Seattle-Gdynia Sister City Association (SGSCA)

The next Seattle-Gdynia Sister City meeting is Friday, November 9th at 7:00pm at The Polish Cultural Center.

7-7:30pm will be check-in and light hors d’oeuvres followed by a quick business meeting and special guest introductions.

7:45pm SGSCA will present:  Day of Polish Independence The victorious allies-England, France, and the United States-celebrate November 11 as the Armistice Day, the day on which World War I finally ended.  For Poland, November 11 meant the end of a much longer struggle to regain her independence after 123 years-Konfederacja Barska of 1768-1772, the Napoleonic Wars and the Dąbrowski Legions, the November Uprising of 1831-1832, and the January uprising of 1863-1864.

This year America celebrates November 12 as Veterans Day. A day before in Poland November 11 is known as “Day of Polish Independence” or “National Independence Day” and commemorates the formation of a Polish Republic. It is one of the most important celebrations for Poles both in Poland and abroad.

Our special guest at our November 9 meeting will be Anthony Haapasaari-Olpinski  (pictured below), a retired soldier teaching about Polish history. He is also a member of the Historical Reenactment Group in Chicago12th Lancers Regiment/12 Pulk Ulanow Podolskich. He will share with us the history of Independence Day and some military traditions in Poland.  View images here from the meeting.