Maria Konopnicka (1842–1910) wrote the lyrics of the “Rota” anthem at the turn of 1907 and 1908, moved by the contemporary incidents in the Prussian partition aimed at teutonising the local population. The blatant Germanisation of the Polish people, the brutal suppression of the children’s strike in Września (1901–1902) against German being the language of instruction in religion lessons, the buyout of Polish land by the Prussian Colonisation Committee and the eradication of the Polish national identity by Hakata (the German Eastern Marches Society – a radical nationalist organisation) ignited patriotic feelings among the local clergy, enlightened strata and peasants. The author herself and other activists struggled for children’s right to learn Polish at school. Konopnicka, who cherished the memory of her husband’s participation in the January Uprising, consciously subscribed to the romantic tradition. Through the lyrics of “Rota”, she wanted to reinforce the opposition against Germanisation, mostly among the inhabitants of Greater Poland: “We won’t forsake the land we came from, We won’t let our speech be buried! We are the Polish nation, the Polish people, From the royal line of Piast, We won’t let the enemy Germanise us …” – “So help us God!” The author, with the intention of giving the text a nationwide dimension, replaced the word “Germanise” with “oppress”, and this version has caught on as more universal.

“Rota” very soon came to be recognised as the second Polish national anthem. Also the lyrics soon became widely known across the partitions. On 15 July 1910 – the 500th anniversary of the Battle of Grunwald – a monument funded by Ignacy Jan Paderewski (1860–1941) was unveiled in Kraków. Crowds gathered for the ceremony and “Rota” was then sung in public for the first time. The music was written by the well-known composer Feliks Nowowiejski (1877–1946). The four-verse song was performed by a choir of Poles from all the three partitions. The anthem was passed on from one generation to the next – it was sung during the German occupation, the Soviet domination and the strikes in the period of the Polish People’s Republic: “To the last drop of blood in our veins we will defend our Spirit” – the Polish spirit, faith and identity – “So help us God!” For decades Poles were forced to shed blood and fight so that today’s children can learn about Poland and its culture in their native language.

Jan Żaryn

The reverse of the coin features images of Maria Konopnicka and Feliks Nowowiejski, and a fragment of the lyrics of “Rota”. The obverse presents figures of parents with children rendered in the style of a child’s drawing, with a symbolic image of a house roof in the colours of the Polish flag above them.

Coins linked with an article