Nowe Święciany (Švenčionėliai) has a Polish House

Nobody believed that the house will be established, but thanks to the commitment of many people, it is finally opened – these words were frequently spoken during the official opening of the Polish House in Nowe Święciany. Additionally, it was said that the creation of the house in this region is particularly important due to the fact that Polish culture has been in decline.

“Today is a happy day for Nowe Święciany. It is an opening day of the Polish House that you have waited for so long. I would like to thank all the people that helped in establishing this place. The gratitude for that gift cannot be expressed by words, but by heart. That’s because we feel like a one big Polish family that binds 60 mm people across the world. (…) Before the war Poles constituted the majority of the population of Nowe Święciany. Now Poles stand for the 30% of its population. There are no Polish schools here since decades. There is a Sunday school, but it didn’t have a fixed residence. And so this house is indeed needed” – said Waldemar Tomaszewski, the leader of the Electoral Action of Poles in Lithuania, the member of the European Parliament.

He highlighted that many people contributed to the realization of the project: Wacław Wiłkojć, the councillor of the local government of the Švenčionys District, and the member of the parliament – Zbigniew Jedziński. But it was Janusz Skolimowski, the then Ambassador of the Republic of Poland in Lithuania (currently the chairperson of The Foundation Aid to Poles in the East), who contributed the most.

“There were many questions, many doubts, but Janusz Skolimowski was the one that convinced Polish authorities that the construction of the house was necessary. He was always helpful and kind towards Poles that live in Lithuania” – said Tomaszewski.

Other speakers stressed the efforts of the leader of The Electoral Action of Poles in Lithuania in the creation of the Polish House.

“It is good to be among people who are satisfied and to be happy with the fulfilled dreams. And it is good to have people like Waldemar Tomaszewski on our side. The man capable of realizing the dreams of the community. It is Waldemar Tomaszewski who tried different means to secure the creation of this place. This house is the proof that Polish communities across the world help one another” – said Longin Komołowski, the chairperson of the Wspólnota Polska (the Polish Community Association).

“15 years ago Mr. Waldemar Tomaszewski said that we should build a residence in Święciany or Nowe Święciany because we owe it to the people that don’t have their schools, to those who unlike people from the Vilnius and Šalčininkai districts are unable to cultivate their culture and traditions. The completion of that idea was very difficult. If it wasn’t for Tomaszewski all might have ended on the design phase” – said Zbigniew Jedziński.

The member of the parliament also mentioned that the house needs a patron. He added that the citizens have the decisive vote in that matter. They should propose the potential names for the Polish House.

Consul general, Stanisław Cygnarowski, spoke on behalf of the Ambassador of the Republic of Poland in Lithuania – Jarosław Czubiński.

“I had the opportunity to visit the house while it was still in construction. Already at that time it was possible to notice how good it will be for its future users. (…) The authorities of the Republic of Poland, which decided to spent a substantial amount of money on the construction of that house, agreed with the Electoral Action of Poles in Lithuania and the Association of Poles in Lithuania that new multifunctional building is especially needed where the situation of Poles is more difficult, where their number decreases, and where they should have their own place, their own home. (…) I believe that you are capable of bringing this building to live and injecting it with the Polish spirit. I believe that it will satisfy the needs of Polish community” – wrote ambassador Czubiński in his letter.

The two-storey Polish House in Nowe Święciany covers the area of 490 square meters. The bottom floor consists of the hall, the library and the kitchen room, whereas the upper floor comprises of the 8 guest rooms. Zbigniew Jedziński told Radio Znad Wili that in the future the house might also be used by tourists: “We would be glad to host the visitors from Poland that would like to sightsee across our beautiful region” – underlined Jedziński.