The big reason for this major event in the history of Europe was the victory of western powers in what became known as the Great War. With Great Britain, France and USA able to dictate the terms of peace, the final deal was based on Wilson's 14 points.
Point 13 of this proposal enabled creation of an independent Polish state, based on existence of ethnic Polish majorities, completely sovereign and enojying guarantees of territorial integrity by international conventions.
But in any case, it was the First World War that opened the way for Poland to appear on the map once again.
With this information in mind, myself and my wife selected the destination of our early afternoon trip: a First World War German military cemetery, located in woods near Łódź. The cemetery is a resting place for over 600 German and approximately 100 Russian soldiers that died during the battle of Łódź in 1914. This battle was one of the greatest clashes on the Eastern front. It was also one of the few major mobile battles of the Great War where key parts were played by bodies of troops moving around using trains for transportation. It was also here that the Russians used armored cars for the first time.
It was almost a miracle that we managed to find the place as it lies in a secluded part of the forest. Fortunately, guided by some locals, we managed to find what was a cemetery maybe 50-60 years ago and now is just a shadow of it former self, deformed and overgrown with vegetation. In any case, as a tribute to the soldiers of both sides (many of them of Polish nationality) I decided to take some photos so that they do not become completely forgotten.
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