Poland has just come out with 200 and 500 złoty paper currency (the 500zł is worth about $125). The 500 note shows Jan Sobieski, King of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth and military leader who saved Vienna from the Turks in 1683. In the second picture you will note that larger denominations come in larger sizes. Coinage is done for denominations less than 10 zł.
My dismembered hair, and money raised (about 600 złoty)
It is PLANET HEAD DAY – in Poland. There is serious talk about serious organizing for an annual Planet Head Day here, but starting next year. This year I am having my head shaved and painted, and a colleague having his capped head painted, as a demonstration. The pictures here show the scene.
This is the planetarium in Toruń but unfortunately I did not have time to go inside.
This is a little statue of a dog, apparently owned by a gentleman with an umbrella and derby. Many of the old cities that I have seen in Eastern Europe has some small endearing statue that shows life in the city. Szczecin needs a statue like this.
Another picture of the square area. This picture is taken from in front of the Copernicus statue. Toruń is comparable to Poznań. I would say that the Poznań Square is prettier than in Toruń but that the blocks surrounding the square in Toruń are more extensive and with more older and beautiful buildings. However, there are also a lot of old building that are presently abandoned and in bad of restoration.
This is an older building on the square. Brochures on the ages and histories of the buildings in these old Polish cities is badly needed, and I did not have much time to ask questions. This appeared to be one of the older buildings and had much of what I call “gingerbread” decorations. I love the door.
Here are some of the buildings on the rynek (town square/market). I do not know the purpose of the large and beautiful brick building; a church is of course nearby (Toruń has many churches).
This is a statue of a fiddler on the corner of the square opposite to the Copernicus statue.
This is an old carving of St. Barbara (patron saint of miners and geologists) in the Copernicus Museum.