Rare painting on display as Poland marks century since victory over Soviets

Warsaw’s Royal Castle has put on display a rare monumental painting from the early 20th century to mark the centennial of Poland’s victory over the Russian Bolsheviks in the 1920 Battle of Warsaw.

Prof. Wojciech Fałkowski, director of Warsaw's Royal Castle, speaks at the launch of "The Sabre and the Cross" exhibition on Thursday.

Photo: PAP/Rafał Guz

The massive painting, part of the Royal Castle’s The Sabre and the Cross exhibition, features several prominent figures from Polish history, including King John III Sobieski and poet Jan Kochanowski.

The painting was originally executed for the Polish pavilion at the 1936 International Exhibition of Catholic Press, which was held at the Vatican to coincide with the 75th anniversary of the daily L'Osservatore Romano.

The monumental painting by Jan Henryk Rosen (1891-1982) on display at the Royal Castle in Warsaw. Photo: PAP/Rafał Guz

The director of the Royal Castle, Prof. Wojciech Fałkowski, talks to Elżbieta Krajewska about the painting and upcoming events.

Listen to the interview by clicking on the audio player above.