KRAKOW SIGHTSEEING AND CITY TOURS
Nowa Huta Tour. The real socialism in Krakow
In 1947, the communist national authority in Poland decided to build the first socialist town and steelwork factory. An industrial complex according to the Soviet models was raised a year later, hiring more than 30 thousand people. Nowa Huta was considered a gigantic experiment of social engineering. The metallurgical works were to prove a socialist advantage over the Western European economy. Lots of songs and poems were written about Nowa Huta - a new district of Krakow, an example of social growth for the working class. In the 1980s, Nowa Huta became one of the centers of resistance to socialist realism. The inhabitants started their fight for the rights to the Catholic Church (The Arc of God Church) and the trade union (Solidarnosc). During martial law, the mass demonstrations and the working-class protests against the regime of General Jaruzelski took place there.
This tour offers an unforgettable meeting with the communist past within a period of the Polish People’s Republic. Absurdity, faults, successes of the communist authorities and the remains of the people’s fight for freedom define our trip. On the basis of Nowa Huta's example, you will learn about the real economic and social situations based on a new system of capitalism: unemployment, development opportunities, church, youth subcultures, etc.
Services: Guided tour of Nowa Huta city, a visit to the Arc of God church.
Duration: approx. 3 hours.