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A new director
for the Polish History Museum
Minister of Culture and National Heritage Hanna Wróblewska has appointed Marcin Napiórkowski Acting Director of the Polish History Museum, while the position of the Minister of Culture and National Heritage’s representative for the construction of the Polish History Museum has been assigned to Jan Zajączkowski.
‘18 years after the institution was established, the Polish History Museum needs a new opening. We want it to be a place with a clearly defined mission, which unites rather than divides in the definition of Polishness and its identity. I would like it to be a place known and accessible to all. The priority of the new management of the institution will be to complete the investment project of the construction of the PHM building, including the opening of the permanent exhibition, the concept of which will not be changed. Let us remember, however, that the Polish History Museum is not and will not be the site of just one exhibition. It is a place that offers many opportunities for joint work,’ said Hanna Wróblewska, Minister of Culture and National Heritage.
‘The change in the structure of the PHM means the use of a new perspective on public involvement in collective memory and experience in implementing complex investment projects. The costs of the PHM building and creating the permanent exhibition are constantly rising. Initially the construction costs were estimated at PLN 310 million while actual expenses amounted to PLN 750 million. The planned cost of creating the permanent exhibition is PLN 670 million. At present, the total cost of the construction and exhibition is slowly approaching 2 billion zlotys. The Ministry of Culture and National Heritage wants to make this investment real and complete it,’ stressed the minister.
‘Today in Poland we very much need diversity - not only political diversity, but also different research perspectives, stories about the past that will also give us different visions of the present and the future,’ said Marcin Napiórkowski, Acting Director of the Polish History Museum.
‘I hope that my experience so far will allow me to move on to the next stage with this institution. I want to become part of the Polish History Museum team and add my energy and enthusiasm to what is already happening,’ he added.
Dr hab. Marcin Napiórkowski
Acting Director of the Polish History Museum
Graduate of Cultural Studies and Sociology at the University of Warsaw, Doctor of Philosophy (Institute of Philosophy and Sociology of the Polish Academy of Sciences), Professor at the Institute of Polish Culture of the University of Warsaw. During his doctoral studies, he completed postgraduate studies in real estate management. He completed his postdoctoral training at the Department of Sociology, University of Virginia (USA) under the supervision of Jefrey K. Olick, one of the most important contemporary researchers of collective memory.
His research work included the history of the memory of the Warsaw Uprising, an analysis of changes in the contemporary Polish culture of remembrance and the issue of depolarisation and building bridges across political divides.
He has been a lecturer at the University of Warsaw for 18 years, teaching, among others, a popular course on Polish history and culture for foreigners, ‘Poland 101: Beginner’s Guide to Polish Culture, History, and Society’. He has also been a guest lecturer at the Jagiellonian University and the École des hautes études en sciences sociales in Paris, among others. He has led national international research projects on memory, collective imagination and narrative. He is the author of widely discussed and award-winning books, including Powstanie umarłych (The dead rising) and Naprawić przyszłość (Repairing the future), and co-author and editor of the lexicon of collective memory terms Modi Memorandi.
Marcin Napiórkowski has written more than 140 articles published in Tygodnik Powszechny, Więzi, Znak, Gazeta Wyborcza and Rzeczpospolita, among others.
He has gained experience in working with cultural institutions, educators and young people by cooperating with, for instance, the POLIN Museum of the History of Polish Jews and the Leaders Foundation, the Dajemy Dzieciom Siłę Foundation, the Karol Modzelewski Open University, the Children’s University, the Lower Silesian Teacher Training Centre and the Centre for Civic Education.
His research work included the history of the memory of the Warsaw Uprising, an analysis of changes in the contemporary Polish culture of remembrance and the issue of depolarisation and building bridges across political divides.
He has been a lecturer at the University of Warsaw for 18 years, teaching, among others, a popular course on Polish history and culture for foreigners, ‘Poland 101: Beginner’s Guide to Polish Culture, History, and Society’. He has also been a guest lecturer at the Jagiellonian University and the École des hautes études en sciences sociales in Paris, among others. He has led national international research projects on memory, collective imagination and narrative. He is the author of widely discussed and award-winning books, including Powstanie umarłych (The dead rising) and Naprawić przyszłość (Repairing the future), and co-author and editor of the lexicon of collective memory terms Modi Memorandi.
Marcin Napiórkowski has written more than 140 articles published in Tygodnik Powszechny, Więzi, Znak, Gazeta Wyborcza and Rzeczpospolita, among others.
He has gained experience in working with cultural institutions, educators and young people by cooperating with, for instance, the POLIN Museum of the History of Polish Jews and the Leaders Foundation, the Dajemy Dzieciom Siłę Foundation, the Karol Modzelewski Open University, the Children’s University, the Lower Silesian Teacher Training Centre and the Centre for Civic Education.
Jan Zajączkowski
Ministry’s representative for the construction of the Polish History Museum
Graduate of the Jagiellonian University in postgraduate managerial studies and European administration studies. He has many years of experience in managing complex, multi-phase development projects. Between 2005 and 2016, he was president of Ekopark S.A. responsible, among others, for the development of the modern Warsaw residential and commercial quarter EKO-PARK at Pole Mokotowskie. He was involved in all stages of the project, from planning through financing and its implementation to the scheduled completion of the investment. Mr Zajączkowski has held managerial positions in Polnord S.A. and Fundusz Górnośląski S.A. companies.
Since January this year, he has been board chairman of the Saski Palace company.
Since January this year, he has been board chairman of the Saski Palace company.
