Memorial Unveiled To A Forgotten Tragedy
A smattering of Poland's beleaguered aristocracy gathered today in Cracow for the unveiling of a plaque dedicated to landowners murdered by the Nazis and Soviets.
Moustachioed 79 year old Maciej Rudzinski, chairmen of the Polish Landowners Association, seemed like a figure from another age as he presided over the ceremony, attired in a full length loden coat, and smartly polished handmade leather shoes.
The former landowners and their families were joined by representatives of the Church and the Military. Prayers were offered up and the plaque was blessed by local clergymen.
The marble plaque adorns a building on St. Johns Street, just off the main market square. During the inter-war years the building had housed the Association of the Landowners of Western Malopolska.
The Polish intelligencia was decimated as a result of the combined efforts of the Nazis and Soviets following the invasion of Poland in 1939. After the war, estates of over 50 hectares were conviscated, whilst those former landowners that remained in communist Poland were banned from entering within 50 kilometres of their property. Entry into university and certain high level fields of work was often denied to young aristocrats growing up in socialist Poland. Many families went into exile, a pattern that was followed by large numbers from all classes of the pre-war Republic.
The reclamation of land remains a difficult issue today, and no law has been passed to clarify the problem. Most families have lost the majority of their pre-war wealth, although many with properties in Cracow have been successful in regaining buildings.
After the ceremony, the aristocrats retired for a convivial glass of wine in the neighbouring restaurant, a well-known establishment named ''Chlopskie Jadlo'' - Peasant's Fare.