A Forgotten Hero: Jan Morawinski (1907–1949)

Jan Morawiński, a lesser-known hero of World War II, played a pivotal role in preserving Poland's cultural heritage during the Nazi occupation. His handwritten testimony, recently analyzed alongside archival sources and colleague recollections, reveals his extensive efforts to protect historic monuments, including packing museum exhibits into crates for survival, extinguishing fires at the National Museum, and rescuing collections like those from the Royal Castle. Morawiński's clandestine documentation of German looting and destruction, particularly 137 paintings from the Branicki collection at Wilanów, was instrumental in post-war restitution efforts. Despite facing imprisonment by the Gestapo, he continued his work, contributing significantly to the preservation of Warsaw's cultural legacy until his injury during the Warsaw Uprising.

Olkowski, R. (2021). A FORGOTTEN HERO: JAN MORAWIŃSKI (1907–1949). Muzealnictwo, 62, 220–226. https://doi.org/10.5604/01.3001.0015.2632