Two tons of silverware given by Poles as a war chest to help fight Nazi Germany donated to National Museum in Poznań
Two tons of silverware given by Poles as a war chest to help the country defend itself in the event of a conflict with Nazi Germany have been donated to the National Museum in Poznań.
The silver was part of the National Defence Fund, which was set up by President Mościcki in April 1936 to raise additional funds by way of contributions for the rearmament of the army in the face of the threat to the Polish state by Nazi Germany.
Poles contributed their personal silver, cash, real estate, grain, slaughterhouse animals, and unpaid labour for the army to the fund.
Poles contributed their personal silver, cash, real estate, grain, slaughterhouse animals, and unpaid labour for the army to the fund.
The fund grew to one billion zlotys at the time, of which individual donations amounted to 38 million zlotys.
In September 1939, after the German invasion of Poland, crates of unused donations were evacuated to the Polish embassy in Bucharest, where they were divided into a 'silver' and a 'gold' part.
The fund grew to one billion zlotys at the time, of which individual donations amounted to 38 million zlotys.
Nine chests containing 210 kg of gold from the main shipment made their way to Khartoum, Sudan, where they were left with a Polish hotel owner who worked with Polish intelligence.
This gold survived the war and was transferred at the end of 1944 to the Polish Armed Forces in the West headquarters in London.
In September 1939, after the German invasion of Poland, crates of unused donations were evacuated to the Polish embassy in Bucharest, where they were divided into a 'silver' and a 'gold' part.
Meanwhile, 61 creates of silver with 2408 kg of silver were sent with the evacuating Poles to Bucharest.
From there, they were transported as diplomatic baggage by Romanian ship first to the Polish embassy in Rome, and then in February 1940 the Polish consul general in Marseille, Jan Rozwadowski, deposited them in the vault of the local branch of the Bank of France.
Nine chests containing 210 kg of gold from the main shipment made their way to Khartoum, Sudan, where they were left with a Polish hotel owner who worked with Polish intelligence.
In 1943 the silver was moved to Castres, and after the war to Toulouse. In June 1945, Minister of National Defence Gen. Marian Kukiel earmarked the silver for aid to war victims in Poland, but the plan never came to fruition.
Poland recovered the silver in December 1976. The collection was presented to the public in 1977 at the Museum of the Polish Army in Warsaw and in Katowice and was later deposited at the National Museum in Poznań.
Poland recovered the silver in December 1976. The collection was presented to the public in 1977 at the Museum of the Polish Army in Warsaw and in Katowice and was later deposited at the National Museum in Poznań.
Since then, the silverware has been kept in storage at the Poznań museum. Now it will formerly belong to the museum.
The transfer of the silver from the fund to the National Museum in Poznań was signed yesterday by Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki and Deputy Prime Ministers Prof. Piotr Gliński and Mariusz Błaszczak in a ceremony at the museum's main building in Poznań.
The silverware was kept in storage at the Poznań museum but now it will formerly belong to the museum.
Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki said during the ceremonial handover of the silverware that the 1930s were a very difficult time, as "the pincers of the two powers on our eastern and western sides tightened around Poland."
“The Poles knew that only by a joint effort could they defend what was most precious - freedom and independence,” he added.
When Culture Minister Piotr Gliński heard about the special safe hiding the FON's treasures he said: “This must be taken out of here immediately and shown to the Poles.”
The director of the National Museum in Poznań, Tomasz Łęcki, said that by the middle of the year, the precious silver will be displayed in museums across the country.
“When, a little over a year ago, I showed Deputy Prime Minister Piotr Glinski the special safe hiding the FON's treasures, the Culture Minister's reaction was emphatic. He said, ‘this must be taken out of here immediately and shown to the Poles’”.
