In the Footsteps of Independence. Top 10 sights connected to Polish history

As the anniversary speeches fade, it behooves us to take a look at places connected with Poland’s struggle for independence – and not only those from 1918. Some of these sites are unusual, some partially forgotten, some recently discovered. Above all, we should think about the people connected with these locations, because – as historians are fond of repeating – “Those who don’t know history are destined to repeat it.”

No. 8. The Bem Mausoleum in Tarnow

An unusual building rises from the center of the pond in Tarnow’s Strzelecki Park – a rectangular sarcophagus supported by tall columns. This is the mausoleum of General Jozef Bem, an extraordinary figure who was a general of the artillery during the November Uprising, the Commander in Chief of the Hungarian forces during the Spring of Nations (called Bem Apó or “Father Bem” by the Hungarians) and a field marshal in the Turkish army (Ferik Murad Pasha). It was this last role that caused problems for his countrymen; when they prepared to transport his body from Syria in 1927, it turned out that because he had converted to Islam, he couldn’t be buried on holy ground. This is why his mausoleum is raised above the water in his hometown.

More: Robert Makowski, W podróży no. 11/2014, page 32, www.wpodrozy.eu

W podróży no. 11/2014, www.wpodrozy.eu