History, Memory and a Shared Past: UzhNU Discusses the Historical Heritage of the First World War

The Vice-Rector of UzhNU, Myroslava Lendiel, addressed the participants with a welcoming speech. She emphasised that Transcarpathia holds particular historical significance for the study of the events of the First World War, since the territory of the region was directly connected with military operations and became a burial place for servicemen from the armies of various countries.

“Today we can talk about why Transcarpathia became an arena of military operations during the First World War and how these events influenced the history of our region,” noted Myroslava Lendiel.

The Consul General of the Republic of Poland in Lviv, Marek Radzivon, addressed the participants of the meeting. He thanked Uzhhorod University for the invitation and the opportunity to talk about the shared past of Ukraine and Poland.

As a historian and lecturer at the University of Warsaw, Marek Radzivon drew particular attention to the complex and multilayered history of Uzhhorod and Transcarpathia. According to him, the territory of the region belonged to different states in different periods, and accordingly its history was shaped by representatives of different cultures and languages.

“As a historian I am convinced: the fact is one, but the understanding of the fact and its interpretations can differ. This, in my opinion, is the greatest treasure and the greatest advantage,” noted the diplomat.

He emphasised that it is precisely such diversity that is an important part of the historical heritage of the region. Uzhhorod, Lviv and other cities of this part of Europe, according to him, were formed at the crossroads of different cultures and languages.

Speaking about the military burials of the First World War, the consul also drew a parallel with the present. He emphasised that today in Ukraine, unfortunately, more and more burials of servicemen who died in the current war are appearing.

“Although these days we will be thinking about the cemeteries of soldiers of the First World War, what is most important now is that in Ukraine there are very many military cemeteries that are entirely fresh. This must be reminded to all of Europe now, every day,” emphasised the Consul General.

Particular attention during the round table was devoted to the history of the 2nd Brigade of the Polish Legions and its participation in the battles in Transcarpathia. This was recounted by Yurii Fatula, Associate Professor of UzhNU, Head of the NGO “Centre for Military-Historical Research Memento bellum”.

According to him, the combat path of the Polish legionnaires on the territory of present-day Transcarpathia remains a little-known but important page in the history of the region. Researchers of “Memento bellum” are engaged in the search for and restoration of military cemeteries of the First World War, and are also processing archival documents in order to establish the names of the fallen servicemen.

“On the basis of research into archival sources from five countries, we have established the surnames and biographical data of 66 Polish legionnaires who died in battle or died in hospitals and are buried on the territory of the Transcarpathian region. But the real figure is probably considerably higher and requires further study,” noted Yurii Fatula.

He recounted that at the beginning of October 1914, the 2nd Brigade of the Polish Legions, which was part of the Austro-Hungarian army, arrived in Khust and Tiachiv. In total it numbered about nine thousand servicemen. One of the important pages of its combat path in Transcarpathia was the fighting for Okormezo — as present-day Mizhhiria was called in the documents of that time — in December 1914 – January 1915.

Military operations took place, in particular, in the areas of Soimy, Lozyanske, Tiushka, Stryhalnia, and Mizhhiria. According to the researcher, the fighting took place in the difficult conditions of the Carpathian winter, and the losses of the legionnaires were significant.

“The battle for Okormezo is a little-known page of the combat path of the Polish Legions in Transcarpathia, which requires further research, in particular on the question of the losses of the legionnaires,” emphasised Yurii Fatula.

According to archival data, researchers have already managed to establish information about 42 fallen legionnaires and four servicemen who died from wounds received in hospitals. At the same time, the number of wounded and sick who ended up in hospitals, as well as servicemen who went missing or were taken prisoner, requires further clarification.

A separate part of the report was devoted to the military cemetery in Tiushka, which is planned to be officially opened after restoration on 9 October. It is precisely here that servicemen connected with the fighting in the Okormezo area are buried.

Andrii Sheketa, First Deputy Head of the Transcarpathian Regional Council, emphasised that such events are important not only for studying individual pages of the past, but also for a better understanding of the shared history of Ukraine and Poland. According to him, research and the preservation of historical memory should help shape a shared European future.

“To know, to remember, to understand, to study new pages of history — this is absolutely necessary, but with an eye to building this territory and its future as a single European space, where Ukraine should be a full and equal participant,” noted Andrii Sheketa.

The topic of the battles for Mizhhiria was also addressed by Grzegorz Jachimiak — grandson of a Polish legionnaire, a teacher at the State Lyceum in Opole and founder of the group “2nd Brigade of the Polish Legions”.

The participants of the round table were shown a film by the Polish journalist Pawel Bobolowicz about the restoration of the First World War military cemetery in the village of Tiushka. It presented the stages of the work on arranging the burials and restoring the memorial site.

Also during the event, the deputy of the Transcarpathian Regional Council, chairman of the board of the charitable foundation “VIZA” Volodymyr Chubirko presented a Czech-Ukrainian project for the restoration of a military cemetery in the Shakhta microdistrict and spoke about the practical aspects of working with such objects of historical memory.

The Director of the Information and Publishing Centre of UzhNU, member of the board of the NGO “Memento bellum” Vasyl Ilnytskyi emphasised that the restoration of military burials is not only work with historical objects, but also a way to preserve memory and pass it on to future generations.

“In this world everything has its beginning and its end, except memory. Memory is that substance which is first of all sought to be destroyed by those who do not want peoples to remember their historical past,” noted Vasyl Ilnytskyi.

He drew a parallel between the policy of the communist regime aimed at silencing and destroying the memory of the events of the First World War, and the actions of the Russian occupiers, who today are destroying Ukrainian objects of historical and national memory.

According to Vasyl Ilnytskyi, this is precisely why it is important to involve students and young people in such initiatives.

“Everything we are doing now is aimed precisely at you. It is for you to continue this work tomorrow, the day after tomorrow, to pass on this baton in the coming years. And work in this direction will always exist,” he said.

The Polish journalist, head of the eastern editorial office of RadioWnet Pawel Bobolowicz thanked the organisers for their attention to Polish military heritage and emphasised the particular respect and friendship between the Ukrainian and Polish peoples during cooperation. He also noted the work of the NGO “Memento bellum” and assured that he would continue to cover its activities and topics related to the history of the First World War.

On 9 October, the participants of the events will continue their work in the village of Tiushka, where the official opening of the restored First World War military cemetery will take place.

Hanna Feltsan,
Information and Publishing Centre