The Museum of Polish Independence is housed in one of the many palaces of Warsaw: the Przebendowski Palace reconstructed after the destruction of WW2, and used first as the training centre of the Central Trade Unions Council and then from 1955 for the Lenin Museum. In its 19th century decline it housed an exhibition of wax figures, a servants’ employment agency, an inn, a beer house, a cafe and pastry shop, and a furniture store. I know this because I now own “The book of Warsaw palaces” by Tadeusz Jaroszewski, thanks to my friend Annette, a gift-giver of great finesse.
Poland has a long history of takeover and partition. When I first began reading Polish history I came across a series of maps that showed Poland expanding and contracting as neighbouring powers encroached and receded, until it was hard to decide exactly what it meant to say, for example, that Copernicus was Polish. There were inevitable and unsuccessful revolts and uprisings against the invaders.
Here’s a potted timeline from the late 18th century until the early 1920s, the skeleton of which I owe to “Eyewitness travel: Poland”: the meagre flesh is courtesy of Wikipedia.
1772: First partition of Poland. This divided Poland between Prussia, Austria and Russia to keep the balance of power between the three of them in order and ended the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth (another story)
1791: Constitution of 3rd May. This replaced the anarchy fostered by some of the country’s magnates with a more democratic constitutional monarchy. It introduced elements of political equality between townspeople and nobility, and placed the peasants under the protection of the government, mitigating the worst abuses of serfdom.
1793: Second partition of Poland. An arrangement between Russia and Prussia that annexed 307000 km2
1795: Third partition of Poland. After a rebellion led by Kosciuszko Austria, Prussia and Russia decided to wipe Poland off the map.
1807: Grand Duchy of Warsaw established. This is where Napoleon enters the Polish picture. He defeats the Prussians and takes land back from them to create the Duchy.
1815: Dissolution of Grand Duchy of Warsaw. Napoleon is defeated, and the land divided again between Prussia and Russia.
1831: November Insurrection. An armed rebellion in the heartland of partitioned Poland against the Russian Empire.
1846: Peasants’ Uprising
1848: Uprising in Greater Poland. Polish people mounted a military insurrection against the Prussians, part of a great wave of revolutions all over Europe during the Spring of Nations period, aimed at creating independent nation states.
1863: January Insurrection. Against Russian rule this time.
1915: Russian troops leave Warsaw
1918: Poland liberated from Germans
1919-21: Uprisings in Silesia, territory that remained in German hands after the war, as inhabitants fought to join the Second Polish Republic.
Here is a symbolic image of an independent Poland – Polonia, 1920 – in the brief period before the invasion of Germany, the takeover by Russia, and the reemergence of independence in 1989.
Torrid times! Peaceful these days and focused on moving forward in the world? (but never knowing what’s round the corner!) Trouble has moved elsewhere, hasn’t it, but Poland has had it’s share. 🙂 Wishing it a bright and happy future! Hugs to the tiddleywinks and J 🙂 🙂 Yours are over at my place.
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Ha! TV news at lunchtime featured protests and marches in Warsaw. Who am I kidding about peaceful times? All ok with you? Big Sunday hugs.
James situation not so bad as we may have thought. Fingers crossed. Will e as soon as I can. 🙂
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I was just about to question “peaceful”, although I didn’t realise there was street action. Al Jazeera talks about a Polish crisis. There’s been a defence of democracy encampment outside Łazienki ever since we got here because of government interference with the media and the courts. I’m out and about again today for the first time in a week, although I’m still coughing and nasally blocked. If I don’t get out I’ll go mad(der). Stay calm as Christmas stalks you. I’ve put hugs on your tree.
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You are the most lovable lady I ever met! 🙂
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Living on a relatively small island, I can’t begin to imagine what it would be like to have borders shaped, then endlessly reshaped…..
Wishing a great festive season to you and yours, Meg, and hugs for you!
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And I even less, from an island far away from almost everywhere. I wimped out on this post. It’s pretty non-existent, and it took months to finally publish, at which point I thought “Dammit”. I probably shoul’ve left it at the palace.
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No!
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We may not have had our borders changed about, but we know all about invasions! The Romans, the Saxons, the Normans, the Vikings, not to mention the Picts, the Scots, the Welsh, the Angles and the Jutes; Danes and Norwegians! Thank goodness nowadays all we have to put up with is the changing of country boundaries and even that causes a stir 🙂
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My thinking has become totally Polo-centric. You’ve got a pretty lengthy list of invaders here. When I started to think about differences I realised that Polish invasions are within living memory: and both Russians and Germans go back a long way.
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That is true of course. I suppose my thoughts are how laughable it is when folk here complain about migrants when we are all pretty mixed up ourselves! French/German/Dutch/Danes/Norwegians. I like to think of myself with a Viking heritage 😀
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Same in Australia except for those who’ve been there for 40000+ years.
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Absolutely!
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OOPS – that should be COUNTY boundaries!
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Why did you nearly ‘wimp out’? This is fascinating history that I wouldn’t ever know about without you!
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Nearly wimped out because it’s an unbalanced post and I feel as I always do when I’m dealing with history, as if I’m walking the tightrope of minimal knowledge over a great abyss of seething facts. The photos I took in the Museum were not very useful, and in the end I was sick to death of seeing “finish Independence post” in my diary every day! I thought of wiping the history, but it’s useful to me too.
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If it was an abyss of seething facts I wouldn’t read it, what you’ve written is a perfectly condensed introduction 🙂
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I totally agre, Gilly!
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You are SOOOOOOO good for my ego!
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