Stefan Kudelski was born on February 27, 1929, in Warsaw. He was an electronics engineer and inventor, the creator of the Nagra series of professional tape recorders that transformed film, radio, and television. For his contributions to the film industry, he received two Oscars and two Emmy Awards. The Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in…
Already toward the end of the war, Polish museum professionals were gathering information about the fate of cultural property removed to the west. As Dr. Robert J. Kudelski determined, in many cases it camefrom the Germans themselves. The most valuable works of Polish literature were found at a landfill. The Russians took them over, and…
Jan Szczepanik was born on June 13, 1872, in Rudniki near Mościska.This brilliant Polish inventor and innovator was dubbed the “Austrian Edison” by Mark Twain after they met in Vienna—a label the writer used only because Poland did not then exist on the map of Europe. Later, captivated by the Pole’s talent, Twain devoted two…
Just before the outbreak of war, on August 5, 1939, the treasure was packed into two trunks and placed in the vault of the Bank of National Economy in Warsaw, at the corner of Aleje Jerozolimskie and Nowy Świat. Today, we still do not know under what circumstances it disappeared. To this day, no one…
Maksymilian Faktorowicz was born on February 18, 1872, in Zduńska Wola near Łódź, into a Polish-Jewish family. He was a cosmetics producer and inventor, the founder of the Max Factor cosmetics brand. He was the one who created the very products that, when combined, became what we now know as women’s make-up. Among his ideas…
Inventor and designer, pioneer of radio telecommunications, was born on January 30, 1909, in Warsaw. He patented the first „walkie-talkie” radio communication devices and is considered the creator of the technology that gave rise to mobile telephony. He is the author of 30 patents. He came from an intellectual family with patriotic traditions. His father…
Swedish museums still house artworks looted during the Deluge.Is there any hope of getting them back? Three years ago, the 16th-century painting Lamentation of Christ returned to the National Museum in Wrocław. It had been created in the workshop of Lucas Cranach the Elder, a German painter associated with the Reformation.The painting was a memento…
It is estimated that up to 10 million Poles took part in the meetings with John Paul II—more than one-fourth of the entire population of Poland. This was of great significance because Poles counted themselves and saw that they shared values and views—different fromthose officially promoted by the communist authorities. Everything began on the evening…
The first constitution in the world was adopted by the Americans when they founded their country. The second—by the Poles. For centuries, Poland was the only country where the nobility elected and could dismiss the king. They established laws that were binding on themselves and all citizens. However, as the world began to change, Poland…
Patek Philippe watches are synonymous with luxury and prestige, and the company he founded continues to uphold his legacy by blending tradition with modernity. Antoni Patek is not just the founder of one of the world’s most prestigious watchmaking brands, Patek Philippe, but a figure whose life story is a testament to resilience and success…
The story of the ‘Nazi Gold Train’ is one which excites the imagination. Many believe that a train full of looted artefacts and gold from occupied Poland lies hidden in a secret tunnel somewhere in the southern mountains of the country. Whether there is any truth behind these rumours or not, people are actively searching…