I am teaching English for the year in a small city in Poland called Elbląg (pronounced El-blong by the locals). Elbląg is located in the very north of Poland, right near the Baltic Sea, and it's about an hour drive from Gdansk, which is a much bigger city and a really popular tourist spot.
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| Old Town Elblag |
The city has an interesting history. Prior to 1945, it was a German territory, known as Elbing. During World War II, the entire city was completely destroyed. It became a part of Poland after the end of the war, and most of the Poles who came to settle in the newly renamed Elbląg came from parts of Poland that had been annexed by the Soviet Union.
The locals' favorite thing to tell me when I ask them about the city is that the Old Town is not actually old. After the city was destroyed in the war, the Communist authorities made a few attempts to build cheap apartments in the city space, though this never became a reality. Finally, in 1989 a massive restoration effort began to rebuild the Old Town. Thus while most of the buildings are built in the style of the originals, everything is actually quite new. Some people here refer to it as the 'New' Old Town.
It's quite a small town, but there are a few interesting local sites.
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| St. Mikołaja (Nicholas) Cathedral, the local church |
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| The main street |
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Elblag Canal
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| The clock tower |
Interestingly, some of the buildings were rebuilt with the original bricks from the old city, although this is only true for a few buildings in the Old Town. Apparently most of the bricks from the old Elbing were sent to Warsaw to rebuild the city there, which happened sooner.
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| The dark bricks are the originals |
Outside of Old Town, the rest of the city is pretty usual. There are many small parks and green areas, which is nice, though sadly it seems they won't stay green for long once winter comes. Buses and trams run all around the city, so it is easy to get around, though my primary transportation here so far has mostly just been walking! There are many families here, and the people seem very kind and helpful. The nice thing about living in a more remote city such as Elbląg is that you really get to live like the locals. It's very different than what I experienced living in an American dorm in Rome, for example. The downside is that it's much quieter and there's less to do than in a big city, which I'm used to after Rome, Beijing, and Chicago! But I'm very close to Gdansk if I'm ever in the mood for city-life! Overall, I think I am going to enjoy living here for a year!
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Elblag is a tram city
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