Today marks the first International Day of Heroes of the Fight against Totalitarianism, established by the European Parliament last year to mark the anniversary of the execution of Captain Witold Pilecki.
A veteran of numerous struggles for Polish independence, Pilecki is perhaps best known in the West as the author of „Witold’s Report,” the first comprehensive Allied intelligence report on the Auschwitz concentration camp and the Holocaust. Upon his return to communist Poland after WWII, Pilecki began collecting intelligence against the Soviet Union and was arrested and then executed by the Communists on May 25, 1948.
His remarkable story was written up by former war reporter Jack Fairweather in the book „The Volunteer: The True Story of the Resistance Hero who Infiltrated Auschwitz.” The book went on to win the 2019 Costa Book of the Year, one of UK’s premier literary awards.
A statue of Captain Pilecki was unveiled last September at the WWII museum in Gdańsk along with an augmented reality app, the Kompas Wartości or Compass of Values, which allows guests to „see” the Captain virtually walking around outside the museum.
Source: Radio Poland, Radio Gdańsk
International flights set to resume in June
Over the weekend, representatives of Poland’s Ministry of Infrastructure announced dates for the first two of three stages for bringing air traffic back to normal. Domestic flights are set to resume as of June 1 as part of the first stage, with international flights set to resume in stages after June 6.
In the second stage, Poland will start restoring international connections primarily within the European Union with countries that have lifted epidemic restrictions. Germany’s Lufthansa airlines has already announced it would be resuming direct service from Frankfurt to Warsaw and Krakow.
In the third stage, Poles will be allowed to make long-haul flights to Asia and North America, with a specific timeline yet to be announced. The current regulation on the suspension of all flights had been set to expire today.
Source: Radio Poland, Reuters
Schools across Poland partially reopen
Starting today, children in grades 1-3 of elementary school can take part in daycare programs under new rules approved by Poland’s government amid the coronavirus pandemic.
Additionally, students in their final years of elementary or secondary school can now visit their schools for one-on-one consultations with their teachers ahead of key exams. Beginning June 1, all elementary and high school students will be able to visit their schools in person for similar face-to-face consultations.
Meanwhile, regular classes for all Polish education institutions remain suspended until at least June 7. Nurseries and preschools were allowed to resume operations May 6, although the local government in Pomerania chose not to open preschools at this time.
The eighth-grade leaving exam (egzamin ósmoklasisty) is scheduled to take place from June 16-18, with the written portion of the matura exam set to take place June 8 through June 29, with the caveat that no oral exams will be given this year due to the risk of infection.
As of 10:00 this morning, a total of 21,400 people have been tested positive for COVID-19. Of these, 996 have died and 9,276 have recovered from the disease.
Source: Radio Poland
Gdańsk zoo set to reopen after two months
Like many other cultural institutions reopening this month, the zoo has some new procedures for visitors to help ensure the safety of guests and staff. Most importantly, ticket offices at the zoo are still closed, and tickets must be purchased online in advance.
Additionally, resident, tourist, and large family cards cannot be used for admission to the zoo, and only 500 people may be on the grounds of the zoo at any given time. Patrons may be asked to wait outside if the zoo is already at capacity.
For those unable to visit the zoo in person, the City of Gdańsk is featuring a series of interviews every Wednesday as part of its “History of the animals of the Gdańsk Zoo” series on the “Wszystkie Strony Miasta” program. To find out more about the program or view previous episodes, visit this site.
Source: Radio Gdańsk, gdansk.pl
Weather
Today will be partly cloudy and cool with a slight chance of rain in the early afternoon. Temperatures will peak around a high of 13°C, or 57°F, dropping to a low of 8°C or 47°F overnight. Sunny skies will return tomorrow, however, with the weather expected to warm up and dry out midweek.
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