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The Consul General Agnieszka Magdziak-Miszewska, Museum President Barbara Szydłowska,
Ambasador Przemysław Grudziński and Museum’s Founder Julian Jurus
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On
October 10th, 2004 at Port Washington, New York the Polish American Museum presented a
gift to the Warsaw Royal Castle Museum. It consists of three precious documents
originating form Poland. They were presented to Przemysław Grudziński, the Ambassador of
the Republic of Poland in the United States.
Polish specialists, after analyzing the documents, stated that these documents were
very precious and rare sources of information about the Polish History. The oldest
comes probably from the Chancery of King Władysław III Warneńczyk and the date of its
origin is estimated at 1440-1444. Second was signed by king Zygmunt III Waza and prepared
in Warsaw probably in 1600. The author of the third document, written between 1651 and
1959, is Aleksander Koniecpolski, wojewoda of Sandomierz.
War destruction and the occupant’s policy caused the destruction of many Polish
archives. Many collections of historical documents were dispersed and robbed. That is why
it is so important to gather those that survived. The
ceremony of transferring the gift is an example of the participation of the Polish
community, living in United States, in the process of achieving a goal that is so
important to Poland. The documents were taken from occupied Poland to Sweden and later to
the United States where they found their place in the Polish-American Museum at Port
Washington in the state of New York. The museum, being the only one in its kind on the
Eastern coast, was founded in 1977 by Mr. Chester Wróbel, dr Raymond Adamczak and Mr.
Julian Jurus. Present chairman of the museum, Mrs. Barbara Szydłowska started the process
of returning the documents to its rightful owners – Poland and its citizens. The time
and history caused the need for restorative work that will be performed by the Archives of
the Royal Castle in Warsaw.
The documents will be returned to the country and the place they originated from.
They will be displayed and available to study by historians and the public. |