WARSAW

King Country Chronicle, Volume XXVI, Issue 3400, 30 July 1932, Page 4 (Supplement)

WARSAW

THE PARIS OF NORTHERN EUROPE. (By J.S.). Warsaw, the “Paris of the North” —the beautiful capital of the Republic of Poland—is a great and beautiful city, full of life and vavied activity. It is the literary centre of eastern Europe and a musical paradise, where Chopin, Moniuszko and Weiniawski created monuments of music. Her culture is closely linked with the name of Paderewski, most famous pianist, and Bronislaw Huberman, one of the world’s greatest violinists. In Warsaw history has its permanent signs. The king’s court is the glorious residence of the President of the Republic of Poland (Professor Moscicki). Sentries magnificently arrayed greet you in exactly the manner in which you would be greeted in the Buckingham Palace. From this administrative centre has come the final decision that a consulate should be established in Australia. The procedure is somewhat involved. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs, which, though a young office of a young country, displays all the energy and foresight that is so characteristic of British and French diplomacy, acts in a matter of this kind. The old Polish diplomatic tradition has been revived. Po’ish diplomatists are, however, experienced officials of the old regime of Prussia, Austria and Prussia, whose considered politics are reinforced by the unofficia 1 diplomacy of Polish liberty. The old regime is reinforced by young intellectuals. capable men who have joined the Polish diplomatic service. In all they combine experience, enthusiasm and love for their country.

The Polish Ministry is housed in an eighteenth century palace in Wierzbowa Street. This magnificent residence belonged to a family of Polish magnates.

In the Polish Administration there is a department for overseas States. Here it was, I believe, that the idea of a new consulate originated. Distinguished gentlemen of the Ministry confer, correspondence goes; the Minister of Foreign Affairs (Mr August de Zaleski) gives his consent. It has now been decided to build «p and

maintain a closer relation with this State. When the consul is finally chosen, some time must pass before the official machine completes its task. The consular department sends proposals to the meeting of the heads of departments, and they then decide to submit them to the Minister. Following this stage, the proposals go to the meetings of the Cabinet. Finally the President of the republic gives his consent. The papers then travel backwards (it takes sometimes more than a year or perhaps two years). The Minister of Fore gn Affairs advises the Polish ambassador in London (Count Skirmunt). The appointment travels them to the general consul in London, who is the executive head of the Polish consular service in the empire. And so it goes on. The consul undertakes to represent Poland according to the best of his abilities, to protect Polish subjects, to help and guide them. The creation of a living link between New Zealand and Warsaw is based on the assumption that the closer the relation between the nations of the world, the greater are the blessings of peace. Poland is far from New Zealand but in modern times distance is a trifle; economic relations*with Poland will undoubtedly offer New Zealand some advantages. THE CITY DESCRIBED. The streets of Warsaw, says the “ Encyclopaedia Britannica ” are adorned with many fine buildings, partly palaces exhibiting the Polish nobiHty’s love of display, party churches and cathedrals, and partly public buildings erected by the municipality or by private bodies. Fine public gardens and several monuments further embellish the city. The university (with 1500 students), founded in 18i6, has a remarkable library of more than 500.000 volumes, rich natural medical collections a fine botanic garden and an astromical observatory. The medical school enjoys high repute in the scientific world. The school of'arts, the academy of agriculture and forestry, and the conservatory of music. are all high-class institutions.

The theatre for Polish drama and the ballet is a fine building which includes two theatres under the same roof; but the pride of Warsaw is its theatre in the Lazienki gardens, which were laid out (1767-1788) in an old bed of the Vistula of King Stanislaus Poniatowski, and have beautiful shady alleys, artificial ponds, an elegant

little palace with ceilings painted by Baccairelli, several imperial villas and a monument (1788) to John Sobieski King of Poland, who delivered Poland from the Turks in 1683. Here an artificial rum on an is’and makes an open-air theatre. Two other public gardens with alleys of o’d chestnut trees are situated in the centre of the city. One of these, the Saski Qg’od, or Saxon garden, 17 acres, which was a summer theatre and fine old trees is one of the most beautiful in Europe; it is the resort of the Warsaw arstrocracy. The Kraisinski garden was in years gone by, and probably is today, the favourite promenade of the Jews.