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Józef Piłsudski in German prisons

Magdeburg is known in Poland above all as the place where Józef Piłsudski was interned. The fortress there is a frequent reminder of the imprisonment of the leader of the Polish legions and one of the fathers of Polish independence. But the city was not the only one where Piłsudski was held prisoner. Most of the buildings in which Piłsudski was imprisoned no longer exist today. The fortresses in Wesel and Magdeburg were destroyed years ago. The small wooden house in which Piłsudski was interned during his time in Magdeburg, also fell into disrepair before it was handed over to Poland in the 1930s and finally rebuilt near the Belvedere in Warsaw as a precious historical testimony to the work of the man who was already revered as a cult figure during his lifetime. The future Marshal of Poland was detained for almost one and a half years from 22nd July 1917 to 8th November 1918.

Piłsudski and Sosnkowski during their internment in the Magdeburg Fortress, 1918

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The release from prison

Piłsudski's stay in Magdeburg may have been stressful and arduous, but politically it was a success. Isolated behind fortress walls, the leader was considered a victim of German persecution and gradually became a symbol of the struggle against the occupying forces. In addition, Piłsudski was spared the need to vote for one of the two parties to the conflict in Poland. He was not involved in any political disputes and did not have to commit himself to the Regency Council, the highest body in the Kingdom of Poland, formed by the occupying powers in September 1917, or to the Polish Wehrmacht (Polska Siła Zbrojna). After his arrest, he appealed to the Regency Council to obtain his release, but stressed that this was a purely private matter. The release should be for family reasons.

During this time his staff in Poland were organising numerous demonstrations for him. These made him more and more popular, not only as a party leader but also as a leader of the entire Polish people. Since he enjoyed a reputation as an uncompromising fighter for independence his chances of reaching the highest office in the state increased significantly after his return from Magdeburg to Warsaw.

The circumstances surrounding the release of Piłsudski and Sosnkowski are well known. I will therefore only reiterate the most important facts. In view of the catastrophic situation in Germany during the war, Berlin recalled Piłsudski anew. Chancellor Prince Max of Baden sent Harry von Kessler, an officer of the Prussian cavalry to Magdebrug to deliver a food package to Piłsudski, whom he had previously met near Koszyszcze in Volhynia in the late autumn of 1915. The official reason for his visit, however, was to exchange memories from the trenches. The envoy from Berlin delivered a letter from the Chief of Staff on the Eastern Front, General Hoffmann, offering to release Piłsudski in exchange for assurances not to agitate against Germany. The offer was rejected because Piłsudski knew that time was now on his side.

Despite Piłsudski's refusal to comply, the decision to release him and Sosnkowski from prison was made at the beginning of the Revolution, which had broken out in Berlin on the night of November 7th to 8th. On November 8th Count Kessler showed up again in the prison to pick up the two prisoners and take them to Berlin as quickly as possible.