Museum of the City Lodz: meeting „The Mission of Jan Karski – Testimony of a Truth Nobody Wanted to Hear”

As part of the meeting took place a screening of the documentary “My mission” (“Moja misja”) based on the screenplay by Michał Fajbusiewicz and Waldemar Piasecki, produced in 1996. Janusz Wróbel from the Łódź Department of the Institute of National Remembrance delivered a historical commentary to the film. Afterwards, the participants of the meeting had the opportunity to visit the exhibition “Study of Prof. Karski”, presenting the memorabilia donated to the Museum of the City Lodz by Jan Karski in 1998.

The collection presents, among others, photographs, correspondence, medals, distinctions and publications devoted to the life of the courier. Karski decided to make this donation when he visited Łódź, his home town, in 1996, after 50-year absence. The exhibition also consists of his private furniture and belongings, paintings and sculptures, orders (among others, the Order of the White Eagle, the Order Virtuti Militari of the V class and the medal of the Righteous Among the Nations), letters (from the President of the United States Franklin Delano Roosevelt etc.), personal documents (among others the diploma from the Jan Kazimierz University in Lwów, passport), awards and distinctions (honorary doctorates Karski has received throughout his life).

The curator of the exposition is Dr. Marek Budziarek. It is part of the permanent exhibition “People from the Promised Land. Pantheon of Great Lodzians”, presenting great people who were connected with the city through their artistic activity or who were born there. In the Pantheon of Great Lodzians, apart from Jan Karski, are: Artur Rubinstein, Aleksander Tansmana, Jerzy Kosiński, Karl Dedecius, Władysław Reymont oraz Julian Tuwim.

From September 19th to 26th, 2010 the Museum of the City Lodz will organize a cycle of meetings “Week of the Courier of the Polish Underground State”. This event will consist of film screenings, meetings with historians, journalists and museum classes and workshops for schools.