March a month of Paweł Edmund Strzelecki

The outstanding traveller from Głuszyna is remembered in the capital of Wielkopolska (Greater Poland) throughout the year - nonetheless it is March that is specially dedicated to him. During the Poznań Book Fair, representatives of the City and municipal institutions signed a letter of intent to this effect.

Photo shows three people holding open folders with the signed letter of intend - grafika artykułu
Paweł Edmund Strzelecki was born in Głuszyna, which is now part of Poznań.

The document is a declaration of cooperation for the annual March activities commemorating the achievements of Paweł Edmund Strzelecki.

- He is an outstanding traveller who deserves a place in our memory - said Mariusz Wisniewski, Deputy Mayor of Poznań. - March is particularly associated with Paweł Edmund Strzelecki. Exactly in March 1840, during an expedition in Australia, he summited the continent's highest peak, and named it - Mount Kosciuszko.

Apart from the City of Poznań, the main partners of the project are the Raczynski Library and the Posnania City Publishing House. Already at this year's edition of the Poznań Book Fair, on Friday, 8 March a meeting with authors of books about Paweł Edmund Strzelecki took place. The debate was attended by the authors of the publication: " Mount Kosciuszko ", Radosław Nawrot and the latest " Life on the go. About Paweł Edmund Strzelecki" by Izabela Wyszowska and Szymon Wieczorek. The latter has just came out in March this year.

Last year was declared the Year of Paweł Edmund Strzelecki by the Sejm of the Republic of Poland and the City Council of Poznań. The capital of Wielkopolska hosted numerous events related to the eminent traveller: competitions, exhibitions, lectures, and other celebrations. The guests arrived from countries important to the explorer - including Australia, the UK or Ireland. A mural depicting Strzelecki has also been painted and adorns the building of Primary School No. 53 in Głuszyna, bearing the name of the traveller from Głuszyna. The PKP Intercity train between Warsaw and Zielona Góra/Gorzów Wielkopolski has also been named in his honour. Strzelecki's image also appeared on the medal of the Poznań Marathon 2023 and on the commemorative PEKA card.

Paweł Edmund Strzelecki came from an impoverished noble family with patriotic traditions. He was born on 20 July 1797 in Głuszyna, then a village near Poznań, now part of the city. He was a researcher, geologist, explorer and traveller. He was the first Pole to circumnavigate the globe individually for scientific purposes. In the Australian Alps, he summited the continent's highest peak. Strzelecki eventually settled in the UK, where he was awarded a knighthood and became a member of prestigious scientific societies. He was also involved in charity work, including working to feed children during the Great Famine in Ireland. He died on 6 October 1873 and was buried in London. In 1997, his ashes were brought to Poland and deposited in the Crypt of Distinguished Citizens of Wielkopolska in the underground of the church of St Wojciech in Poznań.