Or how I visited all the Dworek Branches in one day.
Well, well, well. Your favourite matcha-lover Daniboy is here. And today I have something really special to share with you. For some time, I had the idea of cycling through all 8 cultural clubs of the Dworek Białoprądnicki family. The goal of my cycling adventure was to check the accessibility of bike paths and to understand if it’s possible to travel between clubs using only (or mostly) bike lanes. As a cycling enthusiast, I’m interested in the development level of cycling infrastructure, so I decided to combine the pleasant with the useful. I was also curious to visit the clubs that no volunteer has set foot in, as some of the clubs don’t participate in the IntegrArt program. After plotting a route through all the checkpoints, in the beginning of July I set off.
The first stop was Wena cultural club. Finding it turned out to be not so easy. The club is located in a shopping center, so I didn’t immediately understand where exactly I needed to go. It consists of several rooms, so there isn’t much space. I hope that over time this club will have its own building because they deserve it.
Next, I headed to Dworek Białoprądnicki, where my coordinator Karolina blessed my journey by taking a photo of me in front of the gates. Dworek is the club where I’ve been volunteering for almost a year, so it feels like your place, where you know all the rooms and corridors. This club is the main and largest of all the other branches and I’m honoured to be a part of it.
The next stop was Paleta club. In this very cozy club, I was greeted by its employee, Mr. Michał Lesiak. He showed me around the club, told me about their activities, and we had a meaningful conversation about the occupation of Crimea. I really liked this club. Unlike Dworek, it felt very intimate. I wouldn’t say I dislike the sizes of my “home” club, but I realized I enjoy clubs like Paleta. Mr. Michał noted that no one had done such a journey before and suggested that it might be a reason to create a special badge as an achievement.
After that, I had probably the longest stretch of the route ahead of me — the road to the Łokietek club. It’s located farther than all the other clubs, so I wasn’t sure which path to take. As it turned out later, there is a bike path that runs along the river through the forest, but the night before my trip, there was a heavy rainstorm, and it was impossible to ride that lane. So I had to ride to Łokietek using the road. At the club, I was met by Mihaela. Together with the staff, we discussed various cycling routes around the club. After receiving some useful advice, I set off again.
Upon arriving in Mydlniki, I surprised Antonia, who didn’t expect to see me. Together with her and her coordinator Eva, we had a nice chat in the club’s kitchen, and they even treated me to some grapes. I shared with them the idea of creating a special award for the future volunteer who decides to repeat my route. It should be an Easter egg for anyone who gets the idea to visit all 8 clubs. By the way, on the way to Mydlniki, I set my personal speed record — 69.7 km/h.
The next club on my list was Hełm. This is the third club (along with Wena and Paleta) that doesn’t have volunteers, so I was particularly interested in learning about it. When I arrived, for some reason, the club worker, Mrs. Danuta, already knew about me. Seems like my fame was cycling faster than me hehe. She gave me a little tour and showed me the puppet theater. It was truly magical and warm visit.
Not far from Hełm is Wola club, which was my next stop. There, unsuspectingly, sat Mila. I greeted her and the club’s director, Ana, thanks to whom I met a local label I now collaborate with. I’m planning to teach guitar and vocal at Wola next month, so I hope this club will hold a special place in my heart.
The final club — Przegorzały. This is the place where we gather every month for evaluation meetings (or as I call them, elevation meetings). This month, we have our last gathering at this club, and it evokes a bittersweet feeling. This is where everything began and this is where it will all end. It’s worth noting that the bike path from our apartment to this club is one of the most pleasant, as it covers almost the entire route from home to Przegorzały. Upon arriving at the club, I greeted everyone — Alicja, Weronika, and my beloved male mate Joseph, who did a full photo-shoot session for me. After drinking some water, I rode home to Pijarska 5, where my adventure came to an end.
Below, you can see the map of my route. The journey took 2 hours of pure cycling time (35km), but with all the stops, it took about 4 hours.
I was extremely satisfied with the trip, mainly because of the people and conversations I had along the way. Regarding bike paths and their accessibility, I had an overall positive impression; it’s clear that the city administration is working on it, although, of course, not everything is perfect. Some paths are hard to find or recognize, and certain parts of the route still have to be covered by sidewalks or roads. For me, riding on the road wasn’t an issue, but if we’re talking about a safe family trip, then careful planning using special cycling apps would be necessary. I didn’t use any such apps, relying solely on Google Maps (which wasn’t always convenient). Kraków still has plenty of room for improvement, with many areas where more convenient bike lanes could be added, but I’m glad the process isn’t standing still.
I hope you enjoyed reading about my little adventures. Maybe it will inspire some of you to go on a bike ride. I like to believe that mean people don’t ride bikes. If more people took their bikes out into nature, perhaps the world would be a better place.
