Sound of pines overhead. 100th Anniversary of the Legionowo Name

The exhibition tells the story of the naming of the city of Legionowo, starting with a small front-line settlement established in 1915 in Polesie Wołyńskie, to the transfer of the name to the barracks complex in Jabłonna at that time.

The name Legionowo derives from the Polish Legions - Polish volunteer military formations established in 1914 alongside the Austro-Hungarian Empire. Until 1915, a total of 3 brigades were formed that fought against Russia on the Eastern Front. In October 1915, all three brigades were transferred to the front in Polesie Wołyńskie. They took part in the battles on the Styr River, including the famous Battle of Kostiuchnówka.

In the autumn of 1915, after the front stabilized, the soldiers of the Polish Legions began preparations to survive the coming winter. Using pine trees from nearby forests, which grew along the entire front line, they built numerous dugouts and small settlements in the backwards, consisting of wooden barracks. Individual units built their own refuges, most often named after commanders or places of battles, eg Rojowe Osiedle 4 pp (settelment of Fourth Legions Infantry Regiment) named after its commander col. Bolesław Roja. The largest settlement was established on a glade near the village of Wołczeck, and was named Legionowo. The Legion Command, a cadet school and numerous rear units were stationed there. Most of the military barracks were very simple, although some buildings were richly decorated by soldiers who eagerly referred to folk architecture. There was a bakery, a power plant and a cinema in the town. A football field was also built near Legionowo in Volhynia. It was here in 1916 that the famous football club Legia started its activity.

Legionowo and other frontline settlements were completely destroyed during the Russian offensive of General Brusiłow in July 1916.

In the autumn of 1916, as a result of huge losses and exhaustion from fighting, the Polish Legions were withdrawn from the front. Some units, also the 5th Legions Infantry Regiment of Józef Piłsudski, were sent to the barracks in Zegrze Południowe. In 1917, due to the oath crisis, when Polish soldiers refused to swear the oath to the German emperor, the legions were dissolved. Officers were interned in the camp of Beniaminów, not far from today's Legionowo.

In 1918, the military barracks in Jabłonna were seized by the resurgent Polish Army. In the spring of 1919, it was decided that the former units of the Polish Legions would be recreated here. The command over the formed units was entrusted to General Bolesław Roja. He decided to call the barracks Legionowo, in honor of the Polish Legions. Initially, the name was informal, although the name Jabłonna-Legionowo was already used in official documents from the 1920s. Finally, on March 17, 1930, the Minister of the Interior issued an ordinance on the establishment of the Legionowo commune.