My cousin Alicja sent posted this link on a previous post. It is a rather good, brief history of Poland. I suggest you take a look: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Quld5950v6w
This 10-minute You Tube video covers just a few of the highlights of Polish history and points out some peak moments, some things you will not often read about in American so-called “world history” textbooks. Take a look, it’s worth your time.
If you were educated in the US in our government schools, you may think you know something about this history of Poland. And you’d be wrong–very wrong. All the so-called “world history” books I’ve ever read or studied in schools give a very lopsided view of history, a view favoring England, France, Italy, and Span. But rarely is much made of Poland, except that World War II “started” there. Oh, how sad, you really do not know the “rest of the story.”
First off, for a brief animated history of Poland, I suggest you check out this video from You Tube. It’s short, entertaining, and tells the story of a country that is well over a thousand years old. But there is so much more to Polish history that you cannot get from You Tube, and that you will not read in any American “world history” book, unfortunately. So here are a few tidbits of information for you, just a few, and after these, I’ll tell you of some great resources where you can discover the truth of the glorious history of Poland for yourself, the truth you will not find in schools in America today.
Did you know…..
I could go on and on, but what’s the point? You really owe it to yourself to learn a bit about Polish history. But how? Well, if you’re into reading, I suggest you start in this order:
So you see, there are some very good resources for us English-speaking people to learn about Polish history. Of course, if you spoke good Polish, you could talk to a Pole about it. Or maybe you’ll be lucky and find a Pole who speak English and is conversant in Polish history. Good luck!
When I was in Poland, one thing I noticed was the building boom. In cities large and small, I saw lots of cranes erecting new buildings. Many, many roads were under constructions (and they need it, no doubt!). Every where it seemed like new buildings were going up. As a matter of fact, I saw little evidence of a recession such as we’re having in the US. Our tour guide pretty much validated this, telling us that even in the midst of a recession, Poland was the one country in the EU (European Union) that had not lost ground.
I recently came upon this You Tube clip on another Poland blog I frequent. It’s called The Animated Guide to Polish Success. It’s only a bit over 6 minutes, is in English, is very well done, and is entertaining. Now in truth, it is a bit propagandish and I believe somewhat overstates the case for the booming Polish economy. Yet it contains a lot of truth as well. I think it is well worth your time to see. And, it’s quite entertaining. Give it a look and let me know what you think. You might even learn something.
Today all over the USA, we stop and celebrate Thanksgiving Day, a national holiday. And we have a lot to be thankful for. So, you may ask yourself, why am I writing about the US holiday of Thansgiving in a blog about my love of Poland? I will explain shortly.
First of all, all of us living in the USA have a lot to be thankful for. We live in a wonderful country, the envy of the rest of the world, and a premier country in the world. We enjoy unparalleled freedom and opportunity and wealth. This country was built upon the premise that we’re all created equal and have equal opportunity and a right to freedom. Those are the “inalienable rights” that the fathers of our country talked about, including life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. Our country was founded by people who desired for and longed for freedom, freedoms of many sorts. To help found this country, we had to fight for that freedom. Guess who helped us? Poland, in the form of two generals, heros of the revolutionary war, Pulaski and Kosciuszko. They help found a country that, a long time later, would help liberate their country–several times. True, we let Poland down a few times as well, but we insisted on a new Poland after World War II, and in the 1980s we insisted on freedom from totalitarian communist rule.
But in the interim, we provide a place for Poles to come to. When Poland was oppressed, experiencing starvation, forced military servitude, and occupation by foreigners, we in the US provided a place for Poles to come to and enjoy freedom and opportunity.
Boy, did we provide, and many Poles took advantage of it. I am a byproduct of that. Grandma Konieczny’s parents, the Hajders, came from southwest Poland which was under German oppression. Grandpa Konieczny came when he was 6 years old (with his parents). Great Garndparents Alex Symbal and Katherine Kucharska came from far eastern Poland, Galacia at the time, an area ravaged by starvation. And Great Grandparents Francis Szczech and Wiktorya Sopiarz came from the mountains of south Poland, also Galacia at that time. All came here seeking freedom and opportunity. They came and worked hard. They were foreigners, not given any government handouts or benefits. They had to work hard for everything–and they did. They worked very hard. Long hours. No benefits. Only each other and other Poles and the land of opportunity to support them. And they prospered. Their hard work paid off. The married, had children, the children had children, and so on.
And so I sit here today, the beneficiary of all their hard work. But they all left me something, and that something is a part of their Polish heritage, part of their Polish souls. I can feel it. They were proud and hardworking people, proud of their new land–but also prould of their heritage, something they never forgot. And they instilled that in me. I feel it.
I felt it when I was in Poland. I felt “at home.” I am an American first and foremost. But I am truly a Polish-American because a part of my heart and soul is Polish. And I have my parent, grandparents, great-grandparents and extended family and friends to thank for that. And for that, I am truly, heartfeltfully grateful, and alwasy will be.
Amen!
I just can’t get enough. I was thinking, later this afternoon, about my trip to Poland. And so for the last hour and a half, I pulled out my map of Poland, my notebook from the trip, and the trip itinerary. And I journeyed through Poland again, putting tiny little post-it notes by all the various cities we visited. My oh my, we sure saw a lot in the 14 days we were there. Small towns, villages, hamlet, cities and even large cities. We did it all. 
I would not want to try to count the number of times we crossed the Wisła (Vistula) River which enters the Baltic near Gdansk but has it origins far away as you can see in the map on the right (from Wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vistula). We stayed near and crossed it a number of times. Due to a lot of rain, it was flooded in some areas and we had to use a few alternate routes due to bridges out. The towns we were in that are on the Wisła include Warszawa, Puławy, Kazimierz Dolny, Sandomierz, Baranów Sandomierski, Kraków, Oświęcim, to name a few. It is certainly a dominant feature of Poland and of central Europe.
But see, I have digressed, and that’s what I’m talking about. I start out thinking about Poland, then looking things up, reading, searching the web, and before you know it an hour or more has passed. I am not complaining. I am learning a lot. But it seems that I just cannot get enough of Poland. I am still soaking it in, still learning more about what it was I saw and did when I was there.
I am getting a great education in the meantime, learning a lot, and also wanting to learn more. My learning is fueling my desire to learn more. I do not know if or when it will stop, and that’s fine by me. I can’t wait until my next trip to Poland, and that will be sooner rather than later, I know it!
Hooray! Let’s celebrate! Today is Polish Independence Day. Today people all over Poland (and in other parts of the world, such as at my house) celebrate the establishment of the second Polish Republic in 1918, following World War I, and after 123 years of partition between Germany, Russia, and Austria-Hungary. November 11, 1918 is the day on which Marsall Józef Piłsudski was appointed Commander-in-Chief of the Polish forces. Several days later he was also given complete civil control.
Of course, those acts alone did not ensure Poland’s survival–they had to fight the Bolsheviks (and others) who had other ideas. But over the course of time, Piłsudski and the armed forces prevailed and Poland was again an independent nation.
Poland only celebrated November 11 as a holida a few times before World War II came. At the start of World War II, Poland valiantly defended herself from the Germans and first, and then the Russians, while her sworn allies such as Britain and France stood by and watched, cowering and afraid. And at the end of World War II, Poland was again left alone and given to the Communists as spoils of war, again abandoned by here allies, the US, France, Britain….. But throughout the last thousand years of modern history, Poles have shown their strong desire for being a free nation. Time and time again she tried to shed the shackles of Communism. Finally, in the 1980, assisted by the inspiration and guidance of a Polish Pope, supported for once by the United States and President Reagan’s call to the Communists to “tear down this wall,” Poland again emerged as a free nation.
Under the communists, November 11 was not celebrated at all, but now, since 1989, the new Poland celebrates Independence Day every November 11th. And so do I.
I was not born in Poland. But yet I grew up “Polish.” And American. I am truly Polish-American. And so I too celebrate this day. It was the fulfillment of a dream for me to visit Poland this past year. And only the beginning. Often I find my mind, my thoughts, and my heart going back there. I know I’ll be back, it is a great country. And now having thrown off the shackles of Communism, is again showing itself to be a great country. I predict that in time it will one of if not the greatest country in Europe.
So, join with me today and celebrate Polish Independence Day!
As I do all to often in the evening when sitting in front of the computer at home, I was surfing the web tonight and finding more and more information about things in Poland. One thing led to another and I came across this picture on Flickr: http://www.flickr.com/photos/thelovewalrus/90172302/in/photostream/. It is a beautiful picture, taken in the winter, of a wooden church near Zakopane. I was there! You can see my picture here: http://poland.leonkonieczny.com/images/2010PolandTour/09-10%20Zakopane/slides/DSC_0266.JPG. It’s a beautiful church, and one I will never forget.
The story of the church, I beleive, goes something like this… The Polish mountain people the Górale, are deeply religious. Pope John Paul II was Polish. In 1981, he was shot in an assasination attempt. The Górale of the region held a vigil and promised that if he survived, they’d erect a church in his honor. He did and they did. It is a small church, but truly magnificent in its detail. A fitting tribute to the faith of the Górale, and a fitting acknowlegement that their prayers were answered.
Why am I writing about German Concentration Camps in my blog about Poland? Well, it’s really simple. Apparently there are some people out there who do not realize that it was the Germans who created the concentration camps that killed millions of Jews as well as hundreds of thousand of Poles, but the Germans built those concentration camps on Polish soil. The camps were created by the Nazi Germans, manned by them, and built of German materials. Yet, somehow, somewhere, some ignorant, careless media slobs have from time to time refered to these as Polish Concentration Camps.
Before I went to Poland, I always wondered if Polish people were anti-Semitic. I was not sure. I did not think so, but I wanted to know for sure. And then our tour guide told me some of the stories of all the Poles who risked (and sometimes gave) their lives to hide Jews from the German Nazis, all the Poles who stood up to defend their fellow countrymen, even if such defense meant possible imprisonment or death. In the USA we think of “Anne Frank” and that amazing story. But similar things happened all over Poland. Now, to be fair, there were a few Poles who may have been anti-semitic, and some who may have sided with the Germans in their hatred of the Jews. But these Poles were few and far between. As a matter of fact, today Israel remembers and acknowleges many people who helped the Jews during the holocaust, and the most represtented nationality is the Poles.
So, I have found my answer, both through personal investigation and informed reading. Throughout its history, Poland has been very welcoming to all people, Jews and Gentiles alike. Poland became a Mecca for Jews because of its tolerance. Hitler and the Nazis hated the Jews and used them as scapegoats. The Poles, by and large, defended the Jews, aided them, and did all they could to mitigate the holocaust. In fact, a lot of the western world turned their backs on the plight of the Jews in World War II. Poland is where that battle was fought, and Poland fought for its brothers and sisters who were Jewish.
So, if you ever, Ever, EVER… hear someone speak of Polish Concentration Camps, you can know that they are either ignorant or bigots or racists—or all of the above. Poland was a conquered country, subservient to the Nazi Germans during World War II, unaided by her western allies such as France and England. And she paid a price, being used as the killing fields for millions of people, mostly Jews. But know this, and know it for a certainty… throughout its long and glorious history, Poland has welcomed all people, including Jews, and welcomed and embraced them. Poland was indeed the first great country of freedom.
If you’d like to know more about this topic, I suggest you follow these two links:
But whatever you do, know that Polish people are maybe the most welcoming people in all the world, and have a long history it. Though perhaps after years of living under communism, they are not that much in favor of that…..
Yes, I admit it, I have a problem…. Many a night I sit down at the computer, but eventually this blog or my pictures from Poland draw my attention. Some night’s it’s the book on the end table, a history of Poland–it draws my attention. And then it starts. I start reading, or looking at photos, or looking at souvenirs and memorabilia. Sometimes it’s music. I bought a CD of Górale folk music when I was in Zakopane–I might turn that on. Or lately, I’ve listened to some Kolędy. But inevitably, it draws me in…
And so, eventually one thing leads to another and there I am, searching the web for some bit of information, or looking through iTunes for more Polska muzyka, or maybe I end up putting a DVD of Mazowsze or Ślańsk in the DVD player.
Last night I ended up with some of my Polish cookbooks, and made a big batch of bigos. And boy did it turn out wonderful, too. I just perused some various recipes and then made it my own.
But my point is, I have a problem, and that’s a great love of Poland and all things Polish. It sure keeps me busy at times. I hope you enjoy hearing about it!
I spent a part of my evening tonight taking inventory–inventory of the various CDs of Polish Christmas Carols (Kolędy in Polish) that I own. I have just over 20 CDs, some as CDs, some as albums in my iTunes library, and some as MP3s which means I probably still have a CD buried somewhere in a closet, but years ago I converted them to MP3s and put them in my local online music library.
And I have a confession to make–I listened to some of them tonight. Yes, I played Christmas Music well before the legal date of Thanksgiving. I am probably going to hell for that. And if caught, I could do big time in jail, I’m sure. But I’m not sorry. I’ll do it again. I happen to love Polish Christmas carols. Now, I don’t always know what they are saying, thought I know the titles and what they mean, and I do try to learn a little bit more each year. But for many of them, I know the words–by heart! I can sing them in Polish even if I don’t quite know what I’m saying. I simply love the music.
My earliest memories of Christmas as a child are of going to midnight mass at the beautiful St. Hedwig’s church in rural Thorp, Wisconsin. Sadly, the church was “decommissioned” by a former bishop (I won’t even mention the name, because if you can’t say anything good–and I can’t–well…..). However, the memories linger on. And I remember the mass in Latin, the songs in Polish. How beautiful they were, even if I did not know what they were singing. So, my earliest memories of Christmas are of Polish Christmas carols–along with the English ones we played at home (but we also had some of the Polish ones)–and of the traditions that my family observed at Christmas, specifically Wigilia, which I still observe, religiously, each and every year.
So, at this time of year, my thoughts are turning toward Christmas. It would be a dream of mine to spend it in Poland some year. I’m not sure that will ever happen. But you know, I spend it with a few polish friends and relatives here, and that is pretty darned good as well. And so tonight I am going through my Kolędy collection and looking for what music I do not have, so I can either find and download it on iTunes, or order the CD through Polart online. Yes, every year I order a bunch of Polish stuff from Polart, I love that place. But it woudl be even better to be in Poland, for sure.
Which reminds me of a story about my recent trip there. I was in Kraków and Chris Kulinski, the organizer of our tour, asked me if I’d seen a particular store, a bookstore of sorts. I had not, but later as I was walking around, I found it. I wish I could remember the name now. But it was a huge book and music and computer game store, several stories tall and even with a basement. I spent a considerable amount of time wandering around. It was mostly full of younger people and the music certainly was catering to a younger crowd. But eventually i found a clerk and asked him, in my poor Polish, if they had any Kolędy. He seemed surprised by the request, but politely answered nie or no. Dang! Well, I tried. I did not find any Kolędy when I was in Poland, but then again, it was not the right season for it either. So, I am relegated to paying much more for it from importers such as Polart, a price I am certainly willing to pay.
Are you intersted in learning more about Kolędy or in getting some of your own? Well, i have more info on my regular web site here. Oh, and if you go there, i apologize in advance for the music on that page–it’s the Polish National Anthem, often known as Jeszcze Polska nie zginęła, or more properly, Mazurek Dąbrowskiego. But it only will play through once! Anyway, check it out if you want more info.
So I hope I’ve whetted your interst a bit. Kolędy are very beautiful hymns, and I love them a lot. I hope you will too!
Visits since 2010
Your IP: 216.73.216.2
