The Bear of Przemyśl

The Bear of Przemyśl and St. Ursula

 

In the southeastern corner of Poland, the city of Przemyśl carries its story in symbols: a brown bear, steady and unhurried, walks beneath a golden cross on the city’s coat of arms. Here, faith and wildness share the same shield. Stories cling to Przemyśl like morning mist. Some say a wild bear once led the city’s founder through the forests, a silent guide from the old world. Others, steeped in Catholic tradition, recall the arrival of German settlers who carried with them a devotion to Saint Ursula. Her name, from the Latin for ‘little female bear,’ echoed in the city’s emblem. The bear and the cross, side by side, became a promise: that faith and the untamed spirit of the land would watch over Przemyśl together.

 

Wojtek the Soldier Bear

 

Przemyśl also honors Wojtek, the famous Syrian brown bear who was officially enlisted as a soldier in the 2nd Polish Corps during World War II. Wojtek traveled through the Middle East and famously helped carry heavy ammunition crates during the Battle of Monte Cassino. A dedicated monument to Wojtek stands proudly next to the Przemyśl Eaglets Monument.

 

Because of the city’s close proximity to the Bieszczady Mountains, Poland’s primary habitat for brown bears, real bears occasionally make headlines. At the start of summer, a wild young male brown bear caused quite a stir when he wandered straight through Przemyśl’s historic Market Square.