Valerian Tevzadze

Mysterious inhabitant of Dzierżoniów

by Katarzyna Wielgos class 6D

Walerian Tewzadze

In Georgian ვალერიან თევზაძე

He was born on 10th February 1894 in Georgia

Georgia and Transcaucasia in 1882 r.

Biography During the World War I Valerian Tevzadze was the captain of 8 Caucasian rifle regiment.

He took an active part in a struggle for independence of Georgia. In years 1918-1921 he built the base of the army of the Democratic Republic of Georgia.

For some time he was also a vice-chief of the Georgian secret service.

After the Bolsheviks invasion on Georgia in 1921 he was evacuated and he arrived in Poland.

Declaration of independence of Georgia

March 1918

In 1922 Tewzadze accepted the invitation

of the Marshal Józef Piłsudski and fought

in the Polish army. He graduated the

Warsaw War college. He served in the

Military Geographical Institute, wrote the

book devoted to the geography of the

Caucasus.

War college in Warsaw

Marshal Piłsudski on his Kasztanka

After an outbreak of World War II on 1st September 1939 he stayed in Poland. He fought as the commander of defence of the north part of Warsaw. • Warsaw, September

1939

For the defence of the capital city of

Poland he was honoured with the

Order of Virtuti Militari.

During World War II Valerian

Tevzadze was a soldier of Armed

Forces of the Republic of Poland and

the Home Army.

After the end of World War II, when

Poland was in an area of the USSR

influence, many heroes of the time of

war had to be in hiding or emigrate,

because the new authority cruelly got

even from with "enemies of the

people".

Colonel Tevzadze didn't leave his new

homeland, he hid on outskirts of the

new state. He settled in Dzierżoniów

as Walery Krzyżanowski, keeping the

absolute mystery about his past.

According to one news, he was born in 1892 in Kutno and was a son of Władysław and Teresa. He lived with the sister (this way his wife Małgorzata showed new documents) and was an one

among many of new citizens of our city.

Georgians in the II Republic of Poland. in the lowest

row, second from the left: Walerian (Waliko) Tewzadze

In Dzierżoniów he found a job in the bookkeeping of textile bets of "Silesiana". He also served as the chairman of the Dzierżoniów

housing cooperative.

• DZPB Silesiana • SM Dzierżoniów

We are reading in it among others:

,, I want to reveal a certain sectet. My real name is

Valerian Tevzadze. I am a contract colonel of Armed

Forces of the Republic of Poland. I was born in Georgia.

Revealing above, I ask the ones which will deal with my

funeral to bury me under my real name ''.

The truth about Valerian Tevzadze was known in 1985

when they opened his will.

On 18th March 2009 in front of the

building of Housing Association in

Dzierżoniów, a monument

commemorating Tevzadze’s life was

unveiled.

In the ceremony of unveiling of the

monument the Ambassador of

Georgia Konstantin Kaftaradze

took part .

According to his will, on his gravestone inscription is written:

"AS THE GEORGIAN I WOULD LIKE TO BE BURIED IN GEORGIA, BUT I AM HAPPY THAT I WILL BE BURIED ON THE

EARTH OF NOBLE AND BRAVE POLISH NATION"

Mentions of Tewzadze

• In May 1988 in the emigration magazine "Iveria", edited in Paris, memoirs of

valerian Tevzadze were published under the title „My life", written by Tevzadze in

Polish and translated by the former cadet of the Democratic Republic of Georgia into

Georgian language, of next Georgian officer of Nikoloza Matikashvili Armed Forces

of the Republic of Poland. Mentions include only a Georgian period of Walerian

Tewzadze’s life.

• In 1990 memoirs entitled "Notes of the Georgian officer" were published as the

separate book in T'bilisi.

• In 2014 a book of Jarosław Kresa was printed "Tewzadze Georgian defender of

Warsaw"

Bibliography: • pl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Walerian_Tewzadze

• Polska-zbrojna.pl

• Facet.interia.pl

• www.dzierzoniow.pl

• Kresowiacy.com

• Dzierzoniow.fotopolska.pl

• Dtp-24.pl

• Gruzini.boog.pl

• www.wojsko-polskie.pl