Recently, Istotne.pl published a discussion about Bolesław Kubik’s cooperation with the Security Office. It quickly turned out that this was false information. The first postwar mayor of Bolesławiec, although he emerged from the communist authorities, was a positive figure and went down in the city’s history in the same way.
I wonder why, when we scrutinize our heroes so intensely, we overlook another issue. Why do we not address the foreign symbolism of an ideology that has always been foreign to us? I mean Soviet monuments scattered throughout Poland. Some of them have long been consigned to the past, but many are still doing well. Their removal provokes much controversy. We often defend their presence as relics of the former system.
Bolesławiec was spared in this respect. In the city, Soviet monuments can be found mainly in Soviet war cemeteries: the one on Willowa Street and the one located on the outskirts of the city—the Mikhail Kutuzov War Cemetery. Soviet soldiers of the 7th Guards Tank Corps and the 31st Infantry Division of the 1st Ukrainian Front lie here. The Red Army soldiers died while liberating Bolesławiec. Marshal Kutuzov’s heart was also buried here. The Russians leaving Poland took the heart with them, but the Napoleonic campaign and the death of the tsarist commander are recalled by a monument shaped like a broken column with an oak wreath.
It must be stressed that all war cemeteries, regardless of who rests in them, should be treated with due respect. This is not about ideological or national revenge. These cemeteries are also an appropriate place for the Soviet monuments that still adorn Polish cities.
One of the better-known Soviet monuments is the Monument of Gratitude to the Red Army in Legnica. It stands in the heart of Little Moscow.
Legnica itself is a special city. We all know that Soviet troops were stationed here until the 1990s—specifically, military units of the Red Army’s Northern Group of Forces. The monument in question was erected in 1951. Preserved old photographs of the monument can be seen in the gallery on the website https://dolny-slask.org.pl/518740,Legnica,Pomnik_Wdziecznosci_dla_Armii_Radzieckiej.html.
The debate surrounding this monument has continued since the Soviets left Legnica. Until now, no major efforts had been made to move the monument to another, less representative location. A competition for the revitalization of the square was recently decided, so there is a chance that the monument will be relocated.
Recently, a debate over removing the monument from Słowiański Square erupted on Facebook, on one of the pages devoted to the history of Lower Silesia. There were truly many comments. They varied depending on people’s views. Some were in favor, others opposed. For some, the monument was associated with a happy childhood (as can be seen, even that was taken care of by the allied army). Many people believe that, admittedly, it is a relic of the past, but one that recalls Legnica’s Soviet history.
The starting point is to ask what the Monument of Gratitude actually represents. In my opinion, very little. Its symbolism conveys a friendly message: fraternal Polish-Soviet relations. We should certainly render unto the emperor what is the emperor’s and remember the liberation of Poland and the Recovered Territories from German occupation. I do not question the Soviet blood that was shed in the slightest. Hence the due respect for those killed and buried in Soviet war cemeteries.
The matter of this monument and all monuments-symbols of Stalinism, however, has another side. After all, that same army brought us enslavement with its invasion on September 17, 1939. Moreover, it can be assumed that from that moment we lost the Eastern Borderlands forever. The Allies did not even enter into discussions about the Polish lands in the east. We received only an assurance that in return we would receive “something” at Germany’s expense.
The Soviet intervention was accompanied by numerous exterminations of the Polish population in eastern Poland. The Katyn case merely confirms the criminal intentions.
The Red Army, however, harmed the Polish nation not only during World War II. Let us not forget the war over the eastern borders after independence was regained. As early as 1919 and 1920, the Bolshevik army murdered, raped and destroyed everything. Everything Polish. Let us remember the Battle of Warsaw, as bloody as the entire Polish-Bolshevik War. This battle is one of many proofs of the strength of the Polish state. Many historians believe that Piłsudski stopped unnecessarily in pursuit of the defeated Bolsheviks. Many historians and commentators have advanced theories about the missed opportunity to capture Moscow (Piotr Zychowicz, Wiktor Suworow). If the Poles had formed an alliance with the so-called White generals (tsarist commanders fighting the Bolshevik revolution), it might have been possible to capture Moscow and defeat Bolshevism. Unfortunately, the Marshal counted on Russia weakening internally through civil war and on the communist authorities remaining weak. Soviet Russia was supposed to be the lesser evil and not threaten reborn Poland.
It is difficult to judge this, however. No one could have foreseen certain events, although failing to build a strong Polish army during the interwar period was a mistake. Prewar politicians spun imperialist dreams of a great Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, while the foreign policy of Józef Beck lagged behind political reality.
Let us set that aside, however. Much could be written about the situation in the Second Polish Republic. It is only necessary to draw attention to what happened to the Poles who remained on the Soviet side, beyond the Zbruch River.
For some, including Roman Dmowski, accepting the border along the Zbruch was the optimal solution. By reaching the border from before the Second Partition, we were to become a strong and relatively homogeneous state. The Polish Army occupied the territories beyond the Zbruch, and they could easily have been recovered. Unfortunately, it was then believed that these were lands with a dangerous number of national minorities. They were thought to threaten Poland’s homogeneity. In addition to these minorities—Belarusian and Ukrainian—many Poles lived there as well. Approximately 1.5 million. They met a tragic fate: resettlement, forced labor and death. The Polish delegation negotiating the border with Soviet Russia lacked the determination to recover as much territory as possible from the time of the First Polish Republic.
The Soviet authorities took advantage of this more than once. The final blow to the Polish Eastern Borderlands was the invasion of September 17, after which we lost these territories forever. The name itself is also controversial among historians. “Borderlands” means outskirts or frontier, yet in our case these were the most valuable lands, constituting one of the pillars of Polish statehood, culture and tradition.
Let us set aside this Soviet past for a moment. In Lower Silesia, after all, we also encounter other reminders of the past. Attitudes toward them were not always positive either. I mean German monuments, historic buildings and sites connected with German history. Many “German” historic structures did not survive. Today, the castle in Gościszów, the convent of the Magdalene Sisters in Nowogrodziec, the Evangelical church in Ocice and many, many others remain in ruins.
An example of the Polonization of post-German relics of the past is presented in her article by https://tropografie.blogspot.co.uk/2016/03/polonizacja-kamienny-drogowskaz-w.html#comment-form one blogger. The author writes, among other things:
The signpost in Łaziska is an example of the postwar campaign to “de-Germanize” the so-called Recovered Territories. German inscriptions and signs were to disappear from public spaces […].
This is one example of the postwar devastation of everything German, everything associated with war and suffering. It is difficult to find justifications here, but let us remember that war brings out the worst instincts, which the Poles also experienced.
The problem with historic sites in Lower Silesia was that they were often not destroyed in retaliation either. There was no time to save them. Rebuilding the country was more important. There were many more serious problems than caring for historic monuments. Sometimes post-German structures were a source of much-needed building materials.
There are, however, cases in which post-German historic sites were saved. In 1959, Kazimierz Leder, then head of the Post Office in Nowogrodziec, together with postal workers and residents of Nowogrodziec and Ołdrzychów, placed a milestone of the Saxon postal service in its original location. Thanks to this, this valuable historic object is unique on a national scale. It is the only milestone of the Saxon postal service that has stood on Lusatian soil for nearly 300 years, almost without interruption.
So the issue of Soviet symbols and German historic sites is behind us. Historical assessment also often has little to do with objective truth. We are frequently biased and do not follow one consistent line. Sometimes, as a society, we change our minds, and truth becomes mixed with hypocrisy. Such is the case with the Cursed Soldiers. To some, they are heroes; to others, bandits.
It might seem that in a free Poland, the truth would always defend itself. Well, mutual disputes make everything more difficult and complicated. Here I would like to refer to an article in Gazeta Wyborcza, which described the figure of Zygmunt Szendzielarz, better known as Łupaszka, so “beautifully.” I wonder about journalistic objectivity, which is increasingly dependent on the color of one’s views. Sad, but alas… true. I am not referring to “that” latest article. No... Political issues should be set aside.
It is worth recalling what Wyborcza wrote here: https://wyborcza.pl/alehistoria/1,133658,14521667,Wojna_majora__Lupaszki_.html (in 2013). That text was in a completely different tone from the latest one. I do not know why journalists at one of Poland’s largest newspapers change their minds so much. Why was Łupaszka a hero three years ago and a bandit today? Perhaps this is a peculiarity of Wyborcza. Perhaps the name obliges them as well…
A statement by Tomasz Lis on Twitter also did not go unnoticed. The editor-in-chief of Newsweek Polska wrote:
The President of the Republic of Poland paid tribute today to a murderer of civilians, Łupaszka. Such PiS-style “restoration of dignity.”
This restoration of dignity was commented on, among others, by journalist and editor of the portal www.cosnowego.idiks.org Damian Racławski, who stated that:
The rhetoric has remained the same. Jaruzelski and Kiszczak are men of honor, while Pilecki, Zapora and Inka are bandits.
Which journalist is right? I leave that question open. I think everyone already knows the answer.
Historical amnesia about Soviet crimes, the red Holocaust and the Cursed Soldiers, who fought for a fully independent Poland, is reaching its peak. Perhaps it is worth considering whether we want to be proud of our national history or of foreign symbols. Who is a traitor, and who is a hero? The example of the Monument of Gratitude to the Red Army in Legnica perfectly illustrates indifference to historical truth. Many other monuments could stand in Słowiański Square. Prince Henry the Pious, Witelon, Hedwig of Silesia and the last of the Piast dynasty, Jerzy Wilhelm, are all worthy of commemoration. The city has many outstanding figures who fit perfectly into the history of the Recovered Territories and the former Piast lands.
Paweł Skiersinis
The author is a blogger and history enthusiast, particularly passionate about the history of Lower Silesia and Poland. Why Lower Silesia? As he himself says: “Why not? The most interesting history is the history around us, concerning us and our ancestors.”
And he adds: “I try to present history from a different perspective, in an interesting way, not in the typical textbook style, full of dry dates and facts. The articles I present concern facts that we will not find in textbooks and well-known publications. The history of Lower Silesia is undoubtedly interesting and fascinating, so it is worth devoting at least a brief moment to it from time to time.”