New POSK Exhibition on Poles in Exile During WWII
Hearts of Freedom tells of a Polish school in occupied France
Archive photo of Cyprian Norwid Polish School students
February 12, 2024
An exhibition is to be held at the POSK centre on King Street in Hammersmith which tells the story of a group on Poles in exile during the second world war.
Heart of Freedoms runs from 17 February to 8 March and charts the role of a Polish school in occupied France.
It reveals a tale of bravery centred around an inspirational 60-year-old professor.
Polish refugees set up a school in Villard-de-Lans, in the French Alps, between 1940 and 1946, assisted by the Polish government in exile in London, in defiance of the Nazis. It was the only free Polish school in occupied Europe.
The Cyprian Norwid Polish School taught Polish soldiers and others who had managed to escape from Poland, as well as children of Polish origin already living in France.
The exhibition tells the story of the school as a bastion of resistance to the Nazis from its origins to its final days, celebrating the students and teachers who made it possible, many of whom have descendants living in the UK today.
It includes a documentary, directed by French/Polish film-maker Rafael Lewandowski, called Out of the Limelight, focusing on school principal Zygmunt Zaleski, a literary historian who battled to preserve Polish culture. Extracts from his work are read by the Polish actor, Wojciech Pszoniak.
The exhibition is free and is open every day until 8 March in the POSK gallery at 238-246 King Street, W6 0RF.
Like Reading Articles Like This? Help Us Produce More This site remains committed to providing local community news and public interest journalism. Articles such as the one above are integral to what we do. We aim to feature as much as possible on local societies, charities based in the area, fundraising efforts by residents, community-based initiatives and even helping people find missing pets. We’ve always done that and won’t be changing, in fact we’d like to do more. However, the readership that these stories generates is often below that needed to cover the cost of producing them. Our financial resources are limited and the local media environment is intensely competitive so there is a constraint on what we can do. We are therefore asking our readers to consider offering financial support to these efforts. Any money given will help support community and public interest news and the expansion of our coverage in this area. A suggested monthly payment is £8 but we would be grateful for any amount for instance if you think this site offers the equivalent value of a subscription to a daily printed newspaper you may wish to consider £20 per month. If neither of these amounts is suitable for you then contact info@neighbournet.com and we can set up an alternative. All payments are made through a secure web site. One-off donations are also appreciated. Choose The Amount You Wish To Contribute. If you do support us in this way we’d be interested to hear what kind of articles you would like to see more of on the site – send your suggestions to the editor. For businesses we offer the chance to be a corporate sponsor of community content on the site. For £30 plus VAT per month you will be the designated sponsor of at least two articles a month with your logo appearing if supplied. If there is a specific community group or initiative you’d like to support we can make sure your sponsorship is featured on related content for a one off payment of £50 plus VAT. All payments are made through a secure web site. |
Related links
Dr Lydia Goodson Talk on 'Vicenza City of Palladio' What Really Happened on Easter Island? Sign up for email newsletters from ChiswickW4.com and HammersmithToday.co.uk
|