AMBER PORTAL - NEWS

08 August 2007, Amber Route on foot, Written by Anna Sado
The Amber Day marked the beginning of this year’s walking expedition of Miroslawa Stroinska along the Amber Route.

Miroslawa started her expedition last year in Prague and she walked on foot more than 1000 kilometres on the route Praga - Klodzko - Wroclaw - Kalisz - Torun - Kwidzyn - Filino - Mareza - Gdansk. As she did not manage to walk on foot all the stages of the route, she decided to make up for it this year. She started her expedition at Targ Weglowy while celebrating the Amber Day on 28th July and she was to walk on foot the stages Gdansk - Starzyno, Jelonki - Elblag and Jordanow Slaski - Pustkowo Wilczkowskie near Wroclaw. Until 1st August she managed to catch up in Poland – yesterday in the afternoon she was in Zabkowice Slaskie, and today she is heading by bus to Prague, where she is to walk one short stage. There she is also going to meet local newspaper representatives, which last year reported her expedition. If she has enough time, perhaps she will walk a few more kilometres in the direction of Akwilea, although the stage Prague - Akwilea is anticipated for the next year. There she will finish her expedition. And until that time thorough preparations for this exhibition will be in progress, consisting mostly of gathering just enough precise maps – after last year’s expedition they occurred to constitute the biggest problem because they were not precise enough. A problematic issue are also limited funds – sponsors may feel welcome! Moreover Miroslawa is going to get in touch with museum institutions on her route so that they would inform the local residents about her plans, hoping for their more sympathetic response. Miroslawa Stroinska is 50 years old and she is the first woman who took up a challenge of walking along the Amber Route from Sambia to Akwilea. She has been fascinated with this subject for many years and this expedition is a fulfillment of her lifetime dream.

18 August 2010, Polish Woman on the Amber Route, Written by Anna Sado

Mirosława Stroińska from Poznań set off on foot along the amber route this morning. It's the fourth such expedition for her, and the amber route is the last stage of her excursion from Linz to Aquileia. She is the first woman who has taken a challenge to walk through the entire amber route from Sambia to Aquileia, in stages.
This morning, Mirosława Stroińska put her foot on the amber route in Linz, Austria. The aim of her expedition is Aquileia. "I have about 500 km to walk altogether. I am planning to walk about 20-30 km a day, and a little bit less in the mountain areas" – she said while talking to the amber.com.pl portal. She is estimating that the whole route will take her up to 23 days.
This way, a lady in her 50s, who works as a clerk, fulfils her dreams, back from her university days: "I wanted to write my dissertation about the ancient Amber Route, I even had the materials collected, but it didn't work. The fascination with the route didn't fade away and it resulted in the idea of walking the entire route" – explains Ms Stroińska.
This is the last part she has left to walk in the entire Amber Route from Sambia to Aquileia. As a part of the enterprise started in 2006, she has managed to gradually go through the route along one of the ancient routes, which the Romans used for transporting amber from the Baltic seashore to Russia, Poland, the Czech Republic and northern Austria. Mirosława Stroińska is the first woman who decided to walk through the Amber Route.

20 September 2010, Aquileia captured, Written by Anna Sado

“The project of walking the amber route running from the Baltic Sea to Aquileia has nearly been completed. Nearly, because I still have to describe all those interesting, historic places” – sums up Mirosława Stroińska who has finished the last stage of her hiking journey down the amber route.
"This year I really was carrying Baltic amber from Gdańsk to Aquileia, and on some parts of the route I felt like a real Roman merchant" – she said. This year's stage ran from Linz and started at the Danube river which was the natural border between the barbarian countries and the Roman Empire. At the beginning of her route was Wels, the place that used to be a significant, ancient communication junction of the Noricum kingdom. Further on, the route led towards the Steyr river and Teichl stream, running into the river, and then towards the Pyhrn Pass – this section the voyager has evaluated as very difficult. The next part led from the valley of Glan river towards the Carnic Alps and then along the Gail river, Fella and Tagliamento towards Aquileia.
     Mirosława Stroińska had marked up her route earlier on, based on the scientific publication and the map published there – so far she has hiked, in three stages, the route leading from Prague to the Baltic Sea coast, the section from the Czech capital along the Vltava river to Linz in Upper Austria.
     While looking for traces of the ancient amber route the traveller found them most of all in the names of the streets. "In the cities in which the traces of the ancient Roman road stations, post and customs offices were proven there are streets named Römerstraße – Roman street. Even in the Celtic times trade routes used to run there. Nearby Villach is such a route, cut in a rock, where you can see ruts caused by the wagons' wheels" – explained the traveller. The traces of the Romans are also visible just outside Terzo d'Aquileia and then along the way leading to Aquileia. This city, which became the aim of her voyage, Mirosława Stroińska has described as an archaeological heritage park. Other evidence for the existence of a trade route, used to transport among others amber, are the remains of Roman buildings, such as the walls in the centre of Wels and the remains of Virunum city, which after the creation of the Noricum province became its capital, nearby present day Zollfeld.

28 October 2011, A Polish Lady on The Amber Route - an interview with Mirosława Stroińska, Written by Anna Sado

Mirosława Stroińska, from Poznań, has set off yet again for an expedition on foot, down the Amber Route - this year's edition of the project promoted the Polish presidency of the European Union.
     Where did the idea to celebrate Polish presidency of the European Union with an expedition down the Amber Route on foot come from?
I decided that the intentional character of the enterprise is very well suited to the promotional activities of Polish presidency in the Council of the European Union. The Amber Route has connected the societies living hundreds of miles apart. And a trek down such a route gives many opportunities to promote and strengthen the positive image of Poland.
     What did the route of the hike look like?
Initially, as a part of the project I had planned a route along the former limes route (the Roman frontier) on the Danube. It was meant to be a distance of 200 kilometres, starting in Vienna, through Sankt Pölten and Enns to Linz. As we know, at the time of the Amber Route there were main trade centres and customs stations controlling the trade with the nations living over the Danube. The route also included Magdalensberg, and a fragment in Palmanova. Though, due to the holiday I had to cut the expedition short.
     How was this expedition different from the others?
This time, because of the prestige of the project under the patronage of the presidency, my backpack was a bit heavier, as I took my laptop, so as I could send photos and information regularly. The character of the expedition was entirely different: it was not daredevil, I was trying to organise it in a way that would enable me to go sightseeing and document it with photos. It was very important to me that the route would embrace the most representative places and was uncomplicated to such an extent that it would be possible to encourage people to become familiar with the idea of my project. During my stay at the hotel, which I booked in advance, and which obviously had Internet access, having taken a short break to relax I would start writing. The exhibition was shorter because of the restrictions concerning my holiday.
     What was the role of amber in it?
As usual, it was a dominant part, both artistic and usable. While marching in Vienna from one railway station to another, in one of the streets I talked to a woman who was amazed with my amber which I received from amber makers from Gdańsk. And in Magdalensberg, the same as it used to be the case on the Amber Route - trade happened every day and I used amber in the same way: I thanked for water and sweets with a handful of amber. However, this time I wanted amber to have symbolic character, and to relate to the "Polish nature" of the expedition.
     You have been travelling down the Amber Route for a few years - what parts have you got left?
Obviously, everything that I have not realised yet, that is the route along the Danube river, from Vienna towards Linz.