Father Stefan Wyszyński’s Stay with the Zamoyski Family in Kozłówka: A Reconstruction of Events and Places

Abstract

The article is an attempt to organize the existing knowledge about the stay of Fr. Stefan Wyszyński at the Zamoyski Palace in Kozłówka, where a state museum was opened after World War II. Almost half a century after the war, historical and museum research began on this subject. It was favored by the changing political situation and the publication of witnesses’ memories. Late in the 1990s, the museum came up with the idea of ​​commemorating the Primate of the Millennium in connection with the 60th anniversary of Fr. Wyszyński’s stay at Kozłówka. At that time, a bust and a dedication plaque were unveiled to commemorate the Primate. The ceremonies were accompanied by the museum’s publication Niezwykły Gość [Extraordinary Guest], containing recollections of the exceptional guest of Jadwiga and Aleksander Zamoyski. The next step taken by the Zamoyski Museum managers to commemorate Primate Wyszyński was the reconstruction of his room, ceremonially opened during the new exhibition “Father Stefan Wyszyński in Kozłówka 1940-1941” on June 21, 2016.

The reconstruction of the room was not an easy task for the museum staff, as neither the photos of the room nor the items related to Fr. Wyszyński were available. Some furniture from the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries was found in the museum’s storage rooms. Several personal items that once belonged to the Primate were placed on the desk, such as a travel alarm clock and a set of writing utensils.