PL24 CC - Visit to the city hall, meeting with the Plock’s President

The Polish and French students are welcomed by the mayor of the town of Plock in the council chamber. He says that this is the room where "the heart of Polish democracy beats", as it is here that the 25 "deputies" debate with him and vote on legislation. He shows them where he is seated, then where his 3 deputies sit (the 1st in charge of education and social assistance, the 2nd in charge of cleaning up the city, the 3rd in charge of investments), the secretary who supervises the work of the 600 employees of the town hall and the treasurer. Then he asks the students to ask him some questions: 1. Measures to promote sustainable development : zero CO2 emission public transport, support for families who want to change their coal-fired stoves for cleaner energy, photovoltaic panels on public buildings, tree planting (1,000 last year). 2-Global warming in Poland : 6 degrees warmer in February in Plock .3-Waste sorting : 5 bins, recycling to avoid stockpiling waste.4-the homeless : social support programme in housing but social problem of alcoholism. The mayor concludes by asking the students to remain sensitive to the problems of others, to remain open before giving them a present and taking a photograph with them. After that, an international relations employee takes the students on a tour of the town hall : the building was constructed 200 years ago by a well-known Polish architect, the model of the stadium that was built last year (important football team in Plock), portraits of Plock residents honored by the town hall, including Josef Pilsudski (one of the fathers of Polish independence), Ignacy Moscicki(Polish President between the wars), the famous poet Broniewski. The group then moves on to the National Assembly Hall which is a representation room (for guests and press conferences) where there are 2 large frescoes : one with the symbols of Poland (white eagle with gold crown) and the emblems of Plock (cathedral towers, ribbon in the town's colours, crosses given to heroes, the slogan in Latin "with work and heroism you get rich"). The date 1079 and the Latin quotation "the siege of Poland" refer to the time when Plock was the country's capital. The 2nd fresco depicts a battle scene in which the inhabitants defended Plock against the Bolsheviks in 1920, hence the name 'hero-town’. In the staircase, the “hero town” is symbolically represented by the marshal who gives a medal to the scouts. Finally, in the hall of traditions, you can see an old model of this cross and the symbols of the power of the local authorities (the chains worn by the mayor during the festivities, the cane of the President of the council who opens and closes the sessions, the symbolic key to the city) and the portrait of the priest who wrote the music played every day at noon on the tower..

The students meet a mayor with whom they can talk freely about the city’s sustainable development policy, and the visit to the town hall gives them an opportunity to learn more about the history of the city and the country.