Topics of coins
The Liberation Mound
“Let the Liberation Mound constitute forever
a visible sign of heroic and victorious deeds of
the Silesian people and of their loyalty to the home
country.”
Excerpt from the document issued to mark
the consecration of the Liberation Mound on
20 June 1937.
Piekary Śląskie
The town is located in Upper Silesia, where
the preservation of Polish national traditions and
language is long-established. The activity of
Piekary parish priest Alojzy Ficek (1790−1862), and
Teodor Heneczek (1817 – 1888), Upper Silesian
printer, editor and publisher, bears testimony to
the town’s special character. Piekary also made
a huge contribution to the three Silesian uprisings.
Insurgents from the town fought at various sites
– in particular during the 3rd Silesian Uprising
(1921), taking part in the Battle of St. Anne’s
Mountain. During the same uprising, insurgents
took their oath in Kocie Górki, a district of Piekary,
where the first insurgent was killed. In the interwar
period, Piekary Śląskie belonged to Poland.
Site
Shortly before the Mound was erected, it had been
established that the construction would take place
on Kocie Wzgórze (German Katzenberg), called
Kocie Łby (cat heads) or Kocie Górki (cat hills) by
the locals. This was a place where for ages metal
ores had been extracted. Shallow shafts were
drilled to this end in close proximity to one another,
and the mined earth was piled in the neighbourhood.
This is how characteristic oval mounds were
created, similar in shape to cat heads.
Concept
The idea to erect a mound first emerged in
the second half of the 19th century on the initiative
of Wawrzyniec Hajda, a blind local miner and
activist, called Silesian Vernyhora, a tribute to
the legendary 18th century bard and clairvoyant
Vernyhora. According to his concept, the mound
was supposed to commemorate the march of
the Polish army led by King John III Sobieski
through Piekary (1683) to Vienna and the monarch’s
visit in the local church. The idea was abandoned
at the time, and the Prussian authorities arrested
Hajda on the charge of inciting the populace. It was
taken up again during the interwar period, but in
an enhanced version, to commemorate not only the regal splendour of Sobieski’s times, but
also the sacrifice of Silesian insurgents.
The construction began in 1932 and ended in
1937 according to the design made by engineer
Eugeniusz Zaczyński. The mound was erected
from stones and earth transported from
various places, including also sites of patriotic
martyrdom. The ceremony of consecration of
the Liberation Mound took place on 20 June
1937 with the participation of state authorities.
This is the largest and most important
monument commemorating the Silesian
uprisings in Upper Silesia.
Dariusz Pietrucha