Stanisław Michalkiewicz: A sentimental journey

Stanisław Michalkiewicz: A sentimental journey

At the invitation of our Warsaw friends on May 1, we went on a sentimental journey to Lithuania, and then to Latvia to Riga, where we set out on our way back to Poland. The Polish-Lithuanian border “welcomes only with a signpost” – as Antoni Słonimski wrote at a time erstwhile the borders were cut off, and the officers there demanded that papers be presented. This was furiously annoyed by Maria Pawlikowska-Jasnorzewska, who dreamed that erstwhile “the haze rides a limousine into the gates of the sky, with the wind she will throw distant her passports and do not request her certificate of death.”

Our sentimental journey begins in the Black Bora close Vilnius, where Joseph Mackiewicz lived during the russian and German occupations. In front of the home you can see a memorial boulder with the writer's name and the inscription “Only the fact is interesting”. The home is restored by the Polish authorities and houses a kind of memorial chamber. We enter the memorial book at the table at which Józef Mackiewicz wrote, and then we evidence a program devoted to his work and the Literary Award of his name.

There's a Ponary railway station close Black Boru. Józef Mackiewicz was an eyewitness to the execution on the Jews brought there. – “She asks if she will go quickly” – she says nothing to space, nor to the bike leading past Mackiewicz’s railway track, strolling around the plan of the Lithuanian shaulis with a rifle. “She may be dead in half an hour!” This is the case in the fresh “No request to talk out.”

The Vilnius tour, of course, starts with the Sharp Gate. It seems that only there is no Ukrainian flag – due to the fact that on all public buildings, next to the Lithuanian flag is Ukrainian. We can hear the Polish language and even meet respective Readers who specially waited on the street until I left the chapel of the wonderful image of Our woman of Ostrobram. But already erstwhile we effort to sit in the reststauration, the waiter, of course not knowing a word in Polish, informs us that all the seats are reserved, although half the tables are empty.

Then we go to Świętomichalski Street, where at number 6 there is the restaurant “GABI”. Fortunately, there they realize and even talk Polish, so that's most likely why Poles come there, both these visitors and locals. due to the fact that in Lithuania, the Polish language is seemingly not welcome. This can be seen from commemorative tablets and inscriptions to all noteworthy monuments. In addition to the information in Lithuanian, there are English texts, sometimes even Russian texts – but never in Polish.

Similarly, information about the common past is carefully eliminated, and, for example, after Gedymin and Kiejstuta is only the large Duke of Witold, and Jagiells, neither any Jagiellons are present. It is worth knowing all those who are walking on their heads “post-Eagle dreams”. The Lithuanians present seemingly don't want to hear about it at all.

The next day, we take the crafty drawbar of Henry Sienkiewicz's “ Flood” way and take the first steps to Upita, which Mr.Kmicic first burned, and then, erstwhile he had all the campaigns, (in the last Hungarians shot him), and in the company of Soroka as-tako came to himself in Lubicz, he went to that Upita church.

The wooden church – and of course – stands and even resembles the 1 to which Mr.Wołoodyjowski and Zagloba arrived during the service, bringing a letter from King John Casimir, commanding that no Gravamina should weigh on Mr.Kmicic – but these are only our memories, due to the fact that there are no traces of that event on the site.

Otherwise in the Wodokts. There, on the wall of the church at the call of St. Agatha, a plaque was built in honor of Henryk Sienkiewicz, founded by the Polish Ministry and the Sejneński Society for the Care of Landmarks, as was the bell hanging on the bell tower, to which the Polish National Foundation contributed. On the close cemetery older gravestones bear Polish inscriptions, but on these newer Polish names are already written in the Lithuanian transcription.

From the Wodokts we go to Birż, where – as we remember – was sent by the Prince Janusz Radziwiłła Mr. Volodyjowski, Mr. Zagloba and the colonels, under a convoy commanded by Roche Kowalski. It's a long way to go, so it's no wonder that Mr. Zagloba had quite a few time to get Roch Kowalski and on his horse to get to Mr. Volodyjowski's banner, which prisoners, ordained to be shot at Birż, liberated.

To the palace in Birży, or alternatively – to the castle, due to the fact that it was a fortress – we arrive rather late, but polite staff who understands and speaks only Lithuanian, English and Russian, allows us to view the exhibition. In 1 of the halls, the Hussar's figure draws our attention, where the inscription tells us that specified soldiers were in Lithuanian and... Tatar troops. Thus the desire to erase all traces of a common centuries-old past brings an unintended comic effect, as in the Druskininkai spa park, where there is simply a monument to Sigismund Augustus.

The inscription on 1 side of the book informs that it was the Grand Duke of Lithuania. I thought that on the another hand, there would be a sign that he was besides king—but no. The another side is empty. But the royal title is higher than the Grand Duke title. In specified a situation, we are no longer amazed by this “tatar” Hussar. If that's the order, there's no way.

Next to the castle in Birży there is simply a church, externally looking Catholic, but most likely not Catholic, and this is thanks to Nicholas “Rude” Radziwiłł. After winning the conflict with Ivan the Terrible troops he went with a thanksgiving pilgrimage to Czestochowa. There on Jasna Góra, the Paulini demonstrated to him how it drove the devil out of any man supposedly possessed. Although the demonstration succeeded, the devil was cast out, but a suspicious dignitary penetrated the fact that the possessed and the devil were besides underpinned by clever Paulins.

As a result, he resented Catholics and became a Protestant of the Calvinist religion. Therefore, Mr Zagłoba, erstwhile he had already offended Prince Janusz Radziwiłł, suspected him that as Calvin, he had six toes at his feet. “From here to the beetle is the science,” so as not to exaggerate, even in the right cases, due to the fact that it has effects rather different from those intended. Well, it is not until I talk about the incorrect things, which include the above-mentioned attempts to erase all traces of common, full of glory, the past of both nations, due to the fact that they only prove any complexes.

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