Orthodox trail

1. Greek-Catholic Cemetery (Orthodox) at 8 Górnośląska Street

The cemetery was founded at the end of the 18th century. In 1786 representatives of Kalisz Macedonians purchased some land from the authorities of Kalisz. The necropolis was located on the south side of the former Przedmieście Wrocławskie (currently Górnośląska Street), opposite the Roman Catholic and Evangelical-Augsburg cemeteries. At the beginning of the 19th century followers of both Orthodox Greek and Moscow traditions were buried here. The necropolis became the property of the Orthodox community in 1880.
The following people were buried at the cemetery: duke Alexander Golicyn, the head of the Kalisz district; Paweł Rybnikow – deputy governor of Kalisz; Anna and Maria, the daughters of the Governor Mikhail Daragan; Piotr Snaksarew, head of the Kalisz district, the grandfather of Natalia Gałczyńska and Russian officers. The oldest tombstones include the tomb of Zofia née Miśkiewicz Katasanowa, the wife of the commander of the Cossack regiment of Russian troops (died in 1827) and a cross commemorating the last of the descendants of the Greeks, Jan Rayko Grabowski (died in 1900). Here lie also the officers and Ukrainian soldiers staying in the Ukrainian State House in Szczypiorno in the years 20-30 of 20th century.


2.St Peter and Paul Orthodox cathedral (nonexistent building – currently on the site of the former cathedral there is a building of the former department store)

The cathedral was consecrated on July 27, 1877, on the birthday of Empress Maria, the wife of Tsar Alexander II. The temple was dedicated to Saint Apostles Peter and Paul. The monumental building bore the features of Byzantine architecture, which was characterized by five domes. 5 domes symbolized 4 evangelists and Jesus Christ. After Poland regained its independence unused building fell into ruins and was dismantled in 1930. Currently on the site of the former cathedral there is a building of the former department store "Centrum".

3. Orthodox cemetery in the Majków district (24 Żołnierska Street)

The cemetery was founded in 1832 in the village of Majków, in the immediate vicinity of Kalisz, and was intended for Russian soldiers of the Kalisz garrison and members of their families. In the 19th century, the Russian authorities bought back the cemetery for the possession of the Orthodox parish. With time, due to the overflow of the Orthodox burial site by Górnośląska Street, the Orthodox inhabitants of Kalisz were buried here. During World War I German and Russian soldiers from the anti-Bolshevik, Ukrainian and also Polish groups were buried in the cemetery. After regaining independence Polish soldiers – killed in fights with the Bolsheviks or those who died in the Kalisz garrison were buried here. From that time, the cemetery was called an army cemetery. The remains of legionnaires' soldiers from the cemetery-mausoleum, which existed by Mickiewicza Street until the Nazi occupation, were moved here. Currently, the cemetery serves both Orthodox and Catholics. It is also the resting place of deceased soldiers. At the cemetery in the Majków district, the Kalisz Romni people are buried in impressive tombs.

4. The tserkva of St Peter and Paul Apostles (1 Niecała Street)

The temple of St Peter and Paul Apostles was built in the years 1928-1930, using materials obtained from the dismantling of the St Peter and Paul Orthodox cathedral. On April 7, 1929, a ceremonial consecration of the cornerstone took place. The neo-Romanesque building was designed by architect Michał Zenowicz, and its construction was led by engineer Albert Nestrypke. The interior featured an iconostasis, liturgical equipment and other fittings which were moved there from the demolished cathedral and the tserkva in Sieradz. In the interwar period and during the German occupation the parish was a branch of St. Alexander Nevsky parish in Łódź. In 1945 an independent parish was established in Kalisz.

5. The cemetery of Ukrainian soldiers in Kalisz-Szczypiorno (29 Pułku Piechoty Street/ 1 Ukraińska Street)

The cemetery in Szczypiorno was founded by Germans in 1914. Allied prisoners, as well as Polish legionnaires and soldiers of the Russian army were buried here. In the 1920s, during the period of operation of the Ukrainian campsite in Kalisz, a large number of Ukrainian soldiers were buried in the cemetery. In 1924 interned Ukrainian soldiers took care of the cemetery and the graves of dead comrades and wanderers.
After the Second World War the unattended cemetery got completely devastated. In June 1992 the Board of the Union of Ukrainians in Poland on the basis of the Polish-Ukrainian Declaration of June 8, 1992, asked the Mayor of Kalisz to take patronage over the renovation of the cemetery in Szczypiorno. In 1999 the City of Kalisz restored the cemetery thanks to the financial support of the Council for the Protection of Memory of Combat and Martyrdom.