Poland route
The Polenweg or Polenstrasse refers to forest paths, dirt roads and roads in Switzerland that were laid out or expanded by interned soldiers of the 2nd Polish Rifle Division during the Second World War .
history
During the German campaign in the west , the 2nd Polish Infantry Rifle Division under the command of Bronisław Prugar-Ketling was sent to the Belfort region in early June 1940 to support the French 8th Army . After being cut off from supplies, 12,000 to 13,000 Polish soldiers of the 2nd Rifle Division south of the Ajoie crossed the Swiss border on June 19 and 20, 1940 , in order to avoid capture. The soldiers were interned in Switzerland according to the Hague Convention . After an unsuccessful attempt to concentrate the Poles mainly in a concentration camp in Büren an der Aare with 117 barracks, these were distributed throughout the country. From 1941 barrack camps were set up all over Switzerland, in which the Poles were interned until December 1945.
The interned Poles performed mainly in groups for national defense, infrastructure (road and bridge construction, draining of swamps and reeds) and in agriculture. A total of 450 kilometers of paths, bridges and canals were built. A wayside shrine near Rueun in Surselva in Graubünden commemorates the Polish soldiers.
All over the country, monuments and plaques commemorate the involuntary stay of the internees. After the end of the war, around 500 Poles managed to settle in Switzerland and later obtain citizenship, such as Jerzy Rucki, who wrote a book about the internment period.
The Poland Museum in Rapperswil with its library took over the cultural and educational care of the internees.
Poland roads, Poland routes and other infrastructure work in Switzerland
Kanton Aargau
- the Polenstrasse (Thalheim) near Thalheim
- at the Egelsee
- Polenstrasse in Oeschgen
Canton Bern
Canton of Glarus
- The first renovation work in the Lint plain in the Glarus area was carried out by Polish internees. The Polish monument in Oberurnen commemorates the work in 1941 in Näfels and Oberurnen.
canton of Grisons
- on the Hinterrhein , between Domat / Ems and Rothenbrunnen
- at Passugg between Chur and Churwalden
- in Safiental / Tomülpass and on the Saumweg to Güner Lückli . The Tomülpassweg was paved by interned Poles on the Safierseite as far as Alp Tomül and made accessible for light motor vehicles. This measure served to secure the rear of the San Bernardino Pass via the Safierberg and Valserberg crossings to the Rheinwald .
- in Trin , from Alp Mora to the Bargistal .
- from Ilanz to Tavanasa on the right side of the Vorderrhein
Canton of Nidwalden
- Poland Trail in Büren (NW)
Canton of Obwalden
In autumn 1941, Polish internees from the Frauenfeld section were transferred to Obwalden . Italians joined them, and in 1945 shortly before the end of the war, Russians too. In the late autumn of 1943, the canton was home to 1,150 Poles and 1,900 Italians. The Poles built in Giswil Poland Chapel . Interned Poles worked 370,000 days in road construction in Obwalden and Nidwalden, which meant the second largest deployment in Switzerland after Graubünden. The following projects were implemented:
- Poland Street in Sachseln from Sarnen (Riedli, Flüelistrasse) to Flüeli-Ranft (Allmend): 662 660 / 192609
- Poland road from Alpnach , Eichibrücke over the small Allmendli and through the core forest (community core ) to Ennetmoos or to Mueterschwanderberg : six hundred sixty-four thousand nine hundred twenty-three / 199 363
- Polenweg from the Alp Wängen (municipality Alpnach ) in west direction over Rick Mettlen to Steinstössi, with a small plaque, as Tremola of Alpnach known: six hundred and fifty-five thousand nine hundred and nineteen / 201634
- As part of the Giswil replenishment base from autumn 1941: Glaubbielenstrasse , way to the Sattelpass , Höhenkarrweg Glaubbielen – Sattelpass – Glaubberg, the beginning of the new Kleinteiler Bergstrasse from Riedacher to Mettlen and the Kilchwegstrasse in the greater part ( Giswil ).
- as well as: Sarnerseestrasse Wilerbad - Forst - Oberwilen on the left bank, Glaubbergstrasse , widening of the road between Kerns and Flüeli-Ranft over the Hohe Brücke and the Etschistrasse to Siebeneich
Canton of Schwyz
- between Egg and Sattelegg
- Polenweg from Oberarth via Engelrüti, Boliwald, Stock, Alpetli to Seebodenalp , north of the Rigi-Kulm
Canton of Solothurn
- Polenweglein between Scheltenpassstrasse and Erzberg
Canton of Ticino
Canton of Valais
- Polenstrasse in Glis
Canton Zurich
- on the Uetliberg from the SZU Ringlikon stop to Arthur-Rohn-Strasse .
- on Alp Scheidegg, canton of Zurich
- Poland Trail in Kloten
- Polenstrasse in Glattfelden
literature
- Jerzy Rucki: Switzerland in the light - Switzerland in the shadow. Memories, reviews and perspectives of a Polish military internee in Switzerland during the Second World War. Brunner, Kriens 1997, ISBN 3-905198-30-4 .
- Heinrich Riggenbach: Poland (Chapter 4: Poland and Polish institutions in Switzerland). In: Historical Lexicon of Switzerland .
- Caroline Belart: Many of them cried - Polish internees in Switzerland and especially in the municipality of Thalheim (AG) during the Second World War . In: Historical Society of the Canton of Aargau (Ed.): Argovia . tape 118 . Verlag hier + now, Baden 2006, ISBN 3-03919-039-3 , p. 47-63 .
- Urs Schorno: Interned in Obwalden . Issue 14 from the Giswiler Geschichtshefte series , published by: Heimatkundliche Vereinigung Giswil, Giswil 2018.
- Tomasz Stempowski: Through Switzerland through Poland . Book for the traveling exhibition, German / Polish, Verlag Institut des Nationalen Gedenkens in Warsaw and Polenmuseum Rapperswil 2015, ISBN 978-83-7629-820-7 .
Web links
- Poles built Unterwaldner streets - During the Second World War soldiers were interned ( memento from March 18, 2012 on WebCite ), article in the ONZ Obwalden and Nidwalden newspaper from December 10, 2010. Archived from the original online version on March 18, 2012.
- Limmattalerzeitung from September 6, 2014: Polish soldiers became “Swiss” construction workers
- The Polish Army in Insubrica region: the case of Losone (English) , Insubrica Historica, April 16, 2018. Article about the work of the Polish army in the Insubrica region using the example of Losone .
- Poland Museum Rapperswil Castle: 2nd Rifle Division - 75 years of internment
Individual evidence
- ^ A b Heinrich Riggenbach: Poland (Chapter 4: Poland and Polish institutions in Switzerland). In: Historical Lexicon of Switzerland .
- ^ Photo of a memorial stone for the construction of a Poland route on veloblog.ch, accessed on December 16, 2010
- ↑ Jerty Rucki (2 part) article or obituary about Jerzy Rucki, accessed on December 17, 2010
- ↑ Jerzy Rucki: Switzerland in the light - Switzerland in the shadow. Memories, reviews and perspectives of a Polish military internee in Switzerland during the Second World War. Brunner, Kriens 1997, ISBN 3-905198-30-4 .
- ↑ Linth Escher Foundation: Linthwerk 3000 (PDF; 2.1 MB)
- ↑ Feldis Mountain Bike Tour , article on topin.travel, accessed on December 16, 2010
- ↑ Chur 585m - Passug 736m - Polenweg - Churwalden1240m Artekel on trekking-tours.com, accessed on December 16, 2010
- ↑ On the "Polenweg" to the Tomülpass and Alp Tomül ( page no longer available , search in web archives ) Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. Article on veloland.ch, accessed on December 16, 2010
- ↑ Hike Vals – Alp Tomül – Tomülpass – Turrahus. ( Memento of the original from June 7, 2011 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ↑ Urs Schorno, 2018
- ↑ Ortsnames.ch: Polenweg (SZ)
- ↑ Alt-Zueri: The Poland Way
- ^ Exhibition in Giswil April 2018
- ^ Exhibition in Lachen, May 2017
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