For the first time, volunteers travelled to Ukraine as part of a project co-financed by the National Institute of Polish Cultural Heritage Abroad POLONIKA. The project “History Written in Tombstone Inscriptions,” involving thirteen people, was once again carried out in Sieniawa near Zbarazh and, for the first time, at Janowski Cemetery in Lviv.

The project coordinator, as usual, was Barbara Smoleńska, a teacher and head of the Bolesławiec branch of the Towarzystwo Miłośników Lwowa i Kresów Południowo-Wschodnich. The aim of the project, carried out from 3–17 July 2021, was to clean up the entire cemetery in Sieniawa and part of Janowski Cemetery in Lviv. A secondary aim was to build friendship and bridges between the Polish and Ukrainian nations.

On 4 July, during the first day of the project, the volunteers took part in ceremonies at the Lviv Hills of Wuleckie, marking the 80th anniversary of the murder of Lviv professors by the Nazis.

View photo: Bolesławiec Residents in Ukraine View photo: Bolesławiec Residents in Ukraine View photo: Bolesławiec Residents in Ukraine

During the first week of the project, after training by an experienced coordinator, the volunteers worked at Janowski Cemetery in Lviv. Their work involved clearing a selected part of the cemetery of branches, tree limbs and weeds. Barbara Smoleńska:

Tombstones were gradually uncovered, and the volunteers’ satisfaction grew. The equipment and all assistance needed for the work were provided by the Towarzystwo Miłośników Dziedzictwa Kultury Polskiej „Zabytek” from Lviv.

In the afternoons, members of the association, particularly Zbigniew Pakosz, showed the volunteers around Lviv. An unusual attraction was a meeting at Radio Lviv’s studio, during which an interview was recorded with project coordinator B. Smoleńska.

After a week of work, while travelling to Zbarazh, the volunteers visited the Immaculate Conception Sisters in Yazlovets to deliver collected donations of household chemicals, clothing and toys for children.

In Sieniawa near Zbarazh, a major surprise awaited the volunteers. Employees of the municipal utility in Zbarazh, employees and teachers from the school in Sieniawa, the head of the Sieniawa commune with employees, and young people from Sieniawa and Zbarazh joined them in working at the cemetery. In total, around 50 people worked together at the cemetery. Barbara Smoleńska:

It was very hot, but thanks to the intensive work of such a large number of people, they managed to mow the grass and clear the bushes, as well as tidy up the entire cemetery. Through their joint volunteer work, the project participants highlighted traces of Polish heritage and built bridges between nations.

And she adds:

The joint work of volunteers from Poland and Ukraine was noticed by TV Tarnopol. On the final day of work at the cemetery in Sieniawa, a reporter from the station interviewed the volunteers. The following day, TV Tarnopol broadcast a report promoting the joint Polish-Ukrainian work at the cemetery.

In the evenings, the volunteers spent time with the residents of Zbarazh. On the final day of their stay, the Municipal Library in Zbarazh organized a meeting during which books collected by Borderlands residents from Bolesławiec and Głogów were donated. These were primarily fairy tales, books about Zbarazh and the surrounding area written by former residents of these lands, and so-called Borderlands literature. (The initiative to establish a Polish-language book section in the Zbarazh library was put forward by the president of the „Zbarazh” Cultural and Educational Association together with the library director.)

The president of the Bolesławiec branch of the Towarzystwo Miłośników Lwowa i Kresów Południowo-Wschodnich:

The project revealed the beauty of cemetery art, increased awareness of the need to care for cultural assets and knowledge of Polish cultural heritage—the legacy of previous generations. Participants’ empathy and tolerance increased, as did older people’s motivation to lead an active lifestyle. The joint work helped partially eliminate stereotypes and thus brought the nations closer together.

And emphasizes:

All project partners contributed to its high standard of implementation, while TV Bolesławiec reports contributed significantly to promoting the project’s results.

The day after returning from Ukraine, a ceremony unveiling a plaque commemorating the victims of Volhynia and Eastern Lesser Poland was held at the Church of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus in Bolesławiec. It was organized by the Bolesławiec branch of the Towarzystwo Miłośników Lwowa i Kresów Południowo-Wschodnich. After the plaque was unveiled and a Mass was celebrated for the victims, all invited guests attended a coffee and tea gathering.

On 22 July, that is, four days after returning from Ukraine, sixteen members of the association travelled to Lubaczów to take part in the National Meeting of Borderlands Communities. The group from Bolesławiec was the largest and most active.

More about the activities of Bolesławiec Borderlands residents in Ukraine