On January 27, the National Museum of the Przemysl Region recalled the dramatic history of Poles in the East. Museum Director Jan Jarosz said, among other things, that Przemyśl, separated in 1939 by two occupants, can be seen as a symbolic city. A symbol of cruel cooperation, repression and destruction of the Polish Nation by both totalitarian systems.

Below is the entirety of Director Jan Jarosz's speech

Another occupation of Polish lands and seizure of Przemysl by Soviets came after 5 years

Przemyśl, which became a border town after the war, witnessed the deportations of Poles to Siberia and the ordeal of the Kresovians deported from their homeland to the so-called Recovered Territories. It also became the city where many of those who left their homeland in the Borderlands settled.

The hypocritical history and communist propaganda made much effort to describe these unprecedented scale of forced relocations as repatriations; in fact, an act of depolonization was carried out on lands inhabited for centuries by Poles.

Only a symbolic entry in the identity card, where in the column of the country of birth: "USSR" reminded how many of the inhabitants of the western lands but also of Przemyśl came from the former eastern lands of Poland.

The "Friendship Border", as the propaganda termed it, was in fact the most protected border, and it became very difficult and sometimes impossible for Kresovians to travel to their homeland.

Similarly, contacts with families and relatives. Such travel was only possible by invitation, without the right to travel freely.

Arriving in their home towns and villages, the Kresovans found their churches turned into warehouses, the traces of Polishness in these lands obliterated, and sometimes they could not find their homes or even entire villages that had ceased to exist, especially in Volhynia.

The memory remains.

It is no wonder that in the late 1980s, as the Communist regime was collapsing, borderland organizations began to spring up in many Polish cities.

The impulse to start the activity was the year 1988, when in Wrocław the Society of Lovers of Lwów was established by the inhabitants of that city. In a very short time clubs, circles and divisions of Lvov Lovers Society started to be created all over Poland. Of course, Przemyśl was not spared, as the initiative was taken by the Kresy enthusiasts and Lwów lovers.

The beginnings were modest and were connected with the formation of a founding group of 10 people, consisting of the inhabitants of Przemysl and Jaroslaw, who on 25 January 1989, i.e. 30 years ago, applied to the Main Board of the Society of the Lovers of Lvov in Wroclaw for permission to establish a Branch and accept a collective declaration of those who wished to become founding members of the Przemysl branch of this association.

The founders were: Stanisław Żółkiewicz, Zbigniew Kuchciński, Mieczysław Kassan, Waldemar Lorentz, Mieczysław Wiącek, Stanisław Czarski, Bogumiła Dziewulska, Elżbieta Presz, Zdzisław Paszyński and Jerzy Czechowicz.

I would like to present to you some archival photographs that I received thanks to the kindness of Mr Stanislaw Lepszy, who in subsequent years was also a member of the Board of the Lviv Lovers Society. In these photographs we will see mostly people known to Kresowians, both activists of TML and representatives of the Society for Polish Culture of the Lviv Region, during their visits to Lwów, as you will probably notice in very characteristic and important for Poles places.

The official foundation of the Lvov Lovers' Society made it possible, above all, to integrate the numerous Kresy people living in Przemyśl and its surroundings, to popularise the culture and tradition of the Kresy region, and above all to provide help to compatriots in Lwów and other localities.

On 4 March 1989 the First General Meeting of the Lviv Lovers Society Branch was held, during which the statutory authorities were elected. Krzysztof Nowakowski became the chairman, Zbigniew Kuchciński became the head of audit committee.

During the meeting, the following ongoing tasks were adopted among which were:

Establishing contacts with the Polish community in Lviv

Undertaking actions aiming at organizing cleaning works in Lychakiv and Janowski cemeteries, secular and sacral culture objects.

Organizing holidays for Polish children from the borderlands

Conducting a collection of Polish books and textbooks as well as other Polonica items for the Polish community

At that time, the Przemysl branch of the Lvov Lovers Society had 150 members.

In 1991 the name was changed to The Society of Lovers of Lviv and Southeastern Borderlands.

On May 2, 1992, there was a Second General Meeting of the Society, during which a new president was elected - Zbigniew Kuchcinski, while Stanisław Iwaszkiewicz and Stanisław Lepszy were his deputies.

From its earliest days, the Society of Lovers of Lviv and Southeastern Borderlands relied on the selfless work of its members. Without any remuneration, aid was organized to various places in Ukraine, where Poles lived. Apart from Lviv and its surroundings, the aid reached the provinces of Tarnopol, Stanislaw, Khmelnytsky, Vinnytsia, and Volhynia. Apart from gifts collected by the Society members and the Przemyśl residents, it also included gifts sent to Przemyśl from other regions of Poland. In those early years, over 100 transports were delivered by vans in which food, shoes, books, office furniture, office equipment, medicines, cleaning products, devotional items and money were handed over. The value of the delivered goods was enormous, it is enough to mention that only in 1994 it amounted to 50 thousand zloty and in 1995 to 75 thousand zloty.

Providing material aid was not the only activity of the members of this association.

A very important element was the activity related to education and culture.

In Przemyśl and many other towns in the region there were performances of various ensembles connected with Lvov. The Polish Theatre from Lwow, the 'Echo' Choir, youth and children's groups from Lwow, Mościska, Borysław and the 'Merry Lwow' cabaret performed. Similarly, trips of Polish groups to the borderlands were organized. The 'Magnifikat' choir performed in Lvov, Drohobycz, Sambor and Truskawiec and the Capella Premislensis under the direction of Marek Zazula performed in Lvov and Kamieniec Podolski. Meetings were held with important and respected borderland personalities such as Jerzy Janicki, Jerzy Michotek, Katarzyna Łoniewska, Rita Tompalska.

The Society has also assisted in the publication of borderland-related books, including historical books and memoirs.

In addition, the Society ran camps for young Poles in the borderlands from various parts of Ukraine. The camps were usually organized in Babice. The Senior Citizens Circle of the Polish Scouting and Guiding Association (Krąg Seniorow ZHP), which was affiliated with the Przemyśl Scout Hut, played an important role in organizing the camps. The trips were prepared for children and young people from Maria Konopnicka's Polish Secondary School no 24 in Lviv, from optional classes with Polish from schools in Sądowa Wisznia and Nizankowice, in Szczerec and Krzemieniec, and Siesiadowice.

In total, more than 200 children participated in this form of assistance and care for young Polonia between 1995 and 1996 alone.

In the following years trips were organized for children and youth from Drohobych, Truskawiec and Zydaczow.

Caring for memory and history was another task carried out by members of the Society for the Lovers of Lviv and the South Eastern Borderlands.

In March 1994 the Society suffered a painful loss as its president Zbigniew Kuchcinski died suddenly.

Zbigniew Kuchciński born 25 January 1929 in Nowosiółki, died 17 March 1994 in Przemyśl

In 1945 he was repatriated with his mother and father to Bolestraszyce.

As part of his professional activity, he worked for the Housing Management Company in Przemyśl. In 1990-1994 he served as President of the Society of Friends of Lviv and Southeastern Borderlands.

Within the Society Zbigniew Kuchciński was active in the Commission for Cooperation with Poles in the East, which coordinated, among other things, aid and recreation for Polish children from the East and dealt with charity and cooperation with Poles in the East,

Social member of the Civic Committee

The Association of Friends of Mosciskie and Kresy Wschodnich in Przemysl is another very important association that cares about the memory of the lost homeland.

The beginnings of the association date back to 1989, when in September 1989 the idea of establishing an organization called Klub Mościska was born among the borderlanders living in and around Przemysl.

On October 8, 1989 the initiating group organized a founding meeting during which the Club's Interim Board of Directors was chosen, with Mr Tadeusz Kurtycz as chairman, and at the same time he was obliged to contact the Lvov Lovers Society in Wroclaw in order to establish cooperation.

On November 26, 1989 the first General Meeting of the Mosciska Club was held, attended by 106 people, during which the authorities of the association were elected. The board of directors was composed of Stanislaw Kawa as president, Henryka Dobrowolska as vice president, Helena Dembek as secretary, Helena Kedzierska as treasurer, Franciszek Gawlik, Zygmunt Majgier, and Krzysztof Nowakowski as board members. The Mosciska Club began striving for membership in the Society of the Lovers of Lvov in Wroclaw and succeeded in obtaining membership, which was confirmed by resolution 84, which stated that on 21 December 1989 the "Club of the Society of the Lovers of Lvov - Mosciska" was founded.

Already the following year the members of the Club organized a trip to Mosciskie and Strzelczysko, which was attended by more than 100 members of the association. After a Holy Mass celebrated by the parish priest, Józef Legowicz, a meeting with the residents of Mosciski took place and forms of assistance for the coming year were agreed upon.

As an illustration to this part of my memoirs I would like to present you with some of the photos that I received thanks to the kindness of Mr. Zygmunt Majgier.

In February 1990, a collection of books, textbooks, and school supplies for Polish children began. In June of that year, they helped organize a two-week camp for 200 children from Mosciska and the surrounding area at oases in Oleszyce and Krasiczyn.

In connection with the construction of the Sacred Heart of Jesus Church in Strzelczyska, after collections conducted by the "Fidelis" band in Przemyśl and parishioners of St. Joseph's Church in Zabrze, the amount of less than 10 thousand rubles was transferred to the construction committee on September 17 of this year.

Also that year, during the gathering of the Nowakowski family from Zakosciel, which was attended by about 150 representatives of this large family from all over Poland, 8 thousand zlotys were collected for the purchase of dishes and liturgical equipment for St. Michael's Church in Zakosciel.

On September 22, 1990 the second general meeting of the club was held, during which a resolution was passed to form an independent association called Klub Mościska. On January 9, 1991 a founding meeting was held, during which the statutory authorities of this independent association were elected.

During the first trip to Mosciski by the activists of the association a meeting was held with the board of the Society for Polish Culture of the Lviv Region (Towarzystwo Kultury Polskiej Ziemi Lwowskiej), Mosciski branch. The meeting was also attended by Polish teachers from Mosciski and Strzelczyska and the then director of Caritas of the Przemyśl Archdiocese, Father Bronisław Żołnierczyk and Father Dean Józef Legowicz, who was also the director of Caritas of the Lviv Archdiocese. During this meeting the needs of the population and the rules of distribution of charitable aid sent from Poland were established. The first large transport of 60 cartons and 84 sacks of clothes, 29 cartons of shoes and 7 cartons of medicines reached the inhabitants of Mosciskie, Strzelczysk, Trzieniec, Sadowa Wisznia, Pnikut, Lacka Wola, Czyszki and Chałupki.

Mościska Club did not forget about the youngest; children's help was most often provided on the occasion of Children's Day and St. Nicholas' Day. The first 350 gifts for children were prepared in 1992. They were given to children from several localities, including Mościska, Strzelczyce, Trzieniec, Sądowa Wisznia, Pnikut, Lacka Wola, and Czyszki. Sponsors at the time were; MP Stanislaw Baran, Mr. Jan Nowak from Brussels and members of the Mościska Club.

In subsequent years, this form of activity has been and continues to be carried out through organized public collections.

Further gifts were given in October 1993 in the form of 172 packages of clothes. In December, employees of the Bank for Regional Cooperation in Nowy Sacz donated 53 packages of children's clothing, sweets and cosmetics to the Roman Catholic parish in Mosciska. Before Easter in 1994, members of the Mosciska Club helped to load about 1 ton of food (rice, flour, groats, oil, beans, peas, onions) donated by parishioners from Olchowiec near Chelm Lubelski who were moved by the retreats preached by Father Jozef Legowicz from Mosciska.

Apart from large transports, many times medicine, nutrients, clothes and sweets were handed over from collections initiated by the Club members among the residents of Przemysl. A special initiative in this field was shown by Mr Zygmunt Majgier, who leads this activity until today. The intensity of the help is shown by the fact that at that time, 134 families were helped directly.

Parallel to charity work for the residents of the Mosciski district, activities were undertaken to support the education of Polish children. The assistance consisted in equipping the school in Mosciski with the necessary textbooks and teaching aids, organizing summer and winter holidays in Poland, and helping with the education in Poland by providing scholarships.

In 1992, for example, 1,400 textbooks for various subjects were donated to Mosciska. In 1993, thanks to the support of Jan Bartminski, then President of the Regional Council of the Przemyśl local government, and the Board of Education, 29 new sets of 5th grade textbooks were purchased and sent to Mosciska, along with Polish literature, fairy tales and encyclopedias. Originally, children from Polish families were taught in Ukrainian schools with Polish as their language of instruction. The building was in a very poor technical condition. There was also a lack of qualified teaching staff. Therefore, in 1995, within the Polish community of the Polish Cultural Association of Lviv, the idea of building a Polish school was born, which was approved by the Polish Senate and implemented by the Polish Community Association. The Board of the Mosciska Club appealed to the Polish community to raise money for this purpose. In 2002, the new building, which currently houses the High School No. 3, was opened, and currently houses about 250 students. Unfortunately, according to the latest news we have received, there is a problem with the use of Polish language during the breaks and during the lessons other than Polish lessons.

The Mościska Club also organised summer and winter holidays for children from Polish families. As early as 1992, thanks to the invitation of the Przemyśl NCU, 15 children enjoyed a summer holiday in Poland. Father Stanislaw Bartminski, then parish priest in Krasiczyn, received 60 children from Pnikut. Caritas of the Archdiocese of Przemysl organized a holiday for 50 children from Strzelczysko at the home of the Benedictine Sisters in Przemysl.

 

Material aid and support for the Polish community in the areas covered by the activities of both associations was not the only form of work. A very important element was and still is taking care of the places of national memory, history of these lands, preservation of culture and national traditions.

Ceremonies to commemorate State holidays, the 3rd of May Constitution and Independence Day were organized many times. Representatives of the Polish community were invited to Przemysl and delegations from Przemysl travelled to both Lviv and Moscows to celebrate these important anniversaries.

I would like to introduce to you one more important association, which is active in Przemysl and is particularly connected with supporting the Polish community in the area of preserving Polish historical memory in Ukraine. It is the Bronislaw Mirecki Association for the Remembrance of Polish Thermopylae and the Borderlands.

Formally active since 2013, the association is an animator, organizer or at least participant of many patriotic and anniversary events taking place in Kresy or related to Kresy and the history of this land. Not forgetting about in-kind help, the association led by Mr. Stanislaw Szarzynski together with members of the association has been organizing Memorial Bike Rallies to Zadwór and Dobromil for 6 years.

Members of this association were the initiators of the naming of Zadwórska Street and the Kresowian Roundabout. They also continue to work for the construction of a monument dedicated to the heroes of the unprecedented battle of young Poles against the Bolshevik invasion of 1920 in Zadwór.

On the presented photos, whose author is Mr. Stanislaw Szarzynski, you will see several examples.

In a special way I would like to draw your attention to the photo in which we see Mrs. Maria Mirecka-Laryś, sister of priest Bronisław Mirecki, hero of the Battle of Zadwórz, 103 years old, honorary member of this Association. Other honorary members were Archbishop Ignacy Tokarczuk.

Mr. Stanislaw Szarzynski is the author of an exhibition - a document presenting borderland churches, which you can see in the exhibition hall.

A very important partner in supporting the Polish community in Ukraine was the Przemyśl local government. It is difficult to mention all the initiatives taken by the successive representatives of local authorities, president, councilors. In many of the above mentioned activities, such as preparing and sending parcels, supporting money collections or personal involvement in their delivery, but also by establishing partnership relations with the local governments in Ukraine, with the authorities of Lvov, Moscice, Truskawiec, Drohobych, Kamieniec Podolski, which often facilitated providing help to the Polish community but also created a good climate for everyday cooperation and contacts of Polonia with the local authorities. I think that Robert Choma, who is present today and was the president of Przemyśl for many years, could fill many hours of today's meeting with his memories.

Presenting the history of supporting Poles from the Ukrainian areas directly neighbouring Poland, I focused only on the first years of activity of these associations. This does not mean that their activities stopped. It is continued with unflagging commitment and life brings many new challenges and new fields for work.

Reaching back to memories as well as meetings with the activists of these associations have also become an opportunity for several reflections.

The first is that we are probably dealing with yet another, probably the last, "exodus" of Poles from Ukraine. Young people who go to Poland to study do not come back. Those who remain are the elderly, who need more and more care. We, the inhabitants of Przemysl and our immediate neighbors, know that it is usually a matter of surviving on 200 PLN per month, where you have to buy medicines, etc. Couldn't the Polish State help with pensions?

These association members are aging. With all due respect to people like Stanisław Lepszy and Zygmunt Majgier, they are no longer the young men who threw tons of parcels 30 years ago, although both gentlemen still travel to Ukraine with aid and are involved in activities for the Kresy.

The question is who will take over their work and continue it? In particular, I am thinking of national memorials, thousands of forgotten cemeteries, abandoned and neglected superfluities, etc.

I would like to thank you very much for sharing your collections and memories

Mrs. Marcela Tukałlo

Mr. Stanislaw Lepszy

Mr. Zygmunt Majgier

Mr. Stanisław Szarzyński

Board of the Society of Lovers of Lviv and Southeastern Borderlands, 1992.Coronation of the image of Our Lady of Perpetual Help 2001.

Mosciska, 1990. Trzcieniec, Locka Wola commune, Mościska Pilgrimage, consecration for church construction, Strzelczyska Opening of the club in Mosciski, September 2003.

Grave of Polish soldiers, Mosciska, delegation of Mosciska Club and City Hall in PrzemyslPhotos from the collection of the National Museum of Przemysl Land