Posts tagged with "History"

September 1st in Polish History

Posted by Anna 8 Comments
Sep 1 2008

Today is September 1st and if you ask any Polish kid about its significance, they will give you a blank stare as an answer. I’ve just tried it.
It was a bit different in my days. Now, I don’t know what they teach you about the starting date of WW2 (druga wojna światowa) in your countries, but in Poland it’s generally understood that the war started on September 1, 1939.

Unfortunately, when I was a high school student this sad anniversary was normally overshadowed by a more immediate, also sad event, which was the beginning of a school year. Which, incidentally, also took place on September 1st.

And this is what I remember from my high school history classes:
Something something Czechoslovakia, Hitler, something something… stuff happened, blah blah.
On September 1st, 1939 at 4:45AM the German battleship “Schleswig Holstein” started to shell the Polish garrison on Westerplatte. It was the beginning of Hitler’s invasion of Poland and the beginning of WW2.
Westerplatte, despite its very German-sounding name, was the location of a Polish Military Transit Depot (WST), sanctioned within the territory of the Free City of Danzig (now Gdańsk). 180 Polish soldiers under the command of Major Henryk Sucharski defended their position for seven days against overwhelming odds. When they finally surrendered, Maj. Sucharski, as a sign of respect from the German dude in charge, was allowed to keep his officer’s sword while being taken prisoner.
Blah blah blah, France blah blah blah England… the Soviet Army… blah… more stuff happened. WW2 was gaining momentum.

I’m ashamed to admit that even though I lived quite nearby Gdańsk and Westerplatte, I never visited the site. These days it’s a touristy place with a museum and monuments, and that sort of thing.

One September 1st my high school organized a field trip to Westerplatte to participate in the memorial ceremonies, which were held there annually. And here, I’m again ashamed to admit that instead of going there like all good students should, together with a friend we decided to skip it. We went to a musical instrument store instead, where we played guitars and drums for most of the day. And then of course, we lied about it. What can I say? It was the 80s. We wanted to be rock stars.

photo: Wikipedia. Major Sucharski surrenders.

Where is Stanisławów?

Posted by Anna 15 Comments
Aug 25 2008

One of our readers, Debbie, had a question about a town, which she thought might have been in Galicja (“Galicia” in English). And because this is a blog about all things Polish, we’re talking here about the Polish Galicia, not the one in Spain.
Debbie wasn’t sure of the spelling, but luckily, I knew exactly what town she had in mind. Now, what are the odds of that? Huh?

You see, I am a huge fan of Feliks Falk (a well-known Polish movie director) and it just so happens that I read somewhere he was born in a place called Stanisławów (Stanislau). Which just so happens is exactly the place Debbie was looking for.

That’s the good news. The bad news is that now the town is known as Ivano-Frankivsk (or Iwano-Frankowsk in Polish). But until 1962, it had a different name – Stanislau in German, or Stanisławów in Polish. And it’s no longer in Austria. Between 1919 and 1939 it was in Poland, then in the USSR, and these days it’s in western Ukraine. So if someone had been born, let’s say in 1915, and lived all his life in Stanislau/ Stanisławów/ Ivano-Frankivsk, he would have lived in four different countries without ever leaving the town. That’s central Europe for you.

So what’s up with the name? The original one was given the place by a Polish nobleman – Andrzej Potocki to honor his father – Stanisław “Rewera” Potocki, who had something to do with fighting the Swedes during the “deluge” back in the 17th century. The guy liked to fight, apparently. He also defeated the Cossacks once upon a time and battled Russian armies. Now wonder his son named a town after him.

Then in 1962, the Soviets decided to change the name to honor a famous Ukrainian poet – Ivan Franko, who also happened to be born somewhere in the vicinity. At least they had the good sense to rename it after a poet, and not a revolutionary, because then in the 1990s it would have to be changed again. And as such, the name stuck. Ivano-Frankivsk, formerly known as Stanislau.

It actually looks like a very agreeable town, and I wouldn’t mind visiting it when I’m in Ukraine.

As an aside, I’ve already mentioned that Feliks Falk was born there, now I see that the little town was quite productive when it comes to performing arts. Zbigniew Cybulski (Polish James Dean) and Anna Seniuk (better known as Magda Karwowska from “Czterdziestolatek” – a famous Polish TV series) were also born in Stanisławów.

Image courtesy of Jewishgen Shtetlinks

Bobrowniki Wielkie

Posted by Anna 10 Comments
Jul 14 2008

One of the readers, Ed, had a question about a village called Bobrowniki Wielkie, located somewhere near Tarnów. Ed’s mother was born in Bobrowniki and he wanted to know more about the place. Initially, I was stumped, I never heard of it myself. But no worries, after a bit of searching, I found some info.

I was surprised to learn that the village still existed, in the same place nearby Tarnów where it had been for centuries, and with the same name today as back in the olden days. What were the odds of that? Huh? But that’s not all! I even found a whole web page dedicated to the village of Bobrowniki Wielkie. Now, what are the odds of THAT? There’s a wee little village in Poland, it has all of 700 residents and one of them decides to set up a web page! Lucky for us!

Unfortunately, the page is in Polish only, so you will be stuck reading my English summary.

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A Little Bit About Mrągowo

Posted by Anna 8 Comments
Jul 1 2008

One of our readers is going to Poland this summer, and that in itself is nothing unusual, tons of people visit Poland every year. But not very many of them go to Mrągowo. In fact, I was rather surprised to hear that anyone from abroad would actually know where Mrągowo is. Because I’d bet that even most Poles wouldn’t be able to tell you much about the place, either. Pity, as Mrągowo is definitely worth more than just a passing glance.

One thing that for most Poles is probably synonymous with Mrągowo is country music. Yep. American style country. Hats, cowboy boots and all. People, who may not be able to point the town on a map, can tell you the place is famous for a big the country music shindig. And they’re right.

The country music festival, called Piknik Country (piknik = picnic) is indeed a very fine event. I know, because once upon a time I used to go there quite religiously. Back in the olden days, when I was a high school student and when on-line ticket sales didn’t exist, I would make a yearly trek from Trójmiasto to Olsztyn to purchase concert passes for me and my friends. Oh, the memories. It was definitely fun. I bought my first Akubra style hat at the festival, it cost me a fortune, too. But… we were supposed to talk about Mrągowo, not about me. Let’s get back to the topic. Read More »

Where in the World Is Galicia

Posted by Anna 94 Comments
Jun 20 2008

I would like to welcome all my new readers and thank you guys for commenting. It’s great to see your feedback! I also want to encourage you to ask me questions and offer suggestion regarding what you want me to write about here. Don’t be shy! Whether it’s grammar, spelling, history, or “my grandma used to make this yummy Polish dish”, I will do my best to answer all your queries.

Ed already started by asking about Galicia in his comment. So today, it’s all Galicia all the time. Ed, enjoy! And let me know if this is the information you were looking for.

The problem with Galicia is that there are actually two of them, one in Poland and one in Spain. And if you’re not quite sure which Galicia region you have in mind, it can be quite confusing –it was even to me when I was in school. Here, of course we’ll talk about Galicia in central Europe.

The name “Galicia” (Galicja in Polish) is a historical term, and as such – is no longer used to describe the area. And the region itself is now divided between Poland and Ukraine. So just where exactly this Galicia used to be? Get a map of Ukraine and look for Lviv (Lwów in Polish), then go a little bit east until you reach Ternopil (Tarnopol in Polish). From there trace a bit south-west to Ivano-Frankovsk. That little triangle is the original Galicia.

“But wait!” you could say, “It’s all Ukraine.”

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