The 11th of November, 2018, was one of the most important, significant and emotional days in Poland’s history.For it was exactly 100 years ago to the day that Poland regained its independence.After 123 years of struggle and resistance against occupying global powers, the country once again became a sovereign state.For Poland therefore, this November 11th, although an important date for many nations, was nothing short of sacrosanct. It meant Poland regained. Poland reborn. Poland reawakened.For this special live transmission of the #HeartofPoland, Paddy went into the heart of the festivities and celebrations, through the capital’s streets to discover the emotions, the people and the places which made the day unique.
If you fly over Poland tonight and in the coming days you’ll see a sea of lights twinkling in the darkness. Not from cars or streetlights, but from the millions of candles that Poles put on the graves of their families. It’s the 1st of November. It’s All Saints Day. An emotional day where Poland’s past and present come together in a moving act of national and individual remembrance. In this special episode of Heart of Poland, Patrick Ney visits one of Warsaw’s most important cemeteries to take you straight to the heart of this day. Discover the traditions and origins of All Saints Day and hear from people visiting the graves of loved ones and special figures from Polish history.Share if this film moved you and share your comments below.
Michael Dembinski is one of thousands of children of Polish exiles who grew up in London in the 1950s. His mother had survived the Siberian gulags. His father had fought in the Warsaw Uprising. His parents, like thousands of other Poles, had to rebuild their lives in a foreign land. If they went back to Poland - they faced arrest, imprisonment or worse.In this episode of the #heartofpoland show, our host Patrick Ney talks to Michael about his experiences growing up in the UK and then returning to Poland with his parents for the first time. His deep connection to the country of his parents brought him back to Poland in 1997 where he currently works as the Chief Advisor to the British Polish Chamber of Commerce and as a blogger and media commentator.
Andy Eddles' chance meeting on a farm led to a lifetime of love for Poland. His short holiday to the country has lasted 27 years. Along the way, Andy has seen every step of the country's transformation into a developed economy. Whether it's browsing through grenades and rifles in the early days, or building a 100+ person business, Andy's unique story is part of the wider story of foreigners who have made their home in Poland.
In an in-depth interview TFN's Patrick Ney talks with Wojciech Kozłowski, director of the Pilecki Institute, about Poland's complicated and painful past and its influence on the present.
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