Międzyrzec Podlaski

Community Highlights Europe Międzyrzec Podlaski

My wife agreed with my idea to pay a visit to Międzyrzec Podlaski (read: [mendzy’zhets pod’laski]), a city in the neighbouring province which we had passed once on our way from Lake Bialka. We chose to visit it on a week day and enjoyed our day trip. We managed to see practically all the main sights of the city and its three churches. In addition, we went to see the city lakes, where my wife and I could wet our feet.
The city name implies “Forest Area’s Interfluve”. Indeed, looking at the city map, I saw there were three rivers and two canals within the city limits: the Krzna (“The Crooked River”), Krzna Poludniowa (“The Southern Crooked River”), the Piszczka, the Wieprz-Krzna Canal, and the Krzna Canal. The city was called Mezeritch in Yiddish.

The city’s coat-of-arms can be seen on every plaque containing a street name. The coat-of-arms of the Międzyrzec Podlaski Commune contains the city’s coat-of-arms with two golden rivers added to it diagonally. There is a silver horseshoe with two knights’ crosses, one them is damaged from the left (right for the viewer).
We read numerous memorial plaques, and they told us a lot about the city’s history and its heroes. It used to be a private town and obtained the Magdeburg Law in 1434.

Saint John Paul II is the patron saint of the city of Międzyrzec Podlaski by the decision of the Apostolic See announced by Bishop Kazimierz Gurda on June 21, 2023. We found out about it having read the memorial inscription on the pedestal of the monument to John Paul II that stands in the main square in front of St. Nicholas Church.

The inscription on the monument reads further,
In gratitude to Pope John Paul II on the 50th anniversary of his priestly ordination
In the year of the beatification of the Martyrs of Podlasie
The inhabitants of the Międzyrzec Land
25. VIII. 1996

At the main square of Międzyrzec Podlaski

The main city square is called John Paul II Square. It has preserved the dimensions from the fifteenth century, including characteristic passages with arches. There is an impressive monument to those who died in 1918.

There is a monument to the Fallen for Motherland in St.John Paul II Square. It’s a small obelisk with the Polish Eagle about it. Its sides contain the names of 44 heroes, who perished on November 16, 1918, as well as the names of the cities, where big battles took place in 1939-1945 such as Westeplatte, Kutno, Warszawa, Modlin, Poszcza-Solska, Lenino, Tobruk, Narwik, Falaise, Monte Cassiono, Kołobreg, and Berlin. One side of the obelisk contains the names of concentratrion camps where thousands of Poles were executed in 1939-1945: Majdanek, Lublin-Zamek, Oświęcim, Birkenau, Bełzec, Radzyń-Więzienie, Treblinka, Debice, Gross-Rosen, Dachau, Ravensbrück, Belsen, Stutthof, Gusen, Oranienburg.

We saw the building of the former town hall. We found out the building had been erected in 1838 as a one-storey building in brick, covered with sheet zinc. After the fire of 1845, it was rebuilt and had one floor added in 1929, according to the design of engineer J. Radziewanowski. The building is rectangular in plan and has a flat pitched roof. The facade is divided by pilasters into three parts: in the middle area, on the front top, there is a clock and a balcony.

There are a couple of memorial plaques attached to the building of the former Town Hall.

• Battle of Warsaw remembrance place - 1920-2020 During the national celebrations of the hundredth anniversary of regaining independence of the Republic of Poland and on the centenary of the great triumph of our nation in the Polish-Bolshevik war, we gratefully commemorate the merits of all compatriots who defended the freedom and sovereignty of our homeland. In the year of the celebration of the centenary of the Battle of Warsaw, the plaque was presented by the President of the Republic of Poland Andrzej Duda.

• Jan Kołkowicz (1928-2007), a journalist, a publicist, a prose writer, a social activist. Since 1970, he was the publisher of the underground political and independence magazine “No Time to Lose”, later a biweekly "The Eastern Chronicle." He was the author of the series of studies "On the Wine Trail", one of the main co-founders of the association "Freedom and Independence", reactivated after years of the Communist persecution at the first after-war national wine congress at the Pauline Monastery in Leśna Podlaska in 1990. In the years 1990-2000 he was a member of the main board and the President of the Wine - Podlasie branch. He was a co-organizer of the Białska-Podlaski movement for the rebuilding of Poland. He rescued and saved from oblivion the fallen soldiers of the Southern Podlasia.

• In memory of the Jews of Międzyrzec Podlaski - Polish citizens - murdered by the Germans. On the 80th anniversary of Operation Reinhardt (1942-1943). Memory is our duty.

To the Priest Kazimierz Korszniewicz, the founder and president of the Międzyrzecz Health Care Foundation, long-time priest, on the 60th anniversary of his priesthood.
Grateful for the spiritual and material support throughout all the years of his pastoral work:
- the community of Międzyrzecz;
- the management and employees of the district office in Biała Podlaska;
- the management and the employees of the hospital.
05.09.2021

Prayer monument, Międzyrzec Podlaski

You can see a Jewish memorial in the form of a monument called Prayer in the main square. The monument was erected on the initiative of the Israeli Association of Former Residents of Międzyrzec Podlaski. The sculpture was created by a female sculptor from Israel Yael Artsi in 2008. There are inscriptions at the memorial plaques attached to the pedestal. The inscriptions are in Polish, English and Hebrew. They read,
In the memory of the Jews from Międzyrzes Podlaski (Mezeritch) and its surroundings, who were murdered by the German invaders during the Holocaust of 1939 - 1944.
"The voice of your brother's blood is crying out to me from the ground”. Genesis chapter 4, 10.
The monument was unveiled on May 17, 2009. The memorial represents a female figure wrapped in a prayer shawl (tallit). The Israeli sculptress Yael Artzi was inspired by the image of her own mother praying.

Also, there is a monument to Cardinal Stefan Wyszyński in the main square. The insription on the pedestal reads,
In tribute of gratitude to Cardinal Stefan Wyszyński, the Prelate of the Millennium, on the 100th anniversary of his birth.
A.D. 2001. Beatification 12.IX.2021

The city’s oldest church dates back to the 15th century. St. Nicholas Church located in the main square is a three-nave, initially Gothic church, erected in 1477. After the fire in 1752, it was rebuilt in the Baroque style. The façade was designed by Christian Peter Aigner (1756-1841) in the classicist style at the beginning of the 19th century. The main altar contains paintings from Czechowicz's school of painting, attributed to Smuglewicz. On the left, there is a Renaissance chancel, an epitaph of Prince Piotr Zbaraski made in 1586.

Visiting St.Nickolas Church, Międzyrzec Podlaski

Stained glass windows at St.Nickolas Church / Bells at St.Nickolas Church: Maria, Josef and Wladislav.

You can see commemorative plaques in honor of distinguished priests. Those plaques are on the church building and inside it. Next to the church there is a belfry from 1746, as well as a chapel and a gate in the church fence.

The inscription on this memorial contains the names of the places, where thousands of Poles died or were executed by the Nazis. It reads,
The Polish Golgotha of the East, the conscience of the world and of the Poles, calls for a testimony to the truth.
Katyń, Kozelsk. Ostaszków. Miednoje, Wolyń, Starobielsk, Lubianka, Borowicze, Bykiwnia.
Soldiers of the Home Army, Stefan Nedzielak, Friar Jerzy Popieluszko, Victims of Siberia. A.D.2005

St. Peter and Paul’s Church is another old church of the city. It was founded by Prince A. Czartoryski in 1774 for the Uniates and was erected in the years 1782-1784. The historic bell tower also comes from that period. The main altar is in the Empire style. Inside there are three Rococo paintings from the end of the 18th century.

In 1875, the church was confiscated from the Uniates by the Russian government and turned into an Orthodox church in 1899. In 1916 and 1940, it was desecrated by the German invaders, who set up warehouses in it. In 1944, the church was hit by Soviet artillery. After the war, it was rebuilt, but without the slender turret. Thanks to the efforts of Fr. Kazimierz Korszniewicz, commemorative plaques and stained glass windows were installed after the war.

We were impressed by this memorial plaque dedicated to the young people, who fought against the stalinist terror. Not many plaques mention that phenomenon in simpe terms - the stalinist terror, and, due to many reasons, found it best to hide the notion using years (1944-1954) or "communist times" notion. The memorial plaque reads,
God Honor Homeland
To a group of young people from the organization “ZEW" consisting of the students of the general secondary school and the commercial technical school in Miedzyrzec Podlaski, who rebellioned and fought against the stalinist terror and who were arrested in 1952 by the security forces and repressioned in the following years.
Let us remember!
We found out that the Union of Freedom Evolutionists (ZEW) was a secret anti-communist organization founded in February 1951 in Międzyrzec Podlaski. They hung anti-communist leaflets in the city, severed the telephone lines of government offices, but were arrested, tortured ad sentenced to prison terms from 3 to 9 years.

St. Joseph's Church

St. Joseph's Church, Międzyrzec Podlaski

We found out about the history of this church having read one of its memorial plaques.
The church was consecrated on June 12, 1994 by the Bishop of Siedlce, Dr. January Mazur, with the participation of Bishop Wacław Skomoruchy and Bishop Henryk Tomasik. It was built and equipped in the years 1988-1994 by Priest Kazimierz Korszniewicz, Vicar General of the Diocese of Siedlce and the parish priest of St. Joseph’s Church in Międzyrzec Podlaski, on the donations of the faithful of the Międzyrzec parishes of St. joseph and St. Nicholas with the parish priest and dean, Canon Priest Michał Domanski.

St. Joseph's Church, Międzyrzec Podlaski

There is a memorial plaque to the priest Kazimierz Korszniewicz, the builder of the church, on the 20th anniversary of its consecration, from grateful parishioners. A.D. 2014.

We liked this memorial plaque that is attached to the loggy of the church. It was presented by the faithful of the parish of Christ the King in Międzyrzec Podlaski on June 23, 2019. It is dedicated to the 25th jubilee of the church foundation.

We walked along Lublin Street and reached the Potocki Palace. The Potocki Palace designed by Francesco Maria Lanci (1799 –1875), a Polish architect of Italian descent. The palace was burned on November 16, 1918 during the Bloody Days of Międzyrzec.

The renovated Potockis Palace in Międzyrzec Podlaski

The renovated Potockis Palace in Międzyrzec Podlaski

Palace and park complex was founded in the 18th century. There is a neo-Gothic turret from 1840, buildings of former stables and coach houses. There is a large park with numerous alleys and two old ponds.

Walking along the park alleys, the Potockis Palace, Międzyrzec Podlaski

The huge old ash-tree the Potockis Palace, Międzyrzec Podlaski

The neo-Gothic turret from 1840, the Potocki Park

The model of the old palace in the park, Międzyrzec Podlaski

The old pond of the park of the Potockis Palace in Międzyrzec Podlaski

The historic Palace and Park Complex was renovated with the help of the European Regional Development Fund. The information board tells us that the revitalisation was dedicated to the adaptation of the former Potocki Palace in Międzyrzec Podlaski for cultural purposes.

We saw the January Uprising memorial plaque that reads,
On the 140th anniversary of the January Uprising
to the great and holy Poles, its participants:
St. Albert Adam Chmielowski, St. Rafał Kalinowski,
Blessed Zygmunt Szczesny Felinski,
Romuald Traugutt, Friar Stanisław Brzózka,
and to the memory of those who under the command of Karol Krysiński, on the night of 4-5 May 1863, fought in this place with the tsar's garrison.

The Society of Friends of Science
The Memorial Oak planted in honor of Sergeant Ignacy Zowczak,
who was born in Międzyrzec Podlaski on November 16, 1892,
a legionnaire, the commander of the POW unit in Międzyrzec in 1918.
He perished on November 16, 1918 during the defense of our city.

On the 96th anniversary of the "Bloody Days of Międzyrzec"
November 17, 2014.

On the way back to the bus stop, we walked along the nice City Promenade, where we saw the Monument of Freedom. It was made from an original element of the Berlin Wall donated to the city of Międzyrzec Podlaski by the Oderhavel District Authorities. This is what the memorial plaque told us. The monument was installed in Międzyrzec Podlaski on August 24, 2010 and was unveiled by His Excellency Cardinal Stanisław Dziwisz.
There is also the Independence Bench on the Promenade.

Walking along the Promenade in Międzyrzec Podlaski_Crossing the bridge over the Krzna

Walking along the Promenade

We passed the railway station on the way to and from the lakes. The building dates back to 1867. It was an important point of defense in 1918.

The mural is in Lublin Street. It contains an inscription describing the traguc death of General Sikorski. It reads,
Sikorski died in a plane crash in Gibraltar on July 4, 1943, while returning from an inspection of Polish forces in the Middle East, flying a Liberator B-24. His daughter also died. The Czech pilot survived. He said there was some package in the plane. Whose job was it? Not all the circumstances of Sikorski's death have been fully explained, and the British archives, which contain, among other things, the results of the investigation into the crash, will remain closed until 2050. Sikorski was buried in the Polish airmen's cemetery in Newark near Nottingham. On September 17, 1993, his ashes were transferred to Wawel Castle.

Visiting the Międzyrzec Podlaski Lakes was a great experience

Visiting the Międzyrzec Podlaski Lakes_at the city beach/Clean water and lots of fish in the Międzyrzec Podlaski Lakes

There is what you might think a mould, but it is, in fact, a ski slope (Stok Narciarski - in Polish) that is very popular in winter time.

Visiting the Międzyrzec Podlaski Lakes

Walking past the Galeria Shopping Mall in Międzyrzec Podlaski

This featured blog entry was written by Vic_IV from the blog Our Stay in Poland.
Read comments or Subscribe