5 years ago, on 10 April 2010 the presidential plane Tu-154M crashed near Smolensk (Russia) killing 96 persons. It was probably the biggest tragedy in a post-war history of Poland.
Amongst the victims were: the Polish President Lech Kaczyński with his wife, the last Polish President in exile, Ryszard Kaczorowski, Deputy Minister of Culture and National Heritage and initiator of European Network Remembrance and Solidarity Tomasz Merta, Secretary General of the Council for the Protection of Memory of Combat and Martyrdom and also one of originators of ENRS Andrzej Przewoźnik, highest officials from Polish state institutions, the command of the Polish Army and many others.
They all went there to commemorate the 70th anniversary of genocide committed by NKVD in the Katyn Forest. The irony of history that taking care about memory of 22,000 Polish officers, public servants and top of the Polish elite, these 96 had to pay the biggest price for this remembrance.
Andrzej Przewoźnik and Tomasz Merta, who died in Smolensk, were deeply involved in the creation of European Network Remembrance and Solidarity – Przewoźnik was the first Polish coordinator of ENRS and Merta was the main person responsible for ENRS in the Ministry of Culture and National Hergitage. Visit our “In Memoriam” section to read more about them.
Smolensk Portraits – Exhibition in Warsaw
Museum of Polish History, inspired by the group of families of the victims of the Smolensk crash, has prepared an outdoor exhibition to commemorate the 5th anniversary of the crash. The exhibition presents all 96 people who died tragically in the crash of the airplane carrying the President of Poland and his delegation to the commemorations of the Katyn massacre.
The exhibition will be presented in Warsaw, at Piłsudski square, from 10 to 29 April. This location is meaningful for Polish historical memory: it is close to the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, there is a cross commemorating a mass with pope John Paul II during his first pilgrimage to Poland, a memorial service for the victims of the Smolensk crash also took place there. The exhibition will present portraits of all the 96 victims together with short biographical information about them.