This carefully published but modest-looking book, not besides long and not besides heavy, like most in fresh years – "The State in the Museum", is simply a actual communicative written by Piotr Zaremba about 30 years of struggles by Robert Kostra and his extraordinary squad for Polish memory. This is simply a communicative about the creation of the Museum of Polish History, works that will stay with us for long, long years to the glory of the homeland, to quote a classical cry. It besides happens to mature a scientist-practice, historian and organizer, willing to endure and wait out everything to do and accomplish its, although the ending is not rather optimistic (only for now, I hope). And the discipline that the highest heights of spirit and head always have, must have, their material expression, in order to happen in the general consciousness.
besides high, besides pompous? Not if you announcement that this is about Polish memory and its office for generations. It is besides a communicative almost typical of the breaking through of a capable, determined man by chaotic ashes of the 3rd Republic. At all step, they caught the bold man's sharp spikes, which he wanted to make something crucial and do it right, right, interesting and valuable. Finally, next to the large Polish texts from the top shelf, specified as “Bogumodzinica”, “Swiętokrzyskie”, Włodkowice, Wybicki and what else, which will find their place in this Museum, we have and another basic texts. These are the jokes of Poles about Poles, this kind of bitter self-consciousness. A celebrated gag about the Polish cauldron in hell: no devil has to watch it, due to the fact that the Poles cooking in tar will pull the man's feet into the garage themselves.
It can be said – Robert Kostra was drawn only partially, although the fight has been going on for more than 20 years. And comic and scary.
But in "Stateman" it is especially interesting. Robert Kostro here told of his own way to the work of his life and his yet uprising. In the second part of the book, he gave a brief overview of the 1000 years of Poland's history, referring peculiarly to the ossified myths, interesting unknown facts to the historical hochsztapplenia.
He told about his family, the Archduke, schools, interests and youth period of underground activity in the 1980s in the state of war, about dealing with policy about right-wing slope in a large, decaying and budding group of later politicians and publicists. About your studies and your friendships with professors. About trips to the West, where he worked, learned languages and made friends who, like people from another world, can aid those they value; foreigners with Polish surnames and Polish sensitivity co-created his concept of the Museum of past of Poland and inactive sit on the Council of the Museum.
Kostro, 1967, with the appearance of an eternal boy with a curious look, has the gift of an interesting communicative about a alternatively boring matter. The litany of the names of colleagues, coworkers, designers, architects, historians, museums, ministers, decision-makers, etc. is not boring. It is besides a representation of the real Polish artistic and university elite, ready to devote their time and their minds to specified an unfashionable and even combated in the last free 5 years of the concept of perpetuating glory, as Kostro defines it, our history. This communicative shows his ability to gain at the right moments the most unexpected allies, as shown by names specified as Adam Michnik, the opponent of Polish national tendencies or Paweł Machcewicz, in a way a competitor in the work of memory preservation, whom Kostro does not want to remember the placing of Piłsudski alongside Hitler and Mussolini in the “Alley of the Totalitarianisms of the 20th Century” in the Museum of planet War II. It is besides evidenced by the presence in this communicative of respective politicians of the Civic Platform, but it was in the years of her regulation 2008 – 2015, due to the fact that in the current hand he met him with the biggest blow – alternatively of the Order of the White Eagle, he was dismissed from the function of manager of MHP as shortly as the basic construction was completed. And the Museum grew best during the PiS regulation period – established in 2006, in 2016 the foundation stone was laid for the construction; I was, honey and wine at a wonderful celebration, drinking, after a frightening muddy rubble of "localization" I tropped; and in 8 years later we celebrated the first beginning of a monumental building.
Kostro described these more than 20 years of efforts and falls very gently. I remember perfectly well the stories of his colleagues about the struggles with officials and decision makers, erstwhile they worked for years for mediocre money and without any headquarters, after homes and cafes. We called them the Flying Museum, many bitter mockery and good advice, small hope. Kostro describes with good will the unheard proposal of Warsaw's president Hanna Gronkiewicz-Waltz to build the Museum as a "light pavilion on the Łazienkowska Route"; the Museum, besides thought of as a social education facility with lecture and theatre halls, full of priceless paintings, old prints and another exhibits, not to mention employees – would be stretched over a busy, multi-lane cruise route, where day and night vibrations, terrible sound and exhaust fumes.
At the same time Kostro participates in the book in an endless discussion on the past of our country. This part of the book could make super interesting lessons in advanced schools. He touches on the subjects of primates from distant times, specified as the Polish sense and concept of freedom, besides the most crucial topics today, specified as the function of the Church in Poland, the double business in the Second War, or very difficult, like Jews in the Second Poland and Second War. It proposes and justifies an approach acceptable to the broad Polish public. He confronts all the current historical discussions in Poland, frequently excellent arguments, breaking specified neckless concepts as that we should have entered into an alliance with Hitler in 1939. He himself has a hard and simple moral spine, perfectly distinguishes affirmative national feelings from nationalism, perpetrators from victims, understands the problem of guilt and punishment. In this communicative about the construction of the Museum of History, which fortunately did not stay the Polish "history of the circus under construction", reflects the full past thirty-five years. And the basic outline of this period – a waste of time and energy of young capable people.
I call on the present Ministry of Culture to rectify the nightmare of the predecessors and to reconstruct Robert Kostra to the position of manager of the Museum of past of Poland, and to remedy the improbable harm caused to him – the alleged fraud trial, the charge so eagerly applied by today's authority to the public annihilation of the ill-seen.
The graphic frame of the interview-river – white cover, black hard cover of the indestructible species, draws attention. On the cover discreetly vertically arranged words of the title, divided by stylized initials MHP – letter M like the royal crown, letter H like the Hussar wings, letter P resembles the sign of the fighting Poland. Written by Andrzej Barecki.
There are besides quite a few household and occasional photos.
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Stateman at the Museum. Robert Kostro in an interview with Piotr Zaremba. Iskry Publishing House, Warsaw, 2025
