Illustrated Courier regular IKC
350 people embarked on Tuesday from the Oleanders in Krakow in the 59th March on the way I of the Personnel Company. "A march from the Oleanders, which took place 110 years ago, is simply a minute that has been forever enshrined in the annals of our independence," said the Head of the Office for Combatants and Represented People Lech Parell.
"It was from here that the legendary +first staff+ moved, bringing hope for the freedom and sovereignty of our homeland", said the head of the UdSKYOR during the solemn appeal at Oleandrach.
On Tuesday, early in the morning, a solemn appeal took place on the Kraków Oleanders, from where in August 1914, on the conflict way “Kadrówka” with the participation of military assistance, representatives of state, local and military authorities.
During the ceremony, Parell emphasized that Józef Piłsudski as a visionary and leader was able to unite Poles in pursuit of a common goal – rebuilding an independent Polish state. "His determination, courage and unbreakable will were inspiration for subsequent generations that did not reconcile with the communist post-war enslavement," the head of the office pointed out.
"Patriotism, solidarity, dedication for the common good are the foundations on which we should build our future. The Oleander march reminds us that freedom is not given erstwhile and for all, but requires constant care and commitment," Parell stressed.
The Commandant of the Dioniza Krawczyński march informed PAP that about 350 people, including civilians and shooting organizations, as well as soldiers of units referring to the legion tradition and representation of the Territorial Defence Army, were on the road. Among the marchers, the commandant pointed out, are both civilians who have come from all over the country as well as soldiers of the 1st Legion Infantry Division of Marshal Józef Piłsudski and the Centre of Preparation for abroad Missions in Kielce. 3 cavalry squadrons, a full of 24 horses, will join them in the Podkraków Michałowice.
"This year we want to make everyone aware that it has been 100 years since the departure of the first March on the Road I of the Personnel Company," the commander said.
According to him, this year in addition to the permanent points of the event there were besides fresh ones: one-day march competitions, which will be attended by delegations of 4 schools and 4 military units organized on the longest dimension of 30 km from Miechów to Wodzisław at the intersection of the Lesser Poland and Świętokrzyskie voivodships. Participants will besides compete in the evenings at the specially delivered electronic range. In Miechów there will be an open historical competition for all volunteers.
After the appeal to the Oleanders, the participants of the march went to the Rakowicki Cemetery for a memorial appeal at the Legion Quarter, during which flowers were placed on the legionaries' graves. Later they went to Michałowice podkrakowski. It was in this village on 6 August 1914 that gunmen, commanded by Lieutenant Tadeusz Kasprzycki, overturned the border pole between the Austrian and Russian partitions. The obelisk commemorating this event will then go further through Słomniki, Miechów, Duke of Great, Wodzisław, Jędrzejów, Chęciny. The march will end on August 12 in Kielce.
From Krakow the 59th March took place along the way I of the Personnel Company [photo] 26
From Krakow the 59th March took place along the way I of the Personnel Company [photos] 27
From Krakow, the 59th March took place along the way I of the Personnel Company [photos] 28
From Krakow, the 59th March took place on the way I of the Personnel Company [photo] 29
From Krakow the 59th March took place along the way I of the Personnel Company [photo] 30
From Krakow the 59th March took place on the way I of the Personnel Company [photos] 31
From Krakow the 59th March took place along the way I of the Personnel Company [photos] 32
From Krakow the 59th March took place on the way I of the Personnel Company [photos] 33
From Krakow the 59th March took place along the way I of the Personnel Company [photos] 34Photo: Office for Combatants and Represented Persons
The company called “Kadrówka”, formed from the troops of the firearm Union and firearm Teams under Joseph Piłsudski, set out from Krakow to the Russian business on the night from 5 to 6 August 1914. At 9.45 p.m., soldiers of the 1st Personnel Company overthrown border posts of the possessive states in Michałowice and after liberation from Russian Słomnik, Miechów, Jędrzejów and Chęcin reached Kielce on 12 August.
Although the departure of the staff company was in the military sense an episode, the historians believe that it was political, pointing out from the beginning of planet War I the existence of a "Polish cause". “Kadrówka” gave birth to the Polish Legions, which in their military effort during planet War I contributed to regaining independency in 1918.
The first march of the shooting teams from Krakow to Kielce was organized in 1924 to commemorate those events. There were 15 marches before the war. Tradition was resurrected in 1981, maintaining the continuity of numbering. In the 1980s, the march was a patriotic manifestation, then returned to the pre-war expression of the athletics and defence competitions. The current march is the 44th after the war.
(PAP)
