From Miasto i gmina Wysokie Litewskie. Album z fotografiami dotyczący życia i pracy mieszkańców, 1934 (The City and Commune of Wysokie Litewskie.) Photo album about the life and work of residents,1934, in the Muzeum Józefa Piłsudskiego w Belwederze (Museum of Józef Piłsudski in the Belvedere ) found in the National Digital Archive (Narodowe Archiwum Cyfrowe), which generously grants free use of this archival material. Direct link to this item.
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(1) Odpis, copy. (Probably indicates this is a working copy of the original document.)
(2) + (3) + (4) text:
My, obywatele miasta Wysokie-Litewskie zebrani na rynku miejskim w dniu 29 czerwca 1933 roku, z okazii "święta morza" protestujemy wobec całego świata przeciw rewizjonistycznym zakusom niemiec i oświadczamy wszystkim państwom zaprzyjaźnionym i niezaprzyjaźnionym z Rzeczypospolitą Polską, że rewizja granic Polski - to wojna, a wówczas bez różnicy wyznania jak jeden mąż staniemy w obronie granic naszej Ojczyzny i morza, które jest fundamentem i dźwignią rozwoju gospodarczego naszego kraju, a w szeregach naszej dzielnej armii nie będziemy ostatnimi". - Następuje 664 podpisy mieszkańców miasta Wysokie-Litewskie, powiatu Brześć nad Bugiem.
We, citizens of the city of Wysokie Litewskie, gathered at the market square on June 29, 1933 to celebrate the “Holy Sea”, protest before the whole world against German revisionists and declare before all countries – friendly and non-friendly with the Republic of Poland –that the revision of Poland's frontiers is a war, and then, regadless of our religious beliefs, we will stand up as one man for our homeland and sea which is the foundation and leverage of our country's economic development and we will not be the last in the ranks of our brave army. – There are 664 signatures of the residents of the city of Wysokie-Litewskie, in the district of Brest on the Bug [River] .
(5) W czasie "Swięta Morza" mieszkańcy miasta Wysokie Litewskie podpisują rezolucję wobec komisji specjalnie w tym celu powołanej. During the Festival "Holy Sea", the residents of the city of Wysokie Litewskie sign a resolution to a commission specially appointed for this purpose.
(6) Za zgodność: Certified by: – stamp/seal
stamp/seal: Starostwo Brzeskie. Magistrat miasta Wysokie-Litewskie. Starosty Starosty (County Office) of Brest. Magistrate of Wysokie Litewskie
Burmistrz miasta Wysokie Litewskie mayor of the city of Wysokie Litewskie.
Signature: Łapczyński. Gracjan Łapczyński.
(7) Stamp/seal: Archiwum akt nowych. Polska. Archive of new documents. Poland. (The modern archive is here.)
(8) Photo Text Overlay: Kto żąda rewizji granic swiadomie dąży do wojny. Those who demand the revision of borders consciously strive for war.
(9) Described by A. S.: A rare photo of Józef Charyton, eyewitness to the Holocaust in Wysokie Litewskie. More about Charyton here and here.
Notes: sea. Poland was not then a significant naval power. At this time, at least one organization collected funds in towns like Wysokie for purchase of a naval vessel to increase Poland's sea-going fleet. Those who demand... : How did the average Pole in 1934 interpret the slogan, Those who demand the revision of borders consciously strive for war? The context: Following WWI, by the Treaty of Versailles in 1919, Poland was re-established to an approximation of its traditional boundaries, to the great joy of its citizens. In the following years, there was an escalating series of disputes between Poland and Germany, for example, a customs war in 1925. By 1934 —the year of this album— Poland was facing increasingly harsh demands from Nazi Germany to return key portions of the recently-restored Rzeczpospolita Polska. From the Polish standpoint, this threatened reversal of the hard-won re-establishment of Poland was widely seen as nothing less than an existential threat. Many, perhaps most Poles reading this slogan likely understood it as meaning, By demanding Polish territory, Germans are preparing for war.