“Kielce Footprints in the Declaration of Admiration and Friendship for the United States” — outdoor exhibition

Place: courtyard of Castle Hill in Kielce

One hundred years ago, more than 4,000 residents of Kielce signed a unique document — the Declaration of Admiration and Friendship for the United States. Were your ancestors among them? We invite you to an open-air exhibition that will allow you to discover an extraordinary testimony of the history of the city and its inhabitants.

In 1926, on the occasion of the 150th anniversary of the independence of the United States, a campaign was organized in Poland to collect signatures under a solemn document expressing gratitude to the American people for their support of Polish independence aspirations and humanitarian and economic assistance after the First World War. Representatives of different backgrounds, nationalities and social groups participated in the event. 111 volumes containing more than 30 thousand cards with signatures of the inhabitants of the Second Polish Republic were created.

More than 4000 Kielczans were also among the signatories. Their signatures, preserved on the pages of the Declaration, are today a unique resource for learning about local and family history.

On the occasion of the 100th anniversary of this event, the Foundation of the KARTA Center, the Center for Patriotic and Civic Thought and the Museum of History of Kielce invite you to an open-air exhibition in the courtyard of the Castle Hill, presenting Declaration cards with signatures of the inhabitants of Kielce from 1926.

The opening of the exhibition will take place on Wednesday, October 28, 2026. The program of the event includes:

Presentation of the Polska1926.pl portal — a digital archive allowing to find signatures from a hundred years ago. Screening of the film “Grateful”. Presentation by Leszek Dziedzica “Kielce traces in the Declaration of Admiration and Friendship for the United States”, dedicated to the inhabitants of Kielce, whose signatures are included in the document. Discussion on the importance of family and local history in learning about the history of Poland.

The exhibition will also be an opportunity to search for traces of their own ancestors, relatives and other pre-war inhabitants of Kielce.

The event takes place as part of the project “Close History — Local Partnerships for Remembrance”, implemented by the KARTA Center Foundation.

Organizers: KARTA Centre Foundation, Centre for Patriotic and Civic Thought and Kielce History Museum.

We invite you to discover together the history of Kielczan a hundred years ago!

More information and possibility to search for signatures: www.polska1926.pl