Messages of Stones: The Changing Symbolism of the Urban Landscape in Warsaw in the Post-Communist Era. Trondheim Studies on East European Cultures and Societies, 20 by Marcin Kula (review)

Abstract

59? SEER, 88, 3, JULY 20IO themost dangerous mines inRomania, particularly in his description of the decline ofmedical services as part of the overall package ofworking in this area.Whereas under socialism medical care was provided for miners and their families, the decline of core services is such that medical attention now requires bribery. Overall, this is a very valuable book that sheds considerable light on a subject that is rarely covered inmost literature on Romania. Whereas there are analyses of theminers as a political movement, there isvery little written on the effectsof cutting services and running down industries.The decline of theworking class within Romania, itsdisempowerment and increasing social problems are all here. If I have a criticism it is in the lack of statistical analysis. For example, on page 189Kideckel talks about a health survey and the resulting findings, but does not put any of the resulting statistical analysis into the text. Particularly here, Iwould have been interested in looking at trends and figures formyself as a means of shedding further light on his arguments. However, I would have no hesitation in recommending this book to anyone interested in either theworking class in general or Romanian social analysis in particular. It iswell written, accessible and clear and, above all, it is interesting, relevant and compelling. School ofGovernment and Society Universityof Birmingham P. B. Jackson Kula, Marcin. Messages ofStones:The ChangingSymbolismof the Urban Landscape in Warsaw in the Post-Communist Era. Trondheim Studies on East European Cultures and Societies, 20. University of Trondheim, Trondheim, 2007. 55 pp. Illustrations. Notes. NOKi00.00 (paperback). This short study on the urban symbolism of post-1989 Warsaw by a distin guished Polish historian, Marcin Kula, is fascinating and, inmany respects, innovative among Polish studies on visual symbolism. In hisMessages ofStones, Kula documents, catalogues and analyses the new places, monuments and plaques thathave contributed to a major visual reorientation of officialPolish history in post-1989 Warsaw. What isparticularly strikingabout this study is thatKula isgenerally not interested in the numerous new buildings thathave appeared in Warsaw since 1989, but rather in the architectural additions and refinements that, thoughminor in themselves, have nonetheless greatly altered the visual character of the city and have even suggested a new reading of Polish history.When presented together, these additions provide a dramatic account of 'the changes in the symbolism of the urban landscape triggered by the political transformation' (p. 55). As Kula points out,Warsaw is still part-way through altering its character, although some changes, such as the renaming of streets that took place shordy after 1989, are a closed process. Kula divides his study of the visual landscape of Warsaw according to the historical period towhich individual changes refer: early Polish history, the REVIEWS 591 partitions of Poland (1773-1918), the interwar period (1918-39), World War Two (1939-45), Communist Poland (1945?89) and, finally, he looks at those monuments that refer to the entire history of Poland. Not surprisingly, the chapters devoted toWorld War Two and the Communist period are the longest, since these two periods arouse the greatest emotions in post-1989 Polish society.The changes inhistorical interpretation, the revelation of long hidden facts pertaining to Communist oppression and the erasure of blatant lies from official Polish historiography have together resulted in the appear ance of a large number of commemorative plaques and monuments thathave altered the visual landscape of the city, specifically through their emphasis on patriotic, anti-Communist and Catholic messages. One fact, almost com pletely ignored by the Communist authorities, is also emphasized, namely that until theHolocaust, Warsaw had a large and vibrant Jewish community. During the time of partitionWarsaw also had a largeRussian population, but contemporary Poles are disinclined to commemorate it and consequentiy there is little interest in 'preserving thememory ofRussian presence in the city' (p. 51). Kula also comments on the unintended consequences of change. For instance, surrounding some of the places that commemorate tragic events in the city's historywith modern, and often brash, advertising leads to a jarring clash between the old and the new. Another change in Warsaw's landscape that Kula comments on is the disappearance of milk bars, 'which, while perhaps not of...