Warsaw Bids Kaczynskis Farewell
A week of national mourning, in in honour of the plane crash which killed the President Lech Kaczynski, his wife Maria, and all 94 other passengers in western Russia, has drawn to an end in Poland.
The victims bodies were flown back to Warsaw as they were identified throughout the week, each individually greeted by family, government officials, and military representatives. Thousands lined the streets of Warsaw tossing flowers onto the road as the victims bodies were transported into the city. For the remainder of the week, the Kaczynski couple were lying in state at the Presidential Palace on Krakowskie Przedmiescie street. Visitors had to wait in some cases over 10 hours to pay their respects.
On Saturday a memorial service honouring the dead took place at Pilsudski Square in central Warsaw. A large stage was constructed where the photos of all 96 victims were displayed. The Prime Minister Donald Tusk read a speech and the Archbishop of Warsaw Kazimierz Nycz led a mass with thousands participating on the square and in the nearby Saski park.
On Sunday Lech and Maria Kaczynski's bodies were transported to Krakow where their funeral took place in St. Mary's Basilica. A crowd of approximately 150 000, along with several visiting heads of state, bade their final farewell as the Presidential couple was finally laid to rest in the crypt of the historic Wawel Cathedral.
To read more, click forward to the Krakow Post.