Historic Monuments

Józefów: Kaliński Family Cross

Tall wooden Kaliński Family Cross in Józefów, with boulders and flowers in front
  • Dirt road in Józefów leading to the Kaliński Family Cross, with a utility pole in the background
  • Kaliński Family Cross with a white-and-red flag at the edge of the forest
  • Kaliński Family Cross and boulders in the shade of trees, with sunlight filtering through

According to local accounts, the wooden cross in Józefów was erected around 1865 by Walery Kaliński to commemorate relatives involved in the January Uprising. The Kaliński family were descended from the Podolian nobility and came to Józefów when the palace gardens in Jabłonna were being laid out.

Several members of the family fought in insurgent units. One was killed near Mława, and two were exiled to Siberia; one of them never returned. The cross also commemorates Romuald Grudowski, who died in exile. In 1875 Walerian Kaliński married his daughter, Anna.

The oak cross still bears bullet marks. It is surrounded by an iron structure with a figure of Christ, and the Kaliński family continue to look after it. It is a local memorial to the insurgents, the exiles and the loved ones who waited for them.

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