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On Polish and Slovak Friendship

Marek Lisánsky, Consul General of the Republic of Slovakia, talks about the 10th anniversary of the General Consulate in Krakow, Krakow-Slovak relations, fighting stereotypes, professional success, personal inspirations and all the fields which still need attention.

Krakow - the Open City: 10th anniversary of the Slovak General Consulate in Krakow. It is also the 10th anniversary of your diplomatic mission to our city as it was you who inspired the creation of this post 10 years ago. What are your most vivid memories from that time?

MAREK LISÁNSKY: 10 years ago we worked in a different reality. Even the climate was different – I can still remember the newspaper headlines the day after the consulate opened “Jabłonka -32°C!". The Euroregions along the Polish-Slovak border and the cooperation of the local governments were only just getting started Back then we still had border crossings and passport control. Schengen was still a vision of the future and we were still outside the EU. There were fewer bridges. The consulate’s activity involved the issuing of visas and permits for foreigners. Krakow was also different. The Main Square, the Railway Station, the museums looked different and people’s mentality was also different. When in those days I heard people say “we are going to the Czech Tatras” I knew there was still a lot to be done to change this mentality. Now, looking back on the last 10 years, I can say we have succeeded. The Malopolska Region and the rest of Southern Poland are visited by 4-6 m Slovak tourists each year. The Balice airport is one of the most important transit points for Slovaks as well.

The bonds we built 10 years ago have resulted in improvement. Nowadays, we receive invitations from the institutions we once helped to create. We are invited for example to exhibition openings, book presentations, theatre performances, concerts, Polish-Slovak Cooperation House opening... You could say we once dropped a small rock which by now has snowballed and keeps moving forward.

K.-O.C.: You worked as a consul until 2006. Later, you were active in governmental institutions, concentrating on human rights and minority issues. Would you say that this experience, as well as higher legal education help you perform the tasks of a Consul General? Even more so since the Slovak minority in Małopolska is quite large.

ML: It needs to be emphasized that Malopolska is the only region in Poland inhabited by a Slovak minority of 2-3 thousand people. The minority, similarly to the Lemkos, the Romani and other nationalities – co-creates the great richness of Małopolska, its culture and the regional traditions which should be cherished. Signs in Slovak are more and more frequent in border regions. Yet they appeared not only because of the Slovak minority, but mostly due to the large number of tourists visiting Poland. It is a promotional measure, but also a natural result of European integration; in fact, the most positive result which was absent 10 years ago.

Another cornerstone of our activity is the support offered to Slovaks, both those who chose to settle in Poland and the tourists. In this particular aspect of my job, my experience in working for governmental institutions and my legal background are particularly useful.

K.-O.C: Talking about the Slovak minority, we must emphasize that Polish-Slovak and even Krakow-Slovak relations are well-rooted in tradition. In fact, they have become the leading theme of many jubilee events in Krakow. The exhibition entitled “Beniowski – Our Common Hero”, a commemorative plaque honoring Jan and Jerzy Turzon – Krakow’s councilors and Mayors at the turn of 15th and 16th century; these are just examples of your rich offer which introduced Krakovians to Slovakia’s cultural heritage.

ML: Yes, you are right. You can find references to our common traditions in historical sources, such as the first trade agreement between Krakow and Košice dated March 4 th 1394. A copy of this document was generously donated to the Historical Museum of Krakow by the East Slovak Museum of Košice during last year’s exhibition “Košice and Kraków; a common route”. Other Slovak traces in Krakow include the Spisz Palace in Krakow’s Market Square, periodic presentations of Slovak culture, such as the annual “Slovak Culture Week”, the “exchange” concerts of Krakow and Košice philharmonics or the ICC exhibition of Andy Warhol’s works (the artist was originally from Slovakia), and many, many other events…

K.-O.C: Bratislava is Krakow’s partner city. However, our bonds with Košice have become much stronger recently. Košice – your home town – will be the 2013 European Capital of Culture. Do you think the similar ambience and all that the cities have in common can form a strong basis for our future cooperation?

ML: I am convinced that both cities are already partners. The similar character, the ambience, genius loci and the historical and cultural potential of both cities constitute the foundation of the cooperation. Košice – as well as Lviev, Vienna, Buda and Prague – are the cities in our part of Europe showing the closest historical affinity with Krakow. The common projects planned for 2013 will make the partnership even stronger.

K.-O.C: You speak fluent Polish and are proficient in the history of Poland and Krakow. Can we attribute your fondsess for “Polishness” to your family roots?

ML: Indeed, I am interested in Central Europe and Poland. However, my good Polish results form “a positive compulsion”. Taking over the post of the Slovak Consul in 2002, I realized that the ability to speak Polish would be instrumental in establishing contacts. Developing a diplomatic post, one hast to, first and foremost, find the right people. We were “obliged” to raise interest in our activity and the knowledge of Polish was instrumental in achieving this goal, so we had to learn the language as soon as possible. Sometimes it is not easy for a Slav to learn a relatively similar foreign language which belongs to the same group. Very often we mix up words that sound similar, yet have very different meanings. Still, I think that Slovak is the language closest to all Poles. This is why we often think that one does not have to speak the language so well – after all, we are always able to communicate in one way or another. However, this approach very often makes us fall into various language traps. Now, Polish is, in fact, my second mother tongue. I should add that my son attends a Polish primary school and my daughter goes to a Polish kindergarten. Very often when they tell me about their day, we switch to Polish. I have no Polish roots. My family comes from Spisz, a region just outside the Polish border. I also believe that the Pieniny Mountains, where I used to spend my holidays, are the most beautiful common European region.

 K.-O.C: Being a Consul General is a mission and a 24/7 job. But when you have some free time, you really like to….

ML: … spend it with my family. For me, my family is a cornerstone without which I could not implement my professional plans. Our activity here is the sum total of the work put in by our team and my family is an integral part of this team; its foundation, I could say. I draw energy for work from my family life and my hobby. I am interested in art, particularly in painting. I collect paintings and Krakow is a perfect place to develop this hobby. We spend a whole lot of energy achieving our goals and we need to source the energy from somewhere. For me, my family and my surroundings are the source. This is why I try to surround myself with people and things which, in my opinion, ooze positive energy.

K.-O.C: Have you got any concrete plans for 2013? The previous year was very rich in events, can we expect a similarly interesting offer for 2013?

ML: Embarking on a diplomatic mission in Krakow for the second time, I already had some very concrete ideas. The first four years were filled to the brim with all the work connected with the creation of the consulate; building up a base. In 2009, when I came to Krakow for the second time, I thought of some goals that I wanted to achieve, in the areas of: culture, art, promotion and tourism. I was very lucky because with the help of my friends in Poland and Slovakia, I managed to achieve them all.

In 2013 my professional activity will concentrate on two important events. The title of the European Capital of Culture awarded to Košice and the 20th anniversary of Slovakia’s independence. Our two strategic questions are: the 2022 Winter Olympics in Poland and Slovakia and the development of road and railway infrastructure. In the past 10 years, we have achieved a lot; we have got new bridges and an improved network of motorways. However, in case of railway connections there is still plenty of room for improvement. We used to have 7 trains connecting Krakow and Slovakia; 3 to Košice, 2 to Bratislava and 2 to Zylina. Now, there is only one compartment on a night train to Bratislava. We often look for partners across the globe, forgetting about our neighbours. It is a peculiar phenomenon and a stereotype we need to fight. Gradually, we are becoming more successful in this fight. We are currently negotiating with regional and state institutions and we are looking forward to a future success. Building connections will help us prepare for the Olympics. We must remember that it is not only about individual and air transport. Civilization, has always been based on railways. This is why I believe that having done so much for cultural integration, we will also be able to integrate our two nations in terms transportation – as the Latin saying goes: “where there is a road - there is life…”

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News Publisher: Otwarty na świat EN
Published: 2013-01-28
Last update: 2013-02-07
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