The Polish Historical and Literary Society and the Polish Library in Paris from the 19th to the 21st century and the relations of these institutions with French culture and society

Abstract

The Polish Historical and Literary Society was established in 1854, replacing the Literary Society established in 1832. These two institutions were created due to the efforts of eminent Poles who came to France during the Great Emigration of 1831, as well as French people and citizens of other countries who were close friends of Poland. As to the Polish Library in Paris, established in 1938, it has never had legal personality, and was originally run by the Literary Society and later by the Historical and Literary Society. In 1893 the activity of the Historical and Literary Society weakened significantly and it lost many members. Therefore the Society decided to entrust the Library to the Academy of Learning in Cracow, which also became responsible for managing the building at 6 quai d’Orléans, where the books were stored. The Academy was a Polish institution, which, after Poland was reestablished as a sovereign state in 1918, was renamed as the Polish Academy of Learning. It is worth mentioning the contribution of two subsequent heads of the Polish Library in Paris, Władysław Mickiewicz (1898–1926), the eldest son of Adam, and Franciszek Pułaski (1926–1956), who were particularly devoted to the institution. At the time the Library was vibrant, the collection at 6 quai d’Orléans grew and the cultural events organized at its seat were dynamic and diverse. Unfortunately, in 1940 Nazi Germany seized the Polish Library in Paris. The building was devastated and the remaining collection taken away. Soon after the liberation of France in 1946 the Historical and Literary Society was reactivated in Paris by Polish patriots and their French friends. Several people were particularly involved in restoring the institution in those difficult times. Among them were Poles, such as Franciszek Puławski, Zygmunt Lubicz-Zaleski and Kajetan Morawski, as well as French citizens, such as Henri de Montfort, Léon and Henri Mazeaud, Françoise Granier, a member of the French Parliament, the first President of the Historical and Literary Society in the post-war period, Camille Gronkowski, and later Prince André Poniatowski, who was its President for the next 28 years and the Head of the Polish Library in Paris for 11 years. All of them espoused the ideals of their 19^th-century predecessors who established the Library. They wanted to continue the historical traditions and defend the freedom of Polish culture, serving a free and independent Poland. After the war the French government recognized the reactivated Historical and Literary Society as the heir of the Society established in the 19^th century, which, by a decree issued in 1866 by Napoleon III, was granted the privilege of a public utility institution. Taking into account the fact that not a single member of the 19^th-century Society was still alive in 1946, the French court of appeal, which was involved in the case between the Polish Academy of Sciences and the Historical and Literary Society, ruled that it was impossible to establish who was the owner of the Library since the Polish Academy of Sciences could not be considered the rightful successor and heir to the Polish Academy of Learning. After legal proceedings, finally the French administration granted the Library to the Historical and Literary Society and signed the lease agreement until 2030 with a nominal rent. It therefore seems fair to state that since 1946 the Historical and Literary Society has managed the Library and ensured its existence. This has been the case for 72 years, including 58 years without the involvement of the Polish Academy of Learning. The latter has become significantly involved in the past 14 years,  when it decided to fulfil its own obligation by opening the Polish Library in Paris to the general public, as stated in the conditional contract signed in 1893, which entrusted the Library to the Polish Academy of Learning. Consequently, the Historical and Literary Society did not only allow the Polish Library in Paris to operate, but it also managed the building and the collections regained after the Second World War, expanding them by acquiring new source materials and works of art. Moreover, the Society managed to organize political, scientific and cultural activities despite a difficult financial situation and without any involvement or help from the then Polish authorities, with which official contacts were reestablished only in 1990. Thus, the Polish Library in Paris, thanks to the Historical and Literary Society, its members and their voluntary work, its devoted employees and their French friends, became the most important cultural Polish institution in exile in those difficult times. The article discusses the history of the Polish Library in Paris and the Historical and Literary Society, including the involvement of eminent figures of French cultural and scientific life, before the First World War, in the interwar period and after Poland regained independence in 1989.