Stach Konwa is a legendary Polish hero, especially important to the inhabitants of the Polish

Kurpie Kurpie () is one of a number of ethnic regions in Poland, noted for its unique traditional customs, such as its own types of traditional costume, traditional dance and distinctive type of architecture and livelihoods. Kurpie is also the name of t ...

region. According to legend, he was born in

Nowogród Nowogród is a small town in northeastern Poland located about away from the city of Łomża, in Łomża County, in Podlaskie Voivodeship, with 1,998 inhabitants (2004). It is centered on the area known as Skansen Kurpiowski which is an open- ...

and died about 1734–1735. Stach Konwa probably existed, but there are no historical sources to back this up. The name “Konwa” is not a name usually found in the Kurpie region, and it may be that it could be a pseudonym used to protect his family and friends from reprisal. On the other hand, researchers, such as Wiesław Majewski, suggest that he was created by writers attempting to stimulate public consciousness. Stach Konwa was the epitome of the myth of free and courageous Kurpie leaders, derived from the people, who fought against invaders and serfdom.

Legend

According to legend, Konwa demonstrated great courage during the

Great Northern War The Great Northern War (1700–1721) was a conflict in which a coalition led by the Tsardom of Russia successfully contested the supremacy of the Swedish Empire in Northern, Central and Eastern Europe. The initial leaders of the anti-Swed ...

in the battle of Kopański bridge with the Swedes on the 22nd and 23 January 1708 near Myszyniec. During the

War of Polish Succession The War of the Polish Succession ( pl, Wojna o sukcesję polską; 1733–35) was a major European conflict sparked by a Polish civil war over the succession to Augustus II of Poland, which the other European powers widened in pursuit of thei ...

he is reported to have fought on the side of

Stanisław Leszczyński Stanisław I Leszczyński (; lt, Stanislovas Leščinskis; french: Stanislas Leszczynski; 20 October 1677 – 23 February 1766), also Anglicization, Anglicized and Latinisation of names, Latinized as Stanislaus I, was twice King of Poland ...

. And, during the time of the Konfederacja Dzikowska he commanded a division of Kurpie volunteers, which fought against Russian and

Saxon The Saxons ( la, Saxones, german: Sachsen, ang, Seaxan, osx, Sahson, nds, Sassen, nl, Saksen) were a group of Germanic * * * * peoples whose name was given in the early Middle Ages to a large country ( Old Saxony, la, Saxonia) near the No ...

troops at the battle of

Jednaczewo Jednaczewo is a village in the administrative district of Gmina Łomża, within Łomża County, Podlaskie Voivodeship, in north-eastern Poland. It lies approximately north-west of Łomża and west of the regional capital Białystok Białysto ...

. He lost the battle and was captured by the Saxons, who hanged him.

Commemoration

Stach Konwa - Monument in Jednaczewo - Pomnik w Jednaczewie

Stach Konwa remains in the memory of the people of Kurpie as a symbol of their fierce independence and resistance to

Russification Russification (russian: русификация, rusifikatsiya), or Russianization, is a form of cultural assimilation in which non-Russians, whether involuntarily or voluntarily, give up their culture and language in favor of the Russian cultur ...

. The first monument was erected through the efforts of

Adam Chętnik Adam Chętnik (; born December 20, 1885, in Nowogród, died May 29, 1967, in Warsaw) was a Polish ethnographer who studied the Kurpie. He is the author of several books on the Kurpie residing in Puszcza Zielona. In 1927 he founded Skansen Kurpiows ...

on Konwa’s grave in the Kurpie forest near Jednaczewo (unveiled June 25, 1922). The monument was destroyed during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

. A replica made in 1965 can be viewed in the Kurpie museum in Nowogród. The Stach Konwa monument, by Gervase Lórinczego, was erected in 1958 in

Łomża Łomża (), in English known as Lomza, is a city in north-eastern Poland, approximately 150 kilometers (90 miles) to the north-east of Warsaw and west of Białystok. It is situated alongside the Narew river as part of the Podlaskie Voivodeship sin ...

on the occasion of the city’s 1000th anniversary. On the monument, the statue of Konwa faces east with his fist raised in that direction, perceived as an expression of opposition to Soviet domination.

External links

Skansen Kurpiowski im. Adama Chętnika w Nowogrodzie
Polish - Kurpie Museum

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Konwa, Stach Fictional Polish people Legendary Polish people Polish folklore Polish legends

Legend

Commemoration

External links

See also

References