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Paweł Polachowski, tablica pamięci gen. Bronisława Prugar-Ketlinga i gen. Henri Guisana, 1974 ?, brąz, Huttwil, ratusz, photo Andrzej Pieńkos
Licencja: CC BY-SA 4.0, Źródło: Instytut Polonika, Warunki licencji
Fotografia przedstawiająca Memorial plaque to General Bronislaw Prugar-Ketling and General Henri Guisan in Huttwil
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ID: POL-001381-P

Memorial plaque to General Bronislaw Prugar-Ketling and General Henri Guisan in Huttwil

ID: POL-001381-P

Memorial plaque to General Bronislaw Prugar-Ketling and General Henri Guisan in Huttwil

Variants of the name:
Gedenktafel in Erinnerung an Generäle Henri Guisan und Bronislaw Prugar-Ketling

In the hall of the municipal building (Stadthaus), to the right of the entrance door, hangs a plaque founded by the veterans of the Second Infantry Rifle Division, and made to a design by the Polish sculptor Paweł Polachowski, active in northern Switzerland. The small town of Huttwil, not far from Bern, became one of the main centres of the Polish unit interned in Switzerland in 1940, due to its convenient location on a major railway line. It was here that the unit's headquarters were located, its commander, General Bronisław Prugar-Ketling, was stationed, and two performances of soldier theatre were organised, as well as the first artistic "Exhibition of Works by Polish Military Internees", the opening of which was accompanied by a ceremonial concert (in November 1940). In April 1941, a meeting took place in Huttwil between General Henri Guisan, Commander-in-Chief of the Swiss Army, and General Prugar-Ketling. At that time, the Polish commander made a declaration that Polish soldiers would fight alongside Swiss soldiers if there was a German invasion of Confederate territory. However, the social situation of Polish soldiers improved as a result of Guisan's intervention.

The plaque shows portrait busts of both generals in prominent relief. The inscription below their images informs: "General Prugar/ General Guisan/ 22.4.41/ Zur Erinnerung an die Gemeinde Huttwil.Be von ehemaligen polnischen internierten Soldaten des 2. Weltkrieges". At the very bottom of the plaque are the coats of arms of the division and the canton. Below Guisan's bust is Polachowski's signature, while below Prugar's portrait is that of Józef Zygmunt, a veteran of the division who initiated the plaque. Both generals were also commemorated in 2010 with plaques at the Powązki Military Cemetery in Warsaw, in the Quarters of Soldiers of the Polish Armed Forces in the West. In Huttwil, a thank-you diploma of the Second Division staff is kept in the town hall, while a large grograph of Our Lady of Czestochowa, donated by Polish soldiers, is kept in the local church.

Related persons:
Time of origin:
ca. 1974
Creator:
Paweł Polachowski(preview)
Bibliography:
  • Jerzy Rucki, „Szwajcarskie wędrówki, śladami polskich żołnierzy internowanych w Szwajcarii”, Warszawa 2000, s. 70-71.
  • J. Zieliński, Nasza Szwajcaria, Warszawa 1999, s. 101-102.
  • S. Piekarski, Polskie muzy w krajobrazie Szwajcarii, t. I, Warszawa 2002, s. 88-89.
Keywords:
Author:
prof. Andrzej Pieńkos
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