Lithuanian sites in Warsaw
Ričardas Jaramičius, from the Institute of Grand Duchy of Lithuania, explores the traces of Poland and Lithuania’s shared past still evident in the streets of Warsaw
Lithuania and Poland are linked not only by their geographical closeness but also by their intertwined and often shared history. The historical narratives of both countries often focus on the same past events or processes and the prominent historical figures involved. Sometimes, in these countries, there are different views and slightly alternative presentations of various issues of the past. The differences between the historical narratives in Lithuanian and Polish societies are insignificant and do not cause much political or social tension today. Although there were severe conflicts in the first half of the 20th century, relations between Lithuania and Poland are now good, and surveys show that both Lithuanians view Poland and Polish citizens view Lithuania quite positively.
Lithuanian tourists in Poland or Polish tourists in Lithuania are common sights on the streets of both countries' main cities and in places popular among travellers. A common trend is that travellers from a neighbouring country often want to visit sites related to their country's history. In September-October 2023, during my (Ričardas Jaramičius) internship in Warsaw, I saw Lithuanian signs in the Capital of Poland.
Of course, it is an almost impossible task to describe and analyse all the Lithuanian accents in Warsaw in a single article, so I had to define the field of objects. During my internship, I focused on the map "Lithuanian Warsaw" by Rūstis Kamuntavičius and the locations highlighted. This map is often used to introduce Warsaw to Lithuanian tourist groups. In this article, I will try to give an overview of what kind of historical narrative about the history of Lithuania can be created while walking around Warsaw: what kind of themes and what kind of narratives and the nuances of a shared or separate history emerge. I would also like to emphasise that this article will be approached from a Lithuanian perspective.
Political History
Pic 1. Plaque on the Co-cathedral Church of Our Lady of Victory
The first theme relates to political history or, more accurately, to the history of parliamentarism. Common issues have linked the Grand Duchy of Lithuania and the Kingdom of Poland since the end of the 14th century (Act of Kreva in 1385), and from the middle of the 16th century, the ties became even more substantial. After the administrative and judicial reforms and the Union of Lublin, the nobility had to adapt to new political and legal functioning conditions. The codification of law and the emerging new forms of parliamentarism stimulated the formation of the legal and political thought of the GDL nobility. The elite of the GDL became involved in the public life of The Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth. At that time, to organise joint sessions and elections of rulers, it was necessary to deal with the logistical issues of the arrival of the representatives of the GDL and the meeting in Warsaw.
Pic 2. Election place of the rulers of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth
The issue of arriving in Warsaw was an important one, as the envoys of the GDL districts were often late to the Sejm due to problematic journeys to Warsaw.[1] The situation was exacerbated in the first decades of the 17th century because the first permanent bridge across the Vistula, built between 1568 and 1573, was destroyed in 1603 due to ice accumulation.[2] For example, even in 1632, after the death of Sigismund III Vasa, the Lithuanian nobility demanded that the electoral session be held on the side of the Vistula River that was convenient for them and that a bridge be built across the river itself. This is just one example of Polish and Lithuanian politicians dealing with logistical and organisational issues. It is symbolic that today's traveller can start his excursion about Lithuanian signs at the place where, as it were, the political and parliamentary coexistence between Poland and the GDL took its first steps - in Kamionek and Wola. Kamionek is part of Warsaw, located on the east side of the Vistula River (in Praga). In the field next to the Co-cathedral Church of Our Lady of Victory (Grochowska Street 365), there have been several elections of Polish and Lithuanian rulers (Henry de Valois in 1573 and Augustus III in 1733). On the church's facade, there is a plaque commemorating the elections. Usually, the election of the rulers took place on the other side of the Vistula River in the former village of Wola (now the corner of Obozowa and Gostińska). Another place of particular importance for the history of parliamentarism of the GDL is the Church of the Gracious Mother of God, the Patroness of Warsaw, located in the Old Town of Warsaw. During the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth times, this church used to be the venue for meetings of the Lithuanian fraction in the Sejm.
Palaces and Parks
Pic 3. Residence of the President of the Republic of Poland (Radziwiłł Palace)
The second group of objects is equally important for Lithuanians and Poles - the residences of the rulers of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth. First, the Ujazdów Castle commemorates the early seventeenth century - the reigns of Sigismund III Vasa and Władysław IV Vasa. It is now home to the Centre for Contemporary Art. Other places that remind us of the rulers of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth and attract many tourists are the Wilanów Palace and Park and the Łazienki Palace and Park ensemble. The Wilanów Palace tells us about the times of Polish–Lithuanian ruler Jan III Sobieski (late seventeenth century), while the Royal Łazienki Palace - the summer residence of Stanisław August Poniatowski, who came from the lands of the GDL - reminds us of the times of the last ruler of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth. Finally, the history of all the Seventeenth and eighteenth centuries Polish kings and Grand Dukes of the GDL is united by the principal residence of the rulers - the Royal Castle.
Famous Families
The third group of objects reflecting the shared history of Lithuania and Poland are the residences and burial places of important noble families and persons in Warsaw. One of the most important and famous buildings in today's Warsaw is the residence of the President of the Republic of Poland, located in the Radziwiłł Palace. This family, famous both in Lithuania and Poland, owned the palace in the 18th century. Nearby (now Krakowskie Przedmieście 5) was another palace of the Radziwiłł family, ruled from the 17th to the 18th centuries. It is now the home of the Academy of Fine Arts in Warsaw, with Lithuanian traces in its history. At the beginning of the 20th century, the Academy was attended by the painter, composer and cultural figure Mikalojus Konstantinas Čiurlionis and the sculptor Vincas Grybas.
Visiting this part of Warsaw, we can also see the residences of other famous families. Opposite the President of Poland's residence is the Czartorisky family's palace. The family, which originated from the Ukrainian lands of the GDL and associated itself with the Gediminas family, ruled this palace in the eighteenth century. By the way, in the eighteenth century, the Czartorisky also had a palace in Wilanów. The building of the University of Warsaw (Krakowskie Przedmieście 32), currently housing research and study centres specializing in Central Eastern European studies, belonged to the Tyszkiewicz family in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. Finally, a bit further south (now on the corner of Nowy Świat and Warecka Streets), we find the palace of Sanguško, another family of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, which originated from the Ruthenian lands of the GDL and was associated with the Grand Duke Algirdas of Lithuania. We move south to the Kossakowski Palace (Nowy Świat 19). The family had owned this palace in the second half of the 19th century. The recent history of the nobility is represented by the palace of the Dowgiałło family (Jana Chrystiana Sucha al. 6/8), built in the early 20th century. The Dowgiałło family originated from Samogitia.
Warsaw's Old Town also contains the residences of several other famous families in Lithuanian and Polish history. The palace of one of the most famous and influential families of the GDL, the Chodkiewicz, was located at Kościelna Street 10 (now) (the family ruled at the end of the eighteenth century) and Miodowa Street 14 (now) (the family owned the palace at the turn of the 18th and 19th centuries). On the other side of Miodowa Street (Nr. 15) is the palace ruled by the Pac family in the 17th and 18th centuries. The Pac family of the nobility of the GDL reached the peak of its power in the second half of the 17th century. Good relations with the kings of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth and their estates, marriages, and intelligent politics allowed the Pac to become one of the most powerful families in the state at the time. Regarding families of exceptional influence, we should also mention the Sapieha Palace at Zakroczymska Street 6.
The fact that the coils of both Polish and Lithuanian pasts can encircle the biography of a single family is perfectly illustrated by the story of the Narutowicz. Stanisław Narutowicz was a signatory of the 1918 Lithuanian Independence Act, and his younger brother, Gabriel Narutawicz, became the first President of Poland. Both were from Telšiai. G. Narutawicz was shot just a few days after becoming President. He is buried in Warsaw's Cathedral Basilica of Saint John the Baptist.
Pic 4. Church of the Visitation of the Most Blessed Virgin Mary
The sacral objects also tell the story of the shared history of Poland and Lithuania. In addition to the churches already discussed, the Church of the Visitation of the Most Blessed Virgin Mary is also related to the history of the GDL. The church was founded in the 15th century by Danutė Ona (daughter of the former Grand Duke of GDL Kęstutis). Danutė Ona was married to the ruler of Mazovia, Janusz I. During a visit to the Old Town, we can also visit St. Casimir's Church. St. Casimir is the Patron Saint of Lithuania.
In this article, we have chosen those objects which, while in Warsaw, are also an important part of Lithuanian history. Most of them tell us about the political history of the GDL, the influence of the ruling families and their connections. At the same time, it shows that any narrative of the 16th and 20th centuries is only possible by looking at both neighbours and the intertwining of historical events and processes.
[1] W. Kaczorowski, “Rola Krzysztofa II Radziwiłła na sejmach konwokacyjnym i elekcyjnym w okresie bezkrólewia 1632 r.”, Miscellanea Historico-Archivistica, 3 (1989), p. 38.
[2] A. Kersten, Warszawa kazimierzowska 1648–1668, Warszawa, 1971, p. 19.
Ričardas Jaramičius is an assistant at the Institute of Grand Duchy of Lithuania, a PhD student at Vytautas Magnus University (VMU), Faculty of Humanities, Department of History and a young researcher at VMU Vytautas Kavolis Transdisciplinary Institute of Social Sciences and Humanities (SOCMTEP). Main scientific interests: Grand Duchy of Lithuania nobility in public life, the second half of the 16th century – the first half of the 17th century.
Rūstis Kamuntavičius is the Director of the Institute of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, Associate professor of the Department of History, and head of Czesław Miłosz Center, Vytautas Magnus University. Main fields of interest: The history, politics, culture and national narratives of Lithuania, Poland and Belarus; historical relations between Lithuania and Western European countries since the Middle Ages. Full biography: rustis.lt/biografija.