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Szczecin, Poland

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“Portrait of Tadeusz Kościuszko“, 1812 by Kazimierz Wojniakowski (1771-1812)

■ Today (04.02.2023) is the 277th anniversary of the birth of Tadeusz Kościuszko, an incredible man, a national hero for Poland, Belarus, Lithuania, the US and an inspiration to many freedom loving nations. 

■ Tadeusz Kościuszko was a Polish military engineer, statesman, and military leader. He fought in the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth's struggles against Russia and Prussia, and on the US side in the American Revolutionary War. As Supreme Commander of the Polish National Armed Forces, he led the 1794 Kościuszko Uprising.

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St. Mary's Basilica, which towers over Krakow's main Market Square, is one of Poland's most prominent religious landmarks. Photo by DenDidenko

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“Self-portrait”, 1890s by Hiacynt Alchimowicz (1841-1897)

■ Hiacynt Alchimowicz (1841, Dziembrów [now in Belarus] -1897) was a Polish painter in the Classical style who specialized in watercolor landscapes. His older brother was the painter Kazimierz Alchimowicz. Together with Kazimierz, he participated in the January Uprising. His brother was exiled to Siberia for six years, but he was able to escape to France. He apparently never returned to Poland, although his works were exhibited there in 1901 and 1904.

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“Portrait of Samuel Hirszenberg”, 1905 by Olga Boznańska (1865-1940)

■ Samuel Hirszenberg (also Shmuel Hirschenberg) (Łódź, February 22, 1865 – September 15, 1908, Jerusalem) was a Polish-Jewish realist painter active in the late 19th and early 20th century. His painting depict the “tearful” Jewish history.

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Vilnius, the capital of Lithuania, celebrates its 700th birthday. A painting by Tytus Brzozowski from Warsaw, whose murals can be found all over Poland.

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The Royal Castle in Poznań was built in 1249 during the reign of Przemysł I. It was severely wrecked during WW2 but has since been partially reconstructed.

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“Portrait of Izabela Czartoryska”, 1774 by Alexander Roslin (a Swedish portrait painter who worked in Scania, Bayreuth, Paris, Italy, Warsaw and St. Petersburg, primarily for members of aristocratic families) ■ Elżbieta "Izabela" Dorota Czartoryska (née Flemming; 3 March 1746 – 15 July 1835) was a Polish princess, writer, art collector, and prominent figure in the Polish Enlightenment. She was the wife of Adam Kazimierz Czartoryski and a member of the influential Familia political party. She is also known for having founded Poland's first museum, the Czartoryski Museum, now located in Kraków.

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“Royal Baths Park in Warsaw, Poland”, 1790 by Kazimierz Wojniakowski (1771-1812)

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“Social Gathering in Royal Baths in Warsaw, Poland”, 1797 by Kazimierz Wojniakowski (1771-1812)

■ Kazimierz Wojniakowski (1771, Kraków – 1812, Warsaw) was a Polish painter, illustrator and Freemason, known primarily for his portraits in the sentimentalist style. ■ He also produced religious works and scenes of contemporary historic events (e.g., The Constitution of May 3, 1791, 1806).

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The Royal Castle, Warsaw, Poland

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Gniezno, Poland in the early 11th century, the cradle and the first capital of Poland in the 10th century and early 11th century. Drawing by T. Sawicki

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Photo Album: Just a few years apart and the Old Town in Warsaw ceased to exist. Compare before and after WW2.  Photos by Tadeusz Bukowski

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The original banner from the January Uprising of 1863. It symbolizes the union of Poland, Lithuania and Ruthenia - Belarus and Ukraine in the fight together for freedom. Today is the 160th anniversary of the beginning of the Uprising.

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160 years ago the January Uprising which was the largest and longest lasting Polish independence revolt, broke out. Directed against the Russian invaders, it was a manifestation of the Polish people's will and hope for the rebirth of the independent state.

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Kraków, Poland

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Polish Literature: Let Them Count Our Corpses by Anna Świrszczyńska (1909–1984)

Those who gave the first order to fight let them now count our corpses.

Let them go through the streets that are not there through the city that is not there let them count for weeks for months let them count our corpses till death.

■ Anna Świrszczyńska (also known as Anna Swir) (1909–1984) was a Polish poet whose works deal with themes including her experiences during World War II, motherhood, the female body, and sensuality.

■ Świrszczyńska was born in Warsaw in 1909 and grew up in poverty as the daughter of an artist. She began publishing her poems in the 1930s. During the Nazi occupation of Poland she joined the Polish resistance movement in World War II and was a military nurse during the Warsaw Uprising. Thirty years after the war, she published a book of poems about her experiences in that slaughter. It is called Building the Barricade.