POLAND - 1000 Years of History and Culture

A FOUR PART VIDEO SERIES
directed by Roger Conant
and produced by RC Presentations
under the sponsorship of
The University of Pittsburgh
with support from:
The National Endowment for the Humanities
The Pennsylvania Humanities Council
The Alfred Jurzykowski Foundation
The Kosciuszko Foundation,
The Pittsburgh Central Council of Polish Organizations

Recommended by the Educational Department,
Polish National Alliance (Zgoda, Jul. 1, 2002, and January 15, 2003)

How to order (by mail or online)

A definitive video resource created from the combined collections of over 50 Polish museums and archives (including the National Museums of Warsaw, Kraków, Poznań, Wrocław and Gdańsk) to tell the story of Poland's history for universities, colleges, schools, libraries, cultural organizations and homes.

A rich tapestry of 1,800 images depicts each period of Polish civilization, systematically acquainting the viewer with Romanesque, Gothic, Renaissance, Baroque, Neoclassical, 19th and 20th century masterpieces.

Forty specially designed animated maps help to place Poland's shifting borders in a clear geographical and historical context.

One of the most impressive elements of the Video Series is the emphatic use of Polish music to suggest successive periods of national history, from early medieval hymns, through Renaissance and Baroque, classicism, romantic glories of Chopin, neo-Romantic and modern compositions, as well as popular patriotic songs.

Each of the four parts of this two-hour series illustrates a comprehensive yet concise narrative about Polish history and the development of the country's art, religion, architecture and literature.

Part I: Piast Poland: Earliest Origins to 1370 (23 min.)

Part I traces the country's evolution from a Slavic tribal confederation to a full-fledged participant in the Medieval Latin West under the reign of the last Piast king, Casimir the Great.

Part II: Jagiellonian Poland: 1386-1572 (21 min.)

Part II chronicles the "golden age" of Polish Kingdom under the Jagiellonian Dynasty when union with neighboring Lithuania made it the largest state in Europe.

Part III: The Gentry Commonwealth 1573 - 1795 (42 min.)

Part III depicts the "silver age" under the Vasa kings and the progressive decline of the Republic's fortunes from the mid-17th Century to the mid-18th century when a remarkable revival heralded the age of Polish Enlightenmen until the catastrophe of the partitions put an end to the nation's statehood.

Part IV: Romantic and Modern Poland 1796 - 1945 (37 min.)

Part IV covers the turbulent struggles for independence that culminated in the national rebirth in 1918, the interwar Republic and the holocaust of World War II.

How to order

“An Outstanding Contribution to Polish Studies”
        Polish American Historical Association

“A Must for Every School Library”
        Polish American Journal

“A unique collection of images, gathered from the best museums and collections... this series is a pleasure to watch and hear. It will be an indispensable resource for any organziation or individual seriously interested in Polish culture”
         Jacek Gałązka, Publisher, Hippocrene Books