Location:
Province: Podkarpacie
District: Dębica
Parish: Brzostek
Distance from Tarnów: 40 km
Driving directions from Tarnów: Tarnów – Pilzno (National Road No. 4/73, towards Rzeszów) – Kamienica Dolna (National Road No. 73, towards Jasło) – Gorzejowa – Smarżowa
Smarżowa is the birthplace of Jakub Szela (born in 1787), who was the leader of the peasant rebellion in 1846. He was a rural wheeler and owner of a small farm. Szela gained authority through his unbreakable attitude in the conflict with Bogusz family (he was representing the whole village). In 1832 he spent 7 weeks in custody in Lvov. He was also persecuted by heirs. Szela paid them back for humiliations on 20th of February 1846. He took part in carnage of Bogusz family in Kamienica Dolna, Siedliska (one can still find graves of the victims there) and in Smarżowa. A few days after the slaughter Jakub Szela became a local peasant leader. He tried to establish order and strengthen his position. Roads to Smarżowa were watched by peasant guards. Szela had his own officer in which he issued passes and safe conducts. Peasants from distant regions came to him for pieces of advice. He tried to lead actions turned against corvee. Szela sent a petition to Lvov to do away with the corvee. The petition was signed by 50 village representatives on 1st April 1846. He lost his faith in success of his action as a result of unfavourable attitude of the authority. On 20th April he arrived voluntary at Tarnów on the foreman’s request where he was held captive. Later Szela was moved to Bukowina where he was given a-few-morga (1 morga = ca. 0,5 ha) homestead.
Over the time Jakub Szela became a legend. Not only was he an interesting object for historians but also writers and poets at the turn of the 18th and 19th centuries. Szela is present in Stanisław Wyspiański’s „Wesele”. Stefan Żeromski devoted him his drama – „Turoń”.
At The Old Cemetery (Stary Cmentarz) in Tarnów one can find a collective tomb of the victims of the Peasant Rebellion of 1846. The tomb contains ashes of the owners of villages, tenants, civil servants and priests, who were cruelly murdered by peasants. The tomb became a place of meetings of patriots from Tarnów. Next to this shameful mound mortally wounded insurgents from January Uprising were buried.
More information at: www.brzostek.alpha.pl (Polish only)
- Latitude : 49.918293
- Longitude : 21.44351