps).
I did not know much of the story before visiting. Wikipedia tells you it was founded in 1930, destroyed by the Nazis during WWII, used as part of a medical college after the war, and finally reopened in 2007. Now it has some relationship with Hotel Ilan which I do not fully understand. I parked nearby (using that 24hr 'parking ticket' I had secured the day before) and rolled up to the front taking pictures.
I started to veer around the back of the building when I was intercepted by a security guard who explained that I needed to pop inside and pay admission to enter. So inside I went and snapped this pic explaining that there is a museum about the days when it was the 'largest and most prestigious rabbinical school in the world'.
I also grabbed a couple of lobby shots for reference.
Then the friendly security guard led me around back to the Synagogue.
There is a back entrance that leads you up a flight or two of stairs, all lined with photos and info about the Jewish community's history in Lublin.
Once upstairs I was left to explore on my own. And I was alone - no other visitors this day. My experience inside synagogues is limited. This one seemed tidy, modest, functional, peaceful.
I did a loop through the museum exhibit. Seemed impressive and well done.
I did not spend too much time reading the material provided, but I do like the headline over the hero shot of the rabbi: "I can hear the call of learning."
As usual, I had more ground to cover that afternoon, so I got a decent sense of the place and kept it moving. Snapped a couple shots of the view out toward Unicka before leaving.
Fwiw, I see on Google Maps that there is a well-reviewed Indian restaurant over there in that field of view somewhere. Sweet & Spicy Restauracja Indyjska. Maybe something to consider if you're in the area.
