The library by the canal
Stefan Wyszyński passionately promoted reading since his early years. Due to his childhood during the partitions of Poland, he learned about Polish history through 24 illustrations about polish history by Kazimierz Góralczyk. Later, during the interwar period, he was attending the seminary in Włocławek. One winter break, he approached the rector with a request to go to the city. Reluctant to the idea, Father Krynicki inquired about the purpose of the visit. Wyszyński replied:
- To buy a book.
- Have you read all the books in the library? (there were about a hundred thousand of them)
- Not yet.
- When you've read them all, come back, and then I'll let you go to the city.
Books were also a crucial element in providing assistance to neighboring countries in the former Eastern Bloc. Whenever Cardinal Wyszyński visited Rome, he invited the Slovak bishop and would express offense if the bishop did not visit him. Books were smuggled from Poland to Slovakia, as there were clergy who knew Polish and could deepen their theological knowledge in the face of a catastrophic lack of literature in their native language.
Cardinal Wyszyński willingly met with creative circles. He brought them together with Father Kazimierz Orzechowski, a former actor who had exchanged the theatrical stage for the pulpit, although in the last period of his life, he often appeared in films. The residence on Miodowa Street hosted, among others, Anna German, whose voice fascinated him, Jan Kobuszewski, Wieńczysław Gliński, and even Kalina Jędrusik. After the great success of the first film adaptation of Henryk Sienkiewicz's novel "In Desert and Wilderness," Cardinal Wyszyński received the cast and crew for an audience. From the academic environment, the eminent philosopher Prof. Władysław Tatarkiewicz was a frequent guest of the Primate.
The above description is a fragment of a book close to our Museum, "He Most Liked Nasturtiums". Its author, Grzegorz Polak, points out unknown facts from the life of Cardinal Stefan Wyszyński and explores rarely discussed aspects of his teachings. "He Most Liked Nasturtiums" combines anecdotes with thorough substantive knowledge and authentic quotes. We encourage you to read it.