The History of Sibir Connects Poland and Japan – Exhibition in Sapporo

Radosław Tyszkiewicz, President of the Poland-Japan Foundation, visited Sapporo on the island of Hokkaido, where he visited the exhibition “Siberia – Prison of Nations. Poland and Japan – Histories of Memory and Solidarity.” The exhibition was opened at the Hokkaido University Museum in Sapporo. The project was prepared in cooperation between the Poland-Japan Foundation, the Sybir Memorial Museum in Białystok, and the Slavic-Eurasian Research Center at Hokkaido University. We are pleased that, for the first time in Japan, it has been possible to present the history of Polish Sibir. The exhibition tells the stories of exiles, deportees, and prisoners of the Russian and Soviet systems of repression, recalling the experience of Sibir as one of the most tragic chapters in 20th-century Polish history. For its Japanese presentation, the exhibition was expanded with panels devoted to shared chapters in the histories of Poland and Japan. Visitors can learn about Bronisław Piłsudski – an outstanding researcher associated with Hokkaido and Ainu culture – as well as the remarkable history of the Siberian Polish Children, who were rescued with the help of Japan following the Bolshevik Revolution and the Russian Civil War. The event is particularly significant because it is taking place in the year marking the 150th anniversary of the founding of Hokkaido University. The Hokkaido University Museum welcomes approximately 300,000 visitors each year, giving the history of Polish Sibir the opportunity to reach a broad audience in Japan. We also hope that Sapporo will be the first stop for this exhibition in Japan, and that in the coming years it will travel to other cities and institutions across the country. The exhibition is open until the end of March 2027. We warmly invite you to visit!