This is not a grim joke, but today’s reality in western Poland. The authorities of Kostrzyn nad Odrą decided to commemorate the 314th anniversary of the birth of King of Prussia Frederick II the Great—a man who was the architect of the First Partition of Poland, a mass counterfeiter of Polish currency, and a bitter enemy of Polishness. Local officials even organized ceremonial “artillery salutes” for the invader, referred to as “His Highness.”
Absurd scenes unfolded today in Kostrzyn nad Odrą. According to official invitations signed, among others, by the city’s mayor Andrzej Kunt and the director of the Muzeum Twierdzy Kostrzyn, the city hosted a ceremony to present a commemorative plaque “to Prince Frederick.” All of this took place under the slogan: “Frederick Returns to Kostrzyn.”
A tribute to the “Counterfeiter King”
Local government authorities, in cooperation with partners from the German town of Letschin, invited residents to the Berlin Gate. The program included not only the unveiling of the plaque, but also the presence of a historical reenactor portraying “His Highness Frederick II,” as well as artillery cheers.
It is difficult to understand what motivated the organizers to celebrate with such pomp a figure who left a dark mark on Polish history.
The matter was highlighted on social media, among others, by Marek Surmacz, a former adviser to President Lech Kaczyński, who did not mince words:
“The authorities of some cities in Poland have completely lost their minds! Kostrzyn celebrated the 314th anniversary of the birth of King of Prussia Frederick II the Great under the slogan ‘Frederick Returns to Kostrzyn.’ Where, in this madness, are the central authorities and their representatives in the field…?”
Frederick’s “services” to Poland: theft, abduction, and partitions
It is worth recalling who the man being honored today in a Polish city actually was. Frederick II of Prussia, known in Germany as “the Great,” was a malevolent figure for the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth. In a letter to his brother, he wrote about Poles with contempt, referring to them as the “Iroquois” of Europe.
Here is a brief list of the Prussian monarch’s “achievements” vis-à-vis Poland—apparently forgotten by the authorities of Kostrzyn:
- Mass counterfeiting of Polish currency. Frederick II flooded the Commonwealth with counterfeit coins (the so-called Ephraimiten), leading to massive inflation and economic ruin even before the partitions. To this end, he used original Polish minting dies seized in Saxony.
- Initiator of the partitions. The King of Prussia was the principal originator and driving force behind the First Partition of Poland in 1772. His objective was to connect Brandenburg with East Prussia at the expense of Polish lands—Pomerelia (Gdańsk Pomerania) and Warmia.
- Abduction of people. The Prussian army was notorious for brutal recruitment methods. Frederick II continued and intensified the practice of kidnapping men from the Commonwealth’s territories to forcibly conscript them.
- Economic terror. After seizing Polish lands, Frederick imposed draconian taxes, tariffs, and an exploitative system, deliberately destroying Polish Vistula trade to divert profits to Prussian ports.
“A commissarial administration should be imposed”
The internet is seething. Commentators note that glorifying a partitioning power within the borders of an independent Poland reflects either a lack of state instinct or a deliberate action harmful to historical memory.
Zygfryd Czaban, an active commentator on public life, puts it bluntly:
“A mass counterfeiter of Polish currency, he abducted thousands of men from Poland into the army, the architect of the partitions of Poland, and after 1772 the author of extraordinarily inventive methods of humiliating Poles (higher taxes for Poles than for Germans, etc.). Today he is honored with pomp by the authorities of a Polish city. For this, a commissarial administration should be imposed in that city!”
Will today’s events in Kostrzyn nad Odrą prompt a response from the voivode or the relevant ministries?