Roselle Visits Bochnia 2001
The Village of Roselle Sister City Delegation, Mayor Gayle Smolinski,
Trustee Ron Sass; Village Clerk Linda McDermott, and two members of our
Sister City Commission-Krystina Wojcik and Yolanta Kaftanski-flew from
Chicago to Krakow on April 19, 2001. They left, not knowing what to
expect, and returned in awe of what Sister City relationships can
accomplish.
The officials of Bochnia,
Mayor Wojciech Cholewa (executive function) and Council President Jan
Olszewski (legislative function) invited Roselle to their "Partnership
Days" (Bochnia City Hall), which are held yearly to celebrate their
Sister City Partnerships. This year they were signing their third
agreement with Bad Salzenfurth, Germany and the Roselle delegation was
invited to witness the signing, and to meet their other partners from
Croatia and Slovakia. The adventure began with a 9+-hour flight to Krakow. Luckily, a
delegation from Chicago Heights was on board, visiting their Sister
City of Wadowice, Poland. The delegations passed the time learning
about their common experiences with Sister City International and were
pleased with their positive responses. The guides for the delegation
greeted them at the Krakow airport. The cars in Europe are much smaller
than what they are used to, but the guides managed to secure a Dodge
Caravan to drive them to Bochnia, over 30 km (18 miles) away.
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The city of Bochnia is a mix of historical architecture, communist
utilitarianism and new growth. Its large, open town square is the place
for concerts and festivals, ringed by quaint shops, services and
museums. These buildings are hundreds of years old and reflect the
glorious past of Poland-before Communist rule. Surrounding the inner
circle of town are the post-war buildings of the last 50 years, mostly
serviceable apartments and multi-family units, built during a time of
economic frugality. All of the Sister City delegations were housed in a
new hotel-in fact, it had not yet been open to the public. It was a
first class facility with art deco styling-evidence of the emerging
entrepreneurship of a people no longer under oppression and a community
serious about moving forward and rebuilding. As U.S. delegates, they were sought out, to have questions answered
and to trade stories about their towns. While the officials of Bochnia
were busy with all the formal activities, the Roselle delegation still
had many opportunities to discuss with them how the Sister City
partnership would work.
The signing of the agreement between Bochnia and Bad Salzenfurth
took place in an abandoned salt mine, which is their main tourist
attraction. It is now used as a spa and recreational center. The
signing ceremony was held in a chapel, 23 stories below the ground.
They were transported in a double-decker mineshaft elevator, which held
five people in each car. |  |  | | Poland is 95% Catholic and now that Communism is gone, government
officials begin every formal function with a mass. The chapel is carved
into the side of the salt mine and holds about 250 people. Beautifully
carved religious statues, of salt, are set into the walls.
They enjoyed the bands from Germany and Bochnia as they entered the
gymnasium to witness the signing. Present were representatives from all
Bochnia's Sister City partnerships, officials from Bochnia, members of
the International Sister Cities Commission, residents of the town and
the five member Roselle delegation-about 200 people in all. Polish and
German translators repeated the speeches for the general public and the
Sister City Commissioners translated for the Roselle members. Being
told they were witnesses, Mayor Gayle Smolinski did not expect to
speak. She was caught off guard when Mayor Cholewa unexpectedly asked
if she would like to "say a few words" to those present. The Mayor did
the requisite thank-you's, but her biggest applause came when she
announced that Roselle's tourist attraction is the Lynfred Winery. No
matter what nationality, they all approved! |  |  | | Later that day, they were part of a ceremony at the memorial for
those Bochnians killed in two mass executions, during the German
invasion of the town in December 1939. Trustee Ron Sass, Clerk Linda
McDermott and Mayor Smolinski laid a wreath at the base of the
memorial. Then Mr. Sass, representing Roselle and the United States,
along with a representative from Poland, Germany, Croatia and Slovakia
each planted a tree. It will serve as a reminder of our pledge to move
forward in understanding and that our friendship will grow as our trees
do. The ceremony ended with the Mayor of the German city apologizing to
the Bochnians for the atrocities committed by his grandfather's
generation and a pledge to never let it happen again. They were truly
honored to be part of that historic moment. |  | | The Roselle delegation learned that the officials in Bochnia are
interested in our education system, our water and sewer distribution
systems, and our use of community-oriented policing to deliver
services. There is an opportunity for some of our businesses to explore
new markets and to be part of the revitalization occurring there. The
Roselle public officials found out that the challenges of being an
elected official are not so different, no matter where you live in the
world. More importantly, it was an opportunity for them to listen to
opinions of world events through non-American voices, to open up doors
for educational exchanges and to establish the personal connections
which will humanize our ever expanding global community. |  |
The Mayor and Council President of Bochnia hope to visit Roselle
within the next year. It is much more difficult for them to obtain
permission to travel here. The Village will publicize the details of
their visit as soon as it is finalized. The Roselle Sister City
Commission wants them to meet the wonderful people that make up Roselle
and have a chance to return their gracious hospitality. |  | | | |
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