Places

During the period of hostilities during World War I bloody battles were fought for Jarosław. A very strong military garrison stationed in the town. Jarosław was the fourth largest garrison city and one of the ten recruitment points in Galicia. During the period of hostilities the town played a defensive role of an important bridge abutment. The route of the Eastern Front of World War I runs through Jarosław.

One of the facilities for military purposes is the building of a former military casino. The building of the casino was erected in the mid-19th century, whereas with the end of that century, it was expanded by two lateral segments. The ground floor part (open to the internal courtyard) was destined for occasional military and social meetings. The casino was a socially and culturally vibrant place not only of the garrison but also the entire town. It housed a restaurant, reading room and two concert halls. Until 1914, there was a statue of Franz Joseph I of Austria in the garden. The object since 2012 has been privately owned.

In 1983 on the front building facade a plaque commemorating a Jarosław resident – Michał Zieliński, the author of a popular military song: ‘A heart in a rucksack’ was placed. For the first time the song was performed in Truskawiec, in the former Lviv province in 1933 by 3rd infantry regiment orchestra of the Jarosław garrison. The song of six stanzas was published in print in Warsaw in the year 1943. It has gained popularity thanks to the feature film called ‘Zakazane Piosenki’ [Forbidden Songs].