The event was attended, among others, by Bożena Żelazowska, Secretary of State at the Ministry of Culture and National Heritage; Barbara Okuła, Member of the Sejm of the Republic of Poland; Professor Wojciech Śleszyński, Director of the Sybir Memorial Museum; Professor Rafał Wnuk, Director of the Museum of the Second World War in Gdańsk; and Kordian Borejko, President of the Main Board of the Association of Sybiraks.
Sources Previously Difficult to Access
“From Central Asian Archives” is the result of cooperation between the two museums and historians and archivists from Central Asian countries. The Polish-Kazakh, Polish-Uzbek and Polish-Kyrgyz Historical Commissions play an important role in this work.
Joint research projects have made it possible to access materials concerning, among other things, the forced deportations of citizens of the Second Polish Republic, Soviet repression, and the formation of Anders’ Army. Given the limited access currently available to Polish researchers to Russian archives, sources preserved in Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan are of particular importance.
During the meeting at the Sejm, both the academic and social dimensions of the project were emphasized. Bożena Żelazowska, Secretary of State at the Ministry of Culture and National Heritage, highlighted the importance of international cooperation and new technologies in making previously difficult-to-access materials available to a much wider audience.
Barbara Okuła, Member of the Sejm of the Republic of Poland, drew attention to the particular value of these sources for the families of deported Poles. Documents discovered in the archives can help complete stories that, for decades, were preserved primarily in family memories and passed down from one generation to the next.
Professor Wojciech Śleszyński, Director of the Sybir Memorial Museum, spoke about the importance of Central Asian collections for research into the experiences of deported Poles. Cooperation with historians and archivists from Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan makes it possible to access sources that remained beyond the reach of Polish researchers for many years.
Professor Rafał Wnuk, Director of the Museum of the Second World War in Gdańsk, emphasized the academic dimension of the project. The documents being made available are analyzed and described by researchers, while cooperation with partners from Central Asia involves not only access to new sources, but also an exchange of knowledge between Polish and Central Asian research communities.
The Archives Online
One of the most important advantages of the new portal is the ability to access and work with documents without having to conduct research directly in the archives of Central Asia. The collections can be used by historians and researchers, as well as by people looking for information about their family histories.
Searching for names, locations and other information is facilitated by an artificial intelligence-powered search engine. This makes it easier to navigate the collected materials, including for people without previous experience in archival research.
The portal, its key features and the way in which the materials can be searched were presented during the meeting by Dmitriy Panto, PhD, a historian and curator at the Museum of the Second World War in Gdańsk, who is involved in the work of the international historical commissions.
Behind the documents preserved in these archives are individual names, families and human stories. For researchers, they provide valuable sources for further exploration of the history of Poles in the East. For families, they may offer an opportunity to find information about their relatives and fill in gaps in stories that have remained incomplete for decades.
The “From Central Asian Archives” portal is available at: www.dokumentyzazji.pl/en/
