ID: dok-000309-P/77737

French cemeteries - testimony of Polish heritage abroad

Other locations

ID: dok-000309-P/77737

French cemeteries - testimony of Polish heritage abroad

Hawr | France

Other locations

French cemeteries hold many traces of Polish heritage, being the resting places of prominent figures of Polish history, culture, science and politics. Necropolises such as Père-Lachaise in Paris, Montmartre, Montparnasse or the cemetery in Montmorency have become a home of eternal rest for Polish emigrants and their descendants. Among the graves are those of Fryderyk Chopin, Adam Mickiewicz, Juliusz Słowacki (although the ashes of both poets were transferred to Poland), a symbolic monument to Cyprian Kamil Norwid and many other distinguished figures.

The history of mass Polish emigration to France dates back to the 18th century, but culminated in the events of the 19th and 20th centuries. After the partitions of Poland and the collapse of successive national uprisings, France became one of the main centres of the Polish Great Emigration. The political and intellectual elite, including the leaders of the uprisings, artists and scientists, found refuge in France, where they continued to work for Polish independence. They settled mainly in and around Paris, forming active emigration communities.

In the 20th century, another wave of emigration followed World War I and World War II, when France welcomed Polish refugees, workers and intellectuals fleeing repression and the hardships of life in occupied or post-war Poland. Poles settled all over the country, including in industrial regions such as Nord-Pas-de-Calais, where they took up jobs in mines and factories.

Polish traces can also be found in cemeteries outside Paris. In Nice, the Monastery Cemetery (Cimetière du Château) contains the grave of Józef Konrad Korzeniowski, known as Joseph Conrad, an outstanding writer with Polish roots. In Le Mans, Polish graves recall the fate of migrant workers who settled in the industrial regions. In the cemetery in Lourdes, you will come across the graves of Polish pilgrims and monks. In regions of northern France, such as Douai or Arras, there are war cemeteries where Polish soldiers who fought in both world wars are buried.

Polish graves in French cemeteries are not only places of remembrance, but also a testimony to the fate of emigrants, their contribution to French life and Polish-French ties. Monuments and memorial plaques often commemorate both individuals and entire generations who have made significant contributions to the history of both countries.

This entry in the Polonica database will introduce the most important Polish traces in French necropolises, showing their significance in the context of the history of emigration and the common European identity. We invite you to discover these places full of symbolism, history and emotion.

List of cemeteries where gravestone monuments of Polish women and men have been preserved:

Cemeteries in Paris and the Île-de-France region - information in a separate entry

Agen (number of persons buried: 4)
Aigues-Mortes municipal cemetery (number of persons buried: 2)
Aix-en-Provence (number of persons buried: 1)
Aix-les-Bains (number of persons buried: 2)
Alès (number of persons buried: 15)
Amélie-les-Bains-Palalda municipal cemetery (number of persons buried: 2)
Aniche (number of persons buried: 2)
Auxerre (number of persons buried: 34)
Avignon (number of persons buried: 2)
Bagnols-sur-Cèze (number of persons buried: 2)
Bayeux - Est cemetery (number of persons buried: 4)
Bayeux - Ouest cemetery (number of persons buried: 2)
Bayeux - Ouest cemetery (number of persons buried: 9)
Bergerac (number of persons buried: 2)
Bernwiller - St. Jean cemetery (number of persons buried: 1)
Bordeaux - Chartreuse cemetery (number of persons buried: 55)
Caen - Vaucelle cemetery (number of persons buried: 2)
Cernay (number of persons buried: 4)
Châlons-en-Champagne (number of persons buried: 6)
Chantilly - Bourillon cemetery (number of persons buried: 3)
Cholet - Croix de Bault cemetery (number of persons buried: 12)
Cinqueux (number of persons buried: 1)
Corconne (number of persons buried: 1)
Corsept (number of persons buried: 2)
Dijon - Pejoces cemetery (number of persons buried: 4)
Dinard - Saint- Enogat cemetery (number of persons buried: 3)
Durtal - municipal cemetery (number of persons buried: 3)
Gençay (number of persons buried: 1)
La Grand-Combe (number of persons buried: 1)
Guebwiller (number of persons buried: 2)
Guéthary (number of persons buried: 2)
Le Havre - Cemetery of Sainte-Adresse (number of persons buried: 7)
Le Havre - Cemetery of Sainte-Marie (number of persons buried: 7)
Labarde (number of persons buried: 2)
Lailly-en-Val (number of persons buried: 47)
Le Cailar (number of persons buried: 2)
Le Mesnil (number of persons buried: 8)
Loches (number of persons buried: 1)
Malicorne-sur-Sarthe (number of persons buried: 4)
Marseille - Saint Pierre Cemetery (number of persons buried: 2)
Melle (number of persons buried: 2)
Mentona - Trabuquet cemetery (number of persons buried: 8)
Mentona - Vieux-Château cemetery (number of persons buried: 13)
Mirebeau (number of persons buried: 1)
Montrésor (number of persons buried: 74)
Nice - Caucade cemetery (number of persons buried: 44)
Nice - Château cemetery (number of persons buried: 10)
Nice - Cimiez cemetery (11 persons buried)
Nice - Saint-Antoine cemetery (number of persons buried: 3)
Nice - Saint-Barthélémy cemetery (number of persons buried: 2)
Nimes - Saint Baudile cemetery (number of persons buried: 2)
Ouarville (number of persons buried: 6)
Poitiers - Chilvert cemetery (number of persons buried: 30)
Poitiers - Hôpital des Champs cemetery (number of persons buried: 30)
Ribaute - Les Tavernnes cemetery (number of persons buried: 13)
Saint-Jean-du-Gard (number of persons buried: 1)
Saint-Clar-de-Rivière (number of persons buried: 2)
Saint-Dyé-sur-Loire (number of persons buried: 3)
Saint-Gilles (number of persons buried: 1)
Saint-Quentin (number of persons buried: 4)
Sauve (number of persons buried: 3)
Seillans (number of persons buried: 2)
Sète (number of persons buried: 1)
Sorgues (number of persons buried: 10)
Tarbes (number of persons buried: 1)
Tours (number of persons buried: 1)
Trouville (number of persons buried: 6)
Toulouse - Rapas cemetery (number of persons buried: 2)
Valençay (number of persons buried: 1)
Vence (number of persons buried: 1)
Villevieille (number of persons buried: 1)
Vitry-aux-Loges (number of persons buried: 2)

Bibliography:

„Cmentarze polskie poza granicami kraju” , raport, oprac. B. Gutowski, Warszawa 2022 (maszynopis).
Polskie groby historyczne we Francji, strona internetowa Towarzystwa Opieki nad Polskimi Pamiątkami i Grobami Historycznymi we Francji, http://www.tombeauxpolonais.eu/.
Towarzystwo Opieki nad Polskimi Zabytkami i Grobami Historycznymi we Francji.

Author:

Bartłomiej Gutowski

see more Text translated automatically

Katalog dokumentacji wykonanych prac inwentaryzacyjnych Show

2020-2022

Katalog dokumentacji wykonanych prac inwentaryzacyjnych

French cemeteries - testimony of Polish heritage abroad

French cemeteries - testimony of Polish heritage abroad

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