The name of Kyiv's main necropolis comes from the name of a Russian general, owner of a nearby estate, Sergei Baikov. The name therefore actually denotes “the Baikov cemetery”, due to the fact that his name is similar to the Polish word “like in a fairy tale”, it is often understood as “a cemetery like in a fairy-tale”.
Kyiv in 19th century (1879) by Stanisław AntoszewiczPOLONIKA The National Institute of Polish Cultural Heritage Abroad
In 1812 there were over 4,000 Poles living in Kyiv, mainly the nobility. Thirty years later their number had grown to around 8,000.
Some of the Poles gained a high position in Kyiv, like Józef Zawadzki, founder of the city's stock exchange and mayor in the years 1860-1863.
The Baikove Cemetery in Kyiv. Statue on an old gravePOLONIKA The National Institute of Polish Cultural Heritage Abroad
In 1900 there were about 35,000 permanent inhabitants of Kyiv declaring themselves to be Polish nationals. The last inflow was after 1917, coming mainly from the provinces. There may have been even more than 100,000 Poles in Kyiv at the time. Now there are around 7-10 thousand Kyiv inhabitants declaring themselves to be Polish nationals; some of them came to Kyiv after 1991.
Cemetery chronology
1832-1833 – preparations for opening a new cemetery
4 August 1841 – dedication of the wooden Orthodox Church of St. Dmitri of Rostov
1935 – construction of a monument at the burial place of Polish soldiers of the Polish-Soviet War of 1920
2001 – listing the Baikove cemetery as a National Historic Landmark of Ukraine
Aniela Pol, the widow of the poet Wincenty Pol, is buried at the cemetery. Teresa Abramow-Newerly is the mother of Igor Newerly, a writer. She helped him escape from Kyiv in 1924.
Many Poles, residents of Kyiv and the Kyiv Governorate, have been buried at the Baikove cemetery. About 650 pre-1945 tombs have been preserved until now.
Poet Lesya Ukrainka (1871-1913), Mykola Lysenko (1842-1912), composer of Prayer for Ukraine, or Mykhailo Hrushevskyi (1836-1934) are important figures for modern Ukraine.
Józef Chojnowski (1833-1914) – archaeologist and collector. He amassed a rich archaeological collection, which he bequeathed to the Society for the Encouragement of Fine Arts in Warsaw. At present it forms part of the collections of the National Museum in Warsaw and of the State Archaeological Museum in Warsaw.
Ludwik Górecki (1825-1885) – doctor of medicine, professor at the University of St. Vladimir in Kyiv. In 1871 he carried out the first vaccinations against smallpox in Kyiv.
Leon Idzikowski (1827-1865) – founder of the largest Kyiv bookshop, reading room and publishing company. Among others, he printed the first editions of works by the outstanding Ukrainian composer Mykola Lysenko and by Polish poets. By 1920 the publishing house had issued about 8,000 titles.
Wilhelm Kotarbiński (1848-1921) – painter, whom the Academy of Fine Arts in St Petersburg “recognised and honoured as an academician for his achievements in the field of art”.
Stanisław Syroczyński (1848-1912) – forester, landowner, philanthropist; along with Roman Dmowski he co-founded the Polish National Party in Ruthenia. In the years 1906-1909 he was a member of the State Council.
Włodzimierz Wysocki (1846-1894) – poet and a popular photographer. Court photographer to Grand Duchess Alexandra Petrovna. His symbolic tomb is located on the grave of his mother Maximilia.
Włodzimierz Wysokowicz (1854-1912) – professor, pathologist and epidemiologist, one of the founders of modern immunology.
The Baikove Cemetery in Kyiv. Nerby the graves of Polish soldiersPOLONIKA The National Institute of Polish Cultural Heritage Abroad
On May 3, 1935, the cemetery of Polish soldiers killed in the outskirts of Kyiv in 1920 during the Polish-Bolshevik war was opened. It was the only orderly Polish military cemetery in the USSR at that time. A few years later it was destroyed.
The Baikove Cemetery in Kyiv. Graves of Polish soldiersPOLONIKA The National Institute of Polish Cultural Heritage Abroad
Maria Bondziuk-Berezowska, who remembered the soldiers’ cemetery from before the war and lived to see free Ukraine, passed on her recollections to the local Poles. Thanks to the efforts of the Kyiv National and Cultural Association of Poles “Zgoda” and the Polish diplomatic mission, a new monument has been erected and the memory of this place has been restored.
The Baikove Cemetery. Inscription commemorating Polish soldiers of Polish-Soviet war of 1920POLONIKA The National Institute of Polish Cultural Heritage Abroad
The Baikove Cemetery. Inscription dedicated to Polish soldiers of Polish-Soviet war of 1920POLONIKA The National Institute of Polish Cultural Heritage Abroad
Among the inscriptions in the Baikove cemetery, one draws particular attention:
Caution to Parents:
As long as you are alive
Do not give your property to your children.
In my grave problems will trouble me no more,
I will sleep in my grave until I am called to God.
We do not know the history of this tomb, we do not even know whether Franciszek Lesisz was actually buried in it. The year of his death is only partially carved, which, along with the inscription, may prove that the tomb was erected while he was still alive. The rest is guesswork, or we can look for traces in the archives – maybe one day someone will manage to find some.
In the 1980s, the first volunteers led by Czesława Raubiszko began cleaning up the cemetery. The initiative grew and turned into the "Zgoda" Association of Poles in Kyiv.
Other Polish organizations, residents of Kyiv and diplomats also take care of the graves. Volunteers from Poland also come to help.
Text: Bartłomiej Gutowski
Photos: Bartłomiej Gutowski, Norbert Piwowarczyk
Edition: Anna Ekielska
Translation: Eva Piotrowska
©autors and National Institute of Polish Cultural Heritage Abroad POLONIKA
Supervisory institution: Ministry of Culture and National Heritage of Republic of Poland
