Clean-up of the Tatar cemetery in Zastawek near Terespol

Poland
2018
clean-up
cemetery, cleaning works, Tatar, Tatarzy, Terespol

o projekcie

There’s a place in the east of Poland that still remembers the once numerous community of Polish Tatars. They were the descendants of those who had defected from the Golden Horde, looking for shelter among the knezes of Lithuania. With time, they became citizens of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, proving their attachment to their new homeland in battles and in surges for independence. The Tatar community in Poland can boast many distinguished writers, officers, or academics. Even Henryk Sienkiewicz was of Tatar descent.

With the passing of time and assimilation on the rise, the Tatar community of Poland almost vanished, leaving behind a tangible proof of their existence – cemeteries.  The oldest of them – found in Zastawek – has remained long overgrown, which made it impossible to explore it and discover the amazing cultural value it has kept in hiding.

2018

In August 2018, the Cultural Heritage Foundation teamed up with the Student Association of Beskidy Mountain Guides in Warsaw and organised a joint trip with the aim to preserve the heritage of Polish Tatars. The goal was to clean up the Tatar cemetery in Zastawek near Terespol by removing self-sown plants and low shrubs from the site.  Thanks to the involvement of the participants of the trip it was possible to lay the foundation for the future activity of professional conservators so that the cemetery site could be finally made available to visitors.

Apart from the clean-up, the programme of the trip included also lectures on the Tatar culture, a Tatar epigraphy workshop, and a heritage conservation workshop. The participants had an opportunity to hike across the picturesque landscapes stretching on both sides of the Bug River bends.

The project was carried out with the financial support of the National Heritage Institute, provided as part of the “Together for Heritage” programme.

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