In July—as they have now for the eighth time—young people and adults from Bolesławiec and the surrounding area took part in the Lower Silesian “Save the Grave of Your Great-Grandfather from Oblivion” campaign. The group from Bolesławiec consisted of 24 people. Sixteen people, under the supervision of Barbara Smoleńska, cleaned cemeteries in Jazłowiec and Sieniawa near Zbaraż, while an eight-person group under the supervision of Elżbieta Hołyńska-Grzesiak cleaned the cemetery in Potok Złoty near Buczacz.
The volunteers included adults emotionally connected with the Eastern Borderlands, as well as students from Bolesławiec schools:
- the Complex of General and Vocational Schools
- the Complex of Mechanical Schools
- the Complex of Construction Schools
- the 1st General Secondary School
- the 2nd General Secondary School
- Primary School No. 5.
The young people working in Jazłowiec stayed at the convent of the Sisters of the Immaculate Conception, while those working in Potok Złoty stayed at the parish house in Buczacz. During the last two days, the volunteers stayed with friendly families in Zbaraż and Sieniawa near Zbaraż.
Campaign coordinators:
We have been cleaning the cemetery in Jazłowiec for the fourth year already and, although each year a significant part of the work involves mowing and burning grass in places where we mowed in previous years, we nevertheless continued to make progress. The entire cemetery is now visible.
This is due not only to our group but also to the residents of Jazłowiec, who, under the direction of Ms Swietłana Dripko, cut down trees and bushes in the part of the cemetery that we had not yet reached in previous years. In addition to cutting the grass, we restored further grave inscriptions and unearthed the oldest gravestones concealed by soil. These are slabs lying on the ground, with burials dating back to the end of the 18th century.
The volunteers, including the drivers, cleaned the cemeteries with great dedication. In Potok Złoty, we found a forest with the restored Gniewosz family chapel visible among the trees. After a week of work, we looked with great satisfaction at the results of our efforts. The boys said, “We were clearing the forest, and every so often a gravestone appeared.”
During this work, we came across a hiding place from the Second World War. About 20 metres from the chapel, beside the trunk of a large tree, an underground shelter had been built where Poles hid from attacks by UPA bands. Apparently, the Banderites never found this hiding place.
We spent the last two days in Zbaraż and Sieniawa. This year, the residents of Sieniawa surprised us by mowing the grass throughout the cemetery. This is the result of the friendship and warmth that have developed between the residents of Sieniawa and the volunteers, who already have foster families and many friends there.
There were also excursions. We visited Buczacz, Zarwanica, Zbaraż and Lviv. At the Cemetery of the Defenders of Lviv, on the 100th anniversary of the end of the fighting for Lviv, the volunteers lit symbolic remembrance candles.
Barbara Smoleńska and Elżbieta Hołyńska-Grzesiak add:
We thank the Bolesławiec Municipal Gmina and the residents of Bolesławiec for helping finance the trip. Funds obtained from a municipal grant and collected during fundraising drives and through voluntary contributions covered 60% of the trip’s costs. The remaining 40% was covered by the Studio Wschód Foundation from funds raised for the campaign.
We also thank the presidents of the Municipal Communal Services Company, the Water and Sewage Company, the District Heating Company and Ekoceramika, which provide the volunteers with equipment for their work every year.
We also thank all entrepreneurs and private individuals who financially supported the activities of the Bolesławiec branch of the Society of Lovers of Lviv and the Southeastern Borderlands, including the “Save the Grave of Your Great-Grandfather from Oblivion” campaign.