On June 14th (Saturday), celebrations of the 100th anniversary of the Independence Deed were held in Przemyśl. The event was organized by the Vice-Marshal of the Sejm Marek Kuchciński, the Marshal of the Podkarpackie Province Wladyslaw Ortyl, the President of the City of Przemysl Robert Choma, the National Museum of the Przemysl Land and the Riflemen Association "Strzelec".

The event was held under the honorary patronage of Jaroslaw Kaczynski, Chairman of the Social Committee for the Deed for Independence.

The ceremony began with a Holy Mass at the Archcathedral of Przemysl, presided over by Bishop Stanislaw Jamrozek. Representatives of the Parliament, state and local authorities, "Strzelce" Riflemen Association, flagbearers, invited guests and residents of the city were present. In his homily the Bishop referred to the anniversary and encouraged young people to patriotic attitudes. There were also scouts and the musical setting was provided by the scout brass band from Zurawica.

After the Mass, the participants of the ceremony proceeded to Niepodleglosci Square, where they watched an artistic program prepared for the occasion of the 100th anniversary of the Independence Deed by Polish and Lviv actors and young people from the "Strzelc" Association. Winners of the "Przemyśl 1914-1919" educational city game were awarded commemorative diplomas.

After the performance, everyone marched to the building of the National Museum of the Przemysl Land, where flowers were laid at the plaque of the Union of Active Struggle. The commemorative plaque was unveiled in 2008 by the late President Lech Kaczyński. The ceremony on Independence Square ended with a drill demonstration by a firing squad.

Afterwards, a plaque commemorating the victims of the Smolensk catastrophe was unveiled and dedicated on one of the walls of the National Museum of the Przemysl Region. The unveiling was performed by the Vice Speaker of the Polish Parliament Marek Kuchciński, Marshal Władysław Ortyl and the President of Przemyśl Robert Choma.

Photo by Rafał Porada