On this day in 1678, the influential Polish theologian and philosopher Andrzej Wiszowaty died in Amsterdam. Wiszowaty was a prominent member of the Polish Brethren: a Protestant community that emerged in the 1560s as a result of a split within the Polish Reformed Church. The Brethren, also known as Arians, Socinians, and Anti-Trinitarians, refused Christian doctrines about Hell and the Trinity, advocated the separation of church and state, and preached equality between all people. Although they were initially tolerated in Poland, the Sejm had their academy in Raków destroyed in 1638, and they were officially banished from Poland in 1658.

Numerous Polish Brethren found refuge in Holland, where many of them had studied. They mainly came to Amsterdam, where they fostered close relations with other religious minorities. Andrzej Wiszowaty and his family were amongst these migrants, settling in Amsterdam in 1666. He is known in particular for his leading role in the printing of the Bibliotheca Fratrum Polonorum: a monumental series of works by Polish Brethren, published in Amsterdam between 1668 and 1692, which was to influence Voltaire and John Locke. Wiszowaty was also active as a poet, translator, and preacher. A commentary he wrote on a book about Hinduism, published in Leiden in 1651, proves that he knew Dutch.

Upon Wiszowaty’s death, the Dutch poet Gerardt Brandt wrote an epitaph in his honour, which reads:

No gravestone, but the earth of a cemetery covers the body
Of Wiszowaty, who, although he was poor, was rich
In virtue and scholarship; and expelled by Papism,
He found his resting place at the river IJ, and eternal life with God.

The case of Wiszowaty is one of many examples of historical Dutch-Polish friendship, fuelled by migration, religion, and scholarship.

*I originally wrote this post for the social media outlets of the Dutch Embassy in Poland. This was post no. 58.

Between 2 and 4 August, the Dutch Chopin Festival will take place in Castle Oud Poelgeest, in Leiden. This year’s theme is “influenced by Chopin”. One of the legacies of Poland’s best-known composer is the popularisation of the mazurka. This type of music, characterised by its liveliness and a strong accent on the second beat, has its origins in three Polish folk dances: the mazur, the kujawiak, and the oberek. Prior to Chopin, a large number of mazurkas were written by the Polish composer Maria Szymanowska. Chopin’s mazurkas for piano subsequently propelled the genre’s popularity, which reached its height in Europe and the United States during the mid to late nineteenth century.

In the Netherlands, examples of mazurkas feature in the songbook Jan Pierewiet: a collection of Dutch and Flemish folk songs meant for children, published between 1933 and 1972. Moreover, multiple mazurkas were written by composers from Curaçao, which is one of the islands comprising the Caribbean part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. Among them was Jan Gerard Palm, who lived in the nineteenth century and is considered the first composer of classical music from Curaçao. He wrote several mazurkas, including one for the birthday of his son in law. Another well-known composer from Curaçao who wrote mazurkas was Wim Statius Muller, who was a student of Jacobo Palm, a grandson of Jan Gerard Palm. Muller even earned the nickname “Curaçao’s Chopin” because of his romantic style of piano composition!

For more information about the Chopin Festival, see this website.

*I originally wrote this post for the social media outlets of the Dutch Embassy in Poland. This was post no. 57.

Poland and the Netherlands share a lot of football history. For example, in addition to the matches played between the national men’s teams we wrote about earlier, the Dutch and Polish women’s teams have crossed paths as well: they have faced each other in three friendly matches, the first of which took place on 8 August 2009 in Tilburg, where the Netherlands won 2-0. Ten years later, in 2019, Poland won the second match 0-1. The third encounter was played last year and once again ended in a Dutch victory: 4-1. Goals were scored by Ewa Pajor, Małgorzata Grec (own goal), Lineth Beerensteyn, Lieke Martens, and Jill Roord.

This month, moreover, football club NAC Breda presented their shirts for the new season, which feature the names and photographs of Polish soldiers who died during the liberation of Breda in 1944. In 2019, on the 75^th anniversary of the liberation, NAC temporarily renamed their stadium after General Maczek, who led the Polish 1^st Armoured Division. In addition, numerous Polish footballers have played for Dutch clubs. Some of the best-known examples include keeper Jerzy Dudek (Feyenoord), striker Arkadiusz Milik (Ajax), and of course forward Włodzimierz ‘Wlodi’ Smolarek (Feyenoord and FC Utrecht), who also enjoyed success with the Polish national team and settled in the Netherlands, becoming youth coach for Feyenoord.

Conversely, Dutch players have participated in the Polish competition, such as Fred Benson (Lechia Gdańsk), Kew Jaliens (Wisła Kraków), and Johan Voskamp (Śląsk Wrocław). Dutch coaches have been active in Poland as well. Robert Maaskant, for example, was trainer of Wisła Kraków in 2010 and 2011. Starting in 2006, furthermore, the national Polish men’s team was coached by Leo Beenhakker. Under his guidance, Poland in 2008 made its debut at a European Championship, but the team – which included Euzebiusz ‘Ebi’ Smolarek, the son of ‘Wlodi’ – did not make it past the group phase. Although Beenhakker was fired in 2009, he was awarded the Order of Polonia Restituta for his contribution to Polish football.

Lastly, Polish football enthusiasts in the Netherlands regularly organise amateur competitions. They too are part of Dutch-Polish football history!

*I originally wrote this post for the social media outlets of the Dutch Embassy in Poland. This was post no. 56.