The Heart Of Poland

While in western Poland, I visited two places near Poznań, meaning a lot to me. One is Gniezno, a city of St. Wojciech, my Patron Saint, where his basilica is located, and main shrine to his honor, with his relics in silver coffin are placed in the heart of the shrine. The second place is Lednica, a lake located between Poznań and Gniezno, with two focal points - one on the northern tip of the lake, and the second on the south western side of the lake...

Gniezno is a magic place, with St. Wojciech in the Basilica and my close friends living in the city. I love to go there, to pray, to meditate, to confer with my Patron Saint and share with him my joys and worries. I love to meet my friends there, with warm hospitality and loving hearts.

Lednica is the capital city of the spirituality of Poles, I dare to say. Both pra-slavic spirituality and the Christian one.

There is the alleged nucleus of the founder of Piast dynasty, rulers of the Kingdom of Poland, located on one of the four islands on Lednica lake, called Ostrów Lednicki (see other interesting sites on this topic here (polish) and here (english).  As a friend of mine loves to say, whenever he goes there, he feels the power of the ancient faith of our ancestors radiating from that magical place... I feel the same... And I feel pride to be a Pole, a successor of the first residents of that place... The sight of the Polish flag on top of the mound in the center of the prehistoric site touches the core of my Polish spirit.... It is just so fantastic! Going there and being there is like recharging batteries of my Polish nature, Polish identity, Polish integrity... The very heart of Poland... I feel a special spiritual bond between Ostrów Lednicki and Wawel Royal Hill in Kraków... Something I cannot describe in words...Something that makes me shiver... and cry with excitement...

Then, there is Christian Lednica on the northern part of the lake, at the alleged place of the Baptism of the first Polish king. Mieszko I who received the Baptism on behalf of the whole nation, together with everybody else. Father Jan Góra, Polish Dominican friar, developed the place (and still does) as a huge field and a meeting and prayer place especially for the youth (official site here. Wikipedia polish site here, english here).

See the promo video clip:

In Lednica the St. Jacob pilgrim's shell was found and the pilgrims route from medieval Poland to Santiago de Compostella in Spain was recreated (the museum at Ostrów tells the story about it).

So much meaning, history and spiritual power confined in this one particular spot on the map of the present Poland. A must-go for everyone who wants to undestand who we are, where do we come from and what to be a Pole means.... It is simply a must for you to visit the place and allow its power to encompass you...