A practical lesson of history.
December is a month of sad recollections for Poles. On the 13th of December 1981 the martial state was declared in Poland. Solidarity members were arrested and citizens’ freedom limited. Just before Christmas many students decided to go to the Monastery to see the exhibition on Solidarity. It was a memorable lesson of history. We could see the traces of the past: banners, pictures, postcards, leaflets displaying people’s desire for freedom and which were forbidden in the time of communism. Fighting for freedom was closely tied to Poles’ strong belief in God. Jasna Góra is a sanctuary where people gathered in difficult moments for Poland seeking consolation and strength to act and fight. It always happened during Polish uprisings and wars.
We had also a chance to admire the exhibition on the Defence of Jasna Góra which took place in 1655. The Swedish army after having defeated most of Poland couldn’t conquer this last bastion. Some people wondered why they didn’t manage to do it. Jasna Góra is claimed to be the heart and soul of the nation , to damage a body is possible but no one can capture a human soul.
