The Lanckoroński Collection, a vast assembly of art, found its permanent home in Poland only after the 1989 political transition enabled Karolina Lanckorońska to fulfill her intention. Spanning over a century of life, her work encompassed significant roles as a historian, resistance fighter, and cultural benefactor who shaped the preservation of Polish heritage throughout the twentieth century.
Academic Foundation
Born in 1898 at Gars am Kamp, Lanckorońska received her education in Vienna, the administrative center of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. Following the restoration of Polish independence in 1918, she returned to Poland and joined the faculty at Lviv University. Her scholarly career progressed steadily, culminating in a Ph.D. in the history of art in 1934 and official habilitation by the Polish Ministry of Education in 1936.
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During the 1939 invasion of Poland, she observed the actions of Soviet and Nazi forces firsthand. As a member of the resistance, she was arrested and sentenced to death at Stanisławów prison. Through the intercession of an Italian cousin, Roffredo Caetani, she was liberated from the local facility, though she was subsequently detained by the Nazis and sent to the Ravensbrück concentration camp. Her experiences during these years formed the basis of her war memoirs, which she opted to delay publishing until 2001.
Philanthropy and Post-War Activity
Following the cessation of hostilities in 1945, she relocated to Switzerland and eventually settled in Rome. In 1967, she founded the Lanckoroński Foundation to support Polish culture. This organization has funded academic research, the publication of historical texts, and the archiving of materials across Ukraine, Belarus, and Lithuania. She remained dedicated to the arts until her death in 2002 at age 104, after which she was buried at Campo Verano.
Fast facts
- Born: 1898, Gars am Kamp
- Died: 2002, Rome
- Occupations: Writer, librarian, historian, pedagogue, art historian, medievalist
- Military rank: Poruchik
- Buried: Campo Verano
- Education: University of Vienna, Lviv University
- Major award: Grand Cross of the Order of Polonia Restituta
Questions readers ask
What is the primary content of her memoirs?
Her memoirs, published as 'Those Who Trespass against Us' or 'Michelangelo in Ravensbrück,' document the atrocities she witnessed during the Nazi and Soviet occupations.
Where can the Lanckoroński Collection be viewed?
The collection is primarily housed in Warsaw's Royal Castle and Kraków's Wawel Castle.
Achievements
- Knight Grand Officer of the Order of St. Gregory the Great
- Grand Cross of the Order of Polonia Restituta
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