Muslims, Christians pray together in Polonezköy

Poles in and Turks greeted each other warmly as the priest at the small church in Polonezköy, a village on Istanbul’s Asian outskirts settled by Polish emigrants in the 19th century, invited worshippers to exchange the peace during the All Saints’ Day mass on Nov. 1.

Muslim Turks participating in a Christian ritual was “normal for Polonezköy,” an elderly inhabitant of the town said. The priest conducted the mass in both Polish and Turkish so that everyone could participate. After the mass, the congregants commemorated the deceased at a nearby cemetery with flowers while the priest blessed the gravestones with holy water, just as he would in Poland.

The cemetery reflects the story of Polonezköy. The majority of the oldest graves belong to Polish soldiers, combatants in many national uprisings during the 19th century. The Ottoman state was the only one in Europe that did not recognize Russian, Prussian and Austrian’s late-18th century partitions of Poland.

In 1841, Duke Adam Czartoryski sent emissary Michał Czajkowski from Paris to Istanbul to negotiate the establishment of a Polish colony there. One year later, Sultan Abdülmecid I granted Istanbul’s Polish mission the right to take land from the Lazarite Order and establish a semi-autonomous Polish settlement, Adampol, named after Czartoryski.

“Thank the Lord, who gave us this land where we can pray for Poland and talk about Poland in Polish – let’s pray and act righteously and God will return us to our Motherland,” Czajkowski, also known as Mehmet Sadık Paşa after he converted to Islam and served in the Ottoman army, said in a letter during the initial settlement period.

Speaking Polish in Poland was forbidden under Prussian and Russian rule, but Adampol was a safe haven for Polish patriots. Poles not only found refuge in the Sultan’s land, but also fought on the side of the Ottomans in the Crimean War (1853-56) against the Russians.

By the end of the 19th century approximately 150 Poles lived in the village. Even in 1918 after Poland finally re-gained its independence, the Poles in Adampol remained in Turkey. Today, there are about 750 inhabitants in Polonezköy, 90 of whom are of Polish origin.

“We are Turks with Polish origin,” said Antoni Dohoda, one of the elderly inhabitants. “I was a Turkish officer,” he said proudly. The Polish-Turkish friendship seen in Polonezköy is indeed amazing: The villagers said it was natural to see Polish and Turkish flags flying side-by-side or flowers from the gendarmerie at Czartoryski’s monument.

On one side of Adam Mickiewicz St., named for a famous Polish writer who died in Istanbul in 1855, there is both a Catholic church and a mosque just a few meters away from each other. “We go to weddings together, funerals and we carry coffins for each other when needed,” said Dohoda, somewhat surprised at the question about religious issues.

Dohoda said he was not worried about the loss of Polish culture and language. Though there is now much intermarriage in the community, he said this was a worldwide trend. Whatever the case, religious and cultural life in the community remains strong – mass is held every Saturday evening, after which Sister Arleta leads a number of children in religious study. Also, the children prepare a nativity play for the birth of Jesus every Christmas.

Recently, land from the graves of Adam Czartoryski and Michał Czajkowski were brought to Polonezköy and placed in symbolic graves in a ceremony attended by Polish President Lech Kaczyński. Indeed, the town often receives visits from Polish heads of state during their trips to Turkey, having hosted former presidents Lech Wałęsa and Aleksander Kwaśniewski in the past.

Polonezköy keeps ties not only with Poland, where children go every year for holidays, but also with similar Polish migrant communities in Romania. In October, Polonezköy welcomed 12 children and two teachers from Nowy Soloniec in Romania.

“We also want to establish connections with Polish towns in Georgia. The origins of these villages are the same – they were built by Polish patriots,” said Polonezköy Mayor Daniel Ohotski. These meetings with other Polish children motivate interest in Polish culture and help to maintain the language, he said.

Polonezköy is not just a heritage park for Polish culture, but also a beautiful destination for residents of Istanbul seeking a quiet place for a weekend getaway. Hotels and restaurants offering traditional Polish and Turkish food attract Istanbul clientele.

The fact that there is no public transportation connecting Polonezköy to Istanbul helps to maintain the peacefulness of the village. Moreover, Ohotski is not very enthusiastic about the idea of having a public bus – “That would bring too many people. It is good the way it is now,” he said.