Hi, my name’s Marcin (Marchin 😉 ) and I’m one of few Poles living in the UK 🙂 I’m 36 years old and was born in Wroclaw, a beautiful city in Lower Silesia in Poland. Welcome to my blog where I’m planning to share my passion for history and travels.
Since I remember I’d been dreaming about travels. I grew up in communistic Poland, where most people could only dream about getting a passport and travelling. As my brother is 6 years older I learnt to read earlier than other people my age. I spent hours reading books about travellers and discoverers, but I never thought travelling to those remote places is possible. I realised how wrong I was when I moved to the UK in 2004. Shorter and longer trips didn’t ruin my budget.
Some time ago, on a rainy evening in Edinburgh, me and my friend found a blog of a Polish couple who lived in Australia and just decided to travel round the world. They wrote a few practical posts about preparations and saving money and that was it! I wanted to do that as well, especially that it didn’t sound that complicated. So, instead of buying new fancy things, I decided to save a bit more and start the journey. The plan was to start in June 2013, but as we know plans change. The trip has been postponed by 6 months. I flew alone to Mexico on New Year’s Day. And again my plan changed – instead of planned 1.5-2 years I came back to UK after 6 months and it was because of one young and beautiful Swede who conquered my heart right before I left London…
I decided to write a blog but I didn’t want just another travel blog. There are hundreds if not thousands of them. So I came up with an idea of writing about Poles who lived and contributed to the areas I was going to visit. And believe me Poles have been on every continent. The main reason for that were Partitions of Poland and disappearing from the map of Europe for over 120 years (1795-1918). Poles emigrated because they had to flee after uprisings or because they just wanted to live like free people without anyone telling them in what language they should speak. The important thing is that wherever they went they always remembered the “Old Country”. I think a lot of Poles tend to forget about our sad but beautiful history. We have a sovereign country now, we’re a member of NATO and EU – we are an official part of Europe (well, we, Poles never doubted that), we’re free to travel and work anywhere in Europe. And that freedom makes us…lost. There’s nothing to fight for. People focus on their careers and this is a good thing but at the same time we can’t forget our history and who we are.
I met a few Poles who didn’t know much about Poland’s past. They always had some excuses like “boring history teacher”, or ”no one really told me about it”. I also met a few British people, whose parents were Polish and stayed in the UK after WWII. In most cases, they couldn’t speak any Polish even though they were proud of their parents who fought during the war. To them I dedicate my blog. But even if you have no links with Poland, and you’re interested in history and/or travels, please don’t be shy and visit my blog. I’ll be posting interesting stories with Poles as main characters.
Please feel free to comment or make suggestions. I don’t claim to know everything and I’m open to a discussion. It is going to be an entertaining project for me and hopefully at the same time readers can learn something new and be entertained as well!
Polish traces around the world 
Marcin, many thanks for the post. Always useful to have more lacunae filled in.
I was also interested in the response to you by Ed Gawluck and his history beginning in Tengeru ( https://polishtracesaroundtheworld.org/about-me/#comment-898) as my mother had been deported to Siberia during WW2 snd had gone through the very same places in Tanganyika.
Are you still writing? Are you still based in England
I moved to Sweden a few years ago, my wife is Swedish. I’ve got many writing plans and projects but I also have three 3 years old boys and them, combined with work and day-to-day life limit my activity. One project I want to finish very soon is the story of Polish soldiers on Santo Domingo, as many people just keep repeating myths
Good luck. Small children are a full time job
Yup yup 🙈
Do you know anything about the Białe autobusy /princess Bernadette?
Oh yes, that’s another project I want to write about. I visited a few graves in Lund of those who arrived in Sweden by White buses.
My Mother In LAW was one of them after She was liberałem from Ravensbruck. Id live to know more
Everything has been digitalised by Lund university and you can probably find her entry interview online
Thank you
Wow Marcin! What a truly magnificent and captivating site and blog to discover – especially for someone born in Tengeru in 1945. I’ve lived in the UK most of my life but worked in Sweden (Kan fortfarande prata flytande svenska – unfortunately not Polish) for over 5 years as a young man and like you, also married a wonderful Swedish lady in 1972. Now, many years later, I’m so pleased she insisted that we made a very memorable visit my birthplace before moving to England in 1978. I was the first relative in 30 years to meet my aunt who lived in Usa River near Arusha and who, like my mother, was initially a Polish refugee child from Stalin’s Siberia and remained in Tanganika at the end of WWII. I can see there is lots of enjoyable reading ahead for me here. Thank you!
Thank you Ed!!! Eller tack så jättemycket! 😉 I’ve got a few wee projects in the pipeline, all I need is a bit of time to finish all the posts but I hope you will find some interesting things to read about here
Great idea! I’m hooked!
Welcome to family ☺️
My father was one who ran the Mount at Cassino. He was from near L’vov and was sent to the Gulags and then, joined Anders’ Army. He sadly passed this week. If you contact me I have photos from his time in the war – Palestine and Africa.
Hi Sue, I’m very sorry to hear about your father. I met people like your father at the Sikorski Institute in London and talking to them has been one of the best experiences in my life. I would love to see the photos of your father. You can contact me on marcinkawala@yahoo.co.uk.
Kind regards
You spoke so much truth about the Polish people’s not knowing or sadly enough caring about their heritage. To be quite honest I think that this is the intentional purpose of the big players behind the European Union. By having a central government who dictates law, often against the interests of the people while flooding Europe with immigration that in many cases causes unrest you tend to dilute ones culture. If you think I’m exaggerating look at the political climate in Europe and here is a quote from Kissinger, which I think in broader terms can be applied to Europe in general.
This a quote from Henry Kissinger in 1974:
The Greek people are anarchic and difficult to tame. For this reason we must strike deep into their cultural roots: Perhaps then we can force them to conform. I mean, of course, to strike at their language, their religion, their cultural and historical reserves, so that we can neutralize their ability to develop, to distinguish themselves, or to prevail; thereby removing them as an obstacle to our strategically vital plans in the Balkans, the Mediterranean, and the Middle East.
Love what you had to write about Poland, and do whatever it takes to remind your people of its rich and beautiful history and culture, for this is what will enable them to look to the future with strength and optimism to overcome all obstacles just like they have on many occasions before
Thanks Konstantine! Very often Poles have been victims of the “Big Politics”, we’ve learnt how to survive, but I think it’s about time we learn how to play the game…
Well spoken Poland has indeed been betrayed many times before in history. And yes it’s good to understand what “is happening behind closed doors”. But I believe the best thing is what you’re doing ignite the spark that burns within people however dim to “understand who you are and where you come from”. The Polish people are survivors indeed, but I believe they have the potential to be torchbearers as well instead of mere survivors.
Keep the faith! 🙂 After 20 years of our independence the WWII came and after that we’d been occupied by our “liberators”. We’ve been free for 23 years now and I believe we have a role to play in Central and Eastern Europe…
They failed with Greeks and they will fail with us 😀
Very true, they underestimate the spirit of these two nations, who have been oppressed by foreign powers acting s benevolent friends. But they underestimate the spirit within these people, and you are right my dear friend, “They failed with Greeks and they will fail with Poland”
God bless you and Poland
Great stuff Mr Kawala…….thank you for teaching this Brit about the correct position of Poland in Europe…..CENTRAL!!!
Always a pleasure, Mr Cramb 🙂