The History of the Polish Panorama

mp02There is a great new book that has made its way to the genealogy market, The History of the Polish Panorama. However, to understand what this book is, first requires a basic understanding of what the Polish Mission of the Orchard Lake Schools is, along with a background to the Panaorama.

Let the Polish Mission describe itself (from the groups website at: http://www.polishmission.com/):

“The purpose of the Polish Mission of the Orchard Lake Schools, which were founded in 1885 by Polish immigrants, is to preserve and promote Polish and Polish-American culture, tradition, and history for present and future generations. The Polish Mission organizes programs, courses and events that highlight Polish and Polish -American culture and accomplishments, and ensures a repository for artifacts, archival materials, works of art, and publications.

The Orchard Lake Schools, originally known as the “Polish Seminary,”were founded in the late 19th century when the need arose for priests to care for Polish immigrants.”

The Panorama is a unique theatrical (after a manner) presentation of Polish history, customs, and traditions. 30″ tall, carefully-crafted figurines dressed in the period-based traditional garb of the Polish people, reside in a special room, called simple the Panorama room, at the Overlake Schools. A custom-built motorized track carefully moves the figurines on and off the stage in a procession of Polish history. A narrative plays as each character moves into the spotlight, declaring the historical significance for each of the 106 figurines.

The Panorama was first put in place over 30 years ago. It was recently updated and refinished. The original work was the result of years of research and careful planning. By all account, just as much care was put into the restoration.

Now for the book

The History of the Polish Panorama was produced effectively an commemorative for the renovatoin of the Panorama. However, there is actually very little “commemoration” and a whole lot of Polish history. In fact, after a few pages of historical notes on the organization and the panorama, the reader is treated to an expose on each of the figurines and their historical representation. For example, the first two figurines presented are a Female Peasant, with baby, and a Male Peasant in clothes as they would have appeared in the 9th century when Polans united several West Slavic tribes into the Kingdom of Poland. The presentation passes through the centuries covering significant historical figures, tradition clothing, and historical fact of key interest. Any Polish descendent is likely to find this presentation highly interesting and pertinent to their research.

 

Table of Contents

Historical Background of the Polish Panorama

Panorama Figures

Early Poland

Jagiellonian Dynasty

Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth

18th Century Turmoil

19th Century

Immigration to the United States

Regional Dress

World War I

World War II

Communist Era

Conservators

Contributors

Acknowledgements

Index

Bibliography

 

Presented in full-color, with nice thick pages little fingers are less likely to easily tear, The History of the Polish Panorama can be obtained for your family or library from Family Roots Publishing for only $19.60.

This book makes an excellent companion to Sto Lat: A Modern Guide to Polish Genealogy

One Reply to “The History of the Polish Panorama”

  1. Hi,
    I am trying to find a passenger who may have traveled back to Poland at the start of WWII. I’ve checked all the ships heading east a passenger may have taken if they lived in Washington, DC

    All of the ones on Ancestry have been checked and I’ve gone through a web site listing every naval disaster…not there either.
    Do you have any concepts of where else I should look?
    Thanks,
    Ruth

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