How was it to be a settler in the early postwar years in Pomerania? Those who participated in an urban game prepared by the Wałcz Land Museum now have an idea. On September 14, the Museum invited all interested to join a cohort of new settlers. Karolina was among them, eager to observe the reactions and comments this activity would generate within the local community.
The participant observation began at the railway station, proceeded through the documentation services at the former State Repatriation Office, and included taking photographs in the oldest atelier in Wałcz, established in 1948. One of the activities involved identifying plaques that displayed German and Polish street names, and figuring out which German name had been changed to which Polish name. You might wonder if Karolina succeeded. Not only did she succeed, but she also broke the record, completing the task so swiftly that the current map was unnecessary. This is just in case you wonder what practical appliances the work on formerly German maps could have.
Eventually, all participants planted tulips in one of the town’s squares. These tulips are expected to bloom in April next year, 80 years after the first settlers arrived in Wałcz from Korzec in today’s Ukraine. We eagerly anticipate seeing how it will look in the spring!