Szczęśliwego Święto Dziękczynienia

Posted on 28 November 2013 by lkonieczny

Yes, that’s “Happy Thanksgiving” in Polish. It seems from what I’ve heard that people in Europe (including  Poland) are very cognizant of our US-American holidays… but we in the USA–not so much about theirs. Anyway, America (the USA) is a big, powerful country and others in the world are very cognizant of what we’re up to.

And today here in the USA it is Happy Thanksgiving, Szczęśliwego Święto Dziękczynienia. But what does that mean for a person like me? A person whose heart is in Poland, whose ancestors came to the US to make a better life? A person whose ancestors left behind family, friends, all that they knew to try to find a better life? I cannot imagine what it must have been like, to leave all you knew and set off for a far away, foreign land in hopes of a better life. Wow, it must have been quite daunting.

My ancestors left behind their loved ones and ventured to the United States, hoping for a better life than they left behind. What did they leave behind? Well, i have some inkling of what that was like. It was a life of diminishing returns. A farm could only be split so many ways. It was a life where there was no Poland, and young men could only expect to be conscripts into the Emporer’s army–and they’d be in the front lines. It was a life where their heritage, culture, and language was at times severely repressed. And so they came to this county in great droves, looking for a better life for them and their children. And guess what??  They found it.

So they came to the USA. They were at the bottom of the social class. They were called “dumb Polaks.” They worked in the coal mines. They were maids. They did the work no one else wanted to do. And, you know what? The did it well. They excelled! They worked the jobs that no one else wanted to do. The bought the land that was full of stumps and no one else wanted. But they were free, they could do what they wanted to do…they could succeed–or fail. But they succeeded, and succeeded greatly. They built homes and farms, the created communities. The started churches and other social organizations. They prospered.

And so, today, I am happy. No, I am really ecstatic. You see, I am the descendant of those “dump Polaks” who came to this great country, who worked hard, who made a great life here. No, they were not at all “dumb Polaks,” they were the smartest and hardest working people I’ve ever known or heard about. And I am so proud to be one of their descendents. I am truly blessed!  Jestem Polakiem!  I am extremely proud of that fact!

 

Posted in culture, My love of Poland, My Polish Family | Leave a comment

Zdjęcia z Polski i Kresów — II

Posted on 22 November 2013 by lkonieczny

I wrote about my Photos from Poland and the Borderlands a while back. In my trips to Poland, have have been fortunate to take a number of photographs of the sites and people of Poland and of the the borderlands–specifically Ukraine so far. Some of them are just OK, yet remind me of the places I’ve been and the things I’ve seen. But a few of them are really very good, in my humble opinion. I have begun collecting, framing, and exhibiting them occasionally as a part of my collection titled “Zdjęcia z Polski i Kresów”–Photos from Poland and the Borderlands. Today I am posting a few more.

You can see many of my photos from my two trips in these online albums:

Two of what I think are the best will be displayed at the Sanford Welcome Center for this month’s Sanford Art Walk. The show opens on the day of the Sanford Art Walk, Friday November 22nd,, from 6-9 PM at the Historic Sanford Welcome Center,  230 East First Street, Sanford, FL 32771. I hope you can join me there. But for those who can’t, here’s a bit about what you’re missing.

This month’s theme was “November Rain” and so anything having to do with water somewhere. It is in all my photos below, but only the main theme in one:

  • Rapids on the Prut River (near Yaremche–The Pearl of the Carpathians– in Ukraine)
    DSC_4204-4sm
  • Archcathedral Basilica of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary and Saint Andrew (on the Baltic Sea, Frombork, Poland)
    DSC_2856-4-sm

And finally, this last picture is not from Poland or the borderlands. It’s actually a photo i snapped with my iPhone at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier on a dreary, rainy, foggy day in October 2012. Somehow, I just had to capture that mood and I think I did:

  • Here Rests in Honored Glory an American Soldier Known but to God (Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, Arlington, VA)
    IMG_0896-1-smEnjoy!
Posted in Kresy, multimedia, Photos | Leave a comment

Battle of Khotyn (Chocim): November 11, 1673

Posted on 11 November 2013 by lkonieczny

It was 340 years ago today that a significant battle was fought at the fortress of Chocim (today Khotyn in Ukraine) between the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth’s forces led by hetman (miliary chief commander) Jan Sobieski and the Ottoman Empire forces let by Hussain Pasha. The 30,000 strong force of Poland soundly defeated the 35,000 strong Ottoman force.

The Battle of Khotyn in 1673 was significant for two reasons, somewhat related to each other:

  1. In part due to the success of Hetman Jan Sobieski in this battle, he was soon thereafter elected King of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, at that time the largest and most powerful country in all of Europe.
  2. It was a prelude to King Jan III Sobieski’s brilliant defeat of the Turks at the Battle of Vienna a mere 10 years later, in 1683. After that, Sobieski was hailed as the savior of Europe by none other than the Pope. And indeed, they did save Europe from the Turks.

I am fortunate in that I visited Khotyn and the fortress in the summer of 2011. I wrote about that visit here in my blog and posted many pictures as well. It is truly an amazing fortress, sitting high up above the Dniester River, it’s tall beige walls overlooking the river and the countryside. The fortress is very impressive and much of it is being restored and can be visited. I was able to climb some of the battlements and descend into the cellars. There are exhibits of war weapons and demonstrations as well. It really is an amazing place. And, 340 years ago today, an important battle was held there.

Posted in 2011 Poland Trip, attractions, Famous Poles, historic sites, history, History of Poland, Kresy | Leave a comment

Kristallnacht–75 Years Ago, but only part of the story

Posted on 10 November 2013 by lkonieczny

Yesterday and today mark the events, 75 years ago, where the German Nazis, let by the SA, wreaked several nights of havoc upon the German Jews. It was a terrible time. Already persecuted and tagged “persona non grata” according to Nazi values, the shooting of a German official by a Jew was used as an excuse to terrorize the Jewish population of Germany and Austria (which had been earlier annexed by Germany). Led primarily by the Nazi SA, some German citizens joined the mob action which destroyed nearly all the Jewish synagogues in Germany and ransacked many Jewish shops and homes–it was indeed, the night of broken glass–kristallnacht. About 100 Jews were murdered outright, another 30,000 arrested and imprisoned.

Over 1000 synagogues destroyed, 7000 Jewish businesses destroyed or damaged–and the rest of the world watched. Oh yeah, it reported on it, but it just watched it all happen, afraid of taking any action. Of course, we know what the eventual result was.

Kristallnacht is seem often as the beginning of the “final solution,” the systematic murder of Jews by the Nazis. But this is misleading. No doubt, it was a terrible, tragic series of events. But it was just a wake-up call to the rest of the world about what the future held.

Germany in 1933 had about 522,00 Jews. By the eve of World War II, there were only 214, 000 left. Yet we hear about the holocaust and the figure of 6 million Jews. But that’s only part of the story. Most of the Jews who were murdered by the Nazis between 1939 and 1945 were not German Jews–about half were actually Polish Jews, murdered by the Nazis. When World War II started, there were over 3 million Jews living in Poland, and throughout history, Poland had been a home to many Jews, welcoming them, and protecting them. When Germany invaded Poland, it “inherited” all the Polish Jews. And so, Kristallnacht was only a harbinger of things to come, the final solution.

History is complicated, and often written by the victors. The history of the systemic murder of not only 6 million Jews, but millions of Poles, Ukrainians, Belarusians, and Lithuanians (among others) by both Hitler and Stalin during World War II and the years leading up to it is a very complicated story.

But, 75 years ago tonight, the stage was being set for some terrible, terrible times in the course of human history. And sadly, countries like mine stood idly by, expressing outrage, perhaps, but sitting idly by. The end result was a world war with over 20,000,000–that’s 20 million–people dead. But a milestone in that journey happened a mere 75 years ago tonight…. Never forget…

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Dzień Wszystkich Świętych

Posted on 1 November 2013 by lkonieczny

Today in Poland, the cemeteries are aglow. You can see them from miles away. To get to a cemetery today, takes a lot of planning–and probably a lot of walking. It’s a national holiday today, All Saint’s day, or Dzień Wszystkich Świętych.

I have never been in Poland on All Saint’s Day, but it’s on my bucket list. My dear, departed friend Juret told me a lot about it and assured me it is all true. People take this day to visit the graves of their loved ones, to clean them, to but on new flowers, and to light candles. Many candles. Plenty of candles. See for yourself” http://www.local-life.com/krakow/articles/all-saints-day. It’s true.

Tonight, as we were driving home, we drove past the cemetery that’s about a half mile from my house. It was dark, dark as night. No lights, no candles, nothing. I think that Poles have a very healthy respect for their ancestors. I hope that one day–hopefully far in the future–one of my relatives will visit my grave on Dzień Wszystkich Świętych, light a candle, and leave it there for the world to see…..

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Bloodlands

Posted on 31 October 2013 by lkonieczny

Tuesday I finished reading maybe the best book I’ve read in a long time. And, Tuesday I finished reading what may be the worst book I’ve read in a long time. The best and the worst. Finished reading on the same day. And it was the same book. Maybe the best and worst I’ve ever, ever read, too. What was it? It is called “Bloodlands: Europe between Hitler and Stalin” by Timothy Snyder. What’s it about? It’s about the murder of 14,000,000 people. That’s a 14 followed by 6 zeros.

In the world today, only Shanghai has more people in it, at 17 million. Istanbul, the second largest city in the world, has less than 14 million people. Today, Belgium, Cuba, and Greece are all countries of less than 14,000,000 people. Fourteen Million. 14 million. However you type it, it’s an incomprehensible number, when you add the word “murdered” to it. Yet, it’s true. It’s history. It happened. It can’t be denied.

Bloodlands is not about the Holocaust–though that is a part of it. It’s not about genocide–though that may be a part of it. It’s about the thoughtful, methodical, and at times efficient murder of 14,000,000 people. The “bloodlands” refers to the area of central and eastern Europe that, between 1918 and 1950 or so, was under the control of Germany and or the Soviet Union, and sometimes under the control of both, at one time or another.

It is a sad story, a story about people, human beings, caught up in politics. Ukrainians, Poles, Belarusians, and Jews (who may be also identified as any of those groups) were systematically killed. Some by starvation, some by being worked to death, many with a bullet in the back of the head. Their crime? Being Ukrainian, Polish, Belarusian, or Jewish–among others. Women and children often were murdered quickly, the men sometimes pulled into forced labor before they died or were killed. And soldiers, German and Soviet–each side had bitter contempt for the other and did all they could to kill their “prisoners.”

We in the west tend to think of what happened in the Bloodlands as solely the work of Nazis against the Jews. That is a part of it, but only a part. It is a sad chapter in history. And only a part of the total devastation that was World War II.  The atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki “only” killed a mere 150,000 people, a drop in the bucket. Hitler tried to exterminate the Jews, but “only” managed to kill 5 or 6 million. A drop in the bucket, though a few big drops….

Hitler and Stalin wanted to “cleanse” their countries of “undesireables” These included Jews, Poles, Ukrainians, Belarusians, and a host of others they deemed undesireable. They tried. The tried very hard. The killed the cream of the crop of many of these groups.

But, look at the world today…..

Still, a very sad, sad, deeply sad story. I recommend you read Bloodlands… but keep a handkerchief nearby. I know you’ll need it!

Posted in culture, history, History of Poland, Uncategorized | 1 Comment

General Pulaski Memorial Day

Posted on 11 October 2013 by lkonieczny

Today is a holiday in the United States, though not the type of holiday that gives you a day off from work. Nonetheless, it is General Pulaski Memorial Day, commemorating the day on which Kazimierz Pułaski died at the battle of Savannah. Earlier he saved George Washington’s life, and he is considered the father of the American Cavalry. Not only an American hero for his contributions to our freedom, he was also a Polish hero, having fought against the occupiers of Poland in the 18th century. Casimir Pulaski, as he’s known in the US, is buried in Savanna, and there is also a square in Savannah named in his honor.

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Zdjęcia z Polski i Kresów

Posted on 21 September 2013 by lkonieczny

In my trips to Poland, have have been fortunate to take a number of photographs of the site and people of Poland the the borderlands–specifically Ukraine, so far. Some of them are just OK, yet remind me of the places I’ve been and the things I’ve seen. But a few of them are really very good, in my humble opinion. I have begun collecting, framing, and exhibiting them occasionally as a part of my collection titled “Zdjęcia z Polski i Kresów”–Photos from Poland and the Borderlands.

You can see many of my photos from my two trips in these online albums:

Three of the best will be displayed at the Sanford Welcome Center for the Sanford Art Walk. The show opens on the day of the Sanford Art Walk, Friday September 25th, from 6-9 PM at the Historic Sanford Welcome Center,  230 East First Street, Sanford, FL 32771. I hope you can join me there. But for those who can’t, here’s a bit about what you’re missing.

  • Golden Spires: This is a photo of a brand new Orthodox Church that was built recently near Yaremche in the Carpathian mountains in the southwest of Ukraine. It was a gorgeous late afternoon and the golden spires are what drew me to this picture, with the backdrop of the lush green hills and mountains behind it. It was taken on August 22, 2011 about 5:30 PM Ukraine local time with my Nikon D40x, f/6.3, a/500 sec., ISO 100. You can see the original photo here: http://poland.leonkonieczny.com/Poland%202011/Carpathians/slides/DSC_4237.JPG
    DSC_4237-1-sm
  • Pretty in Pink: We were visiting Chernivtsi, in southwestern Ukraine. We had a wonderful experience there as it was  Ukrainian Independence Day and we saw a parade and lots of activity. We went off and did a bit of exploring and came upon this, the Saint Dukhivskyy Orthodox Cathedral in Chernivtsi. I was immediately taken by the bright pink color. It really stood out and in some way spoke to me of a culture very proud of their church and their beliefs. This picture is of the outside, but the inside is equally stunning as well. The sun is a bit hard on this photo due to the time of day. It was taken on August 24, 2011 about 1 PM Ukraine local time with my Nikon D40x, f/5.6, 1/500 sec., ISO 100. You can see the original version of this photo here: http://poland.leonkonieczny.com/Poland%202011/Chernivtsi/slides/DSC_4636.JPG.
    DSC_4636-5-sm
  • Chain: It’s not apparent, but this is actually one of the chains that holds the drawbridge at Malbork, the largest brick castle in Europe. It is a fascinating place to visit. We were there on a rather dank and rainy day when this photo popped into my head. It was taken about 11:30 AM Poland time on September 2, 2010 with my Nikon D40x, f/3.5, 1/40 sec., ISO100. I have not previously published this photo, but you can see the chain and the drawbridge here: http://poland.leonkonieczny.com/images/2010PolandTour/03%20Malbork/slides/DSC_8227.JPG.
    DSC_8233-1-sm

As time goes on, I plan to add to this collection of photos. I’d be glad to hear your thoughts as well! Dziękuję bardzo!

What do my photos try to say?

I’ve been asked about what I do the photos in the collection Zdęcia z Polski i Kresów. Do I take the original image and manipulate it through Photoshop or some other means of post-processing, or do i just print it as it comes out? Well, the answer is that I definitely manipulate it in some way. What I try to capture and present to the viewer is the scene as I saw it, what I saw in my mind at the moment I took the photo. Sometimes the framing of the original photo is a bit off, and I crop it. Often the brightness and contrast are not what I saw, but just what the camera saw–and I fix that. And sometimes the color, hue, and saturation are not what I remember, not what I saw. I fixt them all. I do not do a lot of heavy duty fixing, however. At the current time, I use a lightweight program, Adobe Photoshop Elements 9 to do that. I have experimented a bit with Gimp, and may use that some day. Sometimes after an image is printed, it still is not right, and so I redo it and print it again. Sometimes I print them myself, up to 8×10 size, and other times I send out for printing.  But at the end of the day, what you see is what I saw in my mind when I took the photo–it’s an accurate reflection of my memory. And hopefully my images express my deep love and respect for Poland and its borderlands and all the great sights I’ve seen there.

Posted in attractions, historic sites, Kresy, multimedia, Photos | 1 Comment

74 Years Ago Today…..

Posted on 17 September 2013 by lkonieczny

After 17 days at war against the Nazi Germans in the west, Poland was invaded from the east by the Soviet Union, in fulfillment of the secret Molotov–Ribbentrop Pact, a secret pact between the Nazis and the Communists whose goal was to erase Poland and the Polish people from the map and from humanity. Didn’t work out so well in the long run…..

It’s a long and complicated story, and not a pretty one. You can read more about it here:  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soviet_invasion_of_Poland. As Sir Wintson Churchill said, “Those who fail to learn from history are doomed to repeat it.” Let’s not repeat it, please….

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Nie zapomnij! Never Forget!

Posted on 1 September 2013 by lkonieczny

74 Years ago today, the Nazi Germans invaded Poland with an attack on Westerplatte. The force of 180 Polish soldiers garrisoned there held out for seven days against the German force of 3500 men, naval and heavy field artillery, and dive bombers.

I was fortunate to visit Westerplatte three years ago (https://poland.leonkonieczny.com/blog/?p=55) and saw the ruins. I was there at 04:45 in the morning as we observed the moment the attack began. I sang the Polish National Anthem, listened to the president of Poland speak, and watched the festivities.

Though the Poles put up a heroic defense, her allies never came to her defense and a few weeks later, the Soviet Union entered from the west, sealing Poland’s doom. But, today, Poland lives as a free nation once again. The Polish spirit and will for independence and freedom is not easily quashed.

But 74 years ago today, Germany embarked on a path that would eventually involve the whole world in a war where between 60 million and 85 million people would die. And of that, several million were killed only because they were Polish. We should never forget. Nie zapomnij!

Posted in history, History of Poland, Poland Tour 2010 | Leave a comment