A monument commemorating the victims of Smolensk disaster was unveiled in Rzeszow in front of Marshal's office. On it there are the names of the presidential couple Lech and Maria Kaczynski, the last president of the Republic of Poland in exile Ryszard Kaczorowski and people connected with the Podkarpacie region. The ceremony was attended by the Speaker of the Sejm Marek Kuchcinski.

The main guests were representatives of Smolensk families. Among the participants were also Deputy Ministers Jerzy Kwieciński, Aleksander Bobko and Adam Hamryszczak, Podkarpackie Voivode Ewa Leniart, parliamentarians, representatives of the uniformed services headed by the commander of the 21st Brigade of Podhale Rifles Colonel Zenon Brzuszko and the head of the Military Training Centre Colonel Zbigniew Winiarski as well as representatives of the clergy, veterans' organizations, local governments from Podkarpackie and neighboring provinces. The ceremony was hosted by Marshal Władysław Ortyl, who represented the local government of the Podkarpackie Province together with members of the management board and Chairman of the Sejmik Jerzy Borcz.

{allery}phocagallery/unveiling_of_the_katastrofy_smolenskiej_ monument{/gallery}

The monument, which was solemnly unveiled on December 13, 2015, is dedicated to the memory of 9 persons of particular merit for the Podkarpacie region. It features the names of the presidential couple: Lech Kaczyński and his wife Maria Kaczyńska, who in February 2010, at the Marshal's Office, during the "Restoring Memory" ceremony, presented Commander's Crosses to the residents of Podkarpacie for saving Jews from the Holocaust. There are also names of the last president of Poland in exile Ryszard Kaczorowski, Grażyna Gęsicka - Minister of Regional Development in Law and Justice (PiS) government, MP from Rzeszow-Tarnobrzeg district, Stanisław Zajac - senator from Jasło district, vice-marshal of the Sejm and member of Podkarpackie council, Leszek Deptuła - MP from Mielec district, Marshal of Podkarpackie district. There are also names of Janina Fetlińska, a senator of the Law and Justice party (PiS) of the 6th and 7th term, and Brigadier General Kazimierz Gilarski, the Commander of Warsaw Garrison. There is also Lieutenant General Bronisław Kwiatkowski from Kolbuszowa County, the Operational Commander of the Armed Forces.

During the ceremony Marek Kuchcinski, Speaker of the Sejm, took the floor and read a letter from Jaroslaw Kaczynski, President of the Law and Justice party:

All who died, whom we honor here, have passed away in full force . We miss them today and we will miss them in the future. We cannot change that, but we can immortalize their memory so that it will last in future generations," wrote Jaroslaw Kaczynski, President of the Law and Justice party, to the participants in the ceremony.

Speaker of the Sejm Marek Kuchciński also said that the memory of what happened on April 10, 2010 is very important, he also added:

Not all circumstances of the Smolensk catastrophe have been explained until today and this is our task: to explain the whole truth about the Smolensk catastrophe - said Marshal M. Kuchciński.

A letter to the participants in the ceremonial unveiling and consecration of the monument was also sent by the President of the Republic of Poland Andrzej Duda. It was read by Marshal Władysław Ortyl.

I would like to express my gratitude to all those who initiated the construction of the monument and contributed to its realization. I am convinced that it will constitute an important place in the contemporary and spiritual space of the city and the entire Podkarpacie region," President Andrzej Duda wrote in his letter.

Marshal Władysław Ortyl, in turn, spoke about the achievements of all the people whose names appeared on the monument.

This monument is an expression of our homage and gratitude for their achievements, a token of remembrance and at the same time a warning not to let such catastrophes happen in the future, to make the safety of the most important people in the country a priority - said Marshal W. Ortyl.

Deputy Minister Jerzy Kwieciński also spoke:

We must remember the victims of the catastrophe, which had no precedent in the history of the world and which had a huge impact on our country. Surely we would be in a different place today, at a different stage of development, if this catastrophe had not happened - said Deputy Minister Jerzy Kwieciński.

Senator Alicja Zając took the floor on behalf of the Smolensk families.

We will always remember about those who passed away, about those who meant so much to us during their lives, but also after their deaths, who surround us with extraordinary care, which we had the opportunity to feel many times," said Senator Alicja Zając.

The ceremonial unveiling of the monument was performed by the representatives of the Smolensk families: Senator Alicja Zając, Klara Gęsicka, Joanna Krasowska-Deptuła and Bartosz Fetlinski. The consecration was performed by Rev. Stanisław Mac.

After the unveiling and consecration at the monument, the participants of the ceremony laid wreaths and bunches of flowers. A special moment was lighting candles and placing them under the easel with photos of the victims of the Smolensk catastrophe, who are commemorated on the monument.

The bronze cast of the monument was prepared by the Sculpture Studio FORMA in Cracow according to the design of the sculptor Prof. Karol Badyna. Prof. K. Badyna is a graduate and teacher of the Jan Matejko Academy of Fine Arts in Kraków, and his artistic output includes many monumental projects, such as the monument to A. Rubinstein at the United Nations in New York, the monument to Jan Karski at Georgetown University in Washington, D.C. and its replica in Tel Aviv.
 

source: podkarpackie.pl
Monika Konopka
Photo: Michal Mielniczuk
Photos: Sebastian Kieszkowski
UMWP Press Office