2023-04-30 15:10:00
On this occasion, on January 22, members of the Polish University of the Third Age in Soleczniki took part in the ceremony, which took place in Eišiszki at the monument commemorating the events of 1863. Because it was here, on the square in Eišiškės, that the insurgents gathered under the command of Ludwik Narbutt, one of the main heroes of the national uprising in Lithuania, who devoted his young life to fighting for the freedom of his homeland.
On April 26, PUTW students took part in a trip along the trail of the January Uprising. This time they went to Dubicz in the Oran region. The tour began with a reminder of the biography of the talented commander Ludwik Narbutt, which was presented by Krystyna Krajewska, a history teacher.
Read more: The statue of Ludwik Narbutt has been renovated
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Ludwik is one of the bravest soldiers of the January Uprising in Lida region. A man of impeccable heart, great faith, respected by his soldiers and the local community. He was characterized by great fortitude with relentless energy and perseverance. Courageous, righteous and a great patriot, a hero of both nations – the Commonwealth and the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. Of the major victorious battles over the Muscovites, Narbutt fought nine, the most famous of which are those at Rudniki, over Mereczanka, in the Grodno Forest, near Dubicze and near Kowalki. Betrayed near Dubicze by Bazyli Karpowicz, on May 4, 1863, near Lake Pielasa near Dubicze, Narbutt’s unit was broken up. The wounded commander, covered with blood, laid on the forest moss, died with the words on his lips: “Dulce est pro patria mori” (“How sweet to die for the Fatherland”).
At Narbutt’s grave in Dubicze, the participants of the trip lit candles and prayed for the souls of the fallen insurgents. The monument was erected in 1933. On the monument there is an inscription: “1863 for our freedom and yours”, on the side the following information: “They died on May 4, 1863 in the Battle of Dubicze. Heroic insurgents are buried here in a common grave. Narbutt Ludwik, commander-in-chief of the national uprising in Lithuania. The information also includes a list of the dead. Total 12 people.
We went to the Church of the Sacred Heart of Jesus in Dubicze, which is famous for the miraculous sculpture of Jesus, presented to the church by Queen Bona.
The further route led to Merecz (lit. Merkinė) — a town on the Nemunas. In the old days, the town of Merecz was located on the route leading to Vilnius. The seniors visited the Local History Museum, where there are exhibits informing about the life of the inhabitants of Merecz and the surrounding area in those turbulent times of the 16th-19th centuries. The Russians built the church on the site of the demolished Renaissance town hall of Merecz, which was the pride of the town square for over 300 years. The bricks of the old town hall were used to build the church. In the museum there is a bust of the Polish king and the Grand Duke of Lithuania, Władysław IV Vasa.
The students of the university took a tour of the town with a guide who recalled many interesting historical facts about the history of this town. They stopped by the house (called the House of Vasa) where King Władysław IV Vasa lived. Merecz was handed over to the prince in 1626. He died in 1648. His heart is buried in the basement of the Vilnius cathedral, and his body rests on the Wawel Hill.
A statue of King Władysław IV Vasa was unveiled next to the house. It is also worth remembering that Władysław Jagiełło used to spend Christmas in Merecz, who in the first half of the 15th century founded a Gothic-style church that still exists today. In 1648, at the expense of Władysław IV, the church was rebuilt in the Renaissance style. Currently, it is dedicated to the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary.
From the observation tower, the height of which reaches 26 m, the listeners admired the landscapes of the reserve of the land on the Niemen River. Near Merecz, in the national park, seniors visited the pyramid erected under a glass dome, a place visited by those seeking health and those who are interested in the unusual shape of the object, as well as the history of its creation.
Students of PUTW also visited a unique place in the Dzukia region – Liszkowo. On the steep bank of the Nemunas in Liszków, there is a Dominican church and monastery complex, dating from the turn of the 17th and 18th centuries. The 18th century was the heyday of the Dominicans. At that time, a brick monastery and a church were built. In the years 1990–1997, the church of St. Trinity Church has been restored, and a museum has been set up in its basement, in which the mummified remains of the Dominicans rest. Interestingly, the 19th-century organ, played by Konstantinas Čiurlionis, the father of the famous composer and painter Mikalojus Konstantinas Čiurlionis, has been preserved in the church.
Seniors returned home satisfied with the trip and full of impressions.
On behalf of all trippers, I would like to thank the Self-Government of the Šalčininkai Region for covering the cost of renting the bus.
Read more: Tribute of PUTW in Soleczniki to the January Insurgents
Jadwiga Sinkiewicz
President of PUTW in Soleczniki
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