Opening of the Exhibition “The Last Resident of the Lubomirski Palace: General Mieczysław Smorawiński”
On Friday, 12 April, at 12:00, the Katyn Museum hosted the opening of a temporary exhibition dedicated to General Mieczysław Smorawiński, whose name appeared first on the list of victims of the Katyn massacre exhumed in Katyn in 1943.
The exhibition presents a biographical narrative of General Smorawiński’s life in three chapters: his service in the Polish Legions, the interwar years, and his tragic death. At the heart of the exhibition are unique personal and family memorabilia displayed within a specially designed exhibition setting. Text has been deliberately kept to a minimum, with large-format photographs and audiovisual materials playing a central role in the visitor experience.
Among the exhibits illustrating the General’s military career are a silver cigarette case that once saved his life, a ceremonial general’s aiguillette, a mantel clock, and personal correspondence with his wife. The exhibition also serves as a reminder of the fate of thousands of Poles who became victims of Soviet repression following the Soviet invasion of Poland on 17 September 1939.
From 1934 until the outbreak of the Second World War, General Smorawiński lived and worked in Lublin at the Lubomirski Palace on Litewski Square, where he served as commander of the Corps District. In mid-September 1939, he left the city and was interned by Soviet forces on 20 September in Volodymyr-Volynskyi. He was later imprisoned in the NKVD camp at Kozelsk. His family received only one letter from captivity, dated 21 November 1939. General Smorawiński was murdered in Katyn on 9 April 1940.
The exhibition “The Last Resident of the Lubomirski Palace: General Mieczysław Smorawiński” will be on display at the Katyn Museum until 28 July 2024. Admission to both the Museum and the temporary exhibition is free of charge.
Exhibition Curator: Kacper Ciesielski
The exhibition was developed on the basis of the concept and design of an exhibition of the same title organised by the National Museum in Lublin in 2023.
Curatorial Team: Barbara Oratowska, Mateusz Haberek, Piotr Krukowski, Łukasz Krzysiak
Exhibition Design: Marek Mikulski, Maciej Mikulski
The opening of the exhibition was preceded by a commemorative ceremony held in the Parade Square, including a roll call of remembrance and a wreath-laying ceremony at the Katyn Epitaph.
