Józef Piłsudski in German prisons

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

At the heart of the revolution
 

The next day, in the early hours of 9th November, the Poles decided to go into the city. Piłsudski had no sword, but because he was in uniform he was reluctant to take to the streets without a weapon. Count Kessler came to his aid. It took several hours to solve the problem. Because all the weapon depots were closed he gave him his own bayonet. Sosnkowski stated: “Even in the legions, the bayonet was an everyday weapon worn in battle.” Piłsudski and Sosnkowski strolled through the centre of the German capital from Friedrichstrasse to Leipziger Strasse, then to Pariser Platz and Unter den Linden, the city's well-known major traffic axis. Since they had accepted an invitation for a late breakfast, they stopped at the Hiller Unter den Linden restaurant. It was time to switch to business matters, something which the German side probably also wanted, since representatives from the German Foreign Ministry were expecting them there. Sosnkowski called this meeting the “feast of the plague victims”:

“(...) Breakfast was served in a small separate room”, he recalled, “which was not on the street but at the back of the restaurant. A line of minions in flawless tailcoats, a splendidly laid table, the snow-white tablecloth, flowers, the shining silver, the shining crystal glass and the lush gilding of the old German style were all flooded by the electric light that fell from the chandeliers. The outside blinds on the hall windows were tightly closed. Prince Hatzfeld, Count Kessler, van Gülpen and I were in plain clothes, only the Commander was in his humble, worn uniform, whose grey colour made a strange contrast to the overall picture.”

During the meal the Germans tried again to get Piłsudski to pledge not to do anything against Germany, but he again explicitly refused. In view of the current political situation the Germans were aware that they had neither leverage nor incentives. That said, it was vital to ensure an orderly passage through these areas for the German troops that were to be quickly withdrawn from the East. But now it had become pointless to continue negotiations, especially since those present could hear shouting in the streets. The revolution in Berlin was in full swing. The breakfasters then made a hasty departure from the Hiller Restaurant without a declaration from the Poles. The revolution and the abdication of the German Emperor Wilhelm II accelerated further developments. Count Kessler appealed to his superiors to arrange for Piłsudski to leave the city immediately:

“(...) It was clear that it was high time to get Piłsudski out of Berlin (the Maikäfer barracks had already been stormed)”, Count Kessler wrote in the “Frankfurter Zeitung” of 7th October 1928, “so I went with [Hermann] Hatzfeld to the War Ministry to demand a chartered train. We were welcomed by a Major of the General Staff, who, as in the best days of the war, was distracted and ironical. To him Piłsudski was still a very ordinary scoundrel (...)”

 

Media library
  • Flyer: Piłsudski’s Return to Warsaw, 1918

    Flyer: Piłsudski’s Return to Warsaw, 1918
  • Józef Piłsudski and Kazimierz Sosnkowski, 1914

    Commander Józef Piłsudski accompanied by his friend Kazimierz Sosnkowski during their internment in 1914.
  • Flyer: The Regency Council hands Józef Piłsudski the command of the Polish armed forces, 1918

    Flyer: The Regency Council hands Józef Piłsudski the command of the Polish armed forces, 1918
  • Flyer: Commander Piłsudski spends his “name day” in a German prison, 1918

    Flyer: Commander Piłsudski spends his “name day” in a German prison, 1918
  • Flyer to protest against the illegal internment of Piłsudski, 1917

    Flyer: On Sunday 29th of this month we will gather in front of the Adam Mickiewicz Monument at 11 am to protest against the illegal internment of Commander Józef Piłsudski and Chief of Staff of the Fi...
  • Title page of the memoirs of Józef Piłsudski, 1925

    Title page: Józef Piłsudski, Moje pierwsze boje. Wspomnienia spisane w twierdzy magdeburskiej (My First Battles. Memoirs written in the Magdeburg Fortress ), Warszawa: "Bibljoteka Polska", 1925 (Bydgo...
  • Józef Piłsudski and Sosnkowski during their internment in the Magdeburg Fortress, 1918

    Józef Piłsudski and Sosnkowski during their internment in the Magdeburg fortress, 1918
  • The Spandau Fortress Prison

    The Spandau Fortress Prison
  • The main gate of the Citadel in Wesel

    The main gate of the citadel in Wesel, seen from the town side.
  • Title page of the “Kurier Warszawski”, 10th November 1918

    Title page of the “Kurier Warszawski”, 10th November 1918. Powrót komendanta Piłsudskiego (The Return of Commander Piłsudski), special supplement, No. 311, 10.11.1918.
  • The House in the Magdeburg Fortress

    The house in the Magdeburg Fortress where Józef Piłsudski was interned.
  • The House in the Magdeburg Fortress

    The house in the Magdeburg Fortress where Józef Piłsudski was interned.
  • A partial view of the Magdeburg Fortress

    A partial view of the Magdeburg Fortress.
  • A plan of the Magdeburg Fortress

    A plan of the Magdeburg Fortress with the house (circled in red),where Józef Piłsudski was interned.
  • Restaurant Hiller in Berlin

    Restaurant Hiller in Berlin
  • A Caricature of Marshal Józef Piłsudski, 1927

    In: Gustaw Rogalski, Album karykatur 1914-1928 Marszałka J. Piłsudskiego: na pamiątkę dziesięciolecia 1918-1928 niepodległości Polski (Caricatures Album of Marshal J. Piłsudski 1914-1928: to celebrate...
  • The House in the Magdeburg Fortress

    The house in the Magdeburg Fortress where Józef Piłsudski was interned.
  • The House in the Magdeburg Fortress

    The house in the Magdeburg Fortress.
  • The House in the Magdeburg Fortress

    The House in the Magdeburg Fortress.
  • The House in the Magdeburg Fortress

    The House in the Magdeburg Fortress.
  • The House in the Magdeburg Fortress

    The House in the Magdeburg Fortress.
  • The inside of the house in Magdeburg

    The inside of the house in Magdeburg where Józef Piłsudski was interned.
  • The inside of the house in Magdeburg

    The inside of the house in Magdeburg.
  • Polish guests at the house in the Magdeburg Fortress, where Józef Piłsudski was interned.

    Polish guests at the house in the Magdeburg Fortress, where Józef Piłsudski was interned.
  • Polish guests at the house in the Magdeburg Fortress, where Józef Piłsudski was interned.

    Polish guests at the house in the Magdeburg Fortress, where Józef Piłsudski was interned.
  • Polish guests at the house in Magdeburg where Józef Piłsudski was interned.

    Polish guests at the house in Magdeburg where Józef Piłsudski was interned.
  • Certificate of delivery of the Piłsudski House, 1937

    Certificate of delivery of the Piłsudski House, 1937.
  • Demolition of the house where Piłsudski was interned

    Demolition of the house where Piłsudski was interned.
  • Demolition of the house where Józef Piłsudski was interned

    Demolition of the house where Józef Piłsudski was interned.
  • Demolition of the house where Józef Piłsudski was interned

    Demolition of the house where Józef Piłsudski was interned.
  • Demolition of the house where Józef Piłsudski was interned

    Demolition of the house where Józef Piłsudski was interned.
  • Abriss des Piłsudski-Hauses in Magdeburg

    Abriss des Piłsudski-Hauses in Magdeburg.
  • Demolition of the house where Józef Piłsudski was interned

    Demolition of the house where Józef Piłsudski was interned.
  • Demolition of the house where Józef Piłsudski was interned

    Demolition of the house where Józef Piłsudski was interned.
  • Demolition of the house where Józef Piłsudski was interned

    Demolition of the house where Józef Piłsudski was interned.
  • Demolition of the house where Józef Piłsudski was interned

    Demolition of the house where Józef Piłsudski was interned.
  • Demolition of the house where Józef Piłsudski was interned

    Demolition of the house where Józef Piłsudski was interned.
  • The Magdeburg House in the Belvedere Park in Warsaw, 1939

    The Magdeburg House in the Belvedere Park in Warsaw where Józef Piłsudski was interned, 1939.
  • Today's terrain of the Fortress in Magdeburg

    Today's terrain of the Fortress in Magdeburg.
  • Today's terrain of the Fortress in Magdeburg

    Today's terrain of the Fortress in Magdeburg.
  • Today's terrain of the Fortress in Magdeburg

    Today's terrain of the Fortress in Magdeburg.
  • Today's terrain of the Fortress in Magdeburg

    Today's terrain of the Fortress in Magdeburg.
  • Today's terrain of the Fortress in Magdeburg

    Today's terrain of the Fortress in Magdeburg.
  • On the way from Magdeburg to Berlin the travelers made a short break in the city Genthin for a breakfast.

    On the way from Magdeburg to Berlin the travelers made a short break in the city Genthin for a breakfast.
  • Gedenktafel an der ersten Wohnstätte in Warschau

    Gedenktafel an der ersten Wohnstätte in Warschau ab 10. November 1918
  • Gedenktafel an der ersten Wohnstätte in Warschau

    Gedenktafel an der ersten Wohnstätte in Warschau ab 10. November 1918
  • Józef Piłsudski - Hörspiel von "COSMO Radio po polsku" auf Deutsch

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  • „Drei Tage im November. Józef Piłsudski und die polnische Unabhängigkeit 1918“

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