For more information see the website dedicated to the project: “Trails of Hope. The Odyssey of Freedom”

On 15 November 1947, Wojtek the bear was moved from the Anders’ Army to the Edinburgh Zoo

Wojtek was a Syrian brown bear adopted by the soldiers of the 22nd Artillery Supply Company in the 2nd Polish Corps commanded by General Władysław Anders. He carried ammunition boxes and pulled a supply cart during the Battle of Monte Cassino. He was promoted to the rank of corporal for his services to the Polish Army.

The IPN "Trails of Hope" exhibition included in the celebrations of the Veterans Day in Alabama, USA

On 10 November 2022, the Alabama Veterans Museum & Archives in Athens (USA) hosted the opening of the IPN exhibition "Trails of Hope. The Odyssey of Freedom." The exhibition is part of the celebration of the Polish National Independence Day and the American Veteran's Day, which falls on November 11. The opening was also attended by representatives of the local Polish community.

The IPN project "Trails of Hope. Odyssey of Freedom" inaugurated in Uzbekistan

On 4 October 2022 in Tashkent, the IPN President Karol Nawrocki, Ph.D. and Director of the Agency "Uzarchiv" Ulugbek Yusupov signed a memorandum of cooperation between the Institute of National Remembrance and the National Archive of Uzbekistan. The ceremony was attended by Polish Ambassador to Italy Anna Maria Anders.

The IPN exhibition "Trails of Hope. The Odyssey of Freedom" in Georgia - 3 October 2022

The IPN exhibition entitled the "Trails of Hope. Odyssey of Freedom," dedicated to the efforts of the Polish Armed Forces during the Second World War and the fate of the civilian population evacuated from the Soviet Union with General Anders’ Army was launched today at the Ivane Javakhishvili Tbilisi State University. A delegation from the IPN headed by the Institute’s Deputy President Karol Polejowski, Ph.D. D.Sc. took part in the event.

 

The "Trails of Hope. The Odyssey of Freedom" exhibition in Toronto

Thanks to the visit of the IPN delegation to Canada and as a result of close cooperation with the Polish Consulate in Toronto, the "Trails of Hope. The Odyssey of Freedom" exhibition was presented in Roncesvalles during the Polish Festival on 17—18 September 2022. The exhibition was displayed in the Parish Hall of St. Casimir's Church in Toronto, which is located on the main Roncesvalles Avenue, where the festival was held.

 

The opening of the "Trails of Hope. The Odyssey of Freedom" exhibition in Canada - Mississauga, 22 August 2022

The opening ceremony took place . The Deputy President of the IPN, Professor Karol Polejowski opened the Institute’s exhibition dedicated to the journey of over 116,000 Poles, civilians and General Anders’ soldiers, as well as the combat trail of General Maczek’s 1st Armored Division. The event took place at the St. John Paul II Polish Cultural Center in Mississauga.

 

The first open-air concert of the ‘Odyssea’ cantate and the "Trails of Hope. The Odyssey of Freedom" exhibition

The year 2022 has been declared the Year of the Three Generals. One of them, General Stanisław Maczek, is an exceptional figure for the Polish-Belgian relations. In September 1944, the 1st Polish Armoured Division under his command liberated the northern part of occupied Belgium, leaving a lasting debt of gratitude among the inhabitants of the liberated Flemish towns and villages.

 

"Trails of Hope. Odyssey of Freedom" exhibit opened in Houston, USA.

The IPN President Karol Nawrocki and key members of the Institute leadership took that latest project – commemoration of thousands of Poles who left the Soviet Union with General Władysław Anders in 1942 and then fought the Axis in the ranks of 2nd Corps – to Texas to present it to Poles and Americans there and promote the knowledge of the Polish input into WWII victory. The visitors met with the local diaspora and Consul Robert Rusiecki in the Polish Church of Our Lady of Częstochowa in Houston, the exhibit venue.

 

The opening of the IPN’s “Trails of Hope. The Odyssey of Freedom” exhibition in Kazakhstan

The IPN Deputy President Prof. Karol Polejowski, and Polish Minister of Foreign Affairs, Zbigniew Rau took part in the opening of  the "Trails of Hope. The Odyssey of Freedom" exhibition at the ALZHIR Museum near Nur-Sultan in Kazakhstan.

The inauguration of the IPN "Trails of Hope. The Odyssey of Freedom" project in Iran

On 9 May 2022, the IPN exhibition “Trails of Hope. The Odyssey of Freedom” is being launched in the Islamic Republic of Iran. Citizens of this country and local Polish community will be able to see it, among others in Tehran and Isfahan.

The inauguration of the IPN "Trails of Hope. The Odyssey of Freedom" project in Africa

 

Following the inauguration in Warsaw and Gdańsk of 18 March this year, on 26 April the representative of the Institute headed by President Karol Nawrocki, Ph.D. took part in the official opening of the dedicated exhibition in Pretoria’s Freedom Park in the Republic of South Africa.

The inauguration of the IPN’s "Trails of Hope. The Odyssey of Freedom" project in Poland

 

 

The Institute of National Remembrance and the Museum of the Second World War are launching a new project commemorating General Anders’ combat trail.

 

On 19 July, chaired by Karol Nawrocki, the current IPN’s President, a meeting of the team representing both institutions opened the "Trails of Hope. The Odyssey of Freedom" commemorative and educational project. It aims at presenting the journey of over 116,000 Poles, civilians and General Anders’ soldiers, as well as the combat trail of General Maczek’s 1st Armored Division, to international audiences. The enterprise objective, outlined by Dr Nawrocki back at his hearing before the IPN Council, is educating the public on Polish will and commitment to free Europe from totalitarian regimes. The project is to be carried out in the years 2021-2025, and planned to cover the countries on three continents that the Anders Army went through. We will highlight, among other things, the relations between local residents and communities and the Polish army, search for archival materials, and find people who still remember the war years, or their relatives. We intend to record several testimonies of history witnesses.

A ceremonial run of the “Anders” train on the Łódź-Włocławek route , 17 February 2022

A ceremonial run of the “Anders” train on the Łódź-Włocławek route took place on 17 February 2022. The event was attended by the Ambassador of the Republic of Poland to Italy and San Marino, Anna Maria Anders, the President of the Institute of National Remembrance, Karol Nawrocki, Ph.D., and the President of the Łódź Agglomeration Railways, Janusz Malinowski.

"Trails of Hope. The Odyssey of Freedom" in Italy, 27–29 July 2021

 

On Tuesday, 27 July, the President of the Institute of National Remembrance Karol Nawrocki is flying to Italy in relation with the "Trails of Hope. The Odyssey of Freedom" project – foreign promotion of the journey made by Polish civilians and soldiers of General Anders, as well as the combat trail of General Stanisław Maczek’s 1st Armored Division.On 28 July, Karol Nawrocki met Anna Maria Anders to give her the project’s outline, and discuss the details of the long-term (planned for the years 2021-2025) enterprise that will require the Ambassador’s particular assistance. Also discussed was the related scholarly activity, which includes the conference scheduled for November. After the meeting, the IPN’s President and the representative of the Republic of Poland in Italy visited the Polish War Cemetery at Monte Cassino and the 2nd Corps Memorial Museum.

A visit of the IPN's representatives to Uzbekistan, 7–10 July 2021

 

On 7–10 July, representatives of the Institute of National Remembrance paid a visit to Tashkent, the aim of which was to establish cooperation with leading Uzbek academic, museum and archival institutions. The delegation of the Institute of National Remembrance, led by the IPN’s  President Karol Nawrocki, Ph.D. met with representatives of the State Museum of Repression at the Cabinet of Ministers of the Republic of Uzbekistan, under the leadership of Director Khasanov Bahtyiyor Vakhabovitch, representatives of the Institute of History of the Academy of Sciences of the Republic of Uzbekistan and the "Uzarhiv" Agency, under the chairmanship of the Senator of the Republic of Uzbekistan and the Director of the Institute Azamat Hamid Ogli Ziyo, and with employees of the State Museum "Shaun-sharaf", part of the Memorial Complex "Victory Park" of the Museum of Glory, headed by Jusupov Shukhrat Nobievich, Counselor-Minister of Defense of the Republic of Uzbekistan.

Argentinean finale of the epos of the soldiers of the 2nd Polish Corps

On a hot summer day in July, 1947, in the port of Genoa, there was a lot commotion. A crowd gathered next to the gangway to the motor ship Empire Halberd - young men of Slavic looks and their Italian wives…

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