MYADEL DISTRICT, 23 August (BelTA) - A commemorative plaque for Maria Kaczynska, the wife of Polish President Lech Kaczynski, who both died in a plane crash near Smolensk in 2010, was unveiled at the Church of St. Andrew the Apostle in the town of Naroch on 22 August, BelTA has learned.
The plaque resembles an open book with a cross on top and an inscription below reading in the Belarusian and Polish languages that Maria Kaczynska, the wife of Polish President Lech Kaczynski, was baptized in this church.
According to Chairman of the Myadel District Executive Committee Anatoly Voinilko, the commemorative plaque was set up at the initiative of the Polish embassy in Belarus. The decision to open the plaque was taken about a year ago.
“This is a milestone event for the residents of Myadel District. Our region is home to many famous people and Maria Kaczynska is one of them. Perpetuating her memory will improve good neighborly relations between the Polish and Belarusian nations and add a certain impetus to religious and historical tourism,” the head of the region said.
Attending the event were representatives of Poland, including Deputy Marshal of the Polish Sejm Ryszard Terlecki.
Maria Kaczynska was an economist, a public figure, a translator and a wife of the 8th President of Poland Lech Kaczynski. She died when the Polish Air Force Tupolev Tu-154 they were aboard crashed while attempting to land at Smolensk Airport in the Russian city of Smolensk. All 96 people on board, including Polish President Lech Kaczynski, the Polish delegation and the crew, were killed.
According to the report of the Interstate Aviation Committee (IAC) made in 2011 and based on the results of technical investigation, the reason for the crash was the decision of the crew not to fly to the alternate airfield. Systemic reasons were recognized as deficiencies in flight support and crew training.
Photos by Oksana Manchuk
