Poland in Lebanon

Representatives of the Embassy of the Republic of Poland in Beirut visited places of remembrance in Ghazir connected with the Polish community, which hold particular historical significance. The visit began with a tour of the church and the seat of the Maronite Patriarchate Seminary, which once served as a school for Polish children and youth who arrived in Lebanon with the Anders Army. In the church adjacent to the seminary, there is a plaque, funded in 1947, commemorating the presence of Poles in Ghazir. Between 1943 and 1946, Lebanon became home to approximately 6,000 Poles who had escaped from the Soviet Union. During a meeting with the authorities of the seminary, the Polish Embassy emphasized the strong ties of the Polish community to this place and expressed gratitude for preserving the memory of Polish refugees.

The next stop was a visit to the cell of Juliusz Słowacki at the St. Anthony's Monastery in Ghazir. It was in this very place, in 1837, that Słowacki spent 45 days during his journey through the Middle East. During his stay, he created the first version of his poem "Anhelli." The monastery houses an exhibition, installed in 2022 by the Museum of Literature in Warsaw, commemorating this event.

The visit was an important step in preserving the memory of the Poles connected to these places and their contribution to the history of Lebanon.