Zygmunt Rumel
Encyclopedia
Zygmunt Jan Rumel was a Polish
poet and chef of the Wolhynia Region of the Bataliony Chłopskie. Rumel's poetic talent was acknowledged by a renowned Polish poet Leopold Staff
, and author Jarosław Iwaszkiewicz. One of his poems entitled "Dwie matki" (Two mothers) in which Rumel described his love of Poland and Ukraine
, was published in a popular Płomyk magazine in 1935 (issue No. 28). He was killed during the Ukrainian Insurgent Army massacres of Poles in Volhynia
in 1943.
, grew up in Krzemieniec in the province of Volhynia
. The exact location of his birth has not been confirmed. He came from a military family, his father, an engineer of agriculture, was also an officer of the Polish Army who fought in the Polish-Soviet War
and was awarded the Cross of Virtuti Militari
.
The Rumel family lived in the countryside near Krzemieniec, in a manor once belonging to the family of Juliusz Słowacki. His parents were avid readers and their son inherited it from them. At home, he read Polish classics of Slowacki and Adam Mickiewicz
.
Rumel graduated from a renowned Liceum Krzemienieckie
and went to Warsaw
to continue his education at the Warsaw University. Leopold Staff once said to his mother Anna: Keep an eye on this boy, he will be a great poet one day.
. Then, in June 1941 (see: Operation Barbarossa
), it was overrun by Nazi Germany. Rumel, who until early 1943 lived in Warsaw, became an active member of the Polish resistance movement
. In the spring of 1943 he returned to his native Volhynia and became a commandant of the Bataliony Chłopskie's VIII District covering the area. His nom de guerre was Krzysztof Poreba.
In early summer 1943, when the partisans of the Ukrainian Insurgent Army, together with local Ukrainian nationalists, began a series of massacres of Polish civilians in Volhynia
, Rumel, who spoke Ukrainian fluently, was assigned to get in touch with leaders of the Ukrainian Insurgent Army and start talks, which would bring an end to the massacres. The order was issued by Kazimierz Banach, chief of staff of the Bataliony Chłopskie and a delegate of the Polish government-in-exile in Volhynia.
On 7 July 1943, Rumel, together with officer Krzysztof Markiewicz (aka Czort), both dressed in military uniforms, aided by guide Witold Dobrowolski, contacted the Ukrainians. They were officially representing the Polish government.
However, instead of peace talks, a different fate awaited them. Both were tortured for three days. Then, on Saturday 10 July, Rumel was tied to four horses and his body ripped apart. Markiewicz and Dobrowolski were killed in the same manner in the village of Kustycze, near the Volhynian town of Turzyska. The next day, Sunday 11 July 1943, was the bloodiest day yet of the Volhynian massacres, when armed Ukrainians attacked Polish settlements and churches, killing thousands of people, including infants, women and senior citizens.
Jarosław Iwaszkiewicz, upon hearing of Rumel's death, wrote in his diary: He was one of our diamonds, with which we shot at the enemy. This diamond could have shined...
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
poet and chef of the Wolhynia Region of the Bataliony Chłopskie. Rumel's poetic talent was acknowledged by a renowned Polish poet Leopold Staff
Leopold Staff
Leopold Staff was a Polish poet and one of the greatest artists of European modernism honored two times by honorary degrees . He was also nominated for the Nobel Prize in Literature...
, and author Jarosław Iwaszkiewicz. One of his poems entitled "Dwie matki" (Two mothers) in which Rumel described his love of Poland and Ukraine
Ukraine
Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It has an area of 603,628 km², making it the second largest contiguous country on the European continent, after Russia...
, was published in a popular Płomyk magazine in 1935 (issue No. 28). He was killed during the Ukrainian Insurgent Army massacres of Poles in Volhynia
Massacres of Poles in Volhynia
The Massacres of Poles in Volhynia and Eastern Galicia were part of an ethnic cleansing operation carried out by the Ukrainian Insurgent Army West in the Nazi occupied regions of the Eastern Galicia , and UPA North in Volhynia , beginning in March 1943 and lasting until the end of...
in 1943.
Early years
Rumel, whose talent was often compared to the one of Krzysztof Kamil BaczyńskiKrzysztof Kamil Baczynski
Krzysztof Kamil Baczyński, was a Polish poet and Home Army soldier, one of the most renowned authors of the Generation of Columbuses, the young generation of Polish poets of whom many perished in the Warsaw Uprising.-Biography:...
, grew up in Krzemieniec in the province of Volhynia
Volhynia
Volhynia, Volynia, or Volyn is a historic region in western Ukraine located between the rivers Prypiat and Southern Bug River, to the north of Galicia and Podolia; the region is named for the former city of Volyn or Velyn, said to have been located on the Southern Bug River, whose name may come...
. The exact location of his birth has not been confirmed. He came from a military family, his father, an engineer of agriculture, was also an officer of the Polish Army who fought in the Polish-Soviet War
Polish-Soviet War
The Polish–Soviet War was an armed conflict between Soviet Russia and Soviet Ukraine and the Second Polish Republic and the Ukrainian People's Republic—four states in post–World War I Europe...
and was awarded the Cross of Virtuti Militari
Virtuti Militari
The Order Wojenny Virtuti Militari is Poland's highest military decoration for heroism and courage in the face of the enemy at war...
.
The Rumel family lived in the countryside near Krzemieniec, in a manor once belonging to the family of Juliusz Słowacki. His parents were avid readers and their son inherited it from them. At home, he read Polish classics of Slowacki and Adam Mickiewicz
Adam Mickiewicz
Adam Bernard Mickiewicz ) was a Polish poet, publisher and political writer of the Romantic period. One of the primary representatives of the Polish Romanticism era, a national poet of Poland, he is seen as one of Poland's Three Bards and the greatest poet in all of Polish literature...
.
Rumel graduated from a renowned Liceum Krzemienieckie
Liceum Krzemienieckie
Liceum Krzemienieckie was a renowned Polish high school, which existed from 1805 to 1831, and then in the interbellum period, from 1922 to 1939.-Beginnings:...
and went to Warsaw
Warsaw
Warsaw is the capital and largest city of Poland. It is located on the Vistula River, roughly from the Baltic Sea and from the Carpathian Mountains. Its population in 2010 was estimated at 1,716,855 residents with a greater metropolitan area of 2,631,902 residents, making Warsaw the 10th most...
to continue his education at the Warsaw University. Leopold Staff once said to his mother Anna: Keep an eye on this boy, he will be a great poet one day.
War years and death
In 1939, as a result of the joint attack of Germany and Soviet Union on Poland, the province of Volhynia was incorporated into the Ukrainian SSRUkrainian SSR
The Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic or in short, the Ukrainian SSR was a sovereign Soviet Socialist state and one of the fifteen constituent republics of the Soviet Union lasting from its inception in 1922 to the breakup in 1991...
. Then, in June 1941 (see: Operation Barbarossa
Operation Barbarossa
Operation Barbarossa was the code name for Germany's invasion of the Soviet Union during World War II that began on 22 June 1941. Over 4.5 million troops of the Axis powers invaded the USSR along a front., the largest invasion in the history of warfare...
), it was overrun by Nazi Germany. Rumel, who until early 1943 lived in Warsaw, became an active member of the Polish resistance movement
Polish resistance movement in World War II
The Polish resistance movement in World War II, with the Home Army at its forefront, was the largest underground resistance in all of Nazi-occupied Europe, covering both German and Soviet zones of occupation. The Polish defence against the Nazi occupation was an important part of the European...
. In the spring of 1943 he returned to his native Volhynia and became a commandant of the Bataliony Chłopskie's VIII District covering the area. His nom de guerre was Krzysztof Poreba.
In early summer 1943, when the partisans of the Ukrainian Insurgent Army, together with local Ukrainian nationalists, began a series of massacres of Polish civilians in Volhynia
Massacres of Poles in Volhynia
The Massacres of Poles in Volhynia and Eastern Galicia were part of an ethnic cleansing operation carried out by the Ukrainian Insurgent Army West in the Nazi occupied regions of the Eastern Galicia , and UPA North in Volhynia , beginning in March 1943 and lasting until the end of...
, Rumel, who spoke Ukrainian fluently, was assigned to get in touch with leaders of the Ukrainian Insurgent Army and start talks, which would bring an end to the massacres. The order was issued by Kazimierz Banach, chief of staff of the Bataliony Chłopskie and a delegate of the Polish government-in-exile in Volhynia.
On 7 July 1943, Rumel, together with officer Krzysztof Markiewicz (aka Czort), both dressed in military uniforms, aided by guide Witold Dobrowolski, contacted the Ukrainians. They were officially representing the Polish government.
However, instead of peace talks, a different fate awaited them. Both were tortured for three days. Then, on Saturday 10 July, Rumel was tied to four horses and his body ripped apart. Markiewicz and Dobrowolski were killed in the same manner in the village of Kustycze, near the Volhynian town of Turzyska. The next day, Sunday 11 July 1943, was the bloodiest day yet of the Volhynian massacres, when armed Ukrainians attacked Polish settlements and churches, killing thousands of people, including infants, women and senior citizens.
Jarosław Iwaszkiewicz, upon hearing of Rumel's death, wrote in his diary: He was one of our diamonds, with which we shot at the enemy. This diamond could have shined...
Aftermath
In 2004, Polish director Wincenty Ronisz made a documentary Poeta nieznany (Unknown poet), which describes the life and death of Rumel, who is also a patron of several clubs of young Polish poets. However, he remains unknown to the majority of Poles.See also
- Polish literaturePolish literaturePolish literature is the literary tradition of Poland. Most Polish literature has been written in the Polish language, though other languages, used in Poland over the centuries, have also contributed to Polish literary traditions, including Yiddish, Lithuanian, Ukrainian, Belarusian, German and...
- Polish culture during World War IIPolish culture during World War IIPolish culture during World War II was suppressed by the occupying powers of Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union, both of whom were hostile to Poland's people and cultural heritage. Policies aimed at cultural genocide resulted in the deaths of thousands of scholars and artists, and the theft and...
- List of Poles