Institute of National Remembrance

Prof. Stefan Banach - geniusz lwowskiej szkoly matematycznej w kawiarni Szkockiej
Stefan Banach and the Scottish Cafe: The Scottish Book, the Lwów School of Mathematics, and the intellectual dandyism of Lwów
A notebook with hard, marbled covers, costing 2.50 zlotys, brought to the Scottish Café at Plac Akademicki 9 in Lviv on July 17, 1935, collected 193 mathematical problems by May... Read more...
Legendarny pistolet Vis wz. 35 z Fabryki Broni w Radomiu
The Radom Arms Factory and the Vis wz. 35 Pistol: Carbon steel, oak bark-tanned leather holsters, and the precision of the Second Polish Republic
In May 1922, a commission from the Ministry of Military Affairs toured several cities and selected Radom. Land was transferred at the end of November, construction began in March 1923,... Read more...
Eugeniusz Kwiatkowski - budowniczy portu w Gdyni i COP
Eugeniusz Kwiatkowski and the Port of Gdynia: Steel cranes, concrete, and storm coats made of Polish linen
In May 1920, engineer Tadeusz Wenda identified the fishing village of Gdynia as a suitable location. Eighteen years later, the port handled 9,173,438 tons of cargo across 53 regular shipping... Read more...
Stanislaw Ignacy Witkiewicz (Witkacy) - krol bohemy Zakopanego
Stanisław Ignacy Witkiewicz (Witkacy): The Bohemians of Zakopane, homespun trousers, sheepskin coats, and absolute dandyism
February 1929, an hour before the sheet of paper: charcoal, pastel, signature, and a shorthand in the corner that reveals the author's state of mind. The "S.I. Witkiewicz" Portrait Company... Read more...
Eugeniusz Bodo w eleganckim przedwojennym garniturze z kamizelka
Eugeniusz Bodo and Mieczysław Fogg: Stage stars, tailcoats, tuxedos, and the wardrobe of the Second Polish Republic
On May 18, 1929, five Poles in tailcoats impersonate a Spanish band on the Qui Pro Quo stage – this is how Chór Dana began, and with it, Mieczysław Fogg’s... Read more...
Przedwojenny furgon dostawczy Polski Fiat 621 L w Warszawie
Modernist Architecture and the Fleet of the Second Polish Republic: Bohdan Pniewski and Polski Fiat 621 Vans
On October 20, 1932, Bohdan Pniewski signed a contract for the reconstruction of the Brühl Palace for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs: 322 rooms, a 46 × 16.40 m pavilion... Read more...
Pracownia introligatorska Roberta Jahody w Krakowie - zlote tloczenia na skorze
Masters of Leather and Gold: Robert Jahoda and Artistic Bookbinding in the Second Polish Republic
Robert Jahoda (1862–1947) learned bookbinding from Filip Kwis in Krakow, then in Tarnów, Lviv, and Vienna; he opened his own workshop in 1887 at Main Market Square 37, and from... Read more...
General Boleslaw Wieniawa-Dlugoszowski - szwolezer i arbiter elegancji II RP
Bolesław Wieniawa-Długoszowski: Cavalier, Dandy, and Arbiter of Elegance in the Second Polish Republic
On March 1, 1935, a committee headed by General Bolesław Wieniawa-Długoszowski accepted a trial series of wz. 1934 sabers — and this is a truer portrait of the man than... Read more...
Kawiarnia Jama Michalika w Krakowie - mekka bohemy Mlodej Polski
Young Poland in "Michalik's Den": Capes, folk coats, and Cracovian shoemakers
Jan Apolinary Michalik opened the Lviv Confectionery at Floriańska 45 in 1895. He could only afford a single windowless room, so guests dubbed the place "The Den." On October 7,... Read more...
Skamandryci przy polpietrzu kawiarni Mala Ziemianska w Warszawie
Skamander in "Mała Ziemiańska": Where Tuwim, Lechoń, and Słonimski Used to Dress
The "Mała Ziemiańska" confectionery at Mazowiecka 12 (1918–1944) had one table on its mezzanine – the "hill" of the Skamander poets. A report about Tuwim, Lechoń, Słonimski, Wierzyński, and Iwaszkiewicz,... Read more...
Marek The Punisher Piotrowski - 9-krotny mistrz świata w kickboxingu w szlafroku bojowym
Marek "The Punisher" Piotrowski: 9-time world champion, locker room ethos, and steely discipline
On August 18, 1988, Marek Piotrowski flew from Okęcie to the United States with seventy dollars because professionalism did not exist in Poland, and kickboxing was a banned discipline. On... Read more...
Waldemar Legień - dwukrotny mistrz olimpijski w judo Seul 1988 i Barcelona 1992
Waldemar Legień and Paweł Nastula: Judokas of Gold and the Japanese Art of Throws
Waldemar Legień was the first judoka in history to win the Olympic Games in two different weight categories – Seoul 1988 (up to 78 kg) and Barcelona 1992 (up to... Read more...