The year 2026 has been officially designated the Year of Jerzy Giedroyc by the Senate of the Republic of Poland, marking the 120th anniversary of his birth and honouring one of the most influential political thinkers, editors, and intellectual figures of the 20th century. The year also coincides with the 80th anniversary of the founding of the Literary Institute (Instytut Literacki) — a cornerstone of Polish émigré culture — alongside other important jubilees connected to the circle of Kultura.
Jerzy Giedroyc, founder and long-time editor-in-chief of the Paris-based monthly Kultura, devoted his life to the cause of a free, democratic, and pluralistic Poland — one deeply rooted in its traditions while firmly embedded in Europe. From its seat in Maisons-Laffitte near Paris, Kultura became a unique space for uncensored debate and independent thought during the Cold War. The journal not only documented political reality, but actively shaped public opinion, promoted pluralism and tolerance, and advocated cooperation with Poland’s neighbours, including Ukraine, Lithuania, and Belarus.
Importantly, Kultura initiated international dialogue that extended far beyond Polish émigré circles. It served as a platform for exchange between intellectuals from Central and Eastern Europe, Western Europe, and the broader democratic world, fostering conversations across political systems, languages, and borders. In this way, Kultura functioned as a transnational forum in which ideas circulated freely, challenging nationalist isolation and Cold War divisions.
Kultura brought together some of the most important voices of Polish and European intellectual life, such as Czesław Miłosz, Witold Gombrowicz, Juliusz Mieroszewski, Konstanty Jeleński, and many others. Through the Literary Institute, Giedroyc also supported underground publishing in communist Poland, smuggling books and journals across borders and providing material assistance to dissident publishers — turning Maisons-Laffitte into a stronghold of freedom of speech beyond censorship.
ENRS and Kultura: Freedom of Speech Beyond Borders
In 2025, the European Network Remembrance and Solidarity (ENRS) engaged directly with the legacy of Jerzy Giedroyc and Kultura through the first edition of the educational project Freedom of Speech Beyond Borders. The programme explored the history of resistance to censorship during the Cold War and the role of underground and émigré publishing in defending freedom of expression.
As part of the project, participants visited key European archives in Prague, Bremen, and Maisons-Laffitte, the historic home of the Literary Institute. Working with original archival materials, they examined transnational networks of samizdat and exile publishing and reflected on their relevance today. The study visit was accompanied by creative workshops, resulting in samizdat-inspired zines that combined historical research with contemporary perspectives.
During the visit to Maisons-Laffitte, ENRS also produced a short documentary film presenting the history of the House of the Literary Institute, the phenomenon of Paris Kultura, and Jerzy Giedroyc’s enduring commitment to freedom of speech beyond borders.
Below, we invite you to watch the documentary filmed in Maisons-Laffitte during the Freedom of Speech Beyond Borders project.