Madeira, a Portuguese island in the Atlantic Ocean that is regarded as the land of eternal spring, has long been a popular holiday destination. Due to its mild climate, it was a good destination for those wishing to restore their health. Marshall Józef Piłsudski travelled to Madeira for such a purpose. He spent his longest holiday on Madeira - from 21 December 1930 to 22 March 1931. He stayed in the town of Funchal, where many buildings reminding visitors of his stay have been preserved to this day.

Holidays in Madeira

From snowy Poland, Piłsudski set off on 15 December 1930. By then already 63 years old, the Marshal was experiencing increasing health problems, being overtired and nervously exhausted. His condition was to be improved by a change to a warmer climate, as recommended by doctors. Given the choice between Egypt and Madeira, he finally decided, at his daughters' insistence, to stay on the Atlantic island that had long been a holiday destination for many famous personalities (Winston Churchill and the poet Rainer Maria Rilke, among others, had spent their holidays there). He was accompanied on the trip by doctors Colonel Marcin Woyczyński and Eugenia Lewicka. The presence of the latter aroused considerable controversy among the public, as the then 34-year-old doctor, whom Piłsudski met in 1924 during a stay at a sanatorium in Druskininkai, was suspected of having an affair with the Marshal. Piłsudski was also followed to Madeira by Capt. Mieczysław Lepecki - an experienced traveller with a good command of Portuguese, who was to take care of the safety of his stay. Lepecki described his memories of that period in his book 'Z marszałkiem Piłsudskim na Madera' (1931).

Piłsudski arrived in Lisbon by train on 19th December 1930. Already at the station, a crowd of curious people, including several dozen journalists, was waiting for him. Already at the station, a crowd of curious people, including a few dozen journalists, was waiting for him. The Marshal's arrival, and later his entire stay, was widely commented on in the local press. In Lisbon, Piłsudski had another meeting with the then President of Portugal, Antonio Oscar de Fragosa Carmona, after which he sailed in the direction of Madeira aboard the Angola. He arrived in the port of Funchal after two days of travel.

Villa Quinta Bettencourt

Józef Piłsudski spent his entire stay in Madeira at the Quinta Bettencourt Villa on the outskirts of Funchal (at Caminho do Pilar 20). The intimate property, surrounded by a high wall, was a suitable place to rest. In the adjoining garden, overlooking the ocean, Piłsudski spent his time strolling, reading the press, playing solitaire and chess with Colonel Woyczyński. During his holidays, he was also preparing the publication of 'Historical Corrections'.

To commemorate Piłsudski's stay there in 1934, on the initiative of the Governor of Madeira, a metal plaque in Portuguese was set into the wall of the villa. Another plaque on this villa, unveiled in 1992, states that: "Marshal Józef Piłsudski lived in this house XII 1930 - III 1931 / in tribute to the first Marshal of Poland, his compatriots".

At the time when Piłsudski stayed there, Villa Quinta Bettencourt belonged to Swedish owners. At the beginning of the 1990s, it passed into the hands of a Portuguese family who are very respectful of the Polish accent in the building's history. As far as possible, they have preserved the original appearance and character of the villa, but it is now privately owned and not open to the public.

The namesake postcard campaign

Numerous news items about Piłsudski's stay in Madeira also appeared in the national press. Opposition media published caricatures devoted to him. In one of them, by the eminent Polish caricaturist Jerzy Zaruba, Piłsudski's opponents raise a toast that reads: "One hundred years, one hundred years, may he live, live there!", i.e. on a distant island.

A momentous event was Józef Piłsudski's name-day, which fell on 19 March. On that occasion, his associates organised a mass mailing of postcards with good wishes. While among adult citizens it was still a voluntary expression of 'homage to the First Citizen of Poland', sending such a card to schoolchildren was obligatory. As a result, more than a million postcards were sent to Madeira. To cope with such a deluge of correspondence, the post office in Funchal even had to employ extra staff.

Shortly afterwards, Piłsudski was preparing for his return voyage to Poland, which he made aboard ORP 'Wicher' - the then most modern destroyer serving in the Polish Navy. When the ship docked in Gdynia on 29 March, the Marshal was greeted by representatives of the authorities, including Prime Minister Walery Sławek and his daughters.

The Piłsudski Monument and roundabout

Although almost 100 years have passed since Piłsudski's visit to Madeira, his figure is still present in the island's space and remains one of the most important Polish accents there. In addition to commemorative plaques on the walls of the Quinta Bettencourt villa in Funchal, there is also a roundabout (at the junction of Caminho do Pilar and Caminho do Esmeraldo streets), which has borne Józef Piłsudski's name since 2009. In addition, in the town centre, on Rua António José de Almeida, a small bust of the Marshal can be seen, made by local artist Ricardo Velosa and unveiled in 2009.