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| Commemorative plaque to Janusz Korczak opened in Kyiv. PHOTO A solemn ceremony dedicated to the opening of a commemorative plaque to Janusz Korczak took place in Kyiv at 47 Volodymyrska Street. November 22, 2012. This was reported by the Center for Studies of the History and Culture of East European Jewry. Last year, the Polish Sejm declared 2012 the Year of Janusz Korczak, held under the motto "There are no children – there are people." |
It was precisely in Kyiv that the outstanding educator stayed at the beginning of the 20th century (serving as a medic in the Russian Imperial Army), and it was right here that he worked in children's shelters and wrote one of his foundational pedagogical works: "How to Love a Child" (1918).
What stands today at 47 Volodymyrska Street? Looking at this grand Kyivan building through Google Street View, one's eye is immediately drawn to the Polish and European Union flags flying proudly on the facade. This is no coincidence. Within the very walls that witnessed Janusz Korczak’s grueling educational and medical labors during WWI, now resides the Polish Institute in Kyiv—an official diplomatic institution. The 2012 bronze commemorative plaque, while shielded from the direct street view as it is mounted discreetly inside the entrance archway, stands guard at the gates of this cultural oasis. History has come full circle.
