The Boarding House of Janusz Korczak and Stefania WilczyńskaAt the end of his life, Janusz Korczak (Henryk Goldszmit) wrote:The orphanage is not, will not be the Orphans’ Home of Korczak. [I am] too small, too weak, too poor, and too stupid for the challenge of choosing almost two hundred children to dress them, gather round – feed and keep them warm – protect them and introduce them to life… This splendid work was accomplished by the collective effort of many hundred people of goodwill and with an enlightened understanding of the needs of a child… an orphaned child. Many beautiful names are among them, and many remain nameless… – their work, their help, their advice, and their experience constituted the material and spiritual values of this workshop and this wealthy enterprise.The original documentation of the Orphans’ Home run by Janusz Korczak (Henryk Goldszmit) as its director and Stefania Wilczyńska as its head educator was lost during the war. The scarce archival materials that survived and today are kept and preserved, among other places, in Korczakianum, the research lab of the Museum of Warsaw, which focuses on Janusz Korczak’s professional and literary oeuvre, are insufficient to fully reconstruct the history of the institution.The boarding house – aimed at young people – was an important part of the Orphans’ Home. On its premises, its residents underwent practical training for the profession of a carer, while at the same time studying at various institutions. Some of them were students at the University of Warsaw.Knowledge on the subject was fragmentary in the past. The comprehensive queries conducted in various archives, but especially at the university, brought remarkable results. The rediscovered documents and photographs have not only made it possible to complete the information about the previously known individuals but also to discover new names and stories.The portrayed residents of the boarding house, students of the University of Warsaw, were carefully selected in order to show the wide spectrum of their experiences and fates characteristic of the times of war and the great history turns. The portrait photographs come from the student’s files, preserved at the University Archive. The biographies are complemented by references (QR codes) to the documents from the collection of the Museum of Warsaw that allow us to have a deeper insight into the personal history of the presented individuals, as well as into the history of the Orphans’ Home and the boarding house.The exhibition presents only nine residents, but it is a tribute to all the young people who contributed to the great idea of the Orphans’ Home.Magdalena PęzińskaKorczakianumMuseum of WarsawThe exhibition can be downloaded online: from April 14 at nck.pl and muzeumwarszawy.plCurators: Magdalena Pęzińska, Museum of Warsaw; Agnieszka Bebłowska Bednarkiewicz / NCKOrganizers: Ministry of Culture and National Heritage, National Center for Culture, Museum of Warsaw, Kordegarda, Gallery of the National Center for Culture