15th anniversary of Polish studies at Vilnius University

Days of Polish studies in University of Vilnius

Traditionally days of Polish studies at Philology Faculty, Vilnius University were held for the 15^th time. Tradition of May’s fest of polish teachers was began in 2002. It originated spontaneously  from students and lecturers initiative, as they decided to follow the path of Philomaths (this year is their 200 anniversary). They could ideally combine well with profitable for example scientific, self-educational meetings with plenary trips called as ‘Mayans’.

Philomaths and Filarets had worthy successors even in interwar period. Those were participants of the Academic Club of Vilnius Rangers (1923-1939) such as very prominent poets – Czesław Miłosz, Teodor Bujnicki. Philosophy of the club was ‘the spiritual and physical range’, cult of liberty, movement, and youth. Traditional May days of Polish studies at Vilnius University are the form of referring to those things which were interesting, important, and useful in the history of our University’s academic community.

This jubilee year is different than in the past. Days of Polish studies began in 15^th May from the trip to Druskieniki. The trip to this beautiful health city, which is located by the river Niemen, was connected with some important jubilees.

This year is 180^th anniversary of the start of building health city which after 2 years gave the opening of the first sanatory. The next jubilee is the 170^th anniversary of the death of the Philomath and Filaret – Jan Czeczot (1796-1847), Adam Mieckiewicz’s friend. After coming back from the exile he cured himself in Druskieniki and he also dies there in the hands of Józef Ignacy Kraszewski.

Finally the third jubilee is 150^th anniversary of publishing the novel of Eliza Orzeszkowa “Ostatnia Miłość” (1867). Its action is going on in this health city, what is the reason to be proud for city’s citizens. In museum of Druskieniki, which is located in the old Kiersnowski’s Palace, is the special exhibition which is devoted to this literary event.

Our ideal city’s guides were Mr and Mrs Gintaras and Roma Drumčiusow, the headmaster and curator of the museum. Thanks to them we could visit city’s historic cemetery where are buried for example parents of excellent Lithuanian painter and composer – Mikołajus Konstantinas  Čiurlionis. There are also buried such prominent people as graduates of Vilnius Medical University – Ksawery Wolfgang (the publisher of the newspaper „Ondyna Wód Druskienickich”), Jan Piłecki – director of the health city and dear friend of Pawłowski family – Eliza Orzeszkowa’s parents.

Our guides showed us also other local interesting places such as the oak of Józef Piłsudski or the place where kurhauz was standing. In this place the author of „Nad Niemnem” participated in the charity evening for the care home evening for the last time.

The fate wanted that the choice of the place this year’s trip was also important because of sad events. On 11^th May, few days before Polish studies day, unexpectedly died the creator of Polish studies at Vilnius University in interwar period of the University. He was a long going director of the Polish Centre and he was connoisseur and translator of the Polish and Lithuanian literature professor Algis Kaleda. He was born in nearby village Mašnyčiai, his childhood and schoolyears were spent in Druskieniki. That is why during this trip we went to the church of Saint Mary Scapular and we prayed for his soul.

On the way back to Vilnius we went also to the cemetery to nearby Rotnica (lit. Ratnyčia), where Jan Czeczot was buried. He was the author of „Śpiewki o dawnych Litwinach” to 1434 and he also created many songs from „Śpiewnik domowy Stanisława Moniuszki (for ex. Prząśniczki i Kozaka”). He was also the scientist of Belarussian folcolore. 10 years after his death the monument was raised on his grave where was written the poem of the other poet and his friend – Adam Mieckiewicz, Antoni Edawrd Odyniec, devoted to late and his partners. There were included words such as:

The whole sequence of his life – the way to salvation.

His name in his homeland is eternal

Associated with A. Mickiewicz and T. Zan.

Who knows what he was,

Fold the temple against the boulder.

Think, sigh and pray

For all three together.

The request of the Goddess became too much: we lit the candles and we prayed together our Father, and we also sang several Philoman songs.

The student’s conference – not quantity but quality

Likewise in other years within days of Polish studies, students conference was held. From five years, that means from 2005, thanks to Erasmus students from Poland and Germany, our conference became international event. Polish students were also here this year and prominent , one of the participants – Katarzyna Ostrowska MA student of Jan Kochanowski University in Kielce, participated  for the third time, and her college – Katarzyna Wójcikowska for the second time.

The conference was run by Izabela Chorościn (third year of Polish studies at University of Warsaw) who also spoke as the first. She showed the presentation which topic was this year’s jubilee of Polish studies. Fellow 7 students also took place in the conference, which was not much comparing to other years, because it is common that about 10 or 12 people take place in the conference. What is also important some of the students continue their academical careers as the students of PhD studies. These are – MA Monika Bogodziewicz, Polish and Lithuanian teacher from our University, and MA Sabina Jakubowicz who is currently a PhD student of History Faculty of Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznań. Both our graduates spoke about fragments of their latest scientific studies.

The students of first and third year also took place in the conference that is Ewa Praszkiewicz – title of her speech was: Teaching the language politeness in student’s books for Polish language for classes V-VIII in Polish schools in Lithuania) and Barabara Sidorowicz who showed life and work of her grandmother (who has the same name), the famous poet from Troki (Barbara Sidorowicz (1933-2004) – Troki’s strongwoman).

The topics of speeches were very different, they varied from linguistic topics (K.Ostrowska – The attitudes toward jive talk, dialects, and regional variation of Polish language in the light of mLingua forum; M.Bogudziewicz – About shame, without shame that is conceptualization of the shame in Lithuanian language). We could listen also about literature from XX century(S.Jakutowicz – Home education and junior high schools in the light of Jan Bułhak prose; K. Wójcikowska – About Mark Edelman’s memories about Warsaw Jews in the first months of II World War)

The speeches were listened not only by fellow students and lecturers from the Polish Centre, but also our faithful and dear guests – professor Stanisław Cygan from Jan Kochanowski University in Kielce, PhD Tomasz Jędrzejewski, and Emilia Kolinko from University of Warsaw. They participated in the days of Polish studies in 2009 as Erasmus students, but now they are self-reliant science workers.

15th Days of Polish Studies came to the end. We think that this interesting and important tradition on our Vilnius Alma Mater will be continued.

Students and lecturers of Polish studies at Vilnius University want to gratefully thank of the RP Embassy in Vilnius for the defrayal of expenses of the Drukieniki trip and for the Polish Institute in Vilnius for founding the awards for the participants in students conference.

Traditionally days of Polish studies at Philology Faculty, Vilnius University were held for the 15^th time. Tradition of May’s fest of polish teachers was began in 2002. It originated spontaneously  from students and lecturers initiative, as they decided to follow the path of Philomaths (this year is their 200 anniversary). They could ideally combine well with profitable for example scientific, self-educational meetings with plenary trips called as ‘Mayans’.

Philomaths and Filarets had worthy successors even in interwar period. Those were participants of the Academic Club of Vilnius Rangers (1923-1939) such as very prominent poets – Czesław Miłosz, Teodor Bujnicki. Philosophy of the club was ‘the spiritual and physical range’, cult of liberty, movement, and youth. Traditional May days of Polish studies at Vilnius University are the form of referring to those things which were interesting, important, and useful in the history of our University’s academic community.

This jubilee year is different than in the past. Days of Polish studies began in 15^th May from the trip to Druskieniki. The trip to this beautiful health city, which is located by the river Niemen, was connected with some important jubilees.

This year is 180^th anniversary of the start of building health city which after 2 years gave the opening of the first sanatory. The next jubilee is the 170^th anniversary of the death of the Philomath and Filaret – Jan Czeczot (1796-1847), Adam Mieckiewicz’s friend. After coming back from the exile he cured himself in Druskieniki and he also dies there in the hands of Józef Ignacy Kraszewski.

Finally the third jubilee is 150^th anniversary of publishing the novel of Eliza Orzeszkowa “Ostatnia Miłość” (1867). Its action is going on in this health city, what is the reason to be proud for city’s citizens. In museum of Druskieniki, which is located in the old Kiersnowski’s Palace, is the special exhibition which is devoted to this literary event.

Our ideal city’s guides were Mr and Mrs Gintaras and Roma Drumčiusow, the headmaster and curator of the museum. Thanks to them we could visit city’s historic cemetery where are buried for example parents of excellent Lithuanian painter and composer – Mikołajus Konstantinas  Čiurlionis. There are also buried such prominent people as graduates of Vilnius Medical University – Ksawery Wolfgang (the publisher of the newspaper „Ondyna Wód Druskienickich”), Jan Piłecki – director of the health city and dear friend of Pawłowski family – Eliza Orzeszkowa’s parents.

Our guides showed us also other local interesting places such as the oak of Józef Piłsudski or the place where kurhauz was standing. In this place the author of „Nad Niemnem” participated in the charity evening for the care home evening for the last time.

The fate wanted that the choice of the place this year’s trip was also important because of sad events. On 11^th May, few days before Polish studies day, unexpectedly died the creator of Polish studies at Vilnius University in interwar period of the University. He was a long going director of the Polish Centre and he was connoisseur and translator of the Polish and Lithuanian literature professor Algis Kaleda. He was born in nearby village Mašnyčiai, his childhood and schoolyears were spent in Druskieniki. That is why during this trip we went to the church of Saint Mary Scapular and we prayed for his soul.

On the way back to Vilnius we went also to the cemetery to nearby Rotnica (lit. Ratnyčia), where Jan Czeczot was buried. He was the author of „Śpiewki o dawnych Litwinach” to 1434 and he also created many songs from „Śpiewnik domowy Stanisława Moniuszki (for ex. Prząśniczki i Kozaka”). He was also the scientist of Belarussian folcolore. 10 years after his death the monument was raised on his grave where was written the poem of the other poet and his friend – Adam Mieckiewicz, Antoni Edawrd Odyniec, devoted to late and his partners. There were included words such as:

The whole sequence of his life – the way to salvation.

His name in his homeland is eternal

Associated with A. Mickiewicz and T. Zan.

Who knows what he was,

Fold the temple against the boulder.

Think, sigh and pray

For all three together.

The request of the Goddess became too much: we lit the candles and we prayed together our Father, and we also sang several Philoman songs.

The student’s conference – not quantity but quality

Likewise in other years within days of Polish studies, students conference was held. From five years, that means from 2005, thanks to Erasmus students from Poland and Germany, our conference became international event. Polish students were also here this year and prominent , one of the participants – Katarzyna Ostrowska MA student of Jan Kochanowski University in Kielce, participated  for the third time, and her college – Katarzyna Wójcikowska for the second time.

The conference was run by Izabela Chorościn (third year of Polish studies at University of Warsaw) who also spoke as the first. She showed the presentation which topic was this year’s jubilee of Polish studies. Fellow 7 students also took place in the conference, which was not much comparing to other years, because it is common that about 10 or 12 people take place in the conference. What is also important some of the students continue their academical careers as the students of PhD studies. These are – MA Monika Bogodziewicz, Polish and Lithuanian teacher from our University, and MA Sabina Jakubowicz who is currently a PhD student of History Faculty of Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznań. Both our graduates spoke about fragments of their latest scientific studies.

The students of first and third year also took place in the conference that is Ewa Praszkiewicz – title of her speech was: Teaching the language politeness in student’s books for Polish language for classes V-VIII in Polish schools in Lithuania) and Barabara Sidorowicz who showed life and work of her grandmother (who has the same name), the famous poet from Troki (Barbara Sidorowicz (1933-2004) – Troki’s strongwoman).

The topics of speeches were very different, they varied from linguistic topics (K.Ostrowska – The attitudes toward jive talk, dialects, and regional variation of Polish language in the light of mLingua forum; M.Bogudziewicz – About shame, without shame that is conceptualization of the shame in Lithuanian language). We could listen also about literature from XX century(S.Jakutowicz – Home education and junior high schools in the light of Jan Bułhak prose; K. Wójcikowska – About Mark Edelman’s memories about Warsaw Jews in the first months of II World War)

The speeches were listened not only by fellow students and lecturers from the Polish Centre, but also our faithful and dear guests – professor Stanisław Cygan from Jan Kochanowski University in Kielce, PhD Tomasz Jędrzejewski, and Emilia Kolinko from University of Warsaw. They participated in the days of Polish studies in 2009 as Erasmus students, but now they are self-reliant science workers.

15th Days of Polish Studies came to the end. We think that this interesting and important tradition on our Vilnius Alma Mater will be continued.

Students and lecturers of Polish studies at Vilnius University want to gratefully thank of the RP Embassy in Vilnius for the defrayal of expenses of the Drukieniki trip and for the Polish Institute in Vilnius for founding the awards for the participants in students conference.