Bibliothèque Polonaise de Paris
The Bibliothèque Polonaise de Paris (English: Polish Library of Paris), formerly the Société historique et littéraire polonaise (English: Polish Historic and Literary Society) is a library and archive closely associated with Polish émigrés in Paris.
History
In 1832 Poles in Paris who had fled there following the November 1830 Uprising in Warsaw founded a literary society presided over by Prince Adam Czartoryski, with Ludwik Plater as its vice-president. Its library section was founded in 1838. In 1854 the Society became formally the 'Société historique et littéraire polonaise' with the poet Adam Mickiewicz as its vice-president.[1] Amongst other Parisian Poles associated with the Society were Frédéric Chopin, Zygmunt Krasinski, Juliusz Slowacki, Joachim Lelewel, and Cyprian Norwid, whilst its French associates included Jules Michelet, Edgar Quinet, Alfred de Vigny, George Sand, Félicité de Lamennais, Prosper Mérimée and the part Scottish Comte de Montalembert.[2]
Towards the end of the 19th century, the activities of the Society had declined, and the maintenance of the library in Paris was transferred in 1893 to the responsibility of the Polish Academy of Sciences and Letters of Kraków.[3] in 1926, Władysław Mickiewicz (son of Adam) bequeathed his important collection of manuscripts to the library. In the following period, a number of valuable books, manuscripts and artworks which the library could not properly maintain were sent to museums and institutions in the now independent Poland. Although German occupying forces seized the library's collection during World War II, the Library was able to resume work with the liberation of Paris.[4]
Although most of the looted materials were returned from Germany by 1947, the Library faced bitter legal battles with the post-war Communist Polish government over ownership. These were eventually resolved in the Library's favour in 1959.[5] Following Poland's return to democracy in 1989, links were reestablished with the new Polish government.[6]
References
- Notes
- Sources
- Zaleski, Casimir (a), La création de la Bibliothèque Polonaise, (in French), website of the Bibliothèque Polonaise, accessed 11.2.2014.
- Zaleski, Casimir (b), Première periode, (in French), website of the Bibliothèque Polonaise, accessed 11.2.2014.
- Zaleski, Casimir (c), Deuxième periode : de 1893 à 1946, (in French), website of the Bibliothèque Polonaise, accessed 11.2.2014.
- Zaleski, Casimir (d), Troisième periode : de 1946 à 1989, (in French), website of the Bibliothèque Polonaise, accessed 11.2.2014.
- Zaleski, Casimir (e), Quatrième periode : de 1989 à 2004, (in French), website of the Bibliothèque Polonaise, accessed 11.2.2014.
External links
- Website of the Bibliothèque Polonaise de Paris (in French).
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