Perhaps you are walking past this memorial plaque. It quietly honors a man named Witold Szolginia.
Who was he? Why does he have a plaque here in Warsaw?
Witold Szolginia was born in Lwow on March 11 1923. He died in Warsaw on June 30 1996. He was a Polish architect. He was an author. He also delivered radio broadcasts.
Szolginia is particularly known for his stories about Lwow. Lwow is now known as Lviv and is in Ukraine.
From his birth until 1946 Szolginia lived on Łyczakowska Street 137 in Lwow. It was in the “House under the Iron Lion”. In 1944 he started studying at the Faculty of Architecture of the Lwow Polytechnic.
After his forced expulsion from Lwow in 1946 he continued these studies at the Krakow University of Technology. He graduated in 1950 with a master’s degree in engineering and architecture.
Szolginia worked in his profession for over 40 years. He became a lecturer at the Institute of Environmental Planning in Warsaw. He conducted research. He also achieved success in popularizing urban planning architecture and construction.
Many considered him a Lwow guru. Some called him a walking encyclopedia of that city.
Alina Czerniakowska directed a documentary about him in 1999. It was titled Semper fidelis.
Witold Szolginia was buried in the Powązki Cemetery.
Szolginia wrote many books. These included books for children and adults. They covered architecture city life and Lwow. One notable title is “Dom pod żelaznym lwem. Wspomnienia lwowskie” published in 1971. This translates to “House under the Iron Lion. Lviv Memories”. It is a collection of his Lwow memories.
Between 1989 and 1996 he presented weekly talks about Lwow on Polish Radio Program III. These were called “Landscapes close to the heart”. These broadcasts inspired his eight-volume series “That Lwow” published between 1992 and 1997.
So this Witold Szolginia Plaque commemorates not just an architect but a storyteller. It honors a man who cherished and shared the history and spirit of Lwow. His books his broadcasts and this plaque keep his memory alive. They offer a glimpse into a city and a life dedicated to its preservation.