The plaque is installed on the façade of a building at the corner of Broad Street and Newmarket Avenue, the former site of the White Lion Inn, where Kościuszko stayed for six days on his way to America in 1797.
Designed in the white and red colors of the Polish flag, the plaque describes Kościuszko as a “Polish freedom fighter, campaigner for equality, and the abolition of slavery.” It also features a quote from his close friend Thomas Jefferson, who called him “the purest son of liberty I have ever known.”
The unveiling ceremony, held on Tuesday, was attended by Peaches Golding OBE, the Lord-Lieutenant of the City and County of Bristol. In her remarks, she credited Kościuszko with bringing the issue of slavery abolition into public debate in Bristol during the late 18th century.
Stefan Cembrowicz of the Anglo-Polish Society Bristol and the South West, the organization behind the plaque initiative, noted that Kościuszko was welcomed in Bristol not merely as a commander defeated in the 1794 Polish Insurrection, but as a dedicated freedom fighter. “Kościuszko devoted his entire life to the highest ideals, and his spiritual legacy has influenced all subsequent Polish insurrections,” Cembrowicz said.
In conjunction with the plaque unveiling, the Bristol Central Library is hosting an exhibition documenting Kościuszko’s visit to the city. Kościuszko (1746-1817), who fought in the Continental Army during the American War of Independence, is celebrated as a national hero in both Poland and the United States.
(mk/jh)
Source: PAP
