Vandyke – the story of the most famous bank robber in Polish history

Like any other industry, the criminal business of stealing what should be safe has its legends. If there are legendary criminals on whose stories movie scripts are based and whose names are known to every child, then there can be no lack of Poles among them. Today, we will take a look at the figure of the king of bank robbers of the Second Republic of Poland, whose intelligence may have impressed, and whose life of crime inspired the creation of the ethos of the gentleman burglar on whom Polish burglars modelled themselves over the following decades. There may have been better cashiers in his time, but more famous ones certainly were not.

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Heist at the Hatton Garden Safe Deposit

Most of us are familiar with Juliusz Machulski's films about pre-war safe-crackers who, on the verge of professional retirement, decide to steal the goods held in a bank depository. In the wider world, a series of films initiated by 'Ocean's Eleven', telling the adventures of a group of thieves, has become extremely popular. And although it may seem that the stories we know from the films are just fiction dressed up in an attractive image, there are real stories that are hard to believe. The Hatton Garden Safe Deposit heist in London is one such case.

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Vaults, safes and other scrap-iron in film and beyond – the most interesting stories

Although the property security industry seems to rank among the dullest in the history of books or cinema, the repertoire of stories revolving around guarded treasure is unexpectedly rich. Treasure troves in film appear frequently, mostly in action films, detective stories or spy stories. To take a bit of a breather from steel, concrete and the delightful crunch of bolts, I have prepared for you some interesting stories in which one or another treasure is an essential element of the plot.

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Safes once and today. How has the 'industry' changed since the days of the Vandyke?

If the names Kwinto or Dane don't say anything to you, and 'Vandyke' is, in your opinion, the name of a drink based on gin, Sprite and a low-salt cucumber, here is an article that will change a lot in your life. Today we take a look back at more than 100 years of the industry's history from its golden age in the inter-war years to today's security systems.

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A safe for a woman

Dear Ladies, there is a stereotypical perception that safes are a man's sphere of influence. Constructed of steel and concrete and weighing several hundred kilograms, the armour evokes a tank, not the delicacy and sensuality associated with the fairer sex. Furthermore, there is a cultural conditioning that it is a male responsibility to ensure the safety of the home and, by extension, everything that comprises it. Today, we will break down the stereotypes and try to prove that appearances are very misleading in this case. You have a lot more to say about safes than we men might think.

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Safes in the cinema

Safes often appear on the silver screen, as we have mentioned in the past on our blog when writing about the panic room featured in the well-known film "Asylum" starring Jodie Foster. One of our safes even had its modest appearance in a series, but today we would like to start with a cinema classic.

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The secret of the DFB safes

Old or antique safes often hide family secrets or a story worth telling. Today we decided to share one such story.

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