Mariusz Zaruski (18 January 1867 – 8 April 1941) was a brigadier-general in the
Polish Army
The Land Forces () are the land forces of the Polish Armed Forces. They currently contain some 62,000 active personnel and form many components of the European Union and NATO deployments around the world. Poland's recorded military history stre ...
, a pioneer of Polish sports yachting, an outstanding climber of the winter and caves of
Tatra Mountains
The Tatra Mountains (), Tatras, or Tatra (''Tatry'' either in Slovak () or in Polish () - '' plurale tantum''), are a series of mountains within the Western Carpathians that form a natural border between Slovakia and Poland. They are the hi ...
. He was a photographer, painter, poet and writer, a seamen and traveler, a conspirator, legionnaire and lancer in
Polish cavalry
The Polish cavalry ( pl, jazda, kawaleria, konnica) can trace its origins back to the days of medieval cavalry knights. Poland is mostly a country of flatlands and fields and mounted forces operate well in this environment. The knights and heav ...
.
During his active life, he was a devoted social activist, sportsman and teacher.
Biography
Zaruski was born on 18 January 1867 in
Dumanowo near the
Kamieniec Podolski
Kamianets-Podilskyi ( uk, Ка́м'яне́ць-Поді́льський, russian: Каменец-Подольский, Kamenets-Podolskiy, pl, Kamieniec Podolski, ro, Camenița, yi, קאַמענעץ־פּאָדאָלסק / קאַמעניץ, ...
in
Poland
Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It is divided into 16 administrative provinces called voivodeships, covering an area of . Poland has a population of over 38 million and is the fifth-most populou ...
. During his youth at
Odessa University
Odesa I. I. Mechnykov National University ( uk, Одеський національний університет Iмені І. І. Мечникова, translit=Odeskyi natsionalnyi universytet imeni I. I. Mechnykova), located in Odesa, Ukraine, i ...
, where he studied mathematics and physics, he was attracted to maritime activities. He worked as a seaman on various ships. He visited distant regions including Siberia, China, Japan, India, Egypt and Syria.
For his participation in a Polish patriotic anti-Russian organization, the Russian government exiled him to
Arkhangelsk
Arkhangelsk (, ; rus, Арха́нгельск, p=ɐrˈxanɡʲɪlʲsk), also known in English as Archangel and Archangelsk, is a city and the administrative center of Arkhangelsk Oblast, Russia. It lies on both banks of the Northern Dvina near ...
in 1894. There, while a prisoner, he was able to graduate from the Seaman School. Conditionally, he was allowed to work on the merchant ship ''Derzhava''. On his first sea journey on the ship, he went to Norway with a log and fur cargo. Later he became captain of the ship ''Nadezhda''.
After finishing his prison term, Zaruski returned to
Odessa, where he lived for two years. There he married Izabela Kietlińska. Later, he moved to
Kraków
Kraków (), or Cracow, is the second-largest and one of the oldest cities in Poland. Situated on the Vistula River in Lesser Poland Voivodeship, the city dates back to the seventh century. Kraków was the official capital of Poland until 1596 ...
, where between 1901 and 1906, he studied painting at the
Academy of Fine Arts
The following is a list of notable art schools.
Accredited non-profit art and design colleges
* Adelaide Central School of Art
* Alberta College of Art and Design
* Art Academy of Cincinnati
* Art Center College of Design
* The Art Institute ...
. In 1907, after graduation, the couple moved to
Zakopane
Zakopane ( Podhale Goral: ''Zokopane'') is a town in the extreme south of Poland, in the southern part of the Podhale region at the foot of the Tatra Mountains. From 1975 to 1998, it was part of Nowy Sącz Voivodeship; since 1999, it has been ...
for Izabela's health.
For many years, Mariusz Zaruski worked in Zakopane as a mountain guide for tourists and rescues. He organized the
Tatra Mountain Rescue Service. In his articles in Polish newspapers, he publicized and popularized the tourism of the Zakopane region. He was the first to climb the
Kozi Wierch and
Kościelec mountains. Zaruski was also noted for leading a rescue expedition that saved Maria Bandrowski, who was trapped in the Tatra Mountains with her brother, the Polish philosopher
Bronisław Bandrowski.
At the start of the First World War, he organized 11th Polish Cavalry Regiment and became its commander. For his bravery during the offensive on Wilno City on 16 April 1919, he was decorated with the highest Polish military distinction, the Order of
Virtuti Militari
The War Order of Virtuti Militari (Latin: ''"For Military Virtue"'', pl, Order Wojenny Virtuti Militari) is Poland's highest military decoration for heroism and courage in the face of the enemy at war. It was created in 1792 by Polish King St ...
, 5th Class, and several times with the Cross of Valour. He ended up his military career as a brigadier-general and Adjutant to Polish President
Stanisław Wojciechowski
Stanisław Wojciechowski (; 15 March 1869 – 9 April 1953) was a Polish politician and scholar who served as President of Poland between 1922 and 1926, during the Second Polish Republic.
He was elected president in 1922, following the assassi ...
. He retired before the May Revolt in 1926.
In his retirement, he devoted his time to popularize moral, economic and political benefits of Poland's access to the Baltic Sea. He introduced the Polish elite to the sport of yachting. Through his teaching he attracted countless number of Polish youth to seamanship and yachting.
Together with
Antoni Aleksandrowicz, he organized the
Yacht Club of Poland. Thanks to his government connections, he was able to acquire for the club the first ocean-going yacht in Poland's history, ''Witeź''. On his initiative, the Sea and River League and the Committee of National Flotilla were established. The committee founded the sailing ship ''Dar Pomorza''. He was an organizer of the Inspectorate of Youth Marine Education. He helped to establish the Marine Terminology Commission, which included representatives from Marine Academy and universities. The Commission edited six volumes of the Polish – English – French – German - Russian Marine Dictionary. In Poland, before the Second World War, the Boy Scouts movement was an important part of marine education among Polish youth.
General Zaruski played a leading role as a seamanship instructor for
Polish Scouts
, type = organization
, headquarters = ZHP Headquarters Warsaw
, location = Warszawa, Konopnickiej 6
, country = Poland
, f-date = 1 November 1918
, founder = Andrzej Małkowski, Olga Małkowska
, members = 138,112
, chiefscouttitle = N ...
units in
Jastarnia
Jastarnia ( csb, Jastarniô, german: Heisternest) is a resort town in Puck County, Pomeranian Voivodship, northern Poland. It is located on the Hel Peninsula on the Baltic Sea. It is a popular Polish seaside resort and small fishing port.
The ...
, located on the shore of the
Baltic Sea
The Baltic Sea is an arm of the Atlantic Ocean that is enclosed by Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Russia, Sweden and the North and Central European Plain.
The sea stretches from 53°N to 66°N latitude and ...
. He used to say that the hardship of a sailor's duties strengthened the sailor's moral character. In 1935 he became captain of the schooner ''
Zawisza Czarny (ship)''. At the same time, he was elected President of the
Polish Sailing Association. During his presidency, youth at universities, the Boy Scouts and yacht clubs all over Poland were integrated in one mass movement devoted to seamanship and marine education. As captain of ''Zawisza Czarny'', he was treated with such respect and adoration by youths that they called him no other than “Sir General”. His last voyage on ''Zawisza Czarny'' was in 1939.
Deliberately, despite the fact that he could leave Poland at the outbreak of the
Second World War
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 vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposi ...
, he did not abandon his motherland. He was arrested, then imprisoned by the Soviet
NKVD
The People's Commissariat for Internal Affairs (russian: Наро́дный комиссариа́т вну́тренних дел, Naródnyy komissariát vnútrennikh del, ), abbreviated NKVD ( ), was the interior ministry of the Soviet Union.
...
in Lwów after the
Red Army
The Workers' and Peasants' Red Army ( Russian: Рабо́че-крестья́нская Кра́сная армия),) often shortened to the Red Army, was the army and air force of the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic and, afte ...
invaded Poland in September 1939. On 29 March 1941, NKVD sentenced him, as a ''socially dangerous element'', to penal resettlement to
Krasnoyarsk Krai
Krasnoyarsk Krai ( rus, Красноя́рский край, r=Krasnoyarskiy kray, p=krəsnɐˈjarskʲɪj ˈkraj) is a federal subject of Russia (a krai), with its administrative center in the city of Krasnoyarsk, the third-largest city in Si ...
in
Siberia
Siberia ( ; rus, Сибирь, r=Sibir', p=sʲɪˈbʲirʲ, a=Ru-Сибирь.ogg) is an extensive region, geographical region, constituting all of North Asia, from the Ural Mountains in the west to the Pacific Ocean in the east. It has been a ...
. He died of
cholera in a Soviet prison in
Kherson on 8 April 1941.
In autumn of 1991, thanks to the efforts of
Związek Harcerstwa Polskiego
, type = organization
, headquarters = ZHP Headquarters Warsaw
, location = Warszawa, Konopnickiej 6
, country = Poland
, f-date = 1 November 1918
, founder = Andrzej Małkowski, Olga Małkowska
, members = 138,112
, chiefscouttitle = N ...
, the Polish Scouts, the ashes of Gen. Zaruski were brought to Poland and buried in Zakopane Cemetery. He was decorated posthumously by the Polish state with the
Grand Cross of Order of Poland’s Rebirth in 1997.
Family
Father Seweryn, mother Eufrozyna, older brother Stanisław, younger brother Bolesław. His devoted wife: Izabella Kietlińska.
Literary legacy
Includes: collection of poems and novels about the Tatra mountains titled ''Na bezdrożach tatrzańskich'' (1923) as well as his marine novels titled ''Wśród wichrów i fal'' (1935). He expressed his passion for horses in several of his poems.
He gave countless speeches, lectures and published many articles. He wrote several textbooks for sailors and first in Polish history textbook of marine navigation.
Honours and awards
* Silver Cross of the
Order of Virtuti Militari
The War Order of Virtuti Militari (Latin: ''"For Military Virtue"'', pl, Order Wojenny Virtuti Militari) is Poland's highest military decoration for heroism and courage in the face of the enemy at war. It was created in 1792 by Polish King St ...
,
* Grand Cross of the
Order of Polonia Restituta
The Order of Polonia Restituta ( pl, Order Odrodzenia Polski, en, Order of Restored Poland) is a Polish state order established 4 February 1921. It is conferred on both military and civilians as well as on foreigners for outstanding achievement ...
(posthumously in 1997; previously awarded the Commander's Cross and the Officer's Cross
*
Cross of Independence
Cross of Independence ( pl, Krzyż Niepodległości) was second highest Polish military decorations between World Wars I and II. It was awarded to individuals who had fought actively for the independence of Poland, and was released in three cl ...
*
Cross of Valour (five times)
* Commemorative Medal for War 1918–1921.
See also
*
Republic of Zakopane
The Republic of Zakopane (or Commonwealth of Zakopane; pl, Rzeczpospolita Zakopiańska) refers to an area in Galicia centered on the city of Zakopane that created its own parliament ("National Organisation") on October 13, 1918. The parliament's ...
References
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Zaruski, Mariusz
1867 births
1941 deaths
People from Khmelnytskyi Oblast
Polish generals
Polish exiles in the Russian Empire
Polish mountain climbers
Polish sailors
Polish Scouts and Guides
19th-century Polish painters
19th-century Polish male artists
20th-century Polish painters
20th-century Polish male artists
20th-century Polish poets
Polish photographers
Grand Crosses of the Order of Polonia Restituta
Recipients of the Silver Cross of the Virtuti Militari
Recipients of the Cross of Independence
Recipients of the Cross of Valour (Poland)
Polish people of the Polish–Soviet War
Polish deportees to Soviet Union
Polish people who died in Soviet detention
Polish people detained by the NKVD
Polish male poets
Polish male painters