Łódź Museum Observes the “Year of Jan Karski”
2014 is the 100th anniversary of Jan Karki’s birth. At the beginning of the December 2013, the Polish parliament declared that 2014 would be the “Year of Jan Karski”.
In 1999, the Łódź City Museum established an exhibition of Karski’s study, in which can been seen family photographs, personal correspondence, diplomas granted by prestigious colleges, medals, pictures, publications, personal belongings and decorations, including the Order of the White Eagle, the Medal of the Righteous Among the Nations, as well as the Presidential Medal of the Freedom awarded posthumously the President by the USA, Barack Obama.
According to museum staff, the study is planned for “modernisation” in 2014. This will include an emphasis on exhibits connected with the Łódź part of Karksi’s life. Additional archival and audio-visual material will go on display, among them, those recalling the years of his youth. Other exhibits will be linked to his activity as a courier during the World War II, as well as the American chapter in his life.
As part of the “Year of Karski”, the Łódź museum plans to continue its inter-disciplinary educational project – “Jan Karski – the Return of a Hero”. Its aim is to promote his principles, achievements and his efforts as the emissary of the Polish Underground, in the context of the multicultural and multi-ethnic legacy of Łódź, his home town. New material will be added to this project. The program includes museum lectures and workshops, an external competition, a series of open thematic meetings and a civic game based on fragments of Karski’s curriculum vitae.
A series of events is planned to be conducted by the Karski Circle, ending with a panel discussion/debate. As part of these events, a meeting with Karki’s family members is expected. These family members currently live in Łódź, Warsaw and Gdańsk.
Source: PAP
