On 12 November 2011 in the he Polish Social and Cultural Centre in London IPN’s Historic Education Day was held, organized by the Branch IPN’s Public Education Office in Warsaw.
At 12:00 pm the opening of the exhibition "The Republic Lost" took place. Then the new album of the same title was presented. It has been prepared by the IPN’s Branch in Warsaw. There also was a screening of the film "Death of Rotamaster Pilecki", which was followed by a lecture by Jacek Pawłowicz and discussion. The events were accompanied by a fair with books and board games published by IPN.
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The presented exhibition is a journey through the Republic, which no longer exists. It has disappeared forever, not as a result of normal civilization development or natural social processes, but as a result of a disaster, which happened in 1939. It is a journey through the spiritual realm of a "crippled the nation" - losses caused by the cruelty of war on a scale until than unknown, corruption and savagery caused by war. It tells a story of the piercing experience of injustice after World War II, depreciation of values, many concepts constituting the moral quality of public and social life. It is a journey through a new canon of tradition and culture, denying – now obvious - achievements of generations. This is a world of strange-sounding meanings of "many truths" and newly written history. It also means exploring real testimonies which allow keeping hope for simple honesty, respect, tolerance and humanism.
It is a journey in the footsteps of Polish society which no longer exists, rich in multiculturalism and centuries-old tradition. A story of destruction made by two totalitarian regimes: German and Soviet. The destruction was methodically wrought on other communities (Jews, Poles, Roma, Belorussians, Ukrainians), social groups (intellectuals, military), new categories of enemies created by Nazism and Communism, against children. This is a story of expulsion - the loss of millions of citizens of the Republic of their place on earth, breaking the basic social bonds, giving way to the erosion of tradition, patriotism and respect. This is a journey in search of Polish material culture, convicted by the two occupants to destruction. It is a travel through museums and libraries which no longer exist, through the lost Kresy with their centuries-old wealth of temples (churches, synagogues, churches, Orthodox churches, mosques), castles, palaces, cemeteries - the last witnesses of communities which disapeared. This is a journey through the world of manor houses with their cultural tradition - exposed to be "spoils of the revolution". Finally, there is a question about the consequences of all the above-mentioned losses. It is a journey into ourselves.