First of all – Smeermaas? Wouldn’t he prefer to live in Maastricht? No, says Jan Golan resolutely. “Before moving to Maastricht, I lived with my parents and siblings in Luxembourg for ten years. I loved cycling there. Living in Smeermaas means I work out every day, so I don’t have to pay for a gym membership.” But there are also disadvantages. “It’s almost impossible for me to get to class on time if I oversleep”, he laughs.
Urban exploration
His room is filled with curious objects – a plastic skull, bullet casings, a yellow ‘Bob the Builder’ helmet. “I found them while urban exploring. I like to go out and explore abandoned tunnels, bunkers, mines or buildings.” He points to his bed. A pair of waders – trousers with boots attached – is hanging over the edge. It’s part of his gear, as are the torches and cables sitting on the cabinet on the other side of the room. There’s also a small zipper pouch. “It’s a lock pick set. I haven’t needed it yet.”
What is the coolest thing Golan has found while urban exploring? “I once went nine floors below ground at a bunker in the Maginot Line in France.” He pulls up some photos on his phone, showing flooded stairwells and extensive tunnel networks. He goes exploring about once every two weeks, usually by himself. Isn’t that terribly scary? “Sometimes, yes, but that’s what makes it so exciting. And I’m sensible about it when I’m out alone. I never go out too far, for example.” And he never goes unprepared. “I have lots of maps on my computer.”
He loves the old limestone quarries in Maastricht, but they’re difficult to enter from the Dutch side, says Golan. “Security is less tight in Belgium.” Even though urban exploration is usually illegal, it has never gotten him into trouble with the police. “Most people see my helmet and my yellow vest and assume I’m there for work.”
“End the war on drugs”
On his wardrobe is a piece of cardboard with “End the war on drugs” written on it. In the cabinet next to it is a pair of sunglasses with the same quote on its frame. “I’m a member of Maastricht Students for Liberty, an association for classical liberals/libertarians”, says Golan. “We’d prefer a society in which the role of the government is as limited as possible.” The association organises debates, lectures and film screenings. For example, they recently hosted a discussion with Scott Horton, an American human rights lawyer, and a screening of a documentary about Julian Assange (Wikileaks).
Golan calls himself an anarcho-capitalist. “It means that I’d prefer there to be no government at all, only a free market. There would be no police, either. I don’t think it’s right that the government has a monopoly on violence. A monopoly is never good. Security could be arranged much more effectively and efficiently by private parties.” Wouldn’t that give the rich a lot of power, though? “That argument describes the status quo. The rich already have a lot of power.”
One of the things that interests Golan is the war on drugs, by which he means the efforts of the government to combat drug trafficking. In his view, the drug trade is yet another market the government should not interfere with. “Portugal is a great example. They decriminalised drug possession a number of years ago. Drug-related death rates in the country have plummeted. Drugs have become much safer because things no longer have to take place on the black market.”
MH17
Interestingly, there are two copies of the same book lying on the table. The author? Jan Golan. It’s called Flugjagd and it came out last year. He worked on it for five years. Leafing through the book reveals that it was written entirely in Polish. “It’s about the conflict between Ukraine and Russia in the Donbask region, which existed long before Russia officially attacked Ukraine in 2022.” The novel features characters in the Ukrainian military and the Russian opposition. The downing of flight MH17 also features in the story. “I wanted to include it because a few people from my secondary school, or relatives of theirs, were on the plane.”
On his desk, next to his laptop, sits an old typewriter. Did he write the book on it? “No”, he laughs. “I often use it instead of pen and paper. My handwriting is so bad I often can’t even read it myself. Also, I don’t need a printer this way.”