A century-old lantern which illuminated the path to Poland's independence

Arrival of a distinguished pianist, composer, and statesman - Ignacy Jan Paderewski - to Poznań was a final spark which ignited the outbreak of the Greater Poland Uprising.

As soon as the Germans found out about his planned visit they made efforts to thwart it. They predicted - correctly, as it turned out - that his visit could spark Polish people to launch pro-independence gatherings.

Paderewski sailed to Gdańsk on December 25th, 1918. The next day in Piła, he boarded a train to Poznań. The Germans staged a number provocations at subsequent stations, in order to force the pianist to change the route and go directly to Warsaw. But he remained immune to this pressure.

When the train reached Poznań, the city was submerged in darkness. A legend has it that the Prussians deliberately switched off city electricity grid. However, we don't know it for certain, as power outages in Poznań happened quite often in those years.

But when the train stopped at the Imperial Railway Station (today's Summer Station) at 21:10, Paderewski did not complain on the lack of lighting at all. Large crowds of Polish citizens lit his way with dozens of torches. Along his way through the city, he could see also see paper lanterns hanging at balconies and in windows. Among them was the one which today belongs to Roman Trojanowicz's collection.

Signature on the bottom tells a bit about the lantern's history. "This lantern was hanged in a window of a house at Marcinkowskiego Avenue. It was one the lanterns which illuminated Poznań after the Prussians switched off regular lighting. An organised effort was made to hand as many of them as possible," Trojanowicz says.

Made of thin red crepe paper, the lantern has Poland's coat of arms imprinted on it - an eagle based on Queen Jadwiga of Poland's crest. Such lanterns were produced on a wider, but not mass scale. Hanging them in windows was a manifestation of Polishness at the time.

The lantern was hanged in a window of flat number 12 at 14 Marcinkowskiego Avenue. According to entries from Poznań City Address Book from the year 1930, the flat was rented by the family of tailor Józef Kędzia. The current owner received the lantern from a granson of Maria Kędzia, possibly Józef's daughter. At the beginning of the 21st century, the lantern was professionally renovated at the National Museum in Poznań.

Paderewski stayed at Bazar Hotel. Upon arrival, he and his wife, as well as other delegates were greeted by a committee headed by city mayor Jarogniew Drwęski and members of the Supreme People's Council. From a window above the hotel entrance, the pianist addressed crowds of Poles gathered at the Wilhelmplatz (today's Freedom Square). His speech sparked the outbreak of the revolt against the German state. The insurgency broke out out on Dec. 27, 1918.

The Greater Poland Uprising broke out on Dec. 27, 1918. The Greater Poland uprising of 1918–1919, or Wielkopolska uprising of 1918–1919 or Posnanian War was a military insurrection of Poles in the Greater Poland region against German rule

A recent law initiated by President Andrzej Duda and approved by parliament, has established December 27 Poland's new public holiday - the National Day of the Victorious Greater Poland Uprising.