XIV European Heritage Days in Greater Poland ”Napoleon and His Era”

This year marks the 200th anniversary of the enthusiastic welcome given to Napoleon Bonaparte upon his arrival in Poznań in November 1806. Hence this edition of European Heritage Days, held in Greater Poland for the fourteenth time, is devoted to Napoleon and his era. For years, Heritage Days have been prepared by the Regional Centre for Historical Monument Studies and Documentation in Poznań, in cooperation with a growing number of self-governments, institutions and associations (including the Greater Poland Cultural Society) as well as assorted regionalists. This year, the organisation of the Days actively involves, albeit not for the first time, the ”Zamek” (Castle) Culture Centre, which will coordinate the ceremonies held in Poznań. The commune of Czerwonak is planning an extensive “Napoleoniska” to be organised in Owińska. We firmly believe that other ”Napoleonic” localities in Greater Poland, including the extremely important town of Kalisz, will join in. At the same time, we hope that dedicating the Heritage Days to Napoleon will not only promote the region but also alter the view held by the ”rest of the country” about the role played by Greater Poland in the pro-independence struggle. The majority of our compatriots is unaware of the fact that the burden of outfitting Polish troops accompanying Napoleon’s army was borne mainly by the inhabitants of Greater Poland, and that their economic and organisational efforts rendered the struggle waged for national independence possible. We would like to recall that the population of this particular region did not shy from sacrificing their lives, and that Greater Poland was the site of the first successful Polish uprising, when in 1806 Prussian forces were disarmed in the course of a few days, power was seized, Polish structures were set up, and a large-scale social fund raising campaign was commenced. All these initiatives were a response to the words addressed in Berlin to General Jan Henryk Dąbrowski and Józef Wybicki: ”I shall, see whether the Poles are worthy of being a nation. I am setting off to Poznań where my first view about its worth will be formed. The very existence and possession of a Homeland depends on you”. Dąbrowski and Wybicki made their way to Poznań, where they were greeted with great enthusiasm. Here, they resided at the Mielżyński palace in the Old Market Square, and the general issued a Proclamation to the citizens of Poznań , urging former officers and soldiers to form a national army since ”a rapid creation of a Polish armed force is decisive for the fate of our native land ”. On the following day the citizens of the departments of Kalisz and Poznań announced ”a recruit from each household, fully equipped, in uniform, and granted monthly pay”. On 22 November the gentry of Greater Poland proposed voluntary taxation for the needs of the army. Upon his arrival in Poznań four days later, Napoleon stated: ” I am pleased with your heretofore efforts. In Warsaw I shall proclaim your independence which, once I make the announcement, shall last . (…) Make use of the circumstances and prove that you are worthy of my intentions. If the blood of the brave Poles of old still flows in your veins, you shall take up arm and resolve to die or to regain freedom and become a nation – your fate is in your hands”. Enthusiastic reports about the deeds of the population of Greater Poland were reprinted in the Warsaw press in order to encourage the local community to embark upon an equally effective campaign. Nonetheless, the reaction of the Poles in the Russian and Austrian partition areas never equalled the sacrifices made by the residents of Greater Poland. The above mentioned facts are absent in history textbooks, literature and general awareness. By way of example, the copious catalogue accompanying the great exhibition on Napoleon in Poland, featured in Cracow in 2004, makes no mention of the participation of Greater Poland in the Napoleonic wars; the same holds true for Kozietulski i inni (Kozietulski and Others), the excellent novel by Marian Brandys. We would like to change this image by promoting our region, i. a. by means of ”The Emperor Napoleon trail in Greater Poland ”, created last year at the Regional Centre in Poznań as part of the ”Heritage trails” national programme launched by the Ministry of Culture. ”The Napoleon trail” is to bring closer both the figure of the brilliant strategist and one of the most uplifting moments in the history of the Polish state. The French Emperor left a permanent imprint in Polish hearts, literature and art. He appears in such diverse works as Popioły (Ashes), Pan Tadeusz (Master Thaddeus), Lalka (The Doll) or the children’s story Szatan z siódmej klasy (Devil from Seventh Form). The Napoleonic legend has survived the whole nineteenth century, reinforcing the conviction that the Poles are capable of regaining national independence. This belief was expressed in paintings and illustrations depicting Napoleon and scenes from his life, on show in Polish palaces and manor houses. In their residence in Jurków (commune of Kościanki) the Morawski family kept 14 engravings with scenes from the Emperor’s life, the Skórzewski palace in Czerniejew (county of Gniezno) displayed a number of the Emperor’s portraits, and the manor house belonging to General Dąbrowski in Winna Góra featured The Entrance of General Dąbrowski to Poznań in 1806, a painting by Jan Gładysz (today: at the National Museum in Poznań). A cult of the Napoleonic era was propagated not only among the landowners. Illustrations and lithographs of Napoleon, Dąbrowski, and Prince Poniatowski, busts of the Emperor, painted porcelain embellished with battle scenes, etc. decorated numerous town salons. Up to this day the name of the Emperor is given to the napoleonka , a confectionery popular in Greater Poland and resembling the French mille-feuille (in Little Poland it is simply called cream pastry).

The author of the trail project is Anna Jabłońska. Below, we list the most important sites in Greater Poland associated with the Napoleonic era, arranged in alphabetical order. Even though many of the objects from that period had been subsequently redesigned, their memory lives on. Hopefully, the list will be enlarged thanks to the assistance rendered by our readers.

Błociszewo (commune and country of Srem) – Kalikst Kęszycki, having achieved the grade of captain of the Polish army, resided here upon his return from the Napoleonic wars .

Bolechowo (commune of Czerwonak, county of Poznań) - a wooden so- called Napoleonic cross stands in a field next to the road from Poznań to Murowana Goślina, commemorating the site of the death of Napoleonic soldiers. Such objects were numerous in Poland - an old Napoleonic cross stands in a wood near the locality of Zduny – and are often associated with legends about buried treasures won during Napoleonic expeditions.

Brodnica (commune loco, county of Srem) – the empty grave of Józef Wybicki from 1880 is located next to a Neo-Gothic church (1863-1870) with a tall tower visible from afar (to which the German name of the locality - Hochkirche – referred). Despite the fact that in 1923 the ashes of the author of the Polish national anthem had been transferred to the church of St. Wojciech (Adalbert) in Poznań, the grave in Brodnica continues to be a frequent destination of school excursions. The church contains an epitaph of the Chłapowski family from 1919 - the work of Mieczysław Lubelski, and the eclectic manor house from 1880 features a bust of Józef Wybicki (1980, sculpture by Grzegorz Kowalski). The manor house is surrounded by a landscape park from the eighteenth/nineteenth century (5,6 hectares), with trees-monuments of Nature. The residence is approached along a lane of chestnuts and linden trees (another natural monument).

Buk (county of Poznań) – the church of St. Stanisław adjoins a mausoleum of Władysław Niegolewski, son of the famous Napoleonic soldier Andrzej (see: Niegolewo), whose ashes were transferred to Poznańska Skałka. Buk is also worthy a visit since here, according to legend , Mieszko I died under an oak tree.

Bytyń (commune of Kaźmierz, county of Szamotuły) – the site of the famous Napoleonic tavern where Bonaparte met General Jan Henryk Dąbrowski in November 1806.

Chalin (commune of Sieraków, county of Międzychód) – the manor house - the birthplace of Aleksander Zygmunt Kurnatowski, the country prefect of Międzyrzecz - stands amidst beautiful countryside. Chalin was the frequent destination of the Napoleonic officer Adam Turno.

Chojno (commune of Wronki, county of Szamotuły) – village located on the right bank of the Warta at the edge of the Notecka Forest. A monumental boulder commemorating the Napoleonic soldiers who perished here in February 1813 stands opposite the local school.

Cichowo (commune of Krzywiń, county of Kościan) – the “Soplicowo estate” from A. Wajda’s film Master Thaddeus fulfils the function of a Skansen museum popularising the works of A. Mickiewicz and, i. a. the Napoleonic period.

Czarnków (county town ) – the Napoleonic armies passing through the town devastated it, destroying, i. a. the town hall and looting the church. Fiscal burdens and payments in kind for the maintenance of the expanding army and the stationing French troops hampered the growth of this frontier locality.

Czerniejewo (commune seat, county of Gniezno) – in his palace Józef Egidiusz Lipski, general of the militia and, after the establishment of the Duchy of Warsaw, a member of the council of the Department of Poznań, gathered objects associated with the Napoleonic era, including portraits of the Emperor.

Dobrzyca (commune seat, county of Pleszew) – here Augustyn Gorzeński played host to, i. a. Józef Wybicki, who also belonged to a Masonic lodge. Legend has it that the enrolment of new members took place in the pantheon. In 1806 Augustyn became nominated the Chairman of the Administration Chamber of the Department of Poznań, and informed Napoleon about the situation in the town’s region. After his death, the estate was inherited by his nephew, Kazimierz Turno, colonel of the Polish army, gravely wounded in the campaign of 1812 . In 1813 Turno was appointed brigade general and commander of the French Legion of Honour. Died in 1817 of untreated wounds, with no male issue. After years-long conservation, the Gorzeński Palace (today: Museum) has regained its former splendour.

Gaj Wielki (commune of Kaźmierz, county of Szamotuły)) – here a delegation of patriots from Greater Poland ceremoniously greeted the French Emperor in the name of Polish society. The Classical former stage-coach mail building from the first half of the nineteenth century was restored in 2001. Other noteworthy objects include an eighteenth- century half-timbered manor house with a steep hip roof, outbuildings, a former distillery, and a barn from the second half of the nineteenth century.

Glinno (commune of Suchy Las, county of Poznań) - a Frenchman named Douchy, a soldier of the Napoleonic wars who settled down in Poznań in 1812 and became the owner of a pastry shop in the Old Market, was buried in the local Neo-Gothic mausoleum. Quite possibly, he had popularised the confectionery known as the napoleonka. Having made his fortune, Franciszek Douchy purchased Morasko (see). The mausoleum adjoins a ring-shaped stronghold with a diameter of 30 x 40 m. One of the nearby hills is known as Mt. Napoleon. Attention: Glinno is located within the Biedrusko military training ground and is open only seasonally. It also comprises part of the planned Owińska-Radojewo Cistercian Cultural Park.

Głogówko (commune of Piaski, county of Gostyń) – one of the monks at the Oratorian monastery in Święta Góra was Stefan Błażowski, a double of Bonaparte. British Intelligence was involved in a conspiracy intent on abducting Napoleon and replacing him with the Polish monk. The exchange was to take place in Szamotuły (see). Under the spell of Napoleon’s promise to resurrect an independent Poland, Błażowski agreed to play the part of the Emperor and to be used by the English who remained unaware of his deception.

Gniezno (county town) – on 10 November 1806 commissars of the Voivodeship Commission and Captain Podhorecki arrived in the town to arrange quarters, food supplies, and forage for the French army. All citizens aged 16-60 were conscripted into the National Guard. At the same time, General Niemojewski formed the first and second infantry regiment. The local Franciscan monastery was adapted for the purposes of a field hospital, and the monastery of the order of the Holy Sepulchre was used for storage as was the church of St. Michael, the Protestant church, and part of the cathedral. The seminary building now housed tailor workshops. An extant silk standard features the following words embroidered in gold : ”Victory or death for the Motherland / Everyone who loves his Country, Honour and Glory / When summoned by Napoleon’s call for battle / Presents a Standard since he can offer no more. A True / Citizen” and: “Standard of the Knights of the Voivodeship of Gniezno offered on 15 December 1806 ”.

Golejewko (commune of Pakosław, county of Rawicz) – Rajmund Bronikowski, a Napoleonic soldier and aide de camp to General Dąbrowski, lost Golejewko which he could not administer while fighting for the Motherland.

Górczyn (today: part of Poznań) – on 30 July 1814 the body of Prince Józef Poniatowski was escorted across Górczyn by, i. a. a 200-strong detachment of Cracovians, created by General Jan Nepomucen Umiński (see: Smolice). It is worth recalling the history of these “ mounted commandos ” - in December 1812 Napoleon insisted on the reconstruction of the Polish infantry since only a fraction of these “magnificent people on splendid horses “ had returned from the Moscow campaign. When the majority of the riders arrived riding small and rather rundown peasant horses it was decided to form a cavalry formation known as the Cracovians, composed of men from the Poznań, Kalisz, Cracow, and Radom regions. The name of the regiment was associated with a cap resembling the one typical for the Cracow area. Initially, the Cracovians (krakusi ) wore peasant costumes and were armed with pistols hanging on thongs, all kinds of swords, and lances similar to the Cossack pikes. Umiński set up a detachment composed of 880 riders which, making use of the resemblance of the horses and arms, fought in the Cossack manner: conducting reconnaissance, incursions, and diversion in back of the enemy forces. The Cracovians mastered the art of rapidly altering the battle array, changing the front and attack, and executing all the turns in full gallop and by relying on signals made with the help of a horsetail. When he first caught sight of them Napoleon was to have burst into laughter, but having seen their achievements he turned to Poniatowski: “I have just been watching your Pygmy infantry and must have 3 000 more”. His decision should not come as a surprise since “Some were capable of lifting caps off the ground in full gallop, while others picked up sand or stones”. When upon Napoleon’s command the uniforms became even more matching, the similarity to the Cossacks grew. During the battle of Leipzig the Cracovians, together with part of a cuirassier regiment , comprised the personal guards of Prince Józef whom they accompanied to the last moment of his life. The majority fell in battle, and the surviving 400 riders found themselves in France together with Napoleon’s vanquished forces. The final deed of the “Pygmy army ” was a charge against the Prussian hussars near Clichy in the suburbs of Paris ( 30 March 1814). Purportedly, it was the Cracovians who fired the last field guns during this war.

Gutowo Wielkie (commune of Września, county of Września) – the village is approached along a road known as ”napoleonka”; its name commemorates the route of the Napoleonic armies.

Iłowiec Wielki (commune of Mosina, county of Poznań) – here, on the eve of the Moscow campaign, Napoleon appeared on 16 July 1807 and 30 May 1812 on his way to Poznań. In his honour the villagers built a roadside pyramid symbolising the Emperor’s victories and the war in Egypt.

Jarocin (county town) – in mid-November 1806 General Dąbrowski ordered Franciszek Radoliński, the owner of Jarocin, to follow the river Warta towards Gorzów and entrusted him with the task of seizing all ships loaded with food. The French military authorities and the Polish civilian authorities were obligated to render him the necessary assistance. Radoliński financed the formation of Polish regiments, joined the levy in mass of the voivodeship of Kalisz, and provided three so- called postals together with equipment. In his capacity as a lieutenant he was appointed commander of the second detachment. He dispatched Wojciech Dąbrowski, whom he promised a sum of 600 Polish zlotys for taking part in the Moscow campaign. In January 1813 Jarocin was captured by the Russian troops.

Jarogniewice (commune of Czempiń, county of Kościan) – in 1806 Celestyn Sokolnicki, the owner of this property, welcomed in the name of the gentry of Greater Poland Napoleon entering Poznań . He also financed a chasseur regiment.

Jarosławiec (commune of Środa Wielkopolska, county of Środa) – a well-proportioned ground-floor Classical manor house with a porch along the axis and a bay, built in 1802 by the Zabłocki family, owners of the village, and commonly known as ”Napoleonka”. Subsequently, the object became part of the Kórnik estate, and together with the latter was included into the ”Zakłady Kórnickie” Foundation created by Count Władysław Zamoyski. The manor house (today: private property) is surrounded by a medium-sized park (6,8 hectares) from the end of the nineteenth century.

Jurkowo (commune of Krzywiń, county of Kościan) – the wooden manor house of the Morawski family contained numerous portraits and canvases connected with the Napoleonic wars. “Mr. Roger Raczyński, always enchanted with the picturesque Jurkowo manor house, used to say that it resembled a gentry Kremlin. Tendrils of Virginia creeper concealed the uneven walls of its many annexes and additions “. The manor house, which quite possibly was the original model for “Soplicowo”, was pulled down in the second half of the nineteenth century and replaced by a new palace.

Kalisz (seat of a county) – at the time of the Duchy of Warsaw the centre of a department. Here, General Józef Zajączek organised the Second Kalisz Legion. Jerome Bonaparte, the Emperor’s brother, arrived in the town on 2 January 1807 leading the Bavarian armies, and followed by General Quidinot and his French troops, which were stationed in the local Reformist monastery. Soon afterwards, Kalisz welcomed the Eighth Regiment of the Duchy of Warsaw under the command of Cyprian Godebski who subsequently became the head of the local military garrison. His name is associated with the so-called Godebski barracks – a long Classical building in 16 Babina Street. To honour Napoleon the most prominent street was given the name of Empress Josephine (today: Wolności Avenue). Kalisz played host to Prince Józef Poniatowski, General Henryk Dąbrowski, and other Napoleonic generals and marshals. At the time of their retreat from Moscow, the Napoleonic armies in Kalisz included the Polish Legion under Prince Józef Poniatowski, the 20 000 strong Saxon corps, the 30 000 strong Westphalian, Bavarian and Wirtembergian corps as well as Italians and Spaniards. When in April 1813 Jerome Bonaparte, the king of Westphalia, once again stayed in Kalisz, the seat of the prefecture, the Tribunals, the chapter houses, and part of the Cadet Corps building were made available for the Staff, court and royal servants. A hospital was set up for the exhausted and ailing Napoleonic soldiers in a post-Bernardine monastery. Up to this day, a column topped with a crucifix, and known as the Napoleon obelisk, stands in front of the monastery (today: Jesuit) and the church of the Visitation of the Holy Virgin Mary. The obelisk was raised by the French to commemorate the 300 French and Bavarian soldiers who died here in 1813. On 17 February 1813 Kalisz witnessed the arrival of Tsar Alexander I together with his army, field marshals, generals, and envoys of assorted states and diplomats, later to be joined by Friedrich Wilhelm III of Prussia. The Kalisz convention of the two monarchs (such was the name given to the meeting), the negotiations conducted at the time, and the agreements and treaties signed by Russia and Prussia proved decisive for the further fate of the campaign waged against Napoleon and future order in Europe. During the six weeks spent in Kalisz the Russian tsar resided in a building of the local prefecture.

Kępno (county town) – the insurgents captured Kępno on 10 November 1806; in contrast to other towns, this armed operation was not carried out by the landowners but by Piotr Żeromski, commander of a detachment composed of a hundred armed peasants, who seized power. The Prussians informed that the burghers did not take part in the insurrection and remained loyal to the king of Prussia.

Kłodawa (town, county of Koło) - the Napoleonic wars and the passage of the Great Army halted the development of this small town situated along the main route. According to an account by a woman almost a hundred years old: “ In 1812 the French stationed in Kłodawa for almost a year, with a soldier in each house who had to be fed and kept warm in the winter . Once a Frenchman met a girl he immediately

Kobylepole (today: in the city of Poznań) - upon the invitation of Colonel Stanisław Mycielski, Napoleon attended the christening of the Polish officer’s daughter, Konstancja Wiktoria. Not a single trace remains of the magnificent palace, maintained in the style of a Renaissance villa and demolished in 1945. Today, the only remnants of the manorial premise include fragments of the park with trees- monuments of Nature, and the buildings of the Mycielski brewery located in one of the four wedges of plants laid out during the interwar period by architect Władysław Czarnecki. A picturesque bicycle trail and footpath run along the manor ponds, the river Cybina and Lake Maltańskie, towards Komandoria.

Konarzewo (commune of Dopiewo, county of Poznań) – when on the day after his arrival in Poznań in November 1806 Napoleon expressed a wish to see a true Polish manor house, Count Ksawery Działyński invited him to his family residence in Konarzewo. This is one of the few Polish Late Renaissance residences preserved in an unchanged form (photo). The palace, built in 1689-1699 for Andrzej Radomicki, was erected on the ground plan of a rectangle to which a two-storey projection facing the garden was added slightly later on. The author of the project remains unidentified (quite possibly he had been brought over from Italy by Radomicki). Jan Adam Stier, a builder and the son-in-law of Pompeo Ferrari, the most acclaimed architect working at that time in Greater Poland, is regarded to have been the author of the expansion. The central part of the building is occupied by a wide hallway, formerly a passageway, covered with a barrel vault with lunettes. Its capaciousness predestined it for important ceremonies attended by numerous guests. The former grand dining room on the ground floor, and the first-storey hall and library feature noteworthy stucco, partially the work of the Italian Adalberto Bianco and Franciszek Signo of Leszno, as well as polychromes by Karol Dankwart, who at the time was decorating the Poznań parish church. The ceiling of the ground-floor corner room features… a witch. The beauty of the interior may be admired thanks to its conservation which disclosed the damaged and overpainted polychromes. A large driveway encircled by a wall with a Baroque gate faces the palace. The Napoleonic era is also evoked by a Late Baroque outbuilding from the second half of the eighteenth century, covered with a mansard roof. The sprawling (10 hectares) regular- landscape park, laid out already in the seventeenth century and expanded during the nineteenth century, has preserved Renaissance terraces. A Late Gothic church, redesigned during the Baroque, stands opposite the palace. Its subterranean part contains the tombs of the Radomicki family, the ancestors of the Działyńskis. The visitors’ attention is also drawn to a charming Baroque figure of St. Nepomuk which Anna Radomicka and her husband, Augustyn Działyński, erected to commemorate their dead children. Tytus, the son of Ksawery Działyński, used the palace for housing his magnificent library collections, which he later transferred to the castle in Kórnik, thus inaugurating the Kórnik Library. Portraits of the Działyńskis and the Radomickis are on show also in Kórnik. The palace was the site of receptions held in honour of Napoleon and his officers. Finally, a true likeness of the ”God of War” could have been purchased here. In 1811 Ksawery Działyński attended the wedding of Napoleon and Marie Louise as a representative of the Duchy of Warsaw.

Konin (county of Grodek ) – at the beginning of November 1806 the town was entrusted to Count Gurowski upon the basis of a decree issued by Dąbrowski; new municipal authorities were established and the city funds and storehouses were commandeered. The local highlight is the impressively renovated Old Town with a Classical town hall, compact houses, a former Jewish school, and a Moorish-style synagogue. The parish church featuring Art Nouveau polychromes by Eligiusz Niewiadomski is a must. The famous stone pillar standing in front of the church has been showing the halfway point between Kalisz and Kruszwica since 1151.

Kościan (county town) – representatives of the landowners of Kościan - members of the Polish delegation welcoming Napoleon in Berlin on 19 November 1806 - included Jaraczewski, the county cavalry captain Jakub Kęszycki (in 1809 commander of the National Guard, lieutenant colonel in the fourth Galician-French regiment) and Józef Chłapowski of Turew. In Poznań Celestyn Sokolnicki, elected chairman of the voivodeship commission for gathering funds for the establishment of a Polish army, addressed the Emperor in a speech. Sokolnicki personally financed and provided uniforms for a group of soldiers whose number corresponded to that of the landed estates in his possession. Women were enjoined to donate their gold and jewellery. Kościan was the site of the organisation of the fourth infantry regiment, which became part of the Poznań Legion. Part of the first infantry regiment was also dispatched to Kościan. The local artisans sewed military uniforms. On 16 July 1807 Napoleon, having left Poznań at 1 o’clock in the morning, asked for the horses to move at walking pace for the next three miles so that he could sleep in his carriage. Upon arrival in Kościan he requested to be taken to a German innkeeper for breakfast. Subsequently, he travelled to Dresden along a road via Wschowa and Głogów. In May 1812 Napoleonic armies marched across the town , and more than 8 000 men, including the Cossack regiments of Zenzov, Shlosarov and others, passed through in February 1813. In May over 6 000 Don Cossacks stationed here together with artillery, and in June approximately 42 000 solders from various regiments, i. a. Podolian, Nevsky, Lithuanian, Jaeger and the St. Petersburg dragoons stayed in Kościan.

Kórnik (seat of commune, county of Poznań) – Tytus Działyński, the son of Ksawery, redesigned the Baroque palace of the “White Lady” into a Romantic castle maintained in the English Neo-Gothic style. Here he stored collections of national souvenirs, works of art and crafts, multiple documents, and an extensive library. In 1924 the whole property was entrusted to the Polish nation. The Kórnik Library of the Polish Academy of Sciences possesses, i. a. drawings, graphic works, and portraits of Napoleon. The Castle adjoins a magnificent park-arboretum (33,5 hectares). Kórnik is one of the best- known castles- museums in Poland.

Kwieciszewo (commune and county of Mogilno, voivodeship of Kujawy-Pomerania) – in 1809 “ near Kwieciszewo Captain Emil Węgierski, surrounded by 380 best Hungarian hussars under the command of Gartenberg , fled for a mile, killing more than ten hussars, including Prince Esterhazy, and without any own losses and with only two rounds of ammunition he retreated behind the water mill and captured the bridge; here too the enemy withdrew.This magnificent retreat was the foundation of Węgierski’s future fame”.

Lubostroń (commune of Łabiszyn, county of Znin, voivodeship of Kujawy-Pomerania) – in an exceptionally picturesque area - “ a cherished and secluded spot spot” - Count Fryderyk Skórzewski erected one of the most attractive palaces in Poland. The Classical object, built on a central plan, features a extensive patriotic programme. The south-west facade, for instance, displays among the panoplies bees - the symbol of the French, to whom Skórzewski, similarly to other Poles, attached hope for the renascence of his native land. Lubosz (commune of Kwilcz, county of Międzychód ) – Adam Turno recorded : “On 13 February [1813 ] we set off towards Lubosz near Pniewy… 14 February. We reached Lewice. Here the enemy , having defeated the 17th Polish infantry regiment in Sieraków and captured Prince Giedroyc and his son., became bolder, with the Cossacks attacking us all the way to Palisko [Policko], whose rather military location [ here the road to Międzyrzecz crosses the Obra ] was the reason why we remained here to 18 [February ] . This was the last stage in Poland … Having abandoned our native land we tearfully entered Brandenburg…” .

Łaziska (commune and county of Wągrowiec) – a hillock standing amidst pine trees immediately beyond the boundary of Wągrowiec, on the left side of the road to Gniezno, features a tomb in the shape of a pyramid. This is the final resting place of cavalry captain Franciszek Jerzy Łakiński, a soldier of the Napoleonic wars. Łakiński himself designed the 10-meters high pyramid made of hewn stones; inside, a coffin is suspended on two chains. The door of the sepulchre features the following inscription: “Franciszek Łakiński, cavalry captain of the Polish armi in 1808-1814. Bon on 10 March 1767, died on 4 June 1845”. Łakiński ordered the surrounding of the sepulchre to be decorated with roses, exotic trees and shrubs. The mausoleum was to be watched by a keeper, for whom he built a cottage, a stable and a well, and purchased a small plot of farm land. The post of the keeper was to be held only by a veteran of the artillery. The pinnacle of next hillock displays a high brick postument with a likeness of a horse cut of out of metal sheet. Some claim that this is the burial site of Łakiński’s horse, while others believe that it is a monument commemorating the residents of Wągrowiec who took part in the Kościuszko Insurrection. Łakiński requested pine trees to be planted on the hill with the pyramid. Prior to his death he declared: “The resurrection of Poland will take place when these trees become so tall that they shall conceal the monument ”, a prophecy which was fulfilled.

Łobżenica (town, county of Piła) - General Dąbrowski detailed a cavalry squadron towards Western Pomerania under the command of the experienced Colonel Franciszek Garczyński. On 27 January 1807 they arrived in Łobżenica, from which Garczyński wrote to Dąbrowski: “I arrived here yesterday to take all the Polish deserters [ from the Prussian army] and to equip the men. Today I am on my way to Piła and from there to Tuczyn since the French army had not passed through this region; otherwise there would be no food left; from here I shall march on towards Kołobrzeg according to orders.”

Łopuchowo (commune of Murowana Goślina, county of Poznań) – in the once magnificent half-timbered manor house (today a ruin) Rozalia, born Chłapowska, the wife of Lawrence Engeström, the Swedish envoy in Warsaw, and the aunt of Dezydery, who owed to her his interest in Napoleon, organised a ball for the light-cavalrymen (May 1812): “The whole guard stayed around Poznań, the mounted riflemen from our brigade were stationed in Owińska, and we - in Murowana Goślina. Balls were held in the area, one of which was at my aunt’s in Łopuchowo. There I received the order to arrange 300 horses, 150 riflemen and 150 of our men so as to set up pickets from Toruń all the way to Gdańsk. I set off immediately. On the first day I arrived at Gniezno , on the second - outside Mogilno, and on the third day - I arrived two miles outside Inowrocław.”

Manieczki (commune of Brodnica, county of śrem) - since 1781 the property of Józef Wybicki, co-founder and officer of the Polish Legions, and author of the national anthem. The general’s son, Józef Ksawery, sold the village to General Dezydery Chłapowski, another Napoleonic soldier. At the end of the nineteenth century Manieczki belonged to the Grodzickis and then to the von Grave and Broel-Plater families. From 1912 its owner was Zdzisław Brzeski, and during the interwar period – the Prus-Głowacki family. The rather small but stately ground-floor manor house, with a residential storey concealed in a gable roof, and with a porch on the axis, stands at the edge of a landscape park (6,5 hectares) with three ponds from the second half of the eighteenth century. From 1978 the manor house, built in 1894 for the Grodzickis, houses the Józef Wybicki Museum. The well-kept park includes two noteworthy broken columns, placed in 1766 by Wybicki’s predecessor - Maciej Kołaczkowski. Nearby stands a stone commemorating the author of the Polish national anthem, accompanied by a boulder featuring his bust (1992, sculpture by Grzegorz Kowalski). The chapel-rotunda from 1786 in the western part of the park was founded by Wybicki.

Margońska Wieś, today: part of Margonin (commune of Margonin, county of Chodziez) - up to 1837 the property of the Skórzewskis, who resided in Lubostroń. The wedding of Józef Wybicki and Kunegunda Drwęska, a niece of Countess Skórzewska, was held in the local manorial chapel in 1773. Despite the fact that Kunegunda (Kunusia) was 15 years older than her husband, he was greatly attached to her and despaired deeply when she died while nine months pregnant in January 1775. Kunusia passed away in the manor house erected during the second half of the eighteenth century. Both she and her husband are commemorated by a boulder/monument featuring the inscription: ”Józef Wybicki (1747 - 1822), author of the National Anthem. On 17 October 1773 married Kunegunda Dręska. On the 200th anniversary of the Dąbrowski Mazurka – Compatriots. Margonin 1997”. In 1842-1843, a Neo-Gothic palace with three wings and a tower was added to the Skórzewski ground-floor manor house according to a project by the renowned German architect Friedrich August Stüler. The owner of the object was Carl von Schwichow. The wings were decorated with pinnacles, gables and turrets. The palace, redesigned already at the end of the nineteenth century and at the beginning of the twentieth century, is surrounded by a large park (17, 8 hectares), laid out in 1788 and containing numerous trees/monuments of Nature. The palace houses the W. Łuczkiewicz Forestry Centre. In 1989 a Memorial Chamber dedicated to Józef Wybicki was opened in the palace tower.

Mączniki (commune and county of Sroda) – the birthplace of the valiant Colonel Paweł Skórzewski. The day after Dąbrowski arrived in Poznań, the vigorous colonel (72 years old at the time) gathered several hundred volunteers, and on 7 October 1806 attacked Kalisz, taking into captivity the whole Prussian garrison. Nominated the military head of the Kalisz department he organised Polish troops. Despite his age, in 1812 he became the marshal of the levy in mass of the gentry in the department.

Międzyrzecz (county town, voivodeship of Lubusz) – Napoleon stayed in Międzyrzecz on 26 November 1806 for a brief respite. A meal was prepared for him and the accompanying Marshal Berthier at the home of Johan Jacob Vollmer, a wealthy cloth merchant. Immediately afterwards, the Emperor summoned the terrified old man and conversed with him, first asking about his profession, to which Vollmer replied that he traded in cloth as far as Russia. Then Napoleon inquired about the number of employees. and was informed that the merchant did not hire a single worker since all the local towns produced great amounts of cloth which he merely brought up to distribute further. What is the size of a single length of cloth and how much does it cost, the Emperor continued asking and learned that it is 24 ells long at the price of 24 thalers. He then turned to Berthier, inquiring about the worth of one thaler in franks. Hearing that it was a hundred franks, he ordered the marshal to bring a French army coat and place it on a table; then he had the clothier and his translator into French, named Buchol , bring a single length of cloth and measure how many coats could be made out of it. Finally. the Emperor asked for 2 000 lengths and signed a suitable contract with Vollmer; the money was to be paid from the military funds in Poznań. The short stay almost ended with a great catastrophe for the town when an old tax collector, Friedrich Wilhelm Sprengepiel, decided to assassinate the hated tyrant (this was the way in which Napoleon was perceived by Prussian patriots). Sprengepiel borrowed a rifle from the local masonry master, one Buttel, and hid in the town hall tower some 15 feet from the house where Bonaparte was dining. From a window the would-be assassin could aim with great precision at the Emperor the moment the latter, leaving the house, would be walking down the steps. Fortunately for the town and all of its inhabitants the movement of the troops was so great on that day that Sprengepiel changed his mind. In the course of the following days assorted French forces constantly passed through the town. Great columns of men marched on towards Poznań and Warsaw. These movements lasted throughout 1806 and 1807, transforming Międzyrzecz into a huge military camp. Luckily for the local residents, whose majority was German, the commander-in- chief in Międzyrzecz was Colonel Target, of Alsatian origin and fluent in German. The colonel was staying in Vollmer’s house, and due ” to his tact and good treatment “ of the trader’s family was regarded as a member of the household; in time, he also won the trust of the townspeople. On a New Year’s night in 1806 a fire broke out near a local pharmacy and rapidly began to spread . At the time, there were some 3 000 French soldiers in Międzyrzecz. Thanks to Target’s courage and the skilful cooperation of the whole garrison the fire was quickly localised. The same night, a drunken wagon driver, a former Prussian junior officer named Golz, insulted a French colonel and attacked him with a dagger. A large group of soldiers arrived and overpowered Golz, who was then tried by a military court which convened immediately and sentenced the offender to death by hanging. The verdict was to be carried out on the following day. Meanwhile, the authorities and population of Międzyrzecz, together with the local clergy and Vollmer’s family, pleaded for mercy so insistently that finally the colonel consented and despite the fact that the gallows had been already prepared the condemned man was to be punished by a feigned hanging. A noose was placed on his neck, and then cut; still wearing it, the felon was flogged in the pillory. When Napoleon established the Duchy of Warsaw, the newly appointed prefect of the county of Międzyrzecz was Aleksander Zygmunt Kurnatowski, and the town commander - one Rakowski. At the end of 1812 disturbing rumours about Napoleon’s defeat at Moscow started to circulate around Międzyrzecz and its environs. On 16 January 1813 the first detachments of the vanquished army reached the town - 400 soldiers from Würtemberg and cavalrymen without the horses. On 15 February the Viceroy of Italy passed through Międzyrzecz with a detachment of 500 men The local population feared a Cossack onslaught , and when the French entered the town the gates were closed and every house accommodated 20-50 persons for the night . The first Cossacks arrived already at the end of February. Searching for the French, they discovered only 12 wounded men in the field hospital. An injured officer who was being privately treated and stayed with clothier Wittchen, was completely robbed by the Russian soldiers. Despite the fact that the Vollmer house has been pulled down, it is worth touring Międzyrzecz in order to see its numerous historical monuments, including the town hall tower which since 1813 features a Polish Eagle with a Napoleonic star.

Morasko (today: in the city limits of Poznań) - in 1825 this property was purchased by the Frenchman Franciszek Douchy, a soldier in the Napoleonic wars who in 1812 settled down in Poznań where he sold pastries. Funds amassed in this way enabled him to buy the estate and to erect an original Neo-Renaissance villa, which in 1859 was purchased after his death by the von Treskow family. Behind a brick fence there stands a Late Baroque manor house built in 1786 for Ignacy Korwin- Bieńkowski, a Cracow cathedral scholasticuss. Today, this object serves as a convent; next to it, the nuns raised new buildings. At the beginning of the twentieth century the Prussian Settlement Commission bought up part of the land and established an exemplary village whose extant components include a school, a tavern, several houses of the colonists and, predominantly, a splendid post-Protestant church with a soaring tower. A historical lane runs from the church towards the ”Morasko reservation”, where five ponds concealed in a wood are the traces of meteorites. Picturesque Morasko is situated within the planned Owińska-Radojewo Cistercian Cultural Park.

Mosina (commune loco, county of Poznań) - a small town located on the Mosiński Canal, at the edge of the Wielkopolski National Park and the Rogaliński Landscape Park. A spring known as ”Napoleon’s well” is to be found on a slope of the Pożegowska Moraine. The hill offers a picturesque view. In 1806 Napoleon, while preparing a confrontation with the Russians, inspected the environs of Poznań in order to select a suitable site for a battle. Quite possibly, he reached this spot and drank the spring water. He could have also visited this locality in 1807 when he travelled across Mosina on his way to Dresden, or in 1812 , on the eve of the Moscow expedition. Mosina has preserved the spatial configuration of a mediaeval town with a four-cornered market square as well as nineteenth-century and early twentieth-century buildings. The former synagogue houses a Regional Museum.

Mrówki (commune of Wilczyn, county of Konin) - a coniform stronghold from the thirteenth- fourteenth century, known among the local population as the Napoleon Mound, lies in the woods a kilometre from the village.

Murowana Goślina (town, county of Poznań) – Adam Turno described the retreat of the Napoleonic troops : “On the 11th [February 1813] I marched from Pamiątkowa to Nieczajna, Kowalewko, and Maniewo , and if I had not met a peasant who warned me about the presence of the Muscovites [Russians] in [Murowana] Goślina, I would have walked into their very midst. Familiar with the region I turned right towards Owińsk, where the French stationed… At night we set off for Poznań, which we crossed at five in the morning …We spent the night in Chlewiska, a village belonging to Chryzostom Niegolewski, where 500 mounted men stationed. The king of Naples had left, and command was taken over by the Italian Viceroy, Prince Eugene [Napoleon’s stepson]”.

Niegolewo (commune of Opalenica, county of Nowy Tomyśl) – the former property of Andrzej Niegolewski, participant of the celebrated Somosierra charge, whose family preserved in the ”Napoleonic drawing room” such valuable souvenirs as medals, uniforms, prints, and two paintings showing Andrzej Niegolewski and Napoleon during the campaign of autumn 1813. In 1874 Niegolewski‘s relatives erected a monument commemorating the heroes of Somosierra, destroyed in 1940 by the Germans. The landscape park from the first half of the nineteenth century (10,4 hectares) contains a ground-floor palace from 1895-1896 and the chapel of St. Anne from the mid-nineteenth century. The adjoining expansive complex of grange buildings is composed of a granary from 1835, a water tower from the early twentieth century, and an unused distillery from the end of the nineteenth century. Next to Kwilcz and Taczanów, Niegolewo is one of the few localities which belonged to the same family uninterruptedly up to 1939. Objezierze (commune of Oborniki, county of Oborniki ) – in 1828 Helena Kwilecka married Wincenty Turno, the son of Adam; the palace, therefore, contained records associated with those members of the Turno family who took part in the Napoleonic wars. The list begins with Krzysztof, aide de camp to General Bronikowski, who fought in the Spanish campaign and fell at the battle of Samosierra on 20 February 1809. His younger brother, Karol, took part in the campaigns of 1809, 1812, 1813 and 1814 in the rank of captain, and fought in the battles of Borodino, Leipzig, Hanau , and Paris; wounded upon several occasions. At the end of his life he resided in Objezierze, where he wrote his diaries. Other Napoleonic soldiers included cousin Adam Turno (see: Więckowice) and his younger brother, Kazimierz (see: Dobrzyca). Helena and Wincenty Turno held a literary salon in their palace, where they played host to, i. a. A. Mickiewicz, who portrayed them and their guests in Master Thaddeus.

Oborzyska Stare (commune and county of Kościan) – the birthplace of Augustyn Ludwik Michał Brzeżański, who in 1806, at the age of 17, joined the then organised Polish army. During the Napoleonic campaign he was promoted from lieutenant (1807) to captain (1811). Fought at the side of Napoleon to 1814. In 1815 left the army and devoted himself to managing his estates of Borzykowo and Czachórki near Gniezno. Before his death Brzeżański wrote down his diaries.

Opalenica (town, county of Nowy Tomyśl) – the owners of the Opalenica estates was Józef Niemojewski, who fought in, i . a. the Polish Legions in Italy and the army of the Duchy of Warsaw. In 1821 he sold Opalenica, and from 1833 resided in Rokitnica near Brodnica, where he died in 1839.

Opatówek (commune loco, county of Kalisz) – in 1807 granted by Napoleon to General Józef Zajączek, later governor of the Kingdom of Poland. Józef Zajączek took part in the Kościuszko Insurrection and the Napoleonic wars. In 1809-1826 he resided in the (today non-extant) palace, on whose frontage he placed the inscription Magni Napoleonis donum (Gift of the great Napoleon). The general was buried in a chapel of the Neo-Gothic church of the Holy Heart of the Lord Jesus. His wife, who at the age of eighty still stirred fervent affection among young admirers, also became a historical figure of sorts; the secret of her beauty supposedly lay in the lumps of ice always kept under her bed. The historical town has preserved a unique Classical complex: tollgates, a school, grange buildings, and a park (14, 9 hectares). Another object worth visiting is the Industry Historical Museum in a Classical building of the former cloth works belonging to General Zajączek.

Opieszyn (today: part of Września) – the owner of the estate was Stanisław Poniński, wo after the appearance of French troops in Greater Poland financed his own regiment. Participant of the 1806-1807 campaign and the battles of, i. a. Iława, Gdańsk, and Friedland, awarded the Virtuti Militari Cross and the French Legion of Honour. After the signing of the peace of Tilsitz he resigned from military service and became a member of an army funds commission in the departments of Bydgoszcz and Poznań. In 1809 appointed a government commissar of the county of Pyzdry; in 1811 fulfilled the function of marshal of the dietine of the same county, and in 1812 became councillor of the department of Poznań. Died in Berlin in 1847 and buried in Września.

Owińska (commune of Czerwonak, county of Poznań) - in November 1806 Emperor Napoleon stayed in the local Poor Clare convent. Legend and literature record the story of his planned assassination. Owińska includes a preserved Late Baroque church of St. John the Baptist (architect: Pompeo Ferrari), built in 1720-1728 upon the base of older Romanesque and Gothic walls. The church interior is decorated with polychromes by Adam Swach. The adjoining Baroque monastery from about 1700 was designed by architect Jan Catenazzi and completed by Pompeo Ferrari (today: a centre for blind children). A Gothic- Renaissance church of St. Nicholas stands next to the parish cemetery; built prior to 1574, it was redesigned in 1686. Across the road a sprawling (20 hectares) landscape park features a Classical palace from 1804-1806 (designed by Karol Fryderyk Schinkiel and Franciszek Catel), the main residence of the von Treskow family. The author of the park, which is approached through two Classical gates, is identified with the famous royal gardener Piotr Józef Lenné. Owińska also contains the buildings of a former mental asylum from the nineteenth century and 1910. To the north of the monastic complex there stands a former brewery from about 1800, built of field stones and with a stone granary close by. Owińska is situated within the planned Owińska-Radojewo Cistercian Cultural Park.

Pawłowice (commune of Krzemieniewo, county of Leszno) – Stanisław Mielżyński inherited Pawłowice, Poniec, Łaszczyn, and Gołańcz. His property included also a palace in Poznań, which in November 1806 became the residence of General J. H. Dąbrowski and Józef Wybicki. Promoted to the rank of colonel, Mielżyński financed the third infantry regiment. Since he had no military experience, the regiment, stationing in Pawłowice, was entrusted to Major Fiszer (see: Rawicz). At the beginning of 1807 it set off towards Pomerania where the first battalion under Fisher became particularly renowned after the battle of Tczew. Mielżyński fought in the bloody battle of Gdańsk, and then spent two years in the Gdańsk garrison. In 1809, together with Dąbrowski, he came to the assistance of Greater Poland. In 1810 promoted for his part in the campaign of 1809 to the rank of brigadier general and subsequently appointed commander of the department of Płock. In 1812 Mielżyński set off for the Moscow campaign; wounded at the battle of Smolensk for which he received the Legion of Honour. In 1813 defended Gdańsk, and once again wounded at the battle of Hamburg where he was captured. Presented with the Virtuti Militari Cross for his participation in assorted battles.

Piła – during the aftermath of the defeat suffered at Jena and Auerstädt, the Prussian royal couple fled hurriedly from Berlin via Szczecin, Mirosławiec, Wałcz, Piła, and Bydgoszcz towards those parts of the Prussian state which remained unoccupied by the Napoleonic army. Several days later, the French detachments of the General Lannes corps entered the town while marching from Człopy towards Bydgoszcz, which in 1807 became one of the sites of the concentration of two Polish divisions and a levy in mass. General Dąbrowski detailed a cavalry squadron towards Western Pomerania (commander: Colonel Franciszek Garczyński). On 28 January 1807 the detachment appeared in Piła; located along the frontier of the Duchy of Warsaw, the town bore the burden of maintaining the Napoleonic army and Polish troops. This was a period of a marked development of the crafts since particular guilds produced goods for the army. Legal trade was accompanied by smuggling which became the livelihood and source of prosperity for numerous local inhabitants.

Pławisko (commune of Sieraków, county of Międzychód) - “ Heights, known as French Hills, stretch near the forester’s cottage of Pławisko, next to the road to Drezdenko. When in 1807 the Napoleonic army crossed the Warta at Sierakow, it encountered numerous sandy hillocks next to Pławisko, which proved to be an unsurmountable obstacle for the draught horses pulling canons. The army commander ordered digging a road, but the canons continued to sink in the sand. In order to facilitate the passage, the local farmers were compelled to provide tree trunks for paving the road. The name of the French Hills originates from that period”.

Pniewy (town, county of Szamotuły) – In 1806 Napoleon passed through Pniewy on his way to Poznań, followed by French and Polish troops. In 1813 the exhausted Napoleonic soldiers, victims of severe winter conditions, fled the Russians. On 14 February 1813 their camp to the south of Pniewy was attacked by Cossacks led by Vorontsov, who conducted several charges. The raids were repelled predominantly by a squadron of the light cavalry of the guard, under the command of Jerzmanowski, who then chased the retreating enemy. This victory revived the soldiers’ spirits. In 2006 a boulder featuring a commemorative plaque was unveiled at the spot of the victorious confrontation (today: near the “Quartet” Hotel).

Posadowo (commune of Lwówek) – the owner of Posadowo, Lwówek, Sierakowo, Gosławice near/Konin, and other estates was Count Melchior Łącki (1761-1829), a noblemen endowed with great resourcefulness and an ardent lover of horses. He financed a cavalry regiment which he commanded in the rank of colonel and which was composed of a hundred purebred Arab horses. His horses, of extraordinary beauty, “grey with black manes and tails and black marking along their backs”, became the identification emblem of the trumpeters of the famous first light cavalry regiment of the Napoleonic Guard. Count Melchior enjoyed such a favourable financial status, military merits, and position that he could afford scandals in his personal life: he married Regina Smętkówna, not of noble birth, with whom he had six children - three were born out of wedlock. His grandson, Władysław, built in Posadowo a much admired palace in the French style. “Despite the bad weather, the splendid castle with its soaring towers set amidst an enchanting park made a charming sight and the centuries-old trees ... clipped into pyramids and squares , produced a pleasant picture, creating as if a thread linking the past with the present”

Poznań - Napoleon came to Poznań on 27 November 1806 and resided in the former Jesuit Collegium which became the imperial residence. Already on the eve of his arrival, the inhabitants of Poznań changed the name of Wilhelm Square (today: Wolności Square) to Napoleon Square, and named Wilhelm Avenue (today : Marcinkowskiego Avenue) rue Napoleon. According to the German chronicler Hugo Sommer, for three weeks ”Poznań assumed the role of the centre of the European world”. The official welcome took place on 28 November in the Throne Room. In order to outfit the imperial residence, known as Château du Posen, the residents of Greater Poland offered numerous decorations of their own homes. On Sunday 30 November, Napoleon attended a service celebrated in the parish church by Ignacy Raczyński, the archbishop of Gniezno, and on 2 December - a ceremonial service in the same church, marking the anniversary of the Emperor’s coronation. In the evening, General Dąbrowski held a ball at the Municipal Theatre (today: Arkadia), at which the celebrated guest assured the jealous Josephine that Polish women were not at all as beautiful as he had been told. On 11 December Napoleon signed a peace treaty between France and Saxony in the Redutowa Room at the Saski Hotel (25 Wrocławska Street). Napoleon’s stay was described also by Wirydiana born Radolińska, 1 voto Kwilecka, 2 voto Fiszerowa: “Napoleon prolonged his stay in Poznań more than it was anticipated. He was capable of doing everything at once. He commanded the advance of his armies further into Poland, supervised the organisation of our army, and form the standpoint of a victor considered the proposals made by assorted powers. He whose death would have altered the fate of the world, went on short horse rides in the environs of Poznań in the company of only several of our young men; he found time for holding receptions for us, at which he arrived late and the role of the hosts was played in a bungling manner by his court and marshals. The Emperor formulated questions in such a emphatic way that answering them required a clear mind even if they were not complicated, since he asked the ladies only about their dresses . …It was interesting to see how he always aptly elected the questions according to the face of his interlocutor . Whether in petty matters or significant ones , he was always strikingly superior. Less handsome than when I knew him as Consul - excessive weight made it difficult for him to walk and reduced his height. The coarsened facial features lost their fragility, and his gaze was sombre. I have heard much about his charming smile - but it evaded my attention. Nevertheless, since this was Napoleon no one would have dared to make observations about him in his presence and in cold blood …”. Bonaparte went on daily horse rides in the company of French generals and young Poles. In the course of one of such excursions, whose route led across Naramowice, Winiary, Umultowo, Nowa Wieś Górna, and Radojewo, the Emperor’s attention was attracted by Dezydery Chłapowski, the only member of the entourage to show the way across the marshes, crying out : ”A Pole is capable of overcoming all obstacles”. Having crossed the Warta by ferry, the travellers reached the Cistercian convent in Owińska. On the same day, the Emperor invited Chłapowski to dinner, and from that time on his guest became a favourite aide de camp. Upon another occasion, the Emperor set off for Swarzędz, where he was greeted at the town tollgates by riders in Turkish outfits and wearing turbans, one of whom declared: ”Do not fear, Your Imperial Highness. We are not Turks, but the Jews of Swarzędz”. Subsequently, as Chłapowski noted in his diary, ”Having left the town, [Napoleon] turned to the right in search of hillocks on which he halted to examine the surrounding open fields as if he saw armies all around him”. After three weeks spent in Poznań, the Emperor left in the night of 16 December 1806. The second imperial visit took place on 15 July 1807 on the way to Dresden. Napoleon, who arrived in Poznań at 9.30 pm and left at midnight, was greeted with gun salutes and lavish illuminations. The ceremonial wedding of General Jan Henryk Dąbrowski, ”a national hero”, and the young Barbara Chłapowska took place in Poznań cathedral on 5 November 1807. ”The momentous event was an occasion for joy for the whole town. (…) The crowds of citizens, the entire officer corps and troops of the line, the national guards and numerous gun salutes rendered the ceremony even more splendid”, informed ”Gazeta Poznańska”. The wedding was held upon the first anniversary of Dąbrowski’s arrival in Poznań. In May 1812 Napoleon spent four days in Poznań. On 31 May he conducted a review of the army in Działowy Square, and then attended Holy Mass at the parish church. A grand reception was held in his honour in the Grand Refectory of the former Jesuit monastery. Bonaparte appeared once again in Poznań when he secretly crossed the town on 12 December 1812, and stayed for few hours at the Drezdeński Hotel. The body of Prince Józef Poniatowski, the national hero who perished in the Elster during the Battle of Nations waged at Leipzig, was transported across Poznań at the end of July 1814 ”amidst the dirges of the clergy, solemn music and mournfully tolling bells (…). Never before had Poznań witnessed such a lavish funeral procession, which on that day was composed of all the civilian authorities, the whole lay and monastic clergy, numerous generals and officers, representatives of the guilds, carrying lit candles and unfurled banners decorated with black crepe, as well as an innumerable multitude of the people”. The local National Museum features Napoleon’s scissors and a lock of his hair as well as numerous souvenirs of Napoleonic-era heroes. The Heroes‘ Crypt in the church of St. Wojciech is the final resting place of famous Napoleonic soldiers : Józef Wybicki, Andrzej Niegolewski, and Antoni ”Amilkar” Kosiński; it also features an urn containing the heart of Jan Henryk Dąbrowski.

Pyzdry (town, county of Września ) – on 8 May 1809 the Austrians defeated at Pyzdry the forces of the National Guard, a total of 150 men. Adam Turno recorded in his diary: “…At Pyzdry the hussars crushed Jakub Kęszycki , a farmer who was nominated colonel of the 16th infantry regiment. Mr. Wolniewicz rode off on his Lubianka to Objezierze and stayed there. He did well , because he was not an experienced practician and only sufficiently familiar with tactics ”.

Racot (commune and county of Kościan) – members of high society willingly spent time in the newly erected palace of Prince Antoni Barnaba Jabłonowski. The celebrated guests enjoying themselves in the prince’s residence included future national heroes: Prince Józef Poniatowski, Tadeusz Kościuszko, Ignacy Zakrzewski, the president of Warsaw, and Józef Wybicki, a resident of nearby Manieczki. The operas and plays written by the latter were shown at the palace theatre, one of the first of its sort in Poland. In 1798 Prince Barnaba, overly fond of his extravagant lifestyle, was compelled to sell the landed estates in Greater Poland. The largest stud farm in Europe was established here in 1928.

Rawicz (county town) – on 14 November 1806 a French administrative commission, headed by General Stanisław Fiszer, arrived here together with a French detachment for the purpose of organising new authorities. The Prussian landrat was replaced by a local nobleman named Rożnowski. A manifesto issued on 16 November 1806 by J. H. Dąbrowski and Józef Wybicki called for further recruitment, and announced, i. a. : “ The number of recruits should be evenly divided among the towns, that is, Rogoźno, Gniezno, Kościan and Rawicz, so that each would provide 2 171 recruits entrusted to the officer stationing there”. The officer in question was General Fiszer, who had married Wirydiana, born Radolińska, 1 voto Kwilecka. The legacy of the unattractive but greatly intelligent Wirydiana includes a diary in which she sketched a rather malicious portrait of the period. Here is a description of the departure of a delegation from Greater Poland on 19 November 1806: “ Our province has dispatched a delegation to Berlin composed of all of the local careerists who attribute to themselves talents required for high posts and wish to win rights to them. My husband was included into this group although he did not make such a request. At the same time, he received from General Dąbrowski a dispatch with an order to deliver it to Napoleon. Immediately after he left the carriage he was received by Napoleon in his private study. Napoleon showered him with questions about the region, the concentration of the Prussians, the mood of local society and the magnates. …After quite a lengthy conversation the Emperor asked my husband: ’ Will they fight?’ and made a movement as if he were striking with a sword . My husband replied: ’ Sire, we shall certainly fight and each one of us is ready to sacrifice the last drop of blood, but I ask you, Sire, to understand that everything which we shall do will stem from the belief that you will restore our motherland’. ’I sense that’ was the response, and the Emperor immediately ended the audience”. “ My husband was presented to the Emperor on the following day together with other members of the delegation. The Emperor harshly criticised the discords which have been our undoing, and recommended a unification of efforts. He announced to the gathered the arrival of Kościuszko and ended with a promise that as soon as he sees 30 000 armed Polish men he will declare an irreversible restoration of Poland …My husband returned extremely impressed by the number of 30 000 and treated Napoleon’s statement literally. He regarded every delay to be a crime, and wishing to contribute as much as possible to the mobilisation of such a force, he offered his services to Dąbrowski. He was dispatched to the frontier town of Rawicz , where he was to gather and train two regiments…In a report forwarded to General Dąbrowski , informing about the completion of organisational work, he asked to be ordered to join the army. In reply, he received an instruction to hand over the two regiments created by him to another commander and to go to Kalisz for the purpose of conducting an operation similar to his previous task … We left for Kalisz in the early days of 1807 .” Up to 30 April 1809 a detachment of 298 volunteers was created in Rawicz for the purpose of waging war against Austria . In nearby Boja a similar detachment totalled sixty men, and in Krobia - 65 . Upon his arrival in Rawicz in 1812, Jerome, Napoleon’s brother, was welcomed as befits a member of the royalty. Already at the beginning 1813 French detachments passed through the town, in which the military authorities organised storehouses and a field hospital to provide help for the wounded and ill soldiers. The Russian cavalry came in 17 February and stayed in Rawicz until May 1815.

Rąbiń (commune of Krzywiń, county of Kościany) – General Dezydery Chłapowski, a former aide de camp of Emperor Napoleon and later one of the commanders of the November Uprising, his relatives, and the general’s sister-in-law - Joanna Grudzińska, the great duchess of Łowicz and the wife of Prince Constantine, are buried in the cemetery of the local Romanesque-Gothic church of St. Peter and Paul.

Rogalin (commune of Mosina, county of Poznań) – the birthplace of the Raczyński brothers, Atanazy and Edward, who in 1806 joined the Polish army. Atanazy served for a short time, and left when one of the officers addressed him inappropriately. Subsequently, he became a Prussian diplomat and built two magnificent residences in Obrzyck and Gaj Mały. Edward was a member of Napoleon’s honorary guard, and fought in Pomerania and Eastern Prussia under General Fiszer. During the 1809 campaign he took part in the bloody battles of Raszyn and Sandomierz. Awarded the Virtuti Militari Cross in 1810, he resigned from the army in the rank of captain and settled down in Rogalin. Both brothers, who had received an excellent education, were interested in the arts. Atanazy amassed a rich collection which now comprises an important part of the National Museum in Poznań. Edward wrote and published books, including the lavishly illustrated Wspomnienia Wielkopolski (Reminiscences of Greater Poland); he also built the Raczyński Library in Poznań which he offered to Polish society together with a valuable book collection. Together with his brother he was the initiator of the outfitting and ideological programme of the Golden Chapel in Poznań. Committed suicide on Edward Island in Zaniemyś by shooting himself from a canon. The Raczyński residence in Rogalin is renowned throughout the country. Since 1949 it houses a branch of the National Museum in Poznań. Rogoźno (town, county of Oborniki) – the commander and organiser of the Rogoźno second infantry regiment was lieutenant colonel Antoni Downarowicz, an experienced participant of the Kościuszko Insurrection and a soldier of the Legions, who had arrived from Warsaw. The regiment, which totalled 1 569 soldiers and officers, trained for about two months. A group of a hundred riders from the first cavalry regiment, whose core was located in Gniezno, also stationed in Rogoźno. The rather small town was unprepared for maintaining such large armed forces. The difficulties were additionally intensified by the constant passages of the French armies. The second regiment left Rogoźno on 17 January 1807 and set off for Bydgoszcz, where it arrived on 21 January. Initially, the regiment was under Polish command and comprised part of the Poznań Legion. In 1808 it became financed by the French. Its men took part in the battle of Friedland on 14 June 1807 and Żarnowiec (11 July 1809). They fought in the Moscow campaign of 1812 in the corps of Marshal Davout, and in 1813 were involved in the defence of Gdańsk. Alltold, during the entire Napoleonic campaign 5 447 rank-and-file soldiers and officers belonged to the regiment. On 26 January 1813 the fourth Vistula infantry regiment, part of the Polish division under the command of General Girard, arrived in Rogoźno.The regiment was composed of 149 hungry and partially unarmed soldiers without uniforms. The majority were young recruits from Greater Poland and Mazovia, whose commander was Colonel Sykstus Estka, a nephew of Tadeusz Kościuszko . At 7 o’ clock in the morning on 10 February Rogoźno was attacked by the three Russian columns marching from Wągrowiec, Ryczywoł, and Sokołów. The Russian detachments totalled 3 000 infantrymen, 600 Cossacks and five canons. A fierce battle was waged already outside the city limits , to the right of a road to Murowana Goślina and Poznań. Eighty Poles were killed or wounded, and ten Russians fell on the battlefield. Having left Rogoźno, the remnants of the regiment retreated via Parkowo to Oborniki. On 12 February 1813 the Russian army led by General Vorontsov took Poznań .

Rumiejki Szlacheckie (commune and county of Sroda) – the 13-years old Mikołaj Dobrzycki was probably the youngest volunteer who in 1806 joined the third regiment of mounted riflemen. In 1807, Mikołaj, twice wounded in Gdańsk, left for the second regiment of the Vistula Legion in the rank of a junior officer. He took part in the Spanish campaign, and was wounded and captured by the British. During his stay in, i. a. Scotland he joined the Free Masons. Upon returning home he served in the sixth regiment of the line (1815-1817). Discharged, Dobrzycki established, together with W. Łukasiński, a filial national Free Masonry Lodge, and after its dissolution headed the Kalisz commune of the secret Patriotic Society for which he was sentenced in 1824 for ”crimes against the state” to six years of heavy prison. Spent four years incarcerated in Zamość fortress. Fought in the November Uprising and was seriously wounded . After returning to the Grand Duchy of Poznań, Dobrzycki resided with his relatives in Chociszki. Upon the outbreak of the uprising of 1848 he was nominated the main organiser of the armed forces of the county of Oborniki. Died in battle during a failed charge of the scythemen (kosynierzy) at Oborniki on 5 May 1848. Buried in Bąblin. Prior to his death Mikołaj Dobrzycki wrote diaries.

Rydzyna (town, county of Leszno) – the childhood residence of Józef Sułkowski, the legendary aide de camp of Napoleon. While gazing at the stone sphinxes decorating the park did he imagine that he would end his short and extraordinary life near their originals? The legend of Sułkowski’s life and death was cultivated throughout the whole nineteenth century both in Poland and among the emigres. The”promises given to the heroic Sułkowski” were cited by Prince Józef Poniatowski while demanding that Napoleon reinstate Poland. Up to this day, the mystery of Sułkowski’s origin has not been unravelled, and it was said that he”was the son of two fathers and three mothers” . Rumours had it that he was the illegitimate son of Franciszek Paweł, the third son of Prince Aleksander Józef Sułkowski, and a French governess, Margaret Sophie de Fleville. (It is worth recalling that grandfather’s lineage was just as unclear since he was purportedly fathered by King Augustus II . In 1738 Aleksander Józef settled down in Rydzyna. His sons: August, Aleksander, Franciszek, and Antoni inherited an enormous fortune. In 1775 August, Aleksander, and Antoni established the family Princes Sułkowski Estate. Franciszek /see: Włoszakowice/, the family enfant terrible , did not join the Estate, quickly lost his part of the property, and was recognised as insane after he married an actress). Officially, Józef Sułkowski was born in 1773 in the Hungarian town of Raab, the son of Count Teodor, a colonel of the Austrian army and a descendant of the princes Sułkowski, and his Hungarian wife, de domo Quelisc. After her death, Teodor sent the children to the court of the second of the princes - Aleksander, and left them in the care of ... de Fleville, whom he later married. There, the young Józef and his sister were spotted by August Sułkowski and his wife. Captured by their charm and unusual beauty, they took the children to Rydzyna. The ugly and hunchbacked Prince August did not have a pleasant personality, but was a man of extraordinary wisdom whose knowledge was valued throughout Europe. The incredibly talented boy enchanted the uncle who, being childless, decided to make him his heir. The boy was carefully educated, and his tutors included , i. a. Michał Sokolnicki (see: Wierzeja). In 1785 the situation of the young man changed diametrically. Antoni Paweł (see below) , the son of Antoni , the youngest of the brothers was born, and to make matters worse, uncle August, Józef ’s mentor and guardian, died. The disinherited Józef was forced to leave Rydzyna. After the defeat of the Kościuszko Insurrection he left for Paris, where he studied the Orient. Fluent in Latin, French, Polish, German, Greek, Turkish and Arabic, he was also interested in the exact sciences, similarly to Napoleon. In 1796 Sułkowski became a French citizen and joined Napoleon’s army. At the time of the Italian campaign he became a personal aide de camp of General Bonaparte, who shared the most secret plans with him. Despite the fact that Sułkowski was distinguished for his valiance and knowledge, and that Napoleon regarded him to be the most talented of all his officers, he did not promote him. Historians claim that Bonaparte saw in Sułkowski a potential rival. Several weeks before his death in Egypt, Sułlkowski uttered these bitter words: “In order to become free again... the Poles should know how to die ”. At the bloody battle at Salenyeh he was shot and cut with swords. Only then did Napoleon promote him to chief of brigade. From that time on, Sułlkowski devoted himself to scientific work. He took part in the ventures conducted by the researchers and artists whom Bonaparte took along to Egypt and, i .a. he organised an archaeological expedition to the village of Feranek on the Nile and made plans for digging the Suez canal. After the outbreak of an anti - French rising in Cairo, Sułkowski set off with 15 cavalrymen, despite his unhealed wounds, to examine the location of the enemy forces. His death was described in a report written by Napoleon: “ In the morning [of 22 October 1798] , on his way back from carrying out a reconnaissance of enemy movements in the environs of Cairo, my aide de camp Sułkowski was attacked by the whole population of the suburb. He died a terrible death after his horse slipped …” . Chroniclers noted: “Sułkowski was minced into small. pieces which he local servant barely managed to recognise by the moustache “ . The death of the 28-years old Sułkowski was grieved universally. His loss was painful both for generals and soldiers, scholars and artists who lauded his character, courage, and intelligence. “The army had never mourned anyone so bitterly as the first aide de camp of the commanding general “ . While informing the Directorate of the death of his aide de camp, Bonaparte ended his report with the words “An officer of greatest hopes “ . The figure of another outstanding resident and owner of Rydzyna – Prince Antoni Paweł Sułkowski - remains much less known. It is his name, that of the only Polish participant of the Napoleonic wars - which is featured on the Arc de Triomphe in Paris. The birth of Antoni Paweł in 1785, the son Prince Antoni, the youngest of the Sułkowski brothers , and his second wife, Countess von Bubna, exerted an essential impact on the life of the young Józef Sułkowski by signifying the appearance of a legal heir to the Sułkowski fortune. One of the surviving portraits of the prince displays the following inscription: “Antoni Prince Sułkowski. Polish general. Son of Chancellor Antoni. After Napoleon ’s arrival in Poland the founder of a regiment and renowned for his participation in the battle of Tczew; fought in the campaign n Spain and held the post of governor of Malaga. During the Moscow expedition of 1812 commander of a cavalry brigade , fought in the battles of Smolensk and Mozhaysk , and as a general of a division - in the battle of Leipzig in 1813. After the death of Poniatowski he refused to accept the rank of commander in chief offered by Napoleon, and having left the service settled down in Rydzyna in the Poznań region, where he was marshal of the Seym of 1824. Died in 1836”. Rydzyna is one of the most beautiful towns in Poland, and the castle contains a hotel. At the time of the Leszczyńskis and the Sułkowskis Rydzyna Castle was the largest and best equipped magnate residence in Greater Poland. Legends claim that the number of its towers corresponds to that of the seasons , the number of rooms - to weeks, and the windows - to days. The local ghost haunting the castle is a White Lady, supposedly walled up in the past.

Sanniki (commune of Kostrzyn, county of Poznań ) – the birthplace of Ignacy Prądzyński, who in 1807 joined the army of the Duchy of Warsaw where he was promoted to the rank of lieutenant. From 1809 studied at the Artillery and Engineering School. Participant of the Napoleonic campaign in which he achieved the rank of lieutenant colonel and became known as an excellent strategist. After 1809 took part in the fortification of Modlin. In 1822-1824 devised a project of the Augustowski Canal and then supervised its construction. During the November Uprising acted as the main quartermaster and chief of staff ; the author of multiple offensive plans. The main author of the victory at Iganie. After the defeat of the Uprising Pradzynski was imprisoned, exiled to Russia (1832-1834), and then emigrated. While in prison he wrote about the Polish-Russian war of 1831; the author of diaries. Died in 1850 on Helgoland. An urn with his ashes is kept in a crypt in the church of St. Wojciech in Poznań. The humble manor house in which the general was born was pulled down during the 1990s. Recently, a commemorative plaque has been unveiled in Sanniki . The locality is extremely picturesque.

Sędzimirowice (commune of Błaszki, county of Sieradz, voivodeship of Łódź) – the four-column portico of the Classical manor house from the early nineteenth century is decorated with sculptures featuring, i. a. Fryderyk Chopin, Tadeusz Kościuszko, Emperor Napoleon and Juliusz Słowacki.

Siemianice (commune of Łęka Opatowska, county of Kępa) – at the end of November 1806 the 18-years old Piotr Szembek, the son of Ignacy and Kunegunda, born Walewska, was one of the first to joint the the organised Polish army. The well brought up young man, fluent in French, was also familiar with the art of war since he had studied in a military academy in Berlin. In the rank of lieutenant colonel he was appointed aide de camp in the staff of General Dąbrowski , and soon promoted to lieutenant. While presenting him with the Virtuti Militaria Cross for the 1809 campaign, Dąbrowski described Szembek as “an officer excellent in every respect”. In 1813 awarded the French Legion of Honour by Napoleon himself in recognition for his part at Gdańsk, where Szembek won renown for commanding “a hellish campaign”. Wounded in 1809 and 1813, and promoted upon numerous occasions. After the fall of the Duchy of Warsaw he joined the Polish Army in which Duke Constantine promoted him to the rank of brigadier general in recognition of his military qualifications. Learning about t the outbreak of the November Uprising in 1830, Szembek was the first general to join the insurgents. After the defeat of the Uprising “General Piotr Szembek exchanged arms for a plowshare and settled down in Siemianice, where he remained a paragon of civic virtues well into his old age” . Married Henrietta Bėcu, whom he met in Gdańsk where she nursed the wounded soldier in her parents’ house. A century earlier her family emigrated from France and with thousands of Huguenots sought refuge from religious persecution in Germany, to finally settle down in Gdańsk. In 1836 Szembek built a new palace in which, similarly to Dąbrowski in Winna Góra, Łącki, and Posadowo, or Raczyński w Rogalin, he created a museum of sorts.

Sieraków (town, county of Międzychód) – in 1807 the French army crossed the Warta at Sieraków (see: Pławisko). ”In 1812 t Napoleon’s army in Russia suffered severe defeat. Retreating, it crossed also Sieraków, with the solders exhausted from the long march, hungry, and in tatters. The French had been pursued by the Cossacks who near Jaroszewskie Lake caught up with several French soldiers whom the massacred . A roadside cross along the Kwilcz road marks their final resting place. A certain farmer, digging on the spot, came across numerous skeletons arranged in alternating layers . In 1981 a commemorative cross with a plaque was unveiled on a small mound over the grave.

Skwierzyna (county of Międzyrzeczi, voivodeship of Lubusz) – “When in 1812 Napoleon was returning from Russia he travelled through Skwierzyna. One the streets was consequently named Cesarska ( Imperial, today: Konopnickiej Street). The Cossacks chased him persistently and almost s captured the Emperor. In order to accelerate the escape he ordered his war funds - two carriages full of money - to be buried in the so-called Rycerskie Mts. Napoleon’s hopes that the money would be dug up during his next expedition against Russia never came true. This is the reason why the treasure remains there up to this day. Unfortunately, no one knows the exact spot …”.

Słupca (county town) - here stationed detachments of the Third Polish Legion under the command of General J .H. Dąbrowski and a unit of the First Northern Legion which the French had transferred to the upkeep of the Duchy of Warsaw. Later on, they were joined by a detachment of the second infantry division of the Third Corps of the French army, led by General Friant , who did not leave the town until 6 September 1808 when he set off for Wschowa. In the spring of 1809 Archduke Ferdinand d’Este, the commander of the Austrian army, benefited from the fact that Greater Poland was bereft of Polish armed forces, and transferred there his cavalry composed of formidable Hungarian hussars. The town became easy prey for a cavalry detachment under Major Gatterburg. Having received news about the approaching enemy, a forty-strong cavalry detachment under the command of the experienced Major Stanisław Bielamowski arrived from Poznań (the night of 3 May). . The audacious attack of the Polish uhlans forced the Austrians to leave the town. The hussars now sought refuge in woods located near the village of Młodojewo, and subsequently headed for Kleczewo. In 1810 a cavalry squadron of the ninth uhlan regiment was brought over to Słupiec and an army garrison was established there . The Great Army marched across the town in June 1812. Some 13 000 infantrymen and 6 000 of the French cavalry passed through in as late as October; from November to January 1813 several hundred men from special French detachments stationed there. The Russian army arrived on 12 February.

Smolice (commune of Kobylin, county of Krotoszyn) – the property of Hilary Umiński, the father of General Jan Nepomucen, born in near-by Czeluścin in 1778. Hilary laid out the garden and expanded the manor house in Smolice, where the whole family soon resided; he died upon learning about the establishment of the pro-Russian Targowica Confederation. His three sons: Antoni, Maksymilian and Jan, joined the Kościuszko Insurrection and made the acquaintance of General Dąbrowski. Their punishment for participation in the Uprising was the confiscation of Czeluścin. When in 1806 Napoleon arrived in Poznań, it was Jan Umiński who, according to the reports of the Prussian police, ”forced the town residents to install illuminations”. Appointed lieutenant colonel upon the basis of an order issued by the Emperor. Taken prisoner at battle of Tczew, Hilary Umiński was saved from a death sentence by Napoleon’s personal intervention. In 1810 he leased the family estate in order to equip the Tenth Regiment of ”the golden hussars” whom he found ”in shreds, barefoot and wearing sacks”. The hussars were the first to enter Moscow on 14 September 1812 and to seize the Kremlin. Always in the forefront, they suffered enormous losses: only 16 officers and 134 men out of the original 1 316-strong regiment returned from Moscow. In February 1813 the general financed a detachment composed of 880 horsemen, and known as the ”Cracovian regiment”, at whose sight Napoleon burst into laughter, calling them an ”army of Pygmies”. Once he saw the cavalry on the battlefield, however, he ordered Umiński to spare no costs and create an additional detachment of 3 000 men, who served Napoleon until his abdication. In 1815 Umiński settled down in Smolice, but continued his political activity, for which he was imprisoned by the Prussian authorities in Głogów fortress; learning about the outbreak of the November Uprising he escaped disguised as a woman. After the defeat of the rising, Umiński sought refuge in France, from which he was relegated to Prussia because he insisted on wearing Napoleonic uniform and medals, contrary to official decrees. Died in 1851 as an exile in Wiesbaden. Today, the sprawling manor house of the Umiński family no longer stands in Smolice. Instead, the visitors may admire a palace built for the Jewish merchant Samson Woller, whose daughter, Helena, married Count Leopold von Ziethen and expanded her father’s residence. A separate wing included rooms used by Emperor Wilhelm II, a guest at the hunts held by the von Ziethens. The owners built a magnificent Neo-Baroque church for their Polish workers, an exemplary village with cottages amidst gardens, a post office, and a school; they also enlarged the park, enhanced with numerous statues and five decorative gates. Today, the palace houses the Plant Breeding Institute.

Stawiszyn (town, county of Kalisz) – on 9 November 1806 the nobility gathered in the townlet set off to the landrat, secured the funds, and ordered a supply of horses for the transportation of ammunition. The declarations issued by Dąbrowski and Wybicki were immediately displayed in public, and the townspeople elected a new mayor and municipal authorities. Recruits who were to be conscripted into the Prussian army were released, the post was placed under surveillance, and supplies of cloth, weapons, uniforms, and all sort of army equipment were commandeered. Swarzędz (town, county of Poznań) – on the second day after his arrival in Poznań in November 1806 Napoleon left for Swarzędz. At the tollgates of the town he was welcomed by riders in Turkish costumes and wearing turbans, one of whom made the following short speech: “ Do not fear, your Imperial Highness. We are not Turks but the Jews of Swarzędz ”. Then, as Chłapowski recorded in his diary, Napoleon “on the outskirts of the town turned to the right, looking for hillocks on which he halted and gazed at the open fields as if seeing armies all around and in front of him ”.

Szamotuły (county town) - British Intelligence conspired to abduct Napoleon and in his place to use a double - a monk from the Oratorian monastery in Głogówek (see). The exchange was to take place in Szamotuły - in the Halszki Bastion, which the Emperor, an admirer of technical innovations, was to visit incognito in order to play a game of chess with the acclaimed ” thinking machine”. This “automaton”, celebrated throughout Europe, had been constructed by Count Kempelen, and in reality contained a hidden chess player. Once the French Counter-Intelligence discovered the conspiracy, the double - Stefan Błażowski - was persuaded to pretend that he was the true Napoleon and to allow himself to be abducted by the English. The latter remained for long convinced that he was the real Emperor. Subsequently, both Intelligence services effectively concealed the whole affair. Remnants of the Great Army passed through the town on 10 February 1813.

Szczerbin (commune of Łobżenica, county of Piła) – the birthplace of Franciszek Jerzy Łakiński, who in 1807 joined the Polish army in which he fought until 1814. Promoted to the rank of cavalry captain, he received the Virtuti Militari Cross and the French Legion of Honour. In 1830 Łakiński sold his property and settled down in Wągrowiec (see: Łaziska )

Ślesin (commune loco, county of Konin) – next to the outlet of the road leading to Sompolno the residents of this small town built a Triumphal Arch in honour of Napoleon, and topped with a Napoleonic eagle even though the Emperor bypassed Ślesin on his way to Moscow. In 1812, however, he returned this way after the defeat suffered in Russia. In 1972 the arch was partially damaged, and in 1976-1977 it was rebuilt in a slightly altered form.

Śrem (commune loco, county of Śrem) – a statute of Józef Wybicki (1981, design: Grzegorz Kowalski) stands in front of the town hall from the middle of the nineteenth century. Other noteworthy landmarks include the Late Gothic church of the Assumption of the Holy Virgin Mary from the end of the fourteenth century, a post-Franciscan Baroque monastic complex, a Late Gothic church of the Holy Spirit originally erected as a hospital, and a water-tower from 1909 (design: Ksawery Geisler) resembling a Gothic bastion.

Środa (county town) – an equestrian statue of General Jan Henryk Dąbrowski (Robert Sobociński) was unveiled in Dąbrowskiego Street during the celebrations of the 200th anniversary of the Polish national anthem.

Targowa Górka (commune of Nekla, county of Września) – in the years 1812-1823 this was the residence of Antoni ”Amilkar” Kosiński, participant of the Napoleonic wars, co-founder of the Polish Legions in Italy, buried in the Heroes‘ Crypt in Poznań. The church of St. Michael from 1839-1840, with a Late Gothic baptismal font, is certainly worth a visit. The near-by wooden bell tower from the eighteenth century is covered with a tent roof ; a nineteenth-century Neo-Gothic sepulchral chapel of the Kraśnicki family stands near-by. Targowa Górka features a preserved stagecoach mail building from the eighteenth-nineteenth century, covered with a mansard roof with jerkin heads.

Trafary (commune of Zduny, county of Krotoszyn ) – a wooden so- called Napoleonic cross stood a thousand metres from the non-extant woodland settlement of Trafary, to the left of the road. Purportedly, it had been placed there in 1813 on a grave of French soldiers who died of the pestilence. In 2000 the original cross was moved to the Museum in Zduny, and replaced by a new and larger one.

Tubądzin (commune of Wróblew, county of Sieradz, voivodeship of Łódź) – the attractive local park contains a classical palace - the Walewski residence, which today houses the Museum of Manorial Interiors, a department of the Regional Museum in Sieradz, displaying numerous souvenirs relating to the family of the famous Maria Walewska. Other interesting highlights include the museum collections and the outbuilding adjoining the palace, and belonging to the Tubądzin Ceramic Works.

Tuczno (town, county of Wałcz, voivodeship of Western Pomerania) – in January 1807 the town was seized by Prussian detachments, whose opponents included the whole local population under Rev. Riebschleger. The insurgents requested Polish commanders for assistance and informed that they were collecting shoes and other equipment for the Polish troops. A cavalry squadron, under the command of Colonel Franciszek Garczyński, engaged in ousting the Prussians from the Noteć Belt, set of as speedily as it could, but reached only Wałcz.

Turew (commune of Kościan, county of Kościan) – property of the Chłapowski family from the middle of the eighteenth century, when Ludwik Chłapowski purchased the estate from the Radomickis. The Baroque palace was built in 1760-1770 by Stanisław, castellan of Międzyrzecz. The birthplace of Dezydery Chłapowski (born in 1788). His father, Józef, the starosta of Kościan, a celebrated spendthrift and reveller, held a lavish reception for the participants of the victorious charge at Somosierra. For many years, Dezydery was a favourite aide de camp to Napoleon, but when the Emperor failed to fulfil hopes for the rebirth of the Polish homeland, Dezydery resigned and left for England, where he studied agriculture. Upon his return to Poland he became a precursor of modern farming and trained many young landowners and peasant sons. Today, the inner-field plants which he introduced in his landed estates, are protected by the D. Chłapowski Agro-ecological Landscape Park. The Neo-Gothic chapel of the Immaculate Conception of the Holy Virgin Mary displays two plates with the names of members of the Chłapowski family. The breathtaking landscape park from the eighteenth century contains several score trees-monuments of Nature, including the ”Dezydery” oak with a circumference of 780 cm. The palace houses the Institute of Ecology at the Polish Academy of Sciences, which cultivates the general’s traditions. The striking interiors of the Chłapowski residence are embellished with outstanding Classical stucco.

Urbanowo (today: part of Poznań) – it was here that according to a family legend the 18-years old Dezydery Chłapowski, crying out: ”Un Polonais passe partout” jumped on horseback across a muddy ditch to show Napoleon the way. This was the departure point of his brilliant career at the side of Bonaparte.

Wełna (commune of Rogoźno, county of Obory) – in 1727 Józef Wybicki married his second wife, Estera Wierusz-Kowalska, in the beautiful wooden church of the Elevation of the Holy Cross. The outfitting of this object originates from the time of its construction, and the particularly attractive elements include illusionist polychromes by Adam Swach. The church nave is surrounded by the so-called soboty porches, the only of its type in Greater Poland, and the portal, the windows, and the gables are maintained in the Baroque style. Visitors are recommended to see the near-by Late Baroque palace from the second half of the eighteenth century, the only object in Greater Poland to feature two round salons: from the front and facing the garden, a circular outbuilding from the same period, an eighteenth-century column at the northern edge of the village – the memento of a duel (?), and an old water mill from the late nineteenth century, next to the bridge on the Wełna.

Węgierki (commune and county of Września ) – in a bloody battle at Węgierki, waged on the night of 6 May 1809, the Polish army suffered considerable losses despite the fact that it was larger than its Austrian opponent.

Wieleń (town, county of Czarnków-Trzcianka) – in February 1807 Colonel Franciszek Garczyński reported to Dąbrowski: “ Having received orders to cleanse the country of enemy patrols, and for the purpose of stifling the rebellion and capturing the patrol , I am marching, even at night , to arrive in Wieleń.”

Wierzeja near Buk – the birthplace of Michał Sokolnicki, nephew of Celestyn (see: Jarogniewice); carefully educated in the Enlightenment spirit, he studied artillery and defensive architecture at the Knights’ School. One of the teachers of the celebrated Józef Sułkowski. After the departure of his pupil from Rydzyna (see) Sokolnicki left for France, Germany, Lithuania, and Saxony for the purpose of improving his knowledge. At the time of the Kościuszko Insurrection he was promoted to major general. After the fall of the uprising deported to St. Petersburg, then returned to Greater Poland where he conducted recruitment to the Dąbrowski Legion. Took part in battles against the Austrians as the commander of the Danube Legion. Conducted scientific research for which he was frequently awarded. In 1807 returned to Poland as a member of Napoleon’s staff and co-organised the Polish army. Commander of the Polish cavalry at Gdańsk, head of the corps in the battle of Raszyn, supervised the fortification of Sandomierz. Promoted to the rank of lieutenant general, and after a conflict with General Dąbrowski retired from military life and devoted himself to scientific work. In 1812 acted as Napoleon’s aide de camp and during the retreat from Moscow was commander of the cavalry in the Polish corps; fought in the Battle of the Nations at Leipzig. Capitulated to Tsar Alexander, returned home, and retired from political life. Died in Warsaw in 1816.

Więckowice (commune of Dopiewo, county of Poznań) – in 1805 this property was purchased by Adam Turno. When in 1806 Napoleon was to arrive in Greater Poland, the 31-years old Adam without a moment’s hesitation joined the Greater Poland honorary guard which in Bytyń welcomed the Emperor and then escorted him during his entrance into Poznań. In 1809 took part in the war against Austria and was awarded the Virtuti Militari Golden Cross. In the campaign of 1812-1814 Turno acted as a light cavalryman of the Napoleonic guard. Awarded the French Legion of Honour and promoted to captain of the guards. His most precious souvenir was the uniform of a light regiment of the imperial guards in which he was portrayed and buried according to his wishes expressed before death. Adam Turno was known as “the lackland gentleman” since he managed his estates so haplessly that he finally lost all property. For more than fifty years he wrote diaries which are a veritable mine of information about the epoch. As a born raconteur he was invited to assorted gentry manor houses. In 1831 A. Mickiewicz met him in Łuków and, fascinated by his tales, included them into Master Thaddeus . The less than wealthy Paweł Edmund Strzelecki fell in love with Adyna, the daughter of Adam Turno, who did not consent to the marriage and had the unfortunate suitor severely thrashed. The young man left his native land never to return and became world renowned as a traveller and explorer (i. a. Mt. Kościuszko in Australia); Adyna remained an old maid until her death.

Winna Góra (commune of Środa Wielkopolska, county of Środa) – Emperor Napoleon granted Winna Góra to General Jan Henryk Dąbrowski in 1807. The general lived in a small manor house with his second wife, Barbara Chłapowska, 24 years his junior, whose name is mentioned in the Polish anthem. He converted one of the rooms into a mausoleum-pantheon, in which he stored a collection of weapons, paintings, frescos and sculptures, together with his personal souvenirs, such as a snuff box belonging to Napoleon, a casket containing medals, uniforms, and the woollen glove which he wore when he was wounded at Berezina. In 1863 a chapel, subsequently changed to a mausoleum with a stylised Roman sarcophagus containing the body of General Dąbrowski, was added to the eighteenth-century palace upon the initiative of the Poznań Society of Lovers of Science. A niche features the general’s bust, and the shield displayed below has the inscription Jeszcze Polska nie zginęła …(Poland has not yet perished…). The landscape park from the eighteenth-nineteenth century (8,2 hectares) includes an island with a monument containing an urn with the heart of S. Chłapowski. The present-day Neo-Classical palace - certainly one of the most attractive rural residences in Greater Poland - was built in 1910 for the Mańkowski family in the Polish style, according to a project by Stanisław Borecki, a local architect.

Witaszyce (commune of Jarocin, county of Jarocin) – a palace ( today: a hotel) stands near the road in a small and well-kept park. Its owner, an enthusiastic admirer of Napoleon, has an enormous collection of toy soldiers from the epoch and recreates battles waged in the course of the Napoleonic campaigns in accordance with historical sources. He also participates in reenacted battles.

Włoszakowice (seat of commune, county of Leszno) – this village, situated amidst extensive forests, was the centre of an estate belonging to Franciszek Sułkowski, the third of the four sons of Prince August Józef Sułkowski of Rydzyna (see). Franciszek was the first of the siblings to have children of his own, a fact which proved to be the source of numerous problems. In 1773 the 40-years old prince made an indubitably mismatched secret marriage with the 17-years old Judyta Maria Wysocka, an actress from Warsaw. Despite her young age Judyta managed to have a son and a daughter whom Franciszek acknowledged as his offspring after the wedding. His brothers responded by carrying out Franciszek’s short-term interdiction. The couple resided in a hunting lodge in Włoszakowice. Their legitimate son Jan Nepomucen was born in 1777. In order to annul his claims to the inheritance, the Sułkowski brothers decided to dispatch Franciszek and his family to Silesia,where they granted him the Bielsko estates originally purchased by their father; in thus fashion, Franciszek Sułkowski,” the black sheep of the family”, became the founder of the older (Bielsko) line. At the time of the Napoleonic wars Prince Jan Nepomucen Sułkowski became the leader of the Napoleonic movement. in Austrian Silesia. Considered a traitor by his contemporaries and the disgrace of the family by his younger cousin, Antoni Paweł Sułkowski of Rydzyna. Today, it is accepted that the libelous rumours were spread by his opponents who detested him, and that he was actually a patriot willing to risk his property and position for the sake of the national cause. Incarcerated in Olomoutz fortress, he died, probably of poisoning. An even more tragic death was fated for his wife, Princes Ludwika, de domo Larisch, who was shot in her residence by her younger son Maksymilian and his lover, Flora Trzaskalik, the daughter of… a butcher, a tragedy which came as a shock for the entire public opinion of Austro-Hungary. Before Franciszek Sułkowski became “domesticated” by the comely Judyta he led a colourful life and fathered many illegitimate children. According to the gossip circulating across Europe his offspring included Józef Sułkowski (see: Rydzyna). The Late Baroque palace in Włoszakowice is one of the most original residences in Greater Poland. Built as a hunting lodge for August Józef Sułkowskie, situated on an island encircled by a moat, and erected on the ground plan of a triangle, it was covered by a steep domed roof and embellished by a balustrade with statues. Up to this day, the interior is composed of a two-storey triangular hall surrounded with rooms (today: office of the commune). The subterranean part of the building contains a sala terrena used for Masonic ceremonies. Legend has it that out of sheer caprice Prince Franciszek decided to model the pałlace on a fashionable tricorn hat, and that “guards were ordered to never let in anyone wearing a cylinder ”.

Wolsztyn (county town) – the owner - Franciszek Gajewski of Błociszewo - was an officer of the Saxon bodyguards , then a colonel in the Polish and French armies and, finally, in Napoleon’s staff; he worshipped the Emperor and remained at his side until the departure for Elbe. His vivid diaries written at the end of his life an addressed to his children and grandchildren remain fascinating. The colonel’s outright photographic memory and his extraordinary flair for observation are truly admirable. Since he was a witness and participant of numerous events.affiliated with the most outstanding families of Greater Poland his diaries remain up to this day an unusual and extremely reliable source of knowledge about the epoch. Several preserved portraits show Franciszek Gajewski at different ages. Wolsztyn is known for its engine house, the last working one in Europe and featuring more than twenty locomotives including the “ Fair Helena”. The annual parades of steam engines attract tourists from all over the world.

Wroniawy (commune and county of Wolsztyn ) – here Ludwik Plater settled down in the estate of his wife, Antonina, born Gajewska (Apolinary’s sister, see: Wolsztyn). Born in Lithuania, in 1806 he joined the Polish army and took part in the Napoleonic campaign in the rank o fquatermaster captain .

Wronki (town, county of Szamotuły) – Adam Turno described the tragic retreat of the Great Army after the Moscow defeat: “…On 9 February [1813 ] , once the patrols returned from Drezdenko and there was no news about the enemy, we marched on to Wronki. The river Warta was already thawing and the Poles luckily crossed on the ice, but the Italians, although it was barely cold, were huddled together and almost drowned. We were forced to guide them individually, one horse at a time, and to pull them out of the water . Having spent the night there, we set off for Szamotuły.”

Wróblewo (commune of Wronki, county of Szamotuły) – the property of Józef Kwilecki, son of Antoni and Wirydiana, born Radolińska (see: Poznań, Rawicz). Thanks to the recommendation of his mother, Józef became the aide de camp of her second husband, General Fiszer, demonstrated his valour at the battle of Raszyn and, having been promoted captain of the Polish army, was wounded during one of the successive battles.

Zbąszyń (town, county of Nowy Tomyśl) – the birthplace of Franciszek Garczyński, master of the pantry of Kalisz and sub-camerarius of Wschowa, an experienced colonel of the Polish army who, as commander of a cavalry squadron, “ cleaned” the region on the Noteć of the Prussians (1807). His father was Stefan Garczyński, voivode of Poznań, diplomat and man of letters, the author of Anatomia Rzeczypospolitej Polskiej (The Anatomy of the Polish Commonwealth). Founder of the church in which he was buried after he died poisoned by a servant. The castle, the only maintained in the pallazzo in fortezza style in Greater Poland, has not survived to our days. Only a gate tower, the regularly laid out garden, and the mounds which once encircled the the whole premise are extant.

Anna Jabłońska, Dorota Matyaszczyk