Mieczysław Jałowiecki - a forgotten hero of the battle for Polish Gdańsk

Two trusted companions, a gun and a determination to revive the nation after the hardships of war and partition were all that Mieczysław Jałowiecki had when he embarked on a seemingly impossible diplomatic mission to Gdańsk. His courageous efforts would help Poland bolster its new found identity in Gdansk and through his vision and drive...

A forgotten knightly skill: fencing in Poland in the 19th century
A short history of Polish fencing

Fighting with the sabre and bayonet was still part of military training in the 19th century. On the other hand, experienced soldiers were eager to pass on their skills to civilians in schools and private lessons. Fencing became a fashionable physical recreation, referring to the colourful history of Old Polish arms. by Antoni Olbrychski  ...

Władysław Szpilman: How did the pianist survive the war?
(5 December 1911 – 6 July 2000)

Władysław Szpilman is currently the most well-known of the Warsaw Robinsons. How did he survive in German-occupied Warsaw? by Michał Studniarek   In 1939, Władysław Szpilman resided in the center of Warsaw on Śliska Street with his parents, Samuel and Edwarda, his brother Henryk and his two sisters – Regina and Halina. Władysław was working...

‘Threads were going from person to person, wispy threads of help...’: The Council for Aid to Jews ‘Żegota’
Operatives under threat of death by the Nazi German forces

In the summer and autumn of 1942, in the General Government (GG), the Germans carried out mass deportations of the Jewish population to extermination camps. These actions, code-named Operation ‘Reinhardt’, aimed to exterminate all the Jews from that area. The few who managed to escape deportation sought refuge on the so-called Aryan side. In these...

Dr. A. Buława: November Night is "the second Warsaw Uprising"

On November Night, the lower classes of the Warsaw community joined the young cadets. According to Dr. Adam Buława, a historian from the Cardinal Stefan Wyszyński University in Warsaw, some historians even use the term “the second Warsaw Uprising”, as the first was the April 1794 insurrection.   Polish Press Agency: One of the historians...

Fortune-telling séances on St. Andrew's Day in Old Poland

St. Andrew’s Day falls on November 30, but in Old Poland the night before (St. Andrew’s Night) was considered a time of magic and fortune telling. In this period, it was believed that everything predicted on this night would come true. As a result, in nearly every noble manor and peasant cottage, fortune-telling sessions were...

The November Uprising: More Than a Romantic Rebellion
The outbreak of the November Uprising

One of the several classic ‘Polish insurgences’: armed, bloody and lost. Apart from the romantic legend around it, it is distinguished by the fact that the episode lasting a year was unusually effective in unsettling things as they were. After the lost uprising, two paths of development, possible before, were not available to the Poles...

Łukasz Ciepliński (Pług): A skeleton with a silver holy medal

The anniversary of his death has been recognised as a day to commemorate the ‘cursed soldiers’ who fought against Soviet occupation after the end of the Second World War. However, Łukasz Ciepliński still appears to be a little-known, if not to say forgotten, figure. by Grzegorz Wołk   ‘I am glad I will be murdered...

Paweł Edmund Strzelecki: The discoverer of Australia’s highest peak
(20 July 1797 – 6 October 1873)

He carried out the first measurements in Australia, discovered the Snowy Mountains, the highest range of the Great Dividing Range, and named the highest peak in Australia Mount Kosciuszko in honour of the Polish general. Meet Count Paweł Edmund Strzelecki. by Piotr Bejrowski   On 15 February 1840, Paweł Edmund Strzelecki became the first person...

Statement from the Polish government
105th anniversary of the Interim People’s Government of the Polish Republic programme announcement

The Interim People’s Government of the Polish Republic run by Jędrzej Moraczewski, was established by Józef Piłsudski on 18th November 1918. In political terms, it partly continued the policies of the Lublin-based government led by the Prime Minister Ignacy Daszyński. Moraczewski’s Government declared the establishment of a Legislative Sejm, to be elected through a secret,...

Jan Matejko: The Painter of Polish History
(24 June 1838 –1 November 1893)

This outstanding artist became famous for his paintings depicting important moments in the history of Poland. They are a story highlighting the country’s former glory, but also contain warnings for its entire society. by Michał Haake   Many paths into the creative future were open before the young, artistically gifted, Matejko (b. 1838). Wishing to...

Ignacy Jan Paderewski: An artist Who Adored Music, But Loved His Homeland Even More
A famous pianist, composer and statesman

His political career led to him becoming the first prime minister of the independent Republic of Poland. However, Ignacy Jan Paderewski went down in history for other reasons than being an ardent advocate of the Polish nation. This politician and philanthropist, who enjoyed universal acclaim as a citizen of the world, was also a talented...

Marie Walewska: Napoleon’s only love?
The fate of Napoleon’s mistress

A blonde, her eyes were blue, her complexion unusually white. She was not very tall, but shapely and with a delightful figure.’ Such was the description of Marie Walewska’s appearance by Napoleon’s butler. The Polish woman was to captivate the ‘god of war’ from their very first meeting. According to many researchers, Marie Walewska was...

Polish History Museum Is Open Now!

The inauguration of the new building of the Polish History Museum took place on 28 September. The ceremony was attended by the President of the Republic of Poland Andrzej Duda and the First Lady, Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki, Deputy Prime Minister Jarosław Kaczyński, Minister of Culture and National Heritage Piotr Gliński, and the Director of...

How Adam Mickiewicz turned into stone, or a short history of the bard’s monuments

It is easier to wipe a country off the map than to destroy its soul. In the 19th century, that truth was discovered by Russia, Prussia and Austria as the loss of independence had a mobilising effect on the Poles. It became an impulse for spreading patriotic attitudes as well as an unprecedented flourishing of...

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Polishhistory is an online project of the Polish History Museum in Warsaw. It is primarily addressed to all those interested in Polish and Central European history. Our aim is to build a community consisting of those professionally involved in research and of those interested in the outcomes of research, essentially, all lovers of history. The...