It is not only Krakow that can boast a Kosciuszko Mound. Such a mound, for more than 150 years has also been erected in Olkusz. The mound, more than 7 meters high, was crowned with a magnificenthe oak cross is located on Slawkowska Street. The mound was raised by Olkusz residents in 1861 to commemorate the 44th anniversary of the death of Tadeusz Kosciuszko. The opportunity was seized that at that time, in the era of political thaw and growing patriotic atmosphere, it was possible to honor the national hero. The first wheelbarrow of earth for the site of the mound's spreading was brought by Olkusz parish priest Father Jozef Ćwiklinski. On the day of the mound's consecration, i.e. October 15, 1861, in the presence of numerous Olkuszans, two miners hung a wreath on a high oak cross. The Olkusz mound was a miniature of the Kosciuszko Mound in Cracow. It was 5 meters high and 14 meters in diameter. Unfortunately, the mound did not last long. During the January Uprising in 1863, on the orders of the Russian commander of the prince, Major General Alexander Shakhovsky, the cross was cut down and the mound was razed to the ground. In the unearthed mound, the Russians found a document with the names of the designers and contractors. They were arrested and exiled to Siberia. On the initiative of the director of the Craft School in Olkusz, Eng. Stanislaw Baca, the mound was rebuilt in 1917 on the 100th anniversary of Tadeusz Kosciuszko's death. This patriotic monument became a place for ceremonial meetings and manifestations of Olkuszans on the occasion of national holidays and historical anniversaries. The mound survived the period of German occupation, but was forgotten after the war. In 1972, only the crumpled cross was replaced. A thorough renovation and the installation of a commemorative plaque with the image of Tadeusz Kosciuszko lived to see it only in 1993-94, in connection with the celebration of the 200th anniversary of the Kosciuszko insurrection. The mound is 7 meters high, and the cross crowning it is 6 meters high. At the base of the mound is a commemorative plaque set in stone with a description of its interesting and turbulent history.
24.07.2014
