Trial of Eligiusz Nieski

Warsaw. December 1922. The National Assembly elects the first president of free Poland, Gabriel Narutowicz. His election has sparked fierce opposition from the right-wing, which insists that the choice was made by a “non-Polish minority”. A violent political and press campaign begins.

On December 11, the day of the president's swearing-in, clashes and demonstrations take place on the streets of Warsaw. Opponents are trying to block the roads leading to the Sejm. Barricades are erected in Ujazdowski Avenues. The assembled crowd shouts — behind the headlines — “We don't want a president like that!”

On December 16, 1922, three shots were fired at Zachęta in Warsaw, as a result of which Gabriel Narutowicz lost his life. The killer turns out to be Eligiusz Nieski — a 53-year-old painter and art critic, convinced that in the name of “saving his homeland” he has the right to kill.

“I knew it was a crime. But I also knew that it was an obligation,” Nieski testified before the court, stressing that if Narutowicz had passed the “Polish majority” the assassination would not have happened.

The play, directed by Bartosz Szydłowski, is a theatrical reconstruction of the assassination trial of President Narutowicz, not only the judicial one that ended with the death of the assailant in the Warsaw Citadel, but also the process of ideas, language and emotions that made the artist a murderer.

Krzysztof Zarzecki will sit on the “jury of the accused”.

The script of the play was based on the court document “The Trial of Eligius Nieski. On the assassination of the President of the Republic of Poland, Gabryel Narutowicz, on December 16, 1922, at the District Court in Warsaw on December 30, 1922” in a paper by Stanisław Kijeński from 1923.

availability Entrance to the building without stairs. The show takes place on the ground floor. Accessible toilet for people with disabilities. Induction loop. If you need support (e.g. assistance, headphones) please contact us 3 days before your scheduled visit: dostepnosc@powszechny.com +48 797582769