245th anniversary of Poland's 1st partition observed
A treaty envisaging the 1st partition of Poland which later led to its absence on the map for 123 years was signed by Russia and Prussia in St Petersburg on Feb. 17, 1772. A declaration to join was also signed by Austria.
A decision on Poland's partitioning was made in St Petersburg in mid-1771 but Russian Ambassador Kasper von Saldern was authorised not to inform Poland about the plan. The first Russian-Prussian treaty was signed in St Petersburg on Feb. 17, 1772.
On Sept. 18, 1772, the Russian Empire, the Kingdom of Prussia and the Habsburg Austrian Empire notified Poland of the partition and demanded a Sejm (parliament) sitting to approve the cession. Opposition to the partition was broken by threats and the occupation of Poland by the troops of the three countries.
The 1772 partition led to further two partitions, in 1793 and 1795 ending the existence of a sovereign Poland for 123 years. Nevertheless, the nation itself did not cease to exist for over a century connecting the East with the West culturally, technologically and trade-wise. The partitioned Poland also remained a robust base to anti-invader conspiracy movements and freedom fight bouts with four insurrections including 1794's Kościuszko Uprising, November Uprising (1830), Krakow Uprising (1946) and January Uprising (1863).
Austria did not participate in the Second Partition. Poland's territories were divided up among the Russian Empire, the Kingdom of Prussia and Austria.
The Third Partition of Poland took place on October 24, 1795, in reaction to the unsuccessful Polish Kosciuszko Uprising the previous year. In the aftermath of WWI, Poland regained its independence in 1918.
In 2018, Poland will majestically mark throughout the world the 100th anniversary of regaining independence, on top with "Niepodlegla 2018" programme to be launched this year by the Ministry of Culture and span until 2019. (PAP)
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