Karol von Rómmel

Born as Karol (von) Rummel, he came from the Courland nobility and was the son of a general in the Russian army. Von Rummel graduated from the Cadet Corps in Odessa in 1906 and the Pavlovsky Junker Infantry School in St. Petersburg in 1908, but also studied painting and drawing at the Academy of Fine Arts in St. Petersburg. He served as a captain in the 14th Little Russian Cuirassier/Dragoon Regiment in Kalisz in the Russian army along with four of his brothers. In 1917, he was discharged with the rank of colonel.

In 1912, von Rummel competed for Russia in show jumping at the Stockholm Olympics. His horse Siablik fell at the last obstacle, the ditch, and the rider broke six ribs. Despite this, he remounted and completed the performance placing 15th. After crossing the finish line, he lost consciousness and had to be hospitalised. The King of Sweden awarded him a special gold medal for his courage.

In 1918, von Rummel changed the spelling of his surname to “Rómmel”. One year later, he joined the Polish army and became a major that same year. During the Polish-Soviet War, he commanded the 8th Uhlan Regiment and subsequently worked as an instructor at cavalry officer schools and the Cavalry Training Centre in Grudziądz. From 1924, he served in the 1st Regiment of Józef Piłsudski’s Light Cavalry in Warsaw and retired in 1929 after a conflict with his superiors.

During his time in the army, he was awarded several distinctions including the Silver Cross of the Military Order of Virtuti Militari, the Officer’s Cross of the Order of Polonia Restituta, the Gold Cross of Merit, the Badge for Wounds and Injuries, and the Italian Knight of the Italian Order of Saint Mauritius and Saint Lazarus.

At the 1924 Paris Olympics, he organised and coached the Polish team in equestrian events; he himself placed 10th in both individual events, show jumping and eventing, and placed sixth and seventh, respectively, with the teams. In 1928, he competed in his third Olympics, placing 26th in individual eventing with his horse Donneuse. But with only three teams completing the event with three riders, Poland placed third and von Rómmel earned himself a bronze medal.

Although not an officer any longer, von Rómmel continued to take part in different equestrian events including obstacle races. In 1927, he won the main trophy at the International Equestrian Tournament in Madison Square Garden in New York City and placed second in the poll for the Polish sports personality of the year. Twice, he was the Polish show jumping champion (1935, 1937) and placed second (1938) and third (1934). He coached the Polish equestrian team at the inter-war Olympics and set a national record in high jump on horseback with 198 cm in 1939, at the age of 51. He received the Golden Polish Honorary Equestrian Badge.

After fighting In World War II, von Rómmel was imprisoned in the concentration camps Dachau and Gusen I (Mauthausen). After the war, he returned to coaching and, as an equestrian consultant, contributed to the production of several films, even appearing as a non-professional actor. He and his wife, Maria Yulianovna (née Petkun), had one son, Vsevolod Karlovich von Rummel, who went on to become a painter.