The Polish Fight for Independence 1914-1918: A Story of a Polish Family

 The exhibition presents the long road to Poland’s independence in 1918 through personal objects (postcards and letters to mother and sisters, photos, albums, shadow pictures, stamps, coins, medals) connected to two families that fought for Poland’s independence during World War I in the Polish Legions (Legiony), but also earlier during The January Uprising of 1863.

The objects belonged to my grandfathers who I never met (Marcin Łąkowski and Dr Kazimierz Zechenter) and are accompanied by items linked to the creator and Komendant of the Legions, Józef Piłsudski, as well as Ignacy Jan Paderewski, a famous pianist and a statesman who became the Prime Minister of the newly liberated Poland in 1919.

Like many young Poles at that time, Kazimierz Zechenter left for the Legions in the summer of 1914, accompanied by a group of 53 civilians, high school and university students from the city of Bochnia near Kraków who were members of Falcon, Polish Gymnastic Society. He then fought during the Polish-Soviet war (1919-1920) under Gen. Żeligowski before becoming a judge. Kazimierz’s older brother, Adam, who was also a judge, served in the Legions, in the I Squadron as the commander of the howitzer cannon unit. Adam and Kazimierz were the sons of Teodor Zechenter who fought during the failed 1863 January Uprising

Marcin Łąkowski fought in the Legions but most of his photos and documents were destroyed when the Soviet Union attacked Poland on Sept. 17, 1939, and burned his house down. There is only one photo of him in his uniform from Legions from May 1935 at the funeral of Marshall Piłsudski. I never met any of them.

Poland’s road to independence lasted 123 years (1795-1918).

Dr Katarzyna Zechenter UCL SSEES