Border town Przemyśl

After 24 February 2022 it became inevitable that I had to travel to Ukraine. I had to wait two years for an opportunity. On 17 February 2024 Ukraine was still at war with Russia but I judged my personal risk for this journey to be very low. Besides, my father survived five years of war in Scheveningen and after 1942 in The Hague. I am not afraid of Russian missiles.

To save time I flew from Amsterdam to Kraków on a KLM Cityhopper Embraer and took the EC Porta Moravica, which runs between Graz and Przemyśl. I bought a first class ticket and was surprised my seat number was in the panorama coach of the Swiss Federal Railways (SBB). The three hour train journey was a luxury I hadn’t experienced in some time, even though the landscape of Małopolska is pretty boring.

I bought Timothy Snyder’s 2010 book Bloodlands: Europe Between Hitler and Stalin specifically for this journey. A first class train is excellent for reading. I arrived in Przemyśl just before sunset.

Przemyśl is built on a hill looking over the river San. Its location is of strategic significance, both economically and military. In 1861, when Przemyśl was part of Austrian Galicia, the first railway line was built between Przemyśl and Lviv. In the years leading up to 1914 the city was turned into the third-largest fortress in Europe. Tensions mounted between the Russian Empire and the Austrian Empire and Austria rightly foresaw the strategic importance of Przemyśl. In the war bloody battles were fought between Austrian and Russia. Both sides lost up to 115,000 killed, wounded, and missing [ source ] in this little city.

After the war, in 1918, Przemyśl was disputed between the West Ukrainian People's Republic (1918–1919) and the Second Polish Republic (1918–1939). The Battle of Przemyśl resulted in a Polish victory in the same year. Przemyśl became part of the Second Polish Republic in 1918 until 1939 when the Second Polish Republic seized to exist.

In 2022 Przemyśl proved its function as border town again when the city helped Ukrainian refugees fleeing the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine for which the city received the honorary title of ‘Rescuer City’ presented by the President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Today there are roughly 60.000 people living in the city, about the same number as in 1910.

The Good Soldier Švejk (Przygody dobrego wojaka Szwejka in Polish) sitting on an ammunition box on the main square. This unfinished work is an anti-war novel, but also anti-establishment and anti-authoritarian. Considering the history of Przemyśl it seemed fitting to me to see Švejk enjoying his beer and his pipe. But not all wars are alike. I am deeply anti-war myself, but the Ukrainians do not need a Švejk in their ranks. They need to win the war. In peacetime we can muse about the absurdity of war. Not now.

The city center of Przemyśl is very clean and has clearly been newly renovated. The city’s history and surrounding landscape is attractive for tourism.

Restauracja Dominikańska

A colleague from work advised me to visit restaurant Dominikańska (address: ul. Pl. DOMINIKAŃSKI 3) and he was spot on. I started with the best potato-herring salad I ever tasted. It was that good. As soup I love Żurek, made from fermented rye flour. Similar soups can be found in other western Slavic cuisines.

**Śledź w sałatce z jajkiem, 15,00 zł.**

Żurek na tradycyjnym zakwasie żytnim z prawdziwkami, jajkiem i kiełbasą, *20,00 zł.*

Pierogi z kaszą gryczaną i borowików, *22,00 zł.*

My Booking.com apartment. Artwork like this just emphasises my solitude. They could have gone for a poster of a whale’s tail sticking out of the ocean.

In the years after the end of the Second World War the development of Przemyśl stalled. The city lost its strategic importance. During the years of the Republic of Poland (1947 - 1952) and the Polish People's Republic (1952 - 1989) economic development was not great either. There was no Marshall Plan for Poland. By 1981 the Polish state was insolvent.

When you walk through the entrance of the typical courtyards, the housing blocks look grim. It is only a matter of time these buildings have to be torn down.

Entering Ukraine

I took a 3:10 PM bus to Lviv. I was the only man on the bus. It is just women and children who shuttle back and forth between Ukraine and Poland. The border checks going into Ukraine are pretty straightforward. I had to hand in my passport and got it back after 10 minutes. No luggage check, no questions. This would be very different leaving Ukraine. That border check took three hours.

During my bus ride the sun was slowly setting. Even though the border is open I felt a little victorious when I entered Ukraine. I finally made it!