Belarusian inscription to appear on Tadeusz Kościuszko monument in Switzerland

The Tadeusz Kościuszko conflict has been settled in Switzerland. The monument with inscriptions in German and Belarusians was installed in Solothurn (the city where the national hero of Poland and Belarus died) on October 17, Radio Liberty reports.

The installation was completed on October 17. The inscription says: “Tadeusz Kościuszko. 1746-1817. From the Association of Belarusians in Switzerland. 2017” in both German and Belarusian.  This text is the result of a compromise reached after the conflict of Swiss Belarusians and Polish Ambassador Jakub Kumoch.

The Polish diplomat disliked the previous inscription “To the son of Belarus from grateful compatriots”. He demanded to remove the Belarusian inscription altogether and leave only the German one saying “Tadeusz Kościuszko. 1746-1817”.

The monument was created with the money gathered by Belarusians of Switzerland. Most of the money was donated by chairperson of the Association of Belarusians of Switzerland Alyaksandr Sapeha.

Head of Belarus’ diplomatic mission in Switzerland Pavel Matsukevich helped settle the conflict, Sapeha said. The Belarusian diplomat met with the Mayor of Solothurn to solve this problem.

The Belarusian Embassy to Bern also helped find a sponsor who covered a third of the expenses to the Association of Belarusians in Switzerland At least 7 thousand euro was spent on the creation and installation of the sculpture.

The monument will be officially opened in Solothurn on October 21.