Mickiewicz we don't know

I went on another reporter's trip. The destination of my expedition is besides the place of the death of a national witch, 1 of the most prominent Polish poets, i.e. lying on the Bosfor – Istanbul. Adam Mickiewicz died in Turkish Istanbul on 26 November 1855. What imperative drove him to the exotic mediate East?

Before we read the complicated meanders of Mickiewicz's trails we must survey his passionate life. Mickiewicz is simply a prominent romanticist creator, poet, independency activist, publicist, visionary. He was born on 24 December 1798 in Nowogrodek, Lithuania. “My country, my country,” he wrote later. He studied in Kaunas and studied in Vilnius. He was the founder of the secret independency of the Philomat Society. For this reason, he was arrested by the Russians and imprisoned in the basilian monastery from 1823 to 1824. Paradoxically, imprisonment only increased the desire for patriotic activity in young Mickiewicz. It sparked the spark of rebellion against the possessor. He was in Odessa, Moscow, Petersburg until 1829. He joined this part of the elite within the Russian state, which was progressive and reformist, but immediately went west of Europe. He was in Germany, Switzerland and Italy. He went to the European salons.

When the November Uprising broke out in 1830, he tried to enter Polish lands. He became active as an independent activist. 2 years later he de facto migrated across Europe – he lived in Paris, Lausanne and Rome. The period of surviving in Paris was full of financial problems. Emigration was divided. Mickiewicz worked with the Literary Society and the National Society of Poland.

He became active in supporting the Spring of the Peoples in 1848. His most crucial works were poetic works: “Balladas and Romances”, “Krymski Sonets”, “Konrad Wallendrod”, “Dziady” and “Mr Tadeusz”.

Adam Mickiewicz, as I mentioned earlier, was engaged in independency activities. He wanted to make Polish troops that could fight in the name of Poland. Before he left for the mediate East – in 1848 he formed the Legion of Poland fighting for Lombardy. He arrived in Istanbul in 1855 to form Polish troops that would fight against Russia during the Crimean War. He died unexpectedly.

He put on a immense and groundbreaking literary legacy, but this study entitled – “Mickiewicz like we do not know”. What was Mickiewicz actually looking for in Istanbul? Why did he go to this peculiar city?

The Crimean War was a groundbreaking armed conflict. On the 1 hand, the Russian Empire, on the another hand, the Ottoman Empire and its allies, the United Kingdom, France, and the Kingdom of Sardinia, stood up. Between 1853 and 1856 there was a bloody war in which Russia compromised. In a clash with the successful Western armies she died. Russian troops proved to be weakened by theft and corruption. This was the first global conflict since the Napoleonic Wars. Over half a million people have fallen in the battlefields of the Crimean War. This is 1 of the first conflicts with the usage of fresh military technologies. Thanks to the intervention of Western troops, they managed to save the Ottoman Empire and inhibit Russian expansion towards the Balkan direction. All right, but what does Poland and Mickiewicz gotta do with this? A lot.

“For the universal war for the freedom of the peoples” was not accidentally prayed by our national witch. Polish lands were then torn apart among the invaders, and Russia seized the largest areas at the expense of Poles. Any conflict in which the carat was active was a chance to weaken the possessor. The Crimean War was for Polish independency movements in the 19th century what the First planet War was for their successors in the 20th century.

Many Poles decided to fight Russia alongside the Ottoman army. In 1850, Michał Tchaikovsky switched to Turkish pay in advance to Islam. As Mehmed Sadyk Effendi organized a formation of sultan Cossacks, besides called "Polish Division". More specifically, he commanded the First Sultan Cossacks Regiment. Then many Poles went to the Caucasus to fight the Russians as guerrillas. any of them lived in Turkey. Mickiewicz himself wanted to form a squad to fight the Russians. He even met Czajkowski and Władysław Zamoyski (another organizer of the Polish branch).

In all this, the Polish settlement in Turkey called Adampol or “Polonezköy” is besides interesting. The name “Adampol” itself in Poland is associated with our most celebrated poet – Adam Mickiewicz, especially erstwhile the place of death of the hangman is recalled. The problem is that this name comes from another Adam (forgotten in history) – Adam Czartoryski. The initiative of ‘putting up’ of the Polish village appeared in the morning before the Crimean war. In 1841, Michał Tchaikovsky, from the order of Adam Czartoryski, came to Turkey at the head of the east Mission Agency of the Lambert Hotel. The aim was to limit Russian influences and to build Polish influences to fight the carat. erstwhile November Uprising veterans emigrated to Turkey. As a result, 30 km of uncultivated areas under Istanbul were purchased, where the Lazarite priests began to set up a settlement. On 19 March 1842 the first building in the village was dedicated, and in honor of Czartoryski the settlement was named “Adampol”. Interestingly, in addition to the November insurgents, prisoners who had previously been forced to service in the Caucasus in the Tsar army besides lived there.

But let not the fact that it is only a “Polish village” confuse you. Its meaning in those days was much more important. Here the Polish state does not formally be due to the fact that it is torn apart by the possessors, while the Polish town is being created, where Polish patriots bring together. You can inactive hear the Polish language in Adampol.

Let us return to the question – how did Mickiewicz find himself in Istanbul? Since the outbreak of the Crimean War, our poet has been politically active in helping the Polish origin at the large Port. It's besides a hard time for him due to the fact that his wife died after a severe illness. Adam Czartoryski made Mickiewicz's mission to Istanbul a technological mission. Mickiewicz embarked on an authoritative journey on September 11, 1855. The unofficial intent of his mission was to reconcile rival Polish patriotic circles. Immediately in Turkey, he worked hard. Behind Polish interests he pilgrimaged to the embassy of England and France, but left these meetings disappointed. He decided that it was only with Turkey that it made sense to build Polish troops. He visited the Ottoman Cossack barracks in Burgas and became a friend of Michał Tchaikovsky, a.k.a. Sadyk Pasha. In the mediate East Mickiewicz was 2 months old. He was fascinated by the Turkish language he learned. Unfortunately, he was sick throughout his stay in Turkey. He had gastrointestinal problems. He wrote prose hours before he died. Conversations des malade (Talks to the sick). Despite large fame and the theoretically authoritative nature of the mission, he lived on a miserable foot. He died on November 26, 1855 before 9 p.m. He was suspected of dying of cholera. The French authorities refused to accept his body for this reason. On January 21, 1856, Mickiewicz's body was deposited in the necropolis of Polish emigration in Montmorency. He was besides laid down with the body of Celine's wife, who were exhumed from Pere-Lachaise. In 1890 Adam Mickiewicz's body was laid in Wawel.

The ties between Poland and Turkey are not just about culture. Is it possible to cooperate on another level? "Turkey is simply a country with the second largest army in NATO. It is now in the common interest of Turkey and Poland to bring about a normalisation of the situation in Ukraine, as this affects the widely understood safety aspect in the region. Furthermore, it is in the common interest of the parties that Russia should not grow its influence in the Black Sea basin, so the Polish government has long tried to encourage Ankara to engage more in the most crucial regional initiatives, I am referring to, among another things, the tridialogue between Turkey, Romania and Poland. In addition, the possible for economic, educational and defence cooperation, which is 1 of the most dynamic sectors developing in Turkey, should not be overlooked," explains Aleksandra Spancerska, an analyst for Turkey from the Polish Institute of global Affairs.

Polish Heritage in Turkey

On 8 November 1855, Adam Mickiewicz, Henryk Służalski and Armand Lévy rented a home at the intersection of Jeni-Szeri and Kalenji-Kuluk. In 1877 the fire destroyed the full area along with the house. Józef Ratyński redeemed the ruins for £100. He reconstructed precisely the home where Mickiewicz lived at the end of his life. At home is now the Memorial Museum of our national witch. Adam Mickiewicz Museum is simply a branch of the Turkish and muslim Art Museum in Istanbul. The exhibition is the consequence of the joint operation of the Adam Mickiewicz Museum of Literature and the Turkish Art Museum – the task is supported by the Ministry of Culture and National Heritage. The museum houses on Tatli Badem street (c. Sweet almonds) in the Beyoğlu district, the erstwhile Pera district.

Hidden place on the side, narrow winding streets. 1 of the highways can hear sound from the distance. There we will find the Adam Mickiewicz museum. In Istanbul, traffic is heating very intensely. Let us remember that this city is inhabited by 15 million people (7 times more than Warsaw). Metropolis has 31 districts. It's always corked and noisy, so getting into the side streets is simply a relief. The typical rhythm of mediate east life is here. The narrow alley leading tourists to Mickiewicz's memorial site is like a carbon of a typical street from the erstwhile Constantinople. We pass the barber and the tea shop, where the older date of the Turks discuss by grinding in their hands further beads balls hung on their hands. They are permanently listed in this landscape. They won't be gone until the muezins call for prayer.

The home where the Mickiewicz museum is stands out against the background of another abandoned buildings lying on the street. “This home is simply a souvenir. At the place where Adam Mickiewicz died on 26 November 1855" – we read on a plaque walled in the building. It was the boy of Ratynski who built the plaque with a memorable inscription. The windows are cut. Polish and Turkish flags hang on the front.

As you enter inside, you can see the well-maintained and commemorative halls of the typical close townhouse. The exhibition of the Istanbul Museum is the consequence of the work of the Adam Mickiewicz Literature Museum in Warsaw with the support of the Consulate General of Poland in Istanbul.

In the collections we will see the bust of Adam Mickiewicz – 1 is the masterpiece of Ewaryst Zbąski from 1898, cast from bronze. The second was created by David d’Angers. The museum has a 19th century travel trunk. There are reproductions of images in this – Portrait of Adam Mickiewicz on Judah rock Valentin Wańkowicz brush. We besides see lithographs. The walls are decorated with white-red patterns and distinctive oriental tapis.

The exhibition starts from the top floor. On top of the exhibition are exhibits related to the youth of Adam Mickiewicz. The lower the time line reaches further in the biography of the Polish poet. Mickiewicz was besides in a military camp in Burgas in October 1855. As I wrote in the erstwhile report, the intent of the poet's expedition to Turkey was to form a Polish legion to fight against the Tsar during the Crimean War. As per the museum, we will besides find here plates with a résumé of the writer. Very interesting are paper blocks resembling the old calendar type, where the pages are printed with fragments of Mickiewicz's poetry. Translations are in respective languages.

An crucial component of the Mickiewicz home is the crypt in which the symbolic tombstone of the poet was arranged. Marble catafalk, bleached letters, stone plate and cross are a reason for reflection on the site of the witch's death. A copy of the poet's posthumous mask brings before our eyes the face of a large Pole. Mysticism of the place besides adds the image of Our woman of Ostrobram.

Adampol, more specifically Polonezköy, lies on the outskirts of Istanbul, on the east bank of the Bosfor Strait. The Polish settlement would have long been incorporated by the urban agglomeration and turned into an industrial territory if not for the efforts of the Polish diaspora and the government of the Republic to leave Adampol with its rustic and national character. This is for the benefit of the Turks themselves, as they appreciate the local scenery Park and cozy hotels located so close to the city. Whoever was in Istanbul knows the bustle of the city is amazing. Mustafa Kemal Ataturk besides hosted on Adampol. The contact between Asia and Europe is amazing, but it can be tiring for the people themselves. Adampol thus becomes an oasis of peace, silence, nature and past for the people of Istanbul who crave specified sensations.

Importantly, there are heritage sites in Polonezköy that are powerfully connected with Polishness. There is simply a historical cemetery in which respective generations of Poles were buried who died in a abroad country. any of them have grave inscriptions with beautiful old Polish grave inscriptions. In Adampol, you can participate in a service in Polish. The Holy Mass in the Church of Our woman of Czestochowa is in Polish. The church, under the call of Our woman of Czestochowa, was carried in between 1900 and 1914. The inhabitants made quite a few effort to rebuild the historical church. The past of Adampol is besides the Memorial home of Sophia Ryża – there are household exhibitions, photographs, books and documents. The Polonezköy Centre besides includes the home of Culture – crucial for Polishness. And as it were for the mediate East there are besides tea shops and restaurants.

_{Graphics: public domain}

_{Bibliography: Polish authors' poesy fragments have been utilized in reports and articles. Adam Mickiewicz “Mr Tadeusz”, Juliusz Słowacki “Anhelli”, Cyprian Kamil Norwid “Bema memorial rapsod”.}

_{Reports carried out as part of a scholarship from the Minister of Culture and National Heritage}