On Sunday, a variety of centenary celebrations were held in the southern city of Katowice, Polish state news agency PAP reported.
Upper Silesian Pantheon
Key among them was the launch of the Upper Silesian Pantheon, a gallery of prominent Polish figures in the history of the region.
Set up in the basements of Katowice’s Cathedral of Christ the King, the pantheon is a multimedia showcase of more than 150 Polish people who have made their mark on Upper Silesia.
It features the leader of the 1921 Silesian Uprising, Wojciech Korfanty; one of the best mountaineers of all time, Jerzy Kukuczka; and the renowned music composer Wojciech Kilar, among others.
Poland’s Culture Minister and Deputy Prime Minister Piotr Gliński on Sunday described the Pantheon as “a wonderful monument to Upper Silesia’s last century, since the province was incorporated into Poland.”
He added that it represented “an open encyclopaedia of Silesia.”
“In selecting the members of the Pantheon, we want to honour everyone who defended Polish identity,” Gliński stated.
On Sunday morning, Poland’s Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki visited the Pantheon, ahead of its official opening later in the day.
Reenactment of June 20, 1922
Also on Sunday, actors from Katowice’s Silesian Theatre reenacted scenes from June 20, 1922, when the Polish army entered the city as Poland began to take over the southeastern part of Upper Silesia.
The people of Katowice were taken on a journey back in time, with actors portraying the commander of the Polish troops, Gen. Stanisław Szeptycki, as well as Korfanty and those who held top posts in the city at that historical moment.
Exhibition
Moreover, a new exhibition is set to be launched on Monday about the events of 1922 and Poland’s takeover of parts of Upper Silesia, public broadcaster Polish Radio's IAR news agency reported.
Prepared by the National Archives in Katowice, the show features archival exhibits and documents, charting the course of how Poland formally took control of the region and how Polish institutions developed.
Poland on Monday celebrates National Day of the Silesian Uprisings, a new memorial day to honour those who revolted against the region’s German rulers more than a century ago.
Ethnic Poles in the area fought a series of three armed insurgencies from 1919 to 1921 to break away from Germany and join newly independent Poland.
(pm/gs)
Source: IAR, PAP