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|  |
| Ukrainian Military Cemetery | |
|---|---|
 General view of the cemetery | |
 | |
| Details | |
| Established | 1921 |
| Abandoned | 1945 |
| Location | |
| Country |  Poland |
| Coordinates | 52°53′16.08″N 18°41′06.00″E / 52.8878000°N 18.6850000°E |
| Type | military cemetery |
The Ukrainian Military Cemetery in Aleksandrów Kujawski is the final resting place of 17 soldiers of the Ukrainian People's Army who were interned in Aleksandrów Kujawski internment camp in December 1920 and died during their stay there (before the camp was disbanded in the autumn of 1921). The cemetery is located on Narutowicz Street in Aleksandrów Kujawski. It was entered into the register of historic monuments on 7 June 1995.[1]
The cemetery was a site for religious and patriotic ceremonies organized by Ukrainian emigrants residing in Poland during the interwar period. After 1945, when the Ukrainian communities in Pomerania and Kuyavia were dispersed, it fell into obscurity. Its restoration was initiated in 1991 by Emilian Wiszka, a historian focused on the Ukrainian community in Poland, and Colonel Szymon Smetana. Since 1993, the cemetery has hosted ecumenical services on the first Saturday of June.
The cemetery complex consists of a burial mound with a Zaporozhian cross, 21 gravestones with crosses (without nameplates), and a fence with informational plaques.
Circumstances of establishment
edit
The cemetery for soldiers of the Ukrainian People's Army who died in the internment camp was established during the camp's existence by other interned individuals. In 1921, Edward Mycielski-Trojanowski donated a piece of land adjacent to the barracks of the internment camp for this purpose.[2] On July 24 of the same year, the officers in the camp organized a collection among the internees to fund the establishment of the cemetery and the erection of a monument.[2] They collected 20,000 Polish marks, which enabled them to tidy up the graves and prepare a design for the commemorative burial mound. The internees themselves carried out the cleaning and construction of the monument.[2]
According to a description of the burial mound made shortly after its construction, it appeared as follows:[2]
On the mound, a black Zaporozhian cross was erected. In the center of the cross was placed the coat of arms – the trident, and on its arms, an inscription in Ukrainian: 'To the fighters for the freedom of Ukraine, officers and soldiers of the 4th and 6th Divisions'. On the other side, there was an inscription: 'Pro Ukraine libertate mortuis' and in Polish: 'To the heroes of the fight for the freedom of Ukraine, 4th and 6th Ukrainian Divisions – 1921'.
On the front slope of the mound, the internees placed a red sandstone plaque with an inscription in Ukrainian: Chaj woroh znaje, szczo kozaćka syła/szcze ne wmerła pid jarmom tyrana/szczo kożna stepowa mohyła/ce wiczna niepimszczena rana (English: Let the enemy know that the Cossack strength has not yet died under the yoke of the tyrant, that every steppe grave is an eternal, unavenged wound).[3]
Consecration
editOn 18 September 1921, the chief chaplain of the Ukrainian People's Army, Father Pawło Paszczewski, arrived in Aleksandrów Kujawski and conducted a Holy Liturgy in the camp chapel, after which he consecrated the cemetery. The ceremony was attended by representatives of the city authorities.[3] Speeches were delivered by a city official, Father Paszczewski, and Warrant Officer Sołowczuk on behalf of the camp community. Wreaths were laid on the 17 graves while the Ukrainians sang the song Testament with lyrics by Taras Shevchenko.[3]
The cemetery was enclosed with barbed wire on concrete posts adorned with tridents, and the graves were covered with turf and marked with plaques bearing the names of the buried soldiers.[4]
Cemetery as a place of remembrance
editDuring the interwar period, the Ukrainian cemetery in Aleksandrów Kujawski became a significant site for annual religious services and patriotic ceremonies, gathering emigrant communities from across the Pomerania and Kuyavia regions. The cemetery, often referred to by Ukrainians as the "Cossack Grave", was a symbol of remembrance for the Ukrainian struggle for independence.[5] On 29 May 1927, for the first time, a memorial service was held at the cemetery in honor of Symon Petliura, a prominent Ukrainian leader. The service was conducted by Father Stefan Rudyk from the Orthodox parish of St. Nicholas in Toruń. From that year onwards, services in memory of Petliura and other deceased participants in the Ukrainian fight for independence became a tradition in Aleksandrów Kujawski, attracting Ukrainians from the entire region. These ceremonies were often followed by commemorative academies.[5]
In 1930, the "Cossack Grave" was renovated by a group of emigrants under the supervision of M. Czocha.[6] In 1932, for the first time, the ceremony honoring Petliura was combined with the celebration of the anniversary of the revival of the Ukrainian army.[7]
Viktor Babicz, a participant in the 1939 ceremonies, recalled:[8]
We would arrive for the morning mass at the local Orthodox church, which on that day could not accommodate all the faithful. People came to Aleksandrów Kujawski from all possible directions. Around ten o'clock, everyone would gather around the market square. Here, units of former soldiers of the Ukrainian People's Army began to form. Commands and orders from the senior officers could be heard. The Ukrainian Military Cemetery was well-maintained and decorated with flowers.
Post-war history of the cemetery
editAfter World War II, the Ukrainian emigrant communities in Kuyavia and Pomerania, including those in Aleksandrów Kujawski and Toruń, became dispersed. As a result, the cemetery was abandoned after 1945.[4]
The initiative to restore the cemetery was taken up in the spring of 1991 by Emilian Wiszka and Colonel Szymon Smetana, with the support of local authorities,[4] particularly the mayor of Aleksandrów Kujawski, Zdzisław Nasiński, and his deputy, Stanisław Krysiński.[9] Between April 1992 and the spring of 1993, cleanup and restoration work was carried out. The original fencing was restored using the remaining posts, and a new commemorative plaque was created with the original inscription in the same font.[4] The work was performed by the Lviv-based company Nekropolis.[10] The project was overseen by the Union of Ukrainians in Poland and the Ukrainian Embassy in Poland, with Sławomir Mąkowski leading the coordinating committee.[11]
The renovated cemetery was officially reopened on 12 June 1993 with an ecumenical service attended by Orthodox, Greek Catholic, Lutheran, and Roman Catholic clergy.[4] The service included Catholic Bishop Bronisław Dembowski of Włocławek, Greek Catholic Metropolitan Jan Martyniak of Przemyśl and Warsaw, Orthodox Archbishop Szymon Romańczuk of Łódź and Poznań, and Lutheran Pastor Jerzy Molin.[12] The independent Ukrainian government was represented by the Ukrainian Ambassador to Poland, Hennadiy Udovenko, and Minister of Defense Volodymyr Mulawa. In his speech, the mayor of Aleksandrów Kujawski emphasized the importance of commemorating shared history in the context of European integration. Jerzy Rejt, chairman of the Union of Ukrainians in Poland, spoke about the necessity of reconciliation between the two nations to prevent future conflicts.[12]
Since that year, an ecumenical service has been held at the cemetery every first Saturday in June.[1]
References
edit- ^ a b "Aleksandrów Kujawski". sanatoria.org (in Polish). Retrieved 2024-08-26.
- ^ a b c d Waszkiewicz (2008, p. 91)
- ^ a b c Waszkiewicz (2008, p. 92)
- ^ a b c d e "UKRAIŃSKI CMENTARZ WOJSKOWY". aleksandrowkujawski.pl (in Polish). Archived from the original on 2013-05-03.
- ^ a b Wiszka (2005, p. 398)
- ^ Wiszka (2005, pp. 398–399)
- ^ Wiszka (2005, p. 401)
- ^ Babicz, W. (2008). "Panichida na Kozackiej Mogile w czerwcu 1939 (wspomnienia uczestnika)". In Wiszka, E. (ed.). Aleksandrów Kujawski. Obozy jeńców i internowanych 1918–1921 (in Polish). Toruń: Wydawnictwo Naukowe Uniwersytetu Mikołaja Kopernika. pp. 141–142. ISBN 978-83-231-2212-8.
- ^ Cieśla (2008, p. 145)
- ^ Cieśla (2008, p. 146)
- ^ Cieśla (2008, pp. 145–146)
- ^ a b Cieśla (2008, p. 147)
Bibliography
edit- Waszkiewicz, Z. (2008). "Życie religijne w Obozie Internowanych nr 6 w Aleksandrowie Kujawskim w 1921 roku". In Wiszka, E. (ed.). Aleksandrów Kujawski. Obozy jeńców i internowanych 1918–1921 (in Polish). Toruń: Wydawnictwo Naukowe Uniwersytetu Mikołaja Kopernika. ISBN 978-83-231-2212-8.
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: ref duplicates default (link) - Wiszka, E. (2005). Emigracja ukraińska w Polsce 1920–1939 (in Polish). Toruń: MADO. ISBN 83-89886-08-1.
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: ref duplicates default (link) - Cieśla, A. (2008). "Odbudowa Ukraińskiego Cmentarza Wojskowego w Aleksandrowie Kujawskim (1992–1993)". In Wiszka, E. (ed.). Aleksandrów Kujawski. Obozy jeńców i internowanych 1918–1921 (in Polish). Toruń: Wydawnictwo Naukowe Uniwersytetu Mikołaja Kopernika. ISBN 978-83-231-2212-8.
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: ref duplicates default (link)