Polish Cultural Institute in London
By Polish Cultural Institute
Polish Cultural Institute in LondonAug 10, 2020
The Breaking of the Enigma - An Interview with Dermot Turing
2022 marked the 90th anniversary of the first breaking of the Enigma Code by three Polish mathematicians: Marian Rejewski, Jerzy Różycki, and Henryk Zygalski - on the 31st of December 1932, Marian Rejewski was able to decipher and read messages sent by the German coding machine Enigma for the first time. In this 23-minute interview, hear Alan Turing's nephew Dermot Turing talk about the origins and purposes of the famous Enigma machine. He explains how the machine worked and why the German military came to adopt it in the 1930s, as well as the critical contribution of the Polish codbreakers to its deciphering and how Polish intellgence helped to inform a later collaboration between the Polish, British and French military intellgience teams on the breaking of further Enigma codes during #WWII. The film is a prelude to a second film about the cyclometer machine, the first machine used for code breaking by Marian Rejewski, which was reconstructed at Cambridge University and is the world’s only known replica, reconstructed on the basis of sketches made by Rejewski. The original machine was destroyed just before the outbreak of WWII to prevent the Germans finding out that the Enigma had been broken. Keep an eye out for the publication of this video on our Social Media channels on the 11th of November. This film was produced by the Polish Cultural Institute. #enigma #cryptography #wwii
Europe's First Constitution. A guide to why 3 May 1791 matters, with Richard Butterwick-Pawlikowski. Polish History Podcast.
‘The Constitution of 3 May was the second in the world and the first modern constitutional act in Europe. Its aim was to modernize and streamline the system of power, so it would be possible to build an efficient administration, an army and to carry out social reforms that would enable the economy to develop. The Constitution did not save the PolishLithuanian Commonwealth, but this in no way diminishes its historical significance. Above all, this act of wisdom on the part of the elites testified to their ability to communicate across divisions and to diagnose the country’s greatest political problems. It also demonstrated their will to find much needed remedies for the weaknesses from which their country suffered.’
Argues professor Richard Butterwick-Pawlikowski of UCL London in his latest book ‘The Constitution of 3 May 1791. Testament of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth’ published by the Polish History Museum in Warsaw.
We present you a podcast with a professor discussing issues, covered in depth within this fantastic book, condensed to 45 minutes of captivating history behind Europe's first constitution.
All shot in the stunning interiors of the Senate Chamber of the Royal Castle in Warsaw, which team have also supported the Institute in producing this video every step of the way - thank you for this!.
Sit down, relax and enjoy the history behind the Constitution of 3 May.
The Odyssey of the Anders Army, 1941-46 by Norman Davies. Polish history podcast.
Join Professor Norman Davies as he explores the untold story of the Polish Second Corps of the Polish Armed Forces during the Second World War in a podcast prepared by the Polish Cultural Institute in London for the Chelsea History Festival 2020.
The Polish Second Corps, which fought under British command in the Italian Campaign of 1943-45, is best remembered for its heroic capture of the Abbey of Monte Cassino. But the details of its formation under General Anders in Russia, from exiles and convicts of the Gulag, and of its amazing feat of making its way to Italy via Iran, Iraq and Palestine, are less known.
Norman Davies recounts the remarkable odyssey of the 'Anders Army' and some of its more colourful members including the extraordinary women draiverki, the Jewish soldiers who joined the Zionist underground, and Wojciech the Bear.
The Battle of Warsaw, 1920: One Hundred Years Ago by Norman Davies. Polish history podcast.
Norman Davies, an author and historian, invites you to listen to a podcast about the Battle of Warsaw, 1920, prepared for the Relief Society for Poles and produced by UrbanRec for the Polish Culture Institute in London.
The Battle of Warsaw, also known as the Miracle of the Vistula, was a series of battles that resulted in a decisive Polish victory in 1920 during the Polish–Soviet War.
Poland, on the verge of total defeat, repulsed the Red Army in what Vladimir Lenin, the Bolshevik leader, called "an enormous defeat" for his forces.
To mark the 100th anniversary of this remarkable event in the European history, Polish Cultural Institute produced a podcast with the extraordinary Norman Davies reflecting on the battle.
#PolishCultureKatchUp - Barbara Bogoczek & Tony Howard
Translation power couple Barbara Bogoczek and Tony Howard share their music, film and poetry recommendations for you to #KatchUp with.
Tony Howard is Professor of English at the University of Warwick. Barbara Bogoczek is a translator and interpreter based in London. Their joint translations include works by Tadeusz Różewicz, Ewa Lipska, Maria Pawlikowska-Jasnorzewska and Stanisław Wyspiański. For #PolishCultureKatchUp they recorded a short podcast about the poetry of Janusz Różewicz, Krzysztof Kieslowski’s films, and music of Zbigniew Preisner or band Dagadana.