A hero of Poland’s second republic is being buried today in Gdańsk.

Mieczysław Jałowiecki bought the Westerplatte peninsula for Poland from its German owners shortly after the end of the First World War. His body, and that of his wife Zofia, was returned from the United Kingdom a few days ago. The director of the Museum of the Second World War in Gdańsk, Professor Grzegorz Berendt, said that Jałowiecki was an exceptional figure in the Second Polish Republic. As the general delegate of the Ministry of Provisioning, he was responsible for the delivery of food aid from the USA to Gdańsk during a time of huge food shortages following World War One.  The funeral service is being held at the Basilica of St Bridget in Gdańsk, under the watch of Jałowiecki’s great-grandson.

Source – polskieradio24.pl, Radio Gdańsk

President Andrzej Duda has thanked Poland’s miners for their “hard work, courage and dedication” on the occasion of Babórka, or Miners’ Day.

Yesterday was the feast day of St Barbara, the patron saint of miners, which is traditionally celebrated with miners’ orchestras and beer fests. The president visited the Pniówek mine, which was the scene of a tragedy in April when a series of methane explosions killed 16 miners. The bodies of seven of them are still underground. Three days later, 10 miners died at the nearby Zofiówka mine after a strong shock led to a release of methane. Duda pointed to the challenges in managing Poland’s coal reserves, balancing the needs for affordable energy with the protection of the environment and air quality, while dealing with the energy price crisis precipitated by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

Source – PAP, polskieradio24.pl

Poland’s football team will return home from the World Cup in Qatar after losing 3-1 to reigning champions France in their final-16 game yesterday.

Poland kept the French at bay for almost the entire first half before a 44th-minute goal by Olivier Giroud, which made him France’s highest-scoring men’s player of all-time. Two goals from Kylian Mbappé sealed France’s victory, with a last-minute penalty from Robert Lewandowski giving the Poles only a tiny consolation. Poland’s coach Czesław Michniewicz said that “Getting out of the group stage after 36 years was our main objective… but in the next round we faced the world champions.” He added that, “After weeks and months we can proudly say that we achieved what Poland wasn’t able to achieve in 36 years.”

Source – Reuters

In golf, Poland’s Adrian Meronk has taken the Australian Open title, capped off with a superb 12-meter putt on the last green.

He’s the first Pole to win the title, and the first European in 9 years. Meronk broke through after winning the Irish Open this year. After yesterday’s triumph at the Victoria Golf Club, Meronk said, “I’m super excited and to finish like that on the 18th hole is just unreal… I’m super proud of myself.”

Source – AP

Today will be cloudy and cold in Gdańsk, with a high of 1°C (33°F) and light winds from the southeast. The outlook for tomorrow is similar, while some sleet is expected by the middle of the week.

RGEN/AGC/ol