In the Princess' Honour
In celebration of the 200th anniversary of the birth of Marianna Oranska, better known in English as Princess Marianne of the Netherlands, the city of Wroclaw has opened an exhibition on the Market Square in her honour.
But why is a south-western Polish city celebrating a Dutch princess?
As a daughter of King William I of the Netherlands, Marianne was born into the house of Orange-Nassau as a princess. In 1830 she married her first cousin Prince Albert, a son of King Frederick William III of Prussia creating life-long ties for the princess to the Prussian empire, though she did eventually divorce her unfaithful husband in 1849.
So what is the Wroclaw connection? Well, Princess Marianne lived for many years in what is now Silesian Poland, where Wroclaw is located. As a fiercely intelligent and progressive woman, she contributed extensively to the cultural and economic development in the area. She is particularly celebrated in the area of Masyw Snieznika, where many places were named in her honour: Rocks of Marriane, Marriane's Road, Marianowka, Marianne's Spring, and the local marble deposit - White and Green Marriane.
March 8, generally celebrated as International Women's Day, was also celebrated in Wroclaw as Marianna Oranska Day.