Polish Museum of America
It was a little chilly and rainy, so we decided to continue our quest to visit all the lesser known museums around Chicago. We set the navigation system for Noble Square and soon found ourselves spending our Date Day at the Polish Museum of America.
The museum, opened in 1935, is one of the oldest and largest ethnic museums in the US. It features a large collection of art, artifacts and mementoes that chronical important periods of time, and significant events, throughout the history of Poland. Neither of us is Polish, but we thoroughly enjoyed our time at the Museum and didn’t even crack a single joke – at least Theresa didn’t.
The Great Hall
The Great Hall is the centerpiece of the museum and where you find most of its exhibits. Originally designed as the auditorium of the Polish Roman Catholic Union of America, it was converted for use by the museum in 1939. The first thing you notice, when you enter the huge room, is a large stained-glass window that was created for the Polish Pavilion at the 1939 World’s Fair. It was undergoing a cleaning when we saw it, but we were still awestruck by its grand depiction of Poland’s accomplishments between WWI and WWII.
The center of the Great Hall is reserved for temporary exhibitions and the sides are dedicated to permanent ones. Between now and March 2019, the center spaces is taken up by a fascinating collection focused on Poland’s role in WWI and regaining its independence 100 years ago in 1918. There’s a lot we never learned in school about how closely America and Poland were tied, and how we worked together.
Permanent Exhibits
Around the edges of the Great Hall are impressive and interesting exhibits about Poland’s leader’s as well as its culture and religious heritage. We learned about; Casimir Pulaski and his fights for both Polish and American independence, the visit of Saint John Paul II to Chicago and the first Polish settlement in America (in Panna Maria, Texas).
We especially enjoyed seeing the Royal Sleigh presented to Princess Maria by King Stanislaw Leszczynski in 1703. Its shaped like a sea creature and looks like it could still be used today. Theresa also really liked the intricate and colorful Polish folk-art; including woodwork, textiles and ginger bread.
World’s Fair and Art Gallery
In addition to the Great Hall, the museum also includes a display of memorabilia from the 1939 World’s Fair and a small, but impressive, art gallery. The posters from the fair were incredibly defined and featured details of daily life in Poland. It made us want to visit. The art gallery primarily had paintings from the first half of the 20th century. They were amazing in detail and in their ability to capture emotion. A particularly poignant one featured Polish school children with signs around their necks. The signs were mocking them for not learning German. We all know how that turned out.
The Paderewski Room
It was getting late, so we almost skipped the second floor of the museum. Wow, were we glad we didn’t! There’s only one exhibit on the second floor, but its perhaps the crown jewel of the museum.
The room is dedicated to the life of Ignacy Jan Paderewski. We’d never heard of him, but we spent a good 45 minutes learning about him. Musician, statesman and humanitarian, this guy did it all. He was a famous composer, Prime Minister of Poland and all-around legend. He also has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame!
The exhibit features his Steinway Piano, the pen he used to sign the Treaty of Versailles and the flag that covered his coffin. It also includes the set of furnishings from his suite at the Hotel Buckingham in New York where he was staying when he passed away in 1941. Learning about Paderewski was the highlight of the museum for both of us.
We love days like this, when we do something new, with little expectation, and we find a gem of a place. If you’re interested in learning about more of the off-the-beaten-path museums we’ve visited, there are links to a few of them below. If you have ideas for additional places for us to see, we’d love to hear about them. Leave us a comment or drop us an email!
November 2018
Polish Museum of America
984 N Milwaukee Ave, Chicago, IL 60642
$10 per adult
2 Hours
Free Parking
