The ceremonies also marked 225 years since Józef Wybicki, a nobleman, poet and political activist, penned the lyrics of the poem which became the national anthem.
Józef Wybicki. Image: Polish Radio/Polona.pl
The lyrics are said to have been written in Reggio Emilia, northern Italy, between July 16 and 19, 1797, two years after the third partition of Poland, which deprived the nation of its freedom for 123 years.
The city of Poznań served as the venue for the commemoration as it is in the crypt of St. Adalbert’s Church there that Wybicki was buried after his death in 1822. The crypt also holds an urn containing the heart of Gen. Henryk Dąbrowski.
Photo: PAP/Jakub Kaczmarczyk
A setting of Wybicki’s lyrics was originally meant to boost the morale of Dąbrowski’s Polish Legions, which fought on the side of Napoleon’s army in Italy.
After a mass at St. Adalbert’s Church, flowers were placed in the crypt by Polish Deputy Foreign Minister Szymon Szynkowski vel Sęk.
An open-air exhibition on the history of the Polish national anthem has been mounted in the church courtyard.
A 25-minute documentary about the Dąbrowski Mazurka is available at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qe9zkTROU6o.
The documentary was produced by the Polish foreign ministry.
(mk/gs)