For the first time in history of our museum, most of our annual acquisitions came through purchases (1,459 items). This was largely thanks to a newly acquired collection of photographs and archival materials related to the pre-war Sulikowski family from Białystok, consisting of over 1,100 objects. The war brutally tore the family apart. Sisters Wanda and Halina ended up in a labor camp, their parents, Stefan and Stanisława, were deported to different places of exile, and their brother Henryk was murdered by the Germans. The youngest daughter, Janina Jadwiga, survived the war in occupied Białystok. The collection of photographs, correspondence, and documents show their fate in a multifaceted way, within a broad context that includes not only the fate of close and distant relatives but also the entire circle of friends from Białystok and Isfahan, Iran.

In 2024, we took part in 11 auctions, where we successfully managed to bid for 76 objects. There is a unique collection of photographs among them documenting Ignacy Karol Korwin-Milewski’s 1897 voyage aboard the steam yacht “Litwa.” The photos include images of the port of Arkhangelsk, the Solovetsky Islands, and Igarsky Island (former Samoyedic Island). A cup gifted by Polish exiles in Simbirsk (currently Ulyanovsk) as a token of gratitude, Wiktor Suchodolski’s school certificate (he graduated from the NCO School of the 3rd Vilnius Sapper Battalion) and an album with photographs from Tehran, featuring images of the Main Civil Hospital also deserve attention.

Thanks to cooperation with private collectors and auction houses, our collection has been enriched by items such as postcards and photographs illustrating the appearance of towns and villages in the eastern borderlands, correspondence and documents from the Mirakowski family (the Mirakowski brothers fought against occupiers during the war – Henryk was taken prisoner by the Germans after the September Campaign, while Janusz and Bogdan, members of the Home Army, were held in camps in the USSR), and a postcard depicting residents of Novaya Zemlya, sent by Adam Piwowar, an exile who joined a polar expedition there in 1905.

A total of 710 of our new acquisitions are donations given by Sybiraks, their families, friends, and various institutions. Through such cooperation, WIDOK Cultural Education Association donated pages from the album of Bolesław Augustis, featuring photographs taken in Italy and near Tobruk, obtained from the photographer’s descendants during a visit to New Zealand. Our collection also includes a toolbox belonging to Feliks Babiel, who was deported to Kazakhstan; a comb made in exile, owned by Władysław Bartomiejczyk; and items crafted in the Yogla labor camp, including a box, a signet, and a ring belonging to Eustachy Berbecki. The donated archives and photographs allow us to learn about the stories of more families affected by the tragedy of deportations: the Wołągiewicz, Sobolewski, Rozwadowski, Sójka, Lewandowicz, Onichowski families, and many others.

Throughout the year, we will share their stories and the memorabilia donated to the museum through initiatives such as the “Exhibit of the Month” series and the #TreasuresFromTheStorage campaign. We encourage you to follow our monthly posts, and we sincerely thank all donors for their trust and cooperation in building our collection.