This Sunday, 1. May, one of the last remnants of Polish history will disappear from the picturesque [Rapperswil castle]( https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rapperswil_Castle), located on the eastern end of Lake Zurich.

Wait, Polish history in Switzerland? What, how did that happen? Well, [here is an excellent article in German](https://twitter.com/NZZ/status/1340680859465216002) (via twitter to bypass the paywall) which will explain the situation. You can use deepl.com if you don’t understand German.

Tldr: At the end of the 19th century, the Rapperswil castle had become a ruin due to decades of neglect. The city of Rapperswil was already planning to demolish it. However, at that point Polish nobility just arrived in Switzerland to seek refuge. Poland was under foreign rule at the time and would not gain independence until the end of WW1.
The Polish refugees, nobles and Swiss sympathisers decided to rebuild the castle out of their own pocket. The castle became a home for Polish refugees and their culture. Soon a museum was founded. The Swiss people sympathised with the Polish struggle for independence and would later even use it to strengthen their own [“spiritual national defence”](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spiritual_national_defence). The museum has, in various forms and with some breaks, existed to this day.

2013 a local entrepreneur and his free newspaper start an aggressive campaign against the Polish museum, calling it “foreign” and not part of the local history. Instead, they propose a more touristy (and lucrative) alternative to the museum. In the end, they manage to convince the local voters, the lease of the museum would no longer be renewed. The fact that the touristy alternative is based on flimsy, if not outright revisionist history, did not get any attention. Any talks between the city and the museum have failed, which leads us to the current and final days of this old museum.

If you have ever been to the castle, you may have noticed [a large pillar]( https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/63/Rapperswil_-_Freiheitss%C3%A4ule_IMG_4023.jpg) with German and Polish text on it. It is almost as old as the Polish history of this castle. The pillar itself has been created to symbolise the “Swiss solidarity with peoples struggling for their freedom”.
I leave it to the reader, to wager how much of this solidarity is still present in the Switzerland of our time – a time in which yet another country in eastern Europe is struggling for its own independence.

In the end nothing can be done anymore to change the fate of the Polish museum in Rapperswil, but if you have time this week, I encourage you to pay a visit to this very important and interesting piece of Swiss and Polish history.

16 comments

  1. I think this article is relevant to Switzerland because it highlights an often-forgotten part of our history and serves as a cautionary tale, as to how we all should be wary of overly simplistic notions of “heritage” and “natural states” because they are often not as historically accurate as we are led to believe.
    Edit: [Here](https://polenmuseum.ch/nachrichten/einladung-zum-letzten-mal-im-polenmuseum-im-schloss-1-mai-2022) you can find some information about the museum and its last day.

  2. That’s a disgrace. A big indictment of the city. Thanks for sharing, I didn’t know about all that.

  3. >2013 a local entrepreneur and his free newspaper start an aggressive campaign against the Polish museum

    I don’t think the names should be kept anonymous here.

  4. It sounds 100% Swiss in 2022 to be like “that’s foreign 🤬”. As soon as I get out of Zurich I always get amazed at how backward this country truly is.

  5. As a Swiss who moved to Poland an thought there was very little that connects the two countries history, this was a nice TIL! Thanks! Shame about the museum, but hopefully it might re-appear somehow again and the memory won’t be forgotten.

  8. as a descendant of one of those interned soldiers this really breaks my heart.
    Hug argues that its not local history – well he’s eradicating a part of mine and of many others

  9. Sounds interesting.

    Is everything in the museum illustrated in English (or french) as well? I dont speak german tho :'(

  11. Great write-up! What a sad story. Selling out is so short-sighted, especially for historical objects like this castle. On the other hand, the Polish nobility should have ensure a trust (fund) behind the castle to carry the legacy forward. Endowments are not a popular practice in Europe, but Americans have proven (despite their short history) how effective it can be in carrying out legacy through shifts in governments and historical conditions.

  13. The ON did their shit show. The actual problem was a legitimate drive to make the castle publicly accessible. Most of it is just dusty rooms right now (not the Polish Museum). And the intention was to make the Polish History part of a larger exhibition about the history of the castle. Which initially was framed as “Polish Museum needs to go”. Which naturally didn’t go down well with the Polish Museum. When the planners/politicians eventually came to their senses and clarified that it would still be part of the Museum, too much trust was gone and the Polish Museum didn’t accept any solution except complete autonomy. Which understandably also wasn’t an option if you do a full restructure of the castle (and lets face it, the Polish Museum is great for it’s historic significance, not so much for it’s presentation/…). The latest state I heard of was that the Polish Museum will keep existing in a historic building close to the castle.

    And I am not saying Hug/ON didn’t spout anti-foreigner bullshit, and that a discgracefully large portion of our cities population is very susceptible to that, just saying that wasn’t the sole reason for why we are where we are now.

  15. Polan here.

    Your emotions and concerns are deeply appreciated – it’s not every day that people value our history. If you ever plan to visit Polska, feel invited and in case of any challenges, contact me.

    Thank you and stay well.

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