On Friday, October 4, a ceremony was held at Freedom Square in Bolesławiec to lay flowers at the monument to Poles Arriving from the Eastern Borderlands. Representatives of the associations and the local authorities of the city and county took part in the ceremony.
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It is worth recalling that the monument to the Borderlanders was erected in 1995 to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the arrival of the first trainload of Poles resettled from the Eastern Borderlands—the Drohobych Land. The foundation act for the unveiling of the monument took place on September 17, 1995.
The monument was built in the form of a stark obelisk, symbolizing hard work, perseverance, service to the Homeland and great patriotism. Simple and austere, like the fate of the displaced, it is intended to recall the suffering, humiliation and pain caused by the loss of loved ones, and to testify to historical truth.
In April 1996, a second plaque was placed on the monument, commemorating the 50th anniversary of the arrival of the Yugoslavian Polonia in Bolesławiec. In April 2004, another plaque was added, this time commemorating the arrival of repatriates from France.
In May 2013, a fourth commemorative plaque was unveiled—that of the Bolesławiec Circle of the Association of Siberians, commemorating the 68th anniversary of the return from Siberia: “After deportation and a hunger-stricken ordeal in Siberia, we returned to our Homeland. In memory of the 68th anniversary of our return.”
To mark the 30th anniversary of the Bolesławiec Borderlands Associations, Borderlanders and their descendants gathered at the monument, located near the railway station, to share memories of their first moments in Bolesławiec after World War II and plant an oak brought from Zbarazh. The oak symbolizes the friendship and cooperation between Bolesławiec and Zbarazh.
On Saturday, October 5, the main celebrations marking the anniversary of the Bolesławiec Borderlands Associations took place in the Forum cinema hall. Towarzystwo Miłośników Lwowa i Kresów Południowo-Wschodnich in Bolesławiec, the Association of Siberians in Bolesławiec and the “Krajobrazy” Cultural Association in Legnica invited association members and enthusiasts of the history and culture of the Borderlands to the anniversary gala.
During the ceremony, decorations, commemorative diplomas and awards were presented for help in promoting the history of the Borderlands and maintaining ties with the Poles who remained there.
Moreover, as part of the 18th Lower Silesian Days of Borderlands Culture named after Zygmunt Jan Rumel, a concert entitled “Poland, My Love” was held. The performers were the Oktawa ensemble from Zbarazh, the “Furmani” Dance and Singing Ensemble, the Ojciec i Synowie accordion ensemble, and soloists Barbara Twardosz-Droździńska, Krzysztof Machowski, Ida Tamara Zagórska and Jarosław Majewski.
The concert “Poland, My Love” promoted the cultural traditions of the former Eastern Borderlands. The celebrations also included the launch of the publication “The Jubilee of the Bolesławiec Borderlanders 1989–2019—30 Years of Towarzystwo Miłośników Lwowa i Kresów Południowo-Wschodnich, Bolesławiec Branch, and the Association of Siberians, Bolesławiec Circle,” edited by Barbara Smoleńska and Maria Niemczuk.
The publication, issued by the Museum of Ceramics at the request of the Bolesławiec branch of Towarzystwo Miłośników Lwowa i Kresów Południowo-Wschodnich, contains 145 biographies of settlers who arrived in Bolesławiec or its surroundings. They were compiled by students, teachers, a team of several dozen authors and employees of the Bolesławiec museum.