Polak na zesłaniu, czyli życie w warunkach niezwyczajnych

Abstract

The defeat of Poles in the struggles for independence in the nineteenth century caused a wave of repression, many participants of the fights were arrested and were sent to Siberia by Tsarist prisons. They came to live in inhumane conditions. From the writings and paintings of Aleksander Sochaczewski, the picture of Poles living in exile, in this “ice hell”, “imprisonment without bars” emerges. The environment of exiles was very diverse. Contrary to the limitations resulting from the nature of the exile, everyone tried to live and somehow tame the land. In many places relatively large clusters of Poles were created. They co-created the atmosphere of Siberian cities, they gave evidence of living in extraordinary conditions, in which they were able to run their own business and earn a good fortune with good results. An example of this is the biography of Narcyz Wojciechowski, who systematically sought to gain a position and multiply the estate. He was an active social activist, and at the same time remained a patriot and raised up his children for patriots.