Every year, on the second Sunday in September, the grounds of the Shrine of Our Lady of Gietrzwałd are filled with tens of thousands of pilgrims.
The dais at the altar is filled with clerics, the choirs sing beautifully, and secular dignitaries sit beneath the altar. It takes a few minutes to read the attendance list with their names and functions. At the foot of the altar, farmers lay carefully prepared harvest wreaths. The mood is solemn and the celebrations, widely reported in the press, are assisted by bishops from Poland and abroad, who deliver homilies on the most important topics of religious and social life.
It seems that Gietrzwałd is an inviolable, invaluable asset to all gathered here. A value that no one in free, independent Poland will dare to belittle.
And yet.
For several years now, work has been underway on a large LIDL Distribution Center in the immediate vicinity of the Sanctuary, combined with an installation for the disposal of shop waste. If the plan is implemented, the size of the center, the traffic generated by it and the resulting consequences will generally and irrevocably change Gietrzwałd. They will change today and for future generations.
Today Gietrzwałd is a perfect whole, composed in the mind of God. For those who believe in God, it is above all a reminder of the presence of the Mother of God. For patriots, it is a place where the idea of Polish independence was revived. For those sensitive to the beauty of nature – the beautiful landscape of Warmia that changes its colors and shapes in the natural rhythm of the seasons. Naturalists will point out the unique qualities of this place – after all, here is the Protected Landscape Area of the Pasłęka Valley. Those seeking peace and tranquility will find a natural hillside surrounded by meadows and forests, crowned with a simple architectural form of the church filled with a wealth of historical content. Pure Warmia – an inseparable part of the Polish national heritage.
Part of Polish history
The sanctuary in Gietrzwałd and all its wealth are not the property of this or that structure or person that today manages the municipality, district or other units. Like Wawel, Jasna Góra, the Royal Castle in Warsaw, the Old Town of Gdańsk. Gietrzwałd is part of Polish history. We all draw from it, we are all responsible for it and we all have the right to speak on its behalf.
The supporters of the LIDL Gietrzwałd Distribution Center sum up the benefits and underestimate the risks. They claim it poses no threat. Let’s look at the facts.
According to Gazeta Gietrzwaldzka:
The area of the plot for the investment – 41 ha, built area – 7 ha, paved area – 9 ha. Dimensions of the warehouse 440.25 m long, 153.32 m wide. Height (attention!) 24 meters, plus fans. In total, the building will reach a height of 161 m above sea level. The tower of the sanctuary church reaches a height of 159 m. The facility will absolutely dominate Gietrzwałd.
In addition, several hundred trucks are driving seven days a week on the S 16 road, which is totally unsuitable for such traffic, additional traffic of passenger cars delivering employees and visitors. More about the technical parameters and possible consequences of the LIDL center is written by dr. hab. Zdzisława Kobylińska in Gazeta Olsztyńska on June 16 this year.
It is obvious that such facilities should be located where they have easy, convenient and safe access to transport hubs, road and rail corridors. So that they do not harm the environment. This location is the opposite of that.
Proponents speak of higher tax revenues. However, the income of the municipality is high and in recent years Gietrzwałd has received significant support from government sources. The municipal authorities are talking about an increase in income and at the same time have passed a resolution to exempt this type of investment from property tax for a period of three years.
Gietrzwałd borders Olsztyn and a few percent unemployment is not a serious problem. Workers have to be transported to the workshops in neighboring Olsztynek because there is simply a lack of them.
The great determination of the Gietrzwałd Municipality authorities in their efforts to create a distribution center caused outrage among some residents. An attempt was made to hold a referendum to unseat the mayor. The prosecutor’s office entered the lawful, democratic procedure with great commitment and sent the police to collect signatures. In the end, there was no referendum. After counting the signatures several times, a number of them were found to be invalid, without giving them the chance to complete them. That is why we still have a serious question mark about the construction of the distribution center.
In May, the city council passed a bizarre resolution in which they authorized the mayor and the chairman of the council to protect the interests of the municipality and the mayor in case of violation of the good name of the municipality and the personal rights of the mayor. It’s probably about the commune paying for the lawyers who protect the commune head.
The construction of the LIDL Distribution Center in Gietrzwałd is sometimes compared to the construction of the national road S 16. Nothing could be further from the matter. These are exactly opposite situations. The road S 16 is being built in the interests of millions of people and for the protection of animals. In the case of Gietrzwałd, individuals will benefit and pay millions for it.
Destroyed space
We will pass on the communicative, natural, scenic, historical and spiritual space destroyed here to the next generations. In a few years Gietrzwałd would become an addition, an auxiliary unit for LIDL.
I repeat the argument, which is extremely relevant: can you imagine that in the immediate vicinity of Lourdes, Fatima, Guadeloupe or one of the German shrines of the Virgin Mary there were a logistics center operating day and night, on weekdays and on public holidays? built? In addition: waste collection from LIDL stores in Poland and abroad (154,000 tons per year) combined with the site, followed by disposal or further distribution.
Since their appearance in Gierzwałd they have been shoved into the shadows and belittled. Their religious, historical, social and patriotic dimension is questioned. Perhaps because they are the only Marian apparitions recognized by the Catholic Church in Poland?
Fri. Krzysztof Bielawny. He based on historical facts the message in which Maria, speaking Polish to the children of Gietrzwałd, gave hope to the hearts of Poland (“Poland has not yet perished”). And yet it was the darkest night of the partitions after the fall of the January Uprising and the aggressive anti-Polish Kulturkampf in the lands under Prussian rule. The Polish spark was ignited in Warmia.
Despite the fact that about a million pilgrims come to Gierzwałd, it is off the beaten track. Many say it is his forte. Tranquility, intimacy, beautiful environment of Ermland nature create a unique space of spiritual life. Anyone with elementary sensitivity will meet it in the church in Gierzwałd, on the common, at the chapel, at the well, at the Stations of the Cross.
The case of the location of the LIDL distribution center in Gietrzwałd evokes great emotions. There are words, accusations and conjectures that cannot be accepted on both sides of the conflict. Both to the authorities of the municipal or district government, and to the clergy who are directly and indirectly responsible for the operation of the Sanctuary. At the same time, construction supporters have entrenched themselves in their positions, refusing to discuss and seeing that the demonstrators have only bad intentions.
Let’s separate unnecessary words from what is most important: we want the Marian Shrine in Gietrzwałd to continue to serve the people, our Warmia and Poland in a full, peaceful and uninterrupted manner. Do we want to lose it? And for what?
Finally, a few words to the management of the LIDL company: get out of Gietrzwałd. You do huge business in Poland, you have more than 700 big stores, you build new ones. Show your customers that you respect our feelings, tradition and religion. A small gesture from a big company.
THE TEXT IS ALSO PUBLISHED ON THE OPINIONS OLSZTYN WEBSITE
Source: wPolityce