Parthemores in Poland

Last week was unique as a result of the April 10 plane crash that killed President Kaczyński and 95 other people.  That first weekend, thousands of people laid flowers and candles in front of the Presidential Palace in Warsaw.  Throughout the week over 100,000 people lined up to pay their respects.  Some people waited over 8 hours to enter the chapel at the palace.

MSNBC has a great slideshow that illustrates the Warsaw and Kraków events.

The reaction in Poznań was somewhat more subdued.  Many residents hung flags with black ribbons outside their apartments and there was a modest collection of candles and flowers at the Katyń memorial behind the Zamek. 

University classes went on as planned, with the exception of Wednesday afternoon, when the Dean gave students the afternoon off to attend the university’s memorial service.

This past Sunday, the President and his wife were laid to rest in the crypts of Wawel Castle in Kraków.  The decision to bury them there was fairly controversial and many people were not happy about it.  Wawel Castle is seen as the burial site of kings and Polish heroes, such as Tadeusz Kościuszko and Józef Piłsudski.  Despite his unimpeachable record as a Polish patriot and anti-Communist, President Kaczyński wasn’t likely to be re-elected in the October elections, and people certainly don’t equate him with great Polish heroes; many Poles didn’t feel he was worthy of being buried there.  Still, a couple hundred thousand people turned out for his funeral. 

All in all, life has now returned to normal.