"We wanted the stone to be Belarusian." An renovated monument to Kościuszko unveiled in Switzerland

Павялічыць

— The monument in Solothurn was unveiled on October 21, 2017, two days after the 200th anniversary of Kościuszko's death. He lived and died in this Swiss city. How did the idea of restoring the monument come about, and who contributed to its realization?

— The monument itself was in need of restoration, as it was initially placed in some low-lying area and without a foundation. That was the city's idea. For the first four years, the city refused to consider the matter. And only thanks to various structures, organizations, and individuals were we able to obtain permission for restoration.

This was not a one-person effort. There was a large team. It included both individuals and organizations. For example, the Swiss Embassy in Minsk, former Ambassador Anna Egger, the mayor and municipal services of Solothurn, the head of the customs warehouse in Poland. People who worked at the Belarusian embassy in Switzerland also contributed to this story, although it was not the main organizer, as did the Maldzis initiative. There were many people who could, wanted, and helped.

Павялічыць

— What does the renovated monument look like? And how difficult was it to bring the stone from Belarus?

— As they say, everything related to Kościuszko is never done quickly or simply. These are always complex matters. The monument is seemingly the same, but it looks completely different now. The idea emerged to place a Belarusian boulder under the monument. The idea was very interesting. At first, we didn't even realize it would be so difficult to implement. So the process dragged on, perhaps for a year. There were many problems with exporting the stone from Belarus to Poland. Obstacles also arose at the border. The Poles, probably five times, walked around this stone, looking for what was wrong with it. They sent it for X-rays, asking: "Where is the plaque, where is it written about Kościuszko?"

Then there were problems with delivery to Switzerland. When the stone was loaded onto the bus, it turned out there was a problem with the load on the front axle. We were stopped by the Swiss police. The driver violated the law, and there was a court verdict with a fine. So everything was not easy, it took a long time, at every stage we encountered something. But we didn't want to back out of the endeavor. We wanted the stone to be Belarusian, to truly be from Belarusian fields.

Now it looks very beautiful. Firstly, the monument stands much higher. A platform of Belarusian cobblestones was built for it, so one can walk around the monument, stand nearby, take photos, and lay flowers.

— Why is it important for Belarusians to preserve the memory of Kościuszko specifically in Switzerland, where he spent his last months and where he died?

— I think that wherever our Belarusian heroes are, this memory must be preserved everywhere. Firstly, we don't have that many Belarusian heroes whom we cherish. Very often, our heroes are not our own. We, Belarusians, live in Switzerland, there is a strong Belarusian community and other Belarusian structures here. I believe it is right to support the memory not only of Kościuszko, but also of Marc Chagall in Zurich, Adam Mickiewicz in Lausanne. Earlier, we also supported the memory of Maria Magdalena Radziwiłł in Fribourg. Wherever our Belarusian heroes are, they should be supported and remembered there.

— Is the question and dispute about who Kościuszko belongs to a fair one?

— Listen, I think this dispute will never disappear. And we ourselves are to blame for this, we Belarusians, because we ourselves forgot him. Perhaps, at some point, we were ordered to forget him. And we simply abandoned him ourselves. Now it is very difficult to bring Kościuszko's personality back into our environment, to find a place for him among ourselves. We are used to considering him a Polish hero. And now it is very difficult to win a place for Kościuszko even among us, Belarusians, let alone among Poles. Therefore, it is important not to stop. I see that Poles are surprised to observe our initiatives. To them, it looks funny. But I see that with time it becomes, perhaps, alarming for them, because they understand: we will not stop.

Tadeusz Kościuszko is a national hero of Belarus, Poland, and the USA, an honorary citizen of France, and the leader of the 1794 liberation uprising against the Russian Empire. He is considered one of the most famous natives of Belarus in the world.

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