Tadeusz Fuss-Kaden, Christmas-themed painting, 1941-1942, 410 x 360 cm, Polish chapel, Zuchwil, photo Norbert Piwowarczyk, 2023, all rights reserved
Source: Instytut Polonika
Photo showing Decoration of the Polish chapel in Zuchwil
Tadeusz Fuss-Kaden, Christmas-themed painting, 1941-1942, Polish chapel, Zuchwil, photo Andrzej Pieńkos, 2014
License: CC BY-SA 4.0, License terms and conditions
Photo showing Decoration of the Polish chapel in Zuchwil
Interior of the Polish chapel in Zuchwil, photo Norbert Piwowarczyk, 2023, all rights reserved
Source: Instytut Polonika
Photo showing Decoration of the Polish chapel in Zuchwil
Jan Lewiński and Zygmunt Stankiewicz (design), Zygmunt Stankiewicz (execution), relief of St. John in the base of the altar, 1941-1942, marble, Polish chapel, Zuchwil, photo Andrzej Pieńkos, 2014
License: CC BY-SA 4.0, License terms and conditions
Photo showing Decoration of the Polish chapel in Zuchwil
Zygmunt Stankiewicz, relief on the entrance door 'Fighting on the French-Swiss border' , 1941-1942, oak, 107 x 60 cm, Polish chapel, Zuchwil, photo Norbert Piwowarczyk, 2023, all rights reserved
Source: Instytut Polonika
Photo showing Decoration of the Polish chapel in Zuchwil
Zygmunt Stankiewicz, relief on the entrance door 'Fighting on the French-Swiss border' , 1941-1942, oak, 107 x 60 cm, Polish chapel, Zuchwil, photo Andrzej Pieńkos, 2014
License: CC BY-SA 4.0, License terms and conditions
Photo showing Decoration of the Polish chapel in Zuchwil
Tadesz Fuss-Kaden (proj.), Decorative handle of the entrance door with the coat of arms of Warsaw (from the outside), 1941-1942, Polish chapel, Zuchwil, photo Andrzej Pieńkos, 2014
License: CC BY-SA 4.0, License terms and conditions
Photo showing Decoration of the Polish chapel in Zuchwil
Jan Zbigniew Bem, plaque-engraving according to the painting of Our Lady of the Dawn Gate (52 x 42 cm) and silver crown with eagles donated by Polish chaplains of the 2nd DSP, 1941-1942, silver-plated metal, Polish chapel, Zuchwil, photo Norbert Piwowarczyk, 2023, all rights reserved
Source: Instytut Polonika
Photo showing Decoration of the Polish chapel in Zuchwil
Jan Zbigniew Bem, plaque-engraving according to the painting of Our Lady of the Dawn Gate (52 x 42 cm) and silver crown with eagles donated by Polish chaplains of the 2nd DSP, 1941-1942, silver-plated metal, Polish chapel, Zuchwil, photo Andrzej Pieńkos, 2014
License: CC BY-SA 4.0, License terms and conditions
Photo showing Decoration of the Polish chapel in Zuchwil
Tadeusz Fuss-Kaden and Jan Lewiński (design), Franciszek Rutkowski, Canon Antoni Hawryłko (execution), grille in window (fragment), 1941-1942, metal, Polish chapel, Zuchwil, photo Andrzej Pieńkos, 2014
License: CC BY-SA 4.0, License terms and conditions
Photo showing Decoration of the Polish chapel in Zuchwil
Kazimierz Jodzewicz (design), Zbigniew Bem (execution), Plaque with a Latin sentence from Cicero's De Officiis [On Duty], freely translated as "Love of the Fatherland expresses everything that is dearest to us. Who among the noble would not be prepared to sacrifice his life for the good of the Fatherland?", 1941-1942, Polish chapel, Zuchwil, photo Norbert Piwowarczyk, 2023, all rights reserved
Source: Instytut Polonika
Photo showing Decoration of the Polish chapel in Zuchwil
Plaque commemorating soldiers of the 2nd Rifle Division killed for Poland in France in 1940, stone, 1941-1942, photo Norbert Piwowarczyk, 2023, all rights reserved
Source: Instytut Polonika
Photo showing Decoration of the Polish chapel in Zuchwil
Plaque commemorating soldiers of the 2nd Infantry Division killed for Poland in France in 1940, stone, 1941-1942, photo Norbert Piwowarczyk, 2023, all rights reserved
Source: Instytut Polonika
Photo showing Decoration of the Polish chapel in Zuchwil
Polish Chapel, Zuchwil, photo Norbert Piwowarczyk, 2023, all rights reserved
Source: Instytut Polonika
Photo showing Decoration of the Polish chapel in Zuchwil
Tadeusz Tomaszewski, Plaque in memory of Tadeusz Reytan, 1941, bronze cast (Ruetschi, Aarau), 93 x 74 cm, Polish Chapel, Zuchwil, photo Norbert Piwowarczyk, 2023, all rights reserved
Source: Instytut Polonika
Photo showing Decoration of the Polish chapel in Zuchwil
Jan Lewiński [Marek Leykam] (arch.), Polish chapel in Zuchwil, 1941-1942, right: monument to Tadeusz Kościuszko in Zuchwil, 1817, sandstone, bronze medallion, cast iron rim and cross, photo Norbert Piwowarczyk, 2023, all rights reserved
Source: Instytut Polonika
Photo showing Decoration of the Polish chapel in Zuchwil
Tadeusz Tomaszewski (design) and Adolf Pakuła (execution), Stone bench commemorating the internment of the 2nd DSP in Switzerland "18.VI.1940", ca. 1941-1945, photo Norbert Piwowarczyk, 2023, all rights reserved
Source: Instytut Polonika
Photo showing Decoration of the Polish chapel in Zuchwil
Tadeusz Tomaszewski (design) and Adolf Pakuła (execution), Stone bench commemorating the internment of the 2nd DSP in Switzerland "18.VI.1940" (fragment), ca. 1941-1945, photo Norbert Piwowarczyk, 2023, all rights reserved
Source: Instytut Polonika
Photo showing Decoration of the Polish chapel in Zuchwil
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ID: POL-001448-P/135390

Decoration of the Polish chapel in Zuchwil

ID: POL-001448-P/135390

Decoration of the Polish chapel in Zuchwil

Variants of the name:

Polenkapelle

The former 16th century cemetery chapel (dedicated to the Fourteen Helpers) lost its original function when the church cemetery was closed down in the 19th century. Due to the existence of two Polish monuments at this cemetery: Tadeusz Kościuszko and Tadeusz Reytan, and the creation here of a peculiar place of national worship, known locally as the Polenanlage, it was decided to entrust its reconstruction and adaptation for new purposes to Polish soldiers from the Second Division of Rifle Rifles, interned in Switzerland in 1940.

The regulations for the competition for the design of the reconstruction and interior decoration of the 'DSP memorial chapel in Solura' were issued at the internment camp in Elgg near Winterthur on 24 October 1941 (with an application deadline of 1 December). The competition was "open to all Polish soldiers interned in Switzerland" and also included the need to resolve the issue of interior lighting, the design of a new entrance, and the surroundings of the building. The reconstruction took place in 1942 on the initiative and with funds raised by the Pro Polonia Committee, with the strength of Polish soldiers (the structural work of the roof was carried out by the Conti company from Solura). The general design by the Warsaw architect Jan Lewiński does not seem to have concerned the details of the furnishings, which were carried out by artists from among the interned members of the Division: painter Tadeusz Fuss-Kaden (pointillist Christmas-themed painting on suspended wooden ceiling, 410 x 360 cm; stained glass windows, also design of iron grilles and decorative handle with mermaid motif), Jan Zbigniew Bem (silver-plated metal plaque-engraving according to the image of Our Lady of Ostra Brama, 52 x 42 cm; a crown with eagles over the altar, a floor of marble slabs with the coats of arms of Polish cities, ), Paweł Polachowski (carved a large oak wall-mounted bench alluding to the style of pre-war Polish art deco, l. 400 cm), Zygmunt Stankiewicz (wooden relief on the entrance door 107 x 60 cm; work on the altar mensa: three relief marble figures of the Evangelists, height 56.5 cm), Tadeusz Tomaszewski (bronze Reytan plaque on the external wall of the chapel, set in before the restoration work, dimensions 93 x 74 cm).

The decoration, although not uniform, resulting from the improvised action of various artists, is very elaborate in every detail. It also consists of (of undetermined authorship): an ornamental candlestick, plaques with inscriptions. Iconographic motifs with easily identifiable associations for Polish soldiers appear throughout the decor (for example, the aforementioned coats of arms marked in the stone floor, national and religious symbols). Even the large metal key to the entrance door (preserved) was re-designed into the motif of the Polish eagle. During the dedication ceremony of the chapel on All Saints' Day, 1 November 1942, the Division Commander, General Bronislaw Prugar-Ketling, emphasised that, with all its modesty, "it symbolises virtues and spiritual values, the highest...". Artistically, Stankiewicz's works are undoubtedly the most interesting: the marble reliefs of the altarpiece (Evangelists St. Mark, St. Luke and St. John) show an excellent mastery of technique and a clearly defined stylistics, alluding to pre-war classicising sculpture (for example by Edward Wittig). The wooden relief 'Fight on the French-Swiss Border' from the chapel door presents a different convention, more primitive. Next to the chapel and the statue of Tadeusz Kościuszko is a stone bench carved in 1941 by soldier Adolf Pakula according to a drawing by Tomaszewski, with an inscription recalling the day the soldiers of the Division were interned in Switzerland: "18.VI.1940".

Time of origin:

1941-1942, inauguration 1.11.1942

Creator:

Tadeusz Fuss-Kaden (malarz; Polska, Szwajcaria, Francja, Hiszpania)(preview), Zygmunt Stankiewicz (rzeźbiarz; Polska, Szwajcaria)(preview), Paweł Polachowski (rzeźbiarz; Polska, Szwajcaria)(preview), Jan Zbigniew Bem (architekt; Polska, Szwajcaria)(preview), Tadeusz Tomaszewski (rzeźbiarz; Polska, Szwajcaria)(preview)

Bibliography:

  • „Cmentarz na Rossie w Wilnie, badania inwentaryzacyjne”, katalog on-line, opr. Anna Sylwia Czyż i Bartłomiej Gutowski, dostęp on-line http://cmentarznarossie.uksw.edu.pl/.
  • J. Zieliński, Nasza Szwajcaria, Warszawa 1999, s. 131-132.
  • S. Piekarski, Polskie muzy w krajobrazie Szwajcarii, t. I, Warszawa 2002, s. 54-58, 257.
  • T. Zaniewska, Arystokracja ducha. Od wspólnoty rodzinnej do wspólnoty światowej. Rozmowy z artystą rzeźbiarzem i filozofem Zygmuntem Stankiewiczem, Białystok 2003.
  • „Polskie ślady w Solurze i Zuchwilu / Polnische Spuren in Solothurn und Zuchwil”, red. P. Zielony, T. Ackermann, R. Pawłowski, Warszawa–Solothurn 2022, s. 68-123.

Keywords:

Publikacja:

19.07.2024

Ostatnia aktualizacja:

02.08.2024

Author:

prof. Andrzej Pieńkos
see more Text translated automatically
Photo showing Decoration of the Polish chapel in Zuchwil Photo showing Decoration of the Polish chapel in Zuchwil Gallery of the object +17
Tadeusz Fuss-Kaden, Christmas-themed painting, 1941-1942, 410 x 360 cm, Polish chapel, Zuchwil, photo Norbert Piwowarczyk, 2023, all rights reserved
Photo showing Decoration of the Polish chapel in Zuchwil Photo showing Decoration of the Polish chapel in Zuchwil Gallery of the object +17
Tadeusz Fuss-Kaden, Christmas-themed painting, 1941-1942, Polish chapel, Zuchwil, photo Andrzej Pieńkos, 2014
Photo showing Decoration of the Polish chapel in Zuchwil Photo showing Decoration of the Polish chapel in Zuchwil Gallery of the object +17
Interior of the Polish chapel in Zuchwil, photo Norbert Piwowarczyk, 2023, all rights reserved
Photo showing Decoration of the Polish chapel in Zuchwil Photo showing Decoration of the Polish chapel in Zuchwil Gallery of the object +17
Jan Lewiński and Zygmunt Stankiewicz (design), Zygmunt Stankiewicz (execution), relief of St. John in the base of the altar, 1941-1942, marble, Polish chapel, Zuchwil, photo Andrzej Pieńkos, 2014
Photo showing Decoration of the Polish chapel in Zuchwil Photo showing Decoration of the Polish chapel in Zuchwil Gallery of the object +17
Zygmunt Stankiewicz, relief on the entrance door 'Fighting on the French-Swiss border' , 1941-1942, oak, 107 x 60 cm, Polish chapel, Zuchwil, photo Norbert Piwowarczyk, 2023, all rights reserved
Photo showing Decoration of the Polish chapel in Zuchwil Photo showing Decoration of the Polish chapel in Zuchwil Gallery of the object +17
Zygmunt Stankiewicz, relief on the entrance door 'Fighting on the French-Swiss border' , 1941-1942, oak, 107 x 60 cm, Polish chapel, Zuchwil, photo Andrzej Pieńkos, 2014
Photo showing Decoration of the Polish chapel in Zuchwil Photo showing Decoration of the Polish chapel in Zuchwil Gallery of the object +17
Tadesz Fuss-Kaden (proj.), Decorative handle of the entrance door with the coat of arms of Warsaw (from the outside), 1941-1942, Polish chapel, Zuchwil, photo Andrzej Pieńkos, 2014
Photo showing Decoration of the Polish chapel in Zuchwil Photo showing Decoration of the Polish chapel in Zuchwil Gallery of the object +17
Jan Zbigniew Bem, plaque-engraving according to the painting of Our Lady of the Dawn Gate (52 x 42 cm) and silver crown with eagles donated by Polish chaplains of the 2nd DSP, 1941-1942, silver-plated metal, Polish chapel, Zuchwil, photo Norbert Piwowarczyk, 2023, all rights reserved
Photo showing Decoration of the Polish chapel in Zuchwil Photo showing Decoration of the Polish chapel in Zuchwil Gallery of the object +17
Jan Zbigniew Bem, plaque-engraving according to the painting of Our Lady of the Dawn Gate (52 x 42 cm) and silver crown with eagles donated by Polish chaplains of the 2nd DSP, 1941-1942, silver-plated metal, Polish chapel, Zuchwil, photo Andrzej Pieńkos, 2014
Photo showing Decoration of the Polish chapel in Zuchwil Photo showing Decoration of the Polish chapel in Zuchwil Gallery of the object +17
Tadeusz Fuss-Kaden and Jan Lewiński (design), Franciszek Rutkowski, Canon Antoni Hawryłko (execution), grille in window (fragment), 1941-1942, metal, Polish chapel, Zuchwil, photo Andrzej Pieńkos, 2014
Photo showing Decoration of the Polish chapel in Zuchwil Photo showing Decoration of the Polish chapel in Zuchwil Gallery of the object +17
Kazimierz Jodzewicz (design), Zbigniew Bem (execution), Plaque with a Latin sentence from Cicero's De Officiis [On Duty], freely translated as "Love of the Fatherland expresses everything that is dearest to us. Who among the noble would not be prepared to sacrifice his life for the good of the Fatherland?", 1941-1942, Polish chapel, Zuchwil, photo Norbert Piwowarczyk, 2023, all rights reserved
Photo showing Decoration of the Polish chapel in Zuchwil Photo showing Decoration of the Polish chapel in Zuchwil Gallery of the object +17
Plaque commemorating soldiers of the 2nd Rifle Division killed for Poland in France in 1940, stone, 1941-1942, photo Norbert Piwowarczyk, 2023, all rights reserved
Photo showing Decoration of the Polish chapel in Zuchwil Photo showing Decoration of the Polish chapel in Zuchwil Gallery of the object +17
Plaque commemorating soldiers of the 2nd Infantry Division killed for Poland in France in 1940, stone, 1941-1942, photo Norbert Piwowarczyk, 2023, all rights reserved
Photo showing Decoration of the Polish chapel in Zuchwil Photo showing Decoration of the Polish chapel in Zuchwil Gallery of the object +17
Polish Chapel, Zuchwil, photo Norbert Piwowarczyk, 2023, all rights reserved
Photo showing Decoration of the Polish chapel in Zuchwil Photo showing Decoration of the Polish chapel in Zuchwil Gallery of the object +17
Tadeusz Tomaszewski, Plaque in memory of Tadeusz Reytan, 1941, bronze cast (Ruetschi, Aarau), 93 x 74 cm, Polish Chapel, Zuchwil, photo Norbert Piwowarczyk, 2023, all rights reserved
Photo showing Decoration of the Polish chapel in Zuchwil Photo showing Decoration of the Polish chapel in Zuchwil Gallery of the object +17
Jan Lewiński [Marek Leykam] (arch.), Polish chapel in Zuchwil, 1941-1942, right: monument to Tadeusz Kościuszko in Zuchwil, 1817, sandstone, bronze medallion, cast iron rim and cross, photo Norbert Piwowarczyk, 2023, all rights reserved
Photo showing Decoration of the Polish chapel in Zuchwil Photo showing Decoration of the Polish chapel in Zuchwil Gallery of the object +17
Tadeusz Tomaszewski (design) and Adolf Pakuła (execution), Stone bench commemorating the internment of the 2nd DSP in Switzerland "18.VI.1940", ca. 1941-1945, photo Norbert Piwowarczyk, 2023, all rights reserved
Photo showing Decoration of the Polish chapel in Zuchwil Photo showing Decoration of the Polish chapel in Zuchwil Gallery of the object +17
Tadeusz Tomaszewski (design) and Adolf Pakuła (execution), Stone bench commemorating the internment of the 2nd DSP in Switzerland "18.VI.1940" (fragment), ca. 1941-1945, photo Norbert Piwowarczyk, 2023, all rights reserved

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