The commemorative event in memory of the fallen soldiers & people of Poland & Turkey in World War I, World War II and Warsaw Uprising was held at Tadeusz Czacki High School with the participation of the Ambassador of the Republic of Turkey to Poland Tahsin Tunc Üğdül on June 13.
The event started with a moment of silence in remembrance of the fallen soldiers of Turkey and Poland in Turkey in World War I, World War II and Warsaw Uprising. Afterwards Anna Koszycka, the principal of Tadeusz Czacki High School, and Turkish Ambassador delivered their speeches concerning the event respectively.
Following the speeches, “In the flower of their youth” movie about the fallen students & teachers of the Turkish schools during the wars was screened with English subtitles. The cast of the movie is comprised of the students and teachers of Kabatas High School.
After the screening of the movie, the choir of Tadeusz Czacki High School performed the anthem of their school.
Then the music teacher of our school Ali Salih Köse and the students Selin Ünal, Deniz Chousein and Defne Nehir Demiray performed four songs, the students of Tadeuz Czacki High School performed Dumka na dwa serca song and Warsawskie Dzieci song was performed jointly;
1. “Çanakkale içinde vurdular beni” song was sung in remembrance of the fallen students, teachers and soldiers of Turkey at the Battle of Gallipoli, Battle of Galicia and the other battles of World War I.
2. “You are not alone” and “Heal the world” songs of Michael Jackson were sung in memory of the fallen soldiers & people of Poland and Turkey in World War I, World War II and Warsaw Uprising.
3. “Bir başkadır benim memleketim” song was sung for a better and more peaceful world.
4. “Dumka na dwa serca” song was sung in memory of the fallen soldiers & people of Poland in World War I, World War II and Warsaw Uprising.
5. “Warswaskie Dzieci” song was sung in memory of the fallen soldiers & people of Poland in World War I, World War II and Warsaw Uprising.
On the occasion of the event, tree donations made in memory of the fallen soldiers & people of Poland & Turkey were presented to the Turkish Ambasador Tahsin Tunç Üğdül and the principal of Tadeusz Czacki High School Anna Koszycka.
Furthermore, Vice-President of the Polish Senate Maria Koc received the group on behalf of the Senate Speaker Stanislaw Karczewski on June 14 at the parliament building. Warzawskie Dzieci song was sung by the students of Kabatas High School in the course of the visit to the Senate of Poland. Galicia Turkish Martyrs’ Cemetery in Krakow was visited by the group on June 15 as well.
As the students and teachers of Kabatas High School, we will always remember the fallen heroic soldiers & people of Poland and Turkey in World War I, World War II and Warsaw Uprising with respect.
WARSZAWSKIE DZIECI SONG
Underground resistance movement The Polish Home Army (AK) commissioned Andrzej Panufnik to compose four songs devised to boost the spirit of resistance at the time of the Warsaw Uprising in 1944. Panufnik and the lyricist (poet and novelist Stanisław Ryszard Dobrowolski) were not allowed to know each other’s identities in case of future Nazi interrogation. The most famous Warszawskie Dzieci (Warsaw Children), became a major anthem of courage and defiance for the people of Warsaw during the Uprising. It is known by almost everyone in Poland and is sung during the commemorative events which take place on August 1 each year. Please find the English lyrics of the song as follows;
No defeat will crush freemen,
No difficulty will fear bravemen,
We'll go together to the victory,
When people will stand arm to arm
Warsaw's children we're going to strike,
For every stone of you, capital we will fight
Warsaw's children we're going to strike,
When your order will come,
We'll send enemies our fury!
Powiśle, Wola and Mokotów,
Every street, every house,
When the first shot come, be ready,
Like a golden bolt in the hand of God.
THE HISTORICAL RELATIONS of POLAND & TURKEY
The Ottoman Empire and Poland (then, Poland-Lithuania) had been direct neighbors from the late Middle Ages until the end of the eighteenth century. Long coexistence of both states led to development of rich and diverse forms of contacts at various levels.
First contacts date back to Sultan Mehmed Çelebi (Mehmed the First) era. In 1414, Hungarian King Sigismund asked the help of the Polish King Ladislaus Jagiello against the Ottomans. In response, King Jagiello offered to mediate between the two powers and sent Skarbek of Gora and Gregory as envoys to Sultan Mehmed Çelebi. Accordingly, first formal diplomatic contact was established between the Ottomans and the Poles. Later, with the help of the King of Poland, Hungary and the Ottoman Empire signed a six-year truce.
From that date on, the Poles had received support from the Ottoman Empire, particularly during the painful periods of their history. The Ottoman Empire defended the rights of Poland, whose territories were divided among Russia, Prussia and Austria. It is widely read in history books that, in the nineteenth century each reception ceremony of a foreign ambassador in Istanbul began with an announcement sacred formula: “the Ambassador of Lehistan (namely, Poland) has not yet arrived”. This practice reflected the fact that the Sublime Porte had refused to recognize the partition of Poland.
Indeed, when Poland faced invasions and divisions, the Polish men and women found refuge on Turkish soil, escaping the ruthless occupation of their land. In return, these men and women made invaluable contributions to the political, military, cultural and scientific life of Turkey.
Today’s Polonezköy, literally meaning the “village of the Poles”, a beautiful place just outside Istanbul, was founded by Prince Adam Czartorvski and a group of Poles, who sought refuge in the Ottoman Empire after the unsuccessful November Revolution in 1842. The place is called Adampol in Polish, after the founder of the village. Polonezköy is a beautiful point of attraction to local and international tourists and is a symbol of Turkish-Polish friendship.
A significant name from the common history of the two countries is Adam Mickiewicz, the author of the national epic of Poland, Pan Tadeusz. Adam Mickiewicz, after participating in the Crimean War, lived in Istanbul and died there. Today, his house is intact, serving as a museum in Istanbul and a reminder of the historic relations of the two countries.
Famous composer and interpreter Ali Ufki Bey (Wojciech Bobowski), painter of Sultan Abdülaziz, Stanislaw Chlebowski, great Turkish poet Nazım Hikmet whose grandfather is Mustafa Celaleddin Pasha (Konstanty Borzecki who served in the Ottoman army), world-wide gamous soprano the “Turkish Diva” Leyla Gencer who was born in Polonezköy, and one of the first Turkish Ambassadors of the Republic of Turkey to Poland, novelist, writer Yahya Kemal Beyatlı can be counted among many names who served to build solid ties between Turkish and Polish people throughout history.
The Rakowicki Cemetery in Krakow, the resting place for many Turkish soldiers who lost their lives on Polish land at the Galician front during World War I, is another symbol of historic solidarity between two nations.
The two countries signed a Treaty of Friendship on 23rd July 1923. Thus, Poland was one of the first countries that recognized the young Turkish State even before it became a Republic.
June 10 - 17, 2019
