Michalski and Polonia

Budiman BM
6 min readMar 28, 2024

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Polonia is an elite suburb in Medan and once was the site of the city’s international airport. It was originally a tobacco field operated by a Polish man Ludwig Michalski who named it after his occupied hometown.

Ludwig Michalski, born in Krakow on August 25, 1836, was the son of Michael Matyasek and Julie Goderecka. His family, originally from the Olkusz area in what was then the Kingdom of Poland (also known as Russian Poland), had settled in Krakow, the capital of Austrian Poland, a few years earlier. Ludwig’s father, Matyasek, was a respected teacher at the local technical school. He died young at 32 from a lung disease. Five years later, Ludwig and his sister Emilie lost their mother, and lived a difficult life. Ludwig attended the St. Barbara Institute, one of the best in Krakow. He wanted to attend the technical school but lacked the financial means, leading him to take a factory apprenticeship in agricultural machinery and tools. His abilities and frail health were soon noticed, and he was transferred to an office position until 1858. Then, he joined the Austrian military service.

In the Army

Michalski fought as an Austrian non-commissioned officer. In Italy and Hungary, Ludwig’s regiment was sent to Ancona on the Adriatic coast and fought in the costly battles of Magenta and Solferino in 1859 against French and Savoyard troops. He showed his courage, where he saved an endangered Austrian soldier by snatching it from the falling ensign. While fulfilling his soldier’s duties, he empathized with the Italians’ national independence aspirations. He felt similarly in Hungary, where his regiment was later transferred. These experiences reinforced his belief that an oppressed nation should always strive to regain its lost freedom.

Longing for Poland, he finally got leave in the spring of 1863. Arriving in Krakow, he found the most glorious moments of the Russian Poland uprising had passed. He recounts meeting with Polish partisans in October 1863, when his godfather Siemienski prepared him for travel, providing clothes, a pass under the name of Ludwig Michalski, son of a Galician landowner, and a travel companion for his journey into areas beyond the Austro-Russian border, with the pass endorsed by Russian authorities.

Michalski crossed the border and joined the forces of Colonel Franz Kopernicki, operating in the Piotrkow and Kalisz governorates, south and west of Lodz. Promoted to lieutenant, he was assigned to command partisan battalions. He trained a well-equipped but inexperienced section of 46 men hidden in the forests near Lazyco. They managed to capture an enemy patrol without shedding blood.

A daring feat on April 19, 1864 involved Michalski leading a engaging a larger Russian group at Grzybowa Gora. Using a surprise attack in darkness, one group of shooters attacked from the side, while another infantry armed with modified sickles launched a frontal assault. The Russians, panicking after their commanding lieutenant colonel was killed, fled towards Radom.

Michalski continued fighting in the guerrilla war until its end, appearing and fighting in various locations. To mislead the Russians, he used various nicknames like “The Spark,” “The Lightning,” and “The Devil,” and was eventually promoted to major. He was wounded several times. In these conflicts, 30,000 Polish freedom fighters lost their lives, 400 were executed, 4,000 sentenced to forced labor, and over 18,000 were exiled to Siberia.

In the summer of 1864, as further resistance in Poland became impossible, Ludwig Michalski traveled to Zurich via Dresden. Michalski received financial aid and studied at the Federal Polytechnic from October 1864 to the summer of 1868, graduating with a diploma. In September 1868, he received citizenship from the Canton of Zurich, having previously obtained citizenship in the community of Stallikon.

Michalski was active in Polish associations and helped establish a Polish library. Michalski, holding an engineering degree, was offered a position as a road engineer in East Sumatra by the Dutch government. However, his engagement in this role seems brief or non-existent as he travelled to Sumatra in October 1868 with his wife, Anna Breker.

The early group of planters in Deli in 1870. Michalski us third from the left standing.

Deli, Sumatra

Albert Breker, Anna’s brother, already had a successful plantation in Deli called Helvetia. There were several pioneer Swiss planters who had already exploring the land. This includes Peyer, who arrived in Laboean Deli in 1866, the founder of the Persévérance company. Grob, with the German Naeher opened Patoembah.

In Deli, Ludwig Michalski became a good friend of the Sultan of Deli. Michalski helped organised a small guard corps following European standards. In December 1969, the Sultan provided a lease of a large land between the Deli and the Babura rivers around 1000 bouw (700 hectares). He named their enterprise Polonia in honour of his occupied homeland.

Tragically, Anna succumbed to the tropical climate of Sumatra five months after their arrival. Before her death, she asked Ludwig to marry her best friend from Zurich, Anna Hottinger, which he did in 1870. His second wife gave birth to two sons and two daughters in the Deli.

Michalsky was known for his love of horses, with a stable of the finest horses, wore large wellies with turned-up brims, and a dark coat. He worked hard in a harsh environment, fighting with the coolies, floods and cholera. Nevertheless he succeeded and made a fortune from tobacco.

Due to an kidney ailment Michalski returned to Switzerland in 1875. He still maintained the plantation under Michalsky & Co. until 1880s. Arriving in Zurich penniless eleven years ago, Michalski returned as a millionaire, having amassed his wealth from his ventures in the land of Deli. This financial success was significantly attributed to the hard work of the coolies, who toiled on his plantations. Sadly, this reality is ever mentioned.

After recovering his health, Ludwig Michalski dedicated the rest of his life to supporting his Polish compatriots across Europe. In 1879, he purchased and renovated the neglected Hilfikon Castle from American P. Lockwood for 70,000 francs. He turned it into a hub for Polish refugees in Europe. Michalski became the president of all Polish associations in Switzerland. He founded the Polish Museum in Rapperswil and supported the idea of a National Fund, and a local Polish newspaper. Michalski provided pensions and loans, stipulating repayment into the National Fund, donated to Swiss institutions, and was active in community roles in Hilfikon.

Michalski, suffering from a lung disease, passed away on June 27, 1888, and was buried in Wohlen, where his gravestone was marked with the Polish eagle. In his will, he left 20,000 francs to his home town of Kralow and 10,000 francs each to the school funds of the communities of Hilfikon and Stallikon, but none to the place where he reaped his fortune.

Ludwig and Anna Michalski in front of their property in Hilfikon (Neue Zürcher Zeitung 7 March 1981).
The news of Michalski’s death. Neue Zürcher Zeitung 3 July 1999.

Polonia Medan

Polonia plantation.

Meanwhile in Medan, the area known as Polonia remained a tobacco plantation until 1890. As Medan’s population grew, there was an increasing need to extend residential areas. When the land in Polonia was initially designated for residential development, it didn’t attract much interest, primarily due to its history as a plantation. Many leaseholders were even keen to return their plots. However, construction in the city center intensified, and by 1900, the old Chinese district had evolved into a densely built urban area. This period marked a significant transition for Medan, a key city in a swiftly developing region. By 1902, the attitude towards building in Polonia had shifted dramatically, turning from disinterest to active demand for land. This change spurred the development of a neighbourhood that would grow and evolve into the notable European residential district known as Polonia.

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Budiman BM
Budiman BM

Written by Budiman BM

Soil Scientist, interest in Colonial history.

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