On 12 September on the Kahlenberg Hill, next to Saint Joseph’s church, a remarkable ceremony took place. A cornerstone was set under the greenfield site of John III Sobieski’s monument. The monument was completed in exactly a year from the initiative of the rifle club called “Bractwo Strzeleckie” from Cracow.
The representatives of the Order of the Knights of Golden Deer, which was reactivated in Lanckorona in 1998, were present. An artist, in whose studio Czesław Dźwigaj’s monument is being made, was also present.
After Mass the closing ceremony, a parade of 120 motorcyclists from Poland rode on the Kahlenberg Hill. They were decorated with characteristic Hussar’s wings and emphasised the importance of the event. The General Consul of the Republic of Poland in Austria, Andrzej Kaczorowski, welcomed the participants of the ride.
Exactly 330 years after the famous battle with theTurks which influenced the history of Europe. The Polish Hussars won again the Kahlenberg Hill. The Hussars of the XXI century, motorized with their metal “steeds” looked like angels with the beautiful white Hussar’s wings on their backs. The view was really incredible. 120 Polish motorcyclists who participated in the Katyń International Motorcycle Race were a reminder of the victims and places of massacre in Katyń, where Soviet Secret Service (NKWD) shot over 20 thousand Polish officers in 1940.
Photos © Barbara Kalczyńska