Roundabout of Nowosielski in Biały Bór

From Friday 31 March 2017 one of the roundabouts located in Biały Bór (Zachodniopomorskie Voivodeship) is named the Roundabout  of Jerzy Nowosielski – one of the mot eminent Lemko artists – iconographers, philosophers and theologists. The decision was made by the Town Council Biały Bór and it was motivated by the law on all-Poland decommunization of names that promote or commemorate totaliatian regime.

The Roundabout of Nowosielski exists only on paper right now. New boards informing on the name will be set after 14 days from announcement of the decision of the Town Council of Biały
Bór in the Official Daily of the Zachodniopomorskie Voivodeship. Apart from the roundabout, also names of other streets will be changed in the town. The, so far, Żytomierskiego street will be named Słupska and the Red Army street was changed to Chłuchowska.

Social consultations within this area started on 5 December 2016 and lasted till February 2017. According to the deputy of the mayor of Biały Bór – Jan Batruch – the introduced changes are  a compromise of a kind. Before the consultations the suggestions were that Żytomierskiego street be changed to Nowosielskiego but the final decision was that the roundabout be named like this. The presence of Lemko artist and philolsopher in the town is meaningful, as in Biały Bór there is a Greek Catholic church of Birth of the Mother of God built in 1992-97, the co-author of the project was Nowosielski himself – most of all the paintings and the iconostasis were the effect of his master hand.

Nowosielski would always emphasize his Lemko roots. He appreciated Rusyns and would openly say that although they lived neighbouring with the western nations for centuries, they never lost their eastern characteristics. He would say that because of this, he is not afraid that they assimilate. He passed away on 21 February 2011 in Kraków where he is buried on the Rakowicki Cemetery.

We wrote about the social consultations and the person of Nowosielski more in the article entitled: Street of Nowosielski in Biały Bór?