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When I visited my native city Warsaw, earlier this summer, there was a nice surprise waiting for me in one of my favorite places, the Castle Square (Plac Zamkowy). Crowds of Warsowians and tourists were towered by rows of the tall (6.56' each) and colorful bears shining in the afternoon sun.
The centrally placed information table explained it all. United Buddy Bears visited Warsaw on their tour around the world. Project conceived in 2002 by two Berlin artists, gained life of its own. The bears visited many cities on four continents, including Berlin, Hong-Kong, Istanbul, Tokyo, Seoul, Sydney, Vienna and Cairo.To Warsaw, they came from Jerusalem, now, they are enlivening Stuttgart before going to Paris. What travelers the bears are!
On the Castle Square, there were 138 bears, each representing one country recognized by the United Nations and each one painted by an artist native to the country. Situated in a long wavy lines in alphabetical order, the bears formed all sorts of unexpected alliances and togetherness, unlikely to be seen on the political scene. The message the bears are sending is about tolerance, peace and peaceful coexistence. Their motto:
"We have to get to know each other better ...
... it makes us understand one another better,
trust each other more, and live together more peacefully."
I hope you will enjoy the bears in the beautiful settings of Warsaw's Old Town architecture, as much as I did. The bears teach us how to be human.
For more information about United Buddy Bear mission and travels you can check following websites:
http://www.buddy-baer.com/
http://www.berlin-message.com/en/index.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_Buddy_Bears
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