Hidden Chopin's Heart

History of the urn with Frédéric Chopin's heart, hidden in Milanówek during the war, and local works of art dedicated to the Polish pianist and composer.

Transfer of the urn with Frédéric Chopin's heart (21st Century) by Mariusz KoszutaCultural Center of Milanówek

Transfer of the urn with Frédéric Chopin's heart

During the Warsaw Uprising on 9 September 1944 German officer Erich von den Bach passed on to archbishop Antoni Szlagowski the urn with Chopin's heart. It was kept in Milanówek till 17 October 1945.

The archbishop was displaced from occupied Warsaw and moved to Milanówek just 5 days before the heart was transferred. The illustration was created based on the movie frame from German propaganda war chronicle from 1944.

Plaque commemorating preservation of the urn with Frédéric Chopin's heart (21st Century) by Mariusz KoszutaCultural Center of Milanówek

Plaque commemorating preservation of the urn

A plate, which was embedded into the church's wall, comemorates the preservation of the urn with Chopin's heart. The inscription says: "The urn with Frédéric Chopin's heart was kept in this presbytery from 9 September 1944 to 17 October 1945."

Urn with Frédéric Chopin's heart (21st Century) by Mariusz KoszutaCultural Center of Milanówek

Urn with Frédéric Chopin's heart

The urn with Chopin's heart was placed on top of a piano in one of the rooms in presbytery. It was kept inside of a glass vessel, a black cassette and a wooden box. The illustration was created based on the movie frame from German propaganda war chronicle from 1944.

Villa Ewarystówka (21st Century) by Mariusz KoszutaCultural Center of Milanówek

Villa Ewarystówka

Villa Ewarystówka placed on the 12 Mickiewicza Street. The urn with Chopin's heart was kept there for a short period of time in 1944.

The archbishop, who was questioning the nobility of the German troops, instructed that the heart should be kept away from the presbytery for some time: it visited Villa Ewarystówka and the house of the professor Antoniewicz on Sosnowa Street in Milanówek among others.

Transfer of the urn with Frédéric Chopin's heart (21st Century) by Mariusz KoszutaCultural Center of Milanówek

Transfer of the urn with Frédéric Chopin's heart

The heart set off from Milanówek, went through Żelazowa Wola and came back to Warsaw to the reconstructed Holy Cross Church. The urn is held by Leopold Pietrzyk - the pastor of the mentioned earlier church.

Return of Chopin's heart from Milanówek to Warsaw (21st Century) by Mariusz KoszutaCultural Center of Milanówek

Return of Chopin's heart from Milanówek to Warsaw

The return of the Chopin's heart to Warsaw happened on 17 October 1945 on the 96th anniversary of the compositor's death. 

Quite a few politicians took part in the event, among them: Prime Minister Edward Osóbka-Morawski, minister Michał Kaczorowski, mayor of Warsaw Stanisław Tołwiński, minister of culture Leon Kruczkowski and thousands of Warsaw citizens. 

Bust of Frédéric Chopin (21st Century) by Mariusz KoszutaCultural Center of Milanówek

Bust of Frédéric Chopin

The bust of Frédéric Chopin, made by Janusz Tomasiński, can be found on the southern side of the presbytery. The sculpture refers to the Festival of Chopin Inspirations, which took place in Milanówek.

Bust of Frédéric Chopin (20th Century) by Janusz TomasińskiCultural Center of Milanówek

Bust of Frédéric Chopin

The bust is located in the garden of the St. Hedwig of Silesia Church in Milanówek. It was unveiled in 1998 thanks to Cultural Association in Milanówek and founders Joanna and Andrzej Nowak.

Bust of Frédéric Chopin (20th Century) by Janusz TomasińskiCultural Center of Milanówek

It is the second version of the bust made by Tomasiński. The first one is kept inside Chopin School Complex no 3 in Milanówek. The face of the compositor was meticulously copied onto this piece. The bust was showcased for the first time during the 70th birthday of the Church.

Bust of Frédéric Chopin (20th Century) by Janusz TomasińskiCultural Center of Milanówek

 Explore Bust of Frédéric Chopin in 3D here.  

Living room in presbytery of the church dedicated to Saint Hedwig of Silesia in MilanówekCultural Center of Milanówek

Living room in presbytery of the church

Living room in presbytery of the church dedicated to Saint Hedwig of Silesia in Milanówek, where the urn with Chopin's heart was kept.

Living room in presbytery of the church dedicated to Saint Hedwig of Silesia in MilanówekCultural Center of Milanówek

The displayed sculpture is a bust of Frédéric Chopin, which is a memento of the period of time - from 9 September 1944 to 17 October 1945 - during which the compositors's heart was kept in Milanówek. The presbytery was built thanks to the pastor Walenty Zasada.

Bust of Frédéric Chopin by Artystyczna Wytwórnia Figur Gipsowych w CzęstochowieCultural Center of Milanówek

Bust of Frédéric Chopin

The bust of Frédéric Chopin located in St. Hedwig of Silesia Church. The sculpture was made in Artistic Factory of Plaster Figures in Częstochowa by Stanisław Kozikowski. Kozikowski run the facility which produced devotional articles and patriotic figurines from 1882 to 1950'.

Explore the Bust of Frédéric Chopin in 3D here.

Chopin's chronicle, containing dates and events recalling the days Frédéric Chopin spent in MilanówekCultural Center of Milanówek

Chopin's chronicle

Containing dates and events recalling the days Frédéric Chopin spent in Milanówek. It hangs on one of the walls inside St. Hedwid of Silesia Church in Milanówek.

Church dedicated to Saint Hedwig of Silesia (21st Century) by Mariusz KoszutaCultural Center of Milanówek

Church dedicated to Saint Hedwig of Silesia

The church dedicated to St. Hedwig of Silesia located on 40 Kościuszki Street. Current state. It has been expanded between 1947 and 1949 and became a three-nave building with a transept. Afterwards it was sacrificed by archbishop Szlagowski. The expansion of the church was founded, among others, by contributions of the catholic followers.

Interior of the church dedicated to Saint Hegwig of Silesia in MilanówekCultural Center of Milanówek

Interior of the church dedicated to Saint Hegwig of Silesia

  The decision to reconstruct the main altar was made in 1968 to adapt the new canon of liturgy established on the Second Vatican Council. The murals were removed and new the presbytery was designed by Czesław Sosnowski. 

Interior of the church dedicated to Saint Hegwig of Silesia in MilanówekCultural Center of Milanówek

The view of the main altar seen from the height of the Choir in the St. Hedwig of Silesia Church in Milanówek.

Plaque commemorating preservation of the urn with Frédéric Chopin's heart (21st Century)Cultural Center of Milanówek

Plaque commemorating preservation of the urn with heart

Memorial plaque located in St. Hedwig of Silesia Church in Milanówek, founded in 2010 by the family of Skrajewscy on the 200th birthday of Frédéric Chopin.

Villa Morawianka (21th Century) by Mariusz KoszutaCultural Center of Milanówek

Villa Morawianka

Villa Morawianka placed on 4 Chrzanowska Street and built approximately in 1920. Right after the end of the war, the Frédéric Chopin Music Academy was moved there. The Academy operated continuously despite having its headquarters destroyed in 1939.

The occupant banned the Academy's existence hence it has been running in conspiracy since 1942. In spring 1945 in the Villa an underground branch of the Academy has been opened. Some of the professors who were teaching there were B. Woytowicz,  H. Gołębiowski, J. Sierpiński and Zofia Rabcewiczowa. Rabcewiczowa in particular often performed concerts of Chopin's music in the Villa.

Villa Waleria (21th Century) by Mariusz KoszutaCultural Center of Milanówek

Villa Waleria

Villa Waleria placed on 22 Spacerowa Street in Milanówek. Rufin Morozowicz, a well-known actor in Warsaw, built in 1910 for his wife Waleria. The residence was known for its "open doors", welcoming numerous magnificent artists and people of culture through the years.

After the first owners' death, the villa was inherited by their daughter Maria Morozowicz-Szczepkowska (1885-1968) who was a faithful Chopin's music lover. She wrote three plays and one movie script about the compositor.  Her husband, Jan Szczepkowski, was a striking polish artist of the interwar period. He won a Grand Prix prize for his Chapel of Nativity on the International Exhibition of Decorative Arts and Modern Industry in 1925.

Statue of Frédéric Chopin by Jan SzczepkowskiCultural Center of Milanówek

Statue of Frédéric Chopin

The plaster statue of Frédéric Chopin is a full sized, realistic sculpture created in 1950'. The figure is actually a plaster cast reinforced with steel bars, standing in contrapposto. The face of the statue was depicted quite simply.  The author, Jan Szczepkowski, was very much fond of Chopin's work, especially because of the compositor's interpretation of folklore included in many pieces.

Statue of Frédéric Chopin by Jan SzczepkowskiCultural Center of Milanówek

The sculptor as well based most of his artwork on folk themes and techniques. In 1951 Szczepkowski took part in the second contest for the pianist's monument to be placed in Warsaw.

Statue of Frédéric Chopin by Jan SzczepkowskiCultural Center of Milanówek

Explore the Statue of Frédéric Chopin in 3D here.

Chopin captured in works of Maria Morozowicz - Szczepkowska by Maria Morozowicz-SzczepkowskaCultural Center of Milanówek

Chopin captured in works of Maria Morozowicz - Szczepkowska

Maria Morozowicz-Szczepkowska wrote three plays and movie script about Frédéric Chopin. The first play was "Ballada" (1947), which was set in the guesthouse owned by Chopin's father - Mikołaj Chopin. The second one was called "Christmas Eve in Warsaw" (1962) and it was a  one-act play set in Chopins' accommodation in Warsaw. The third one - "Chopin's Warsaw" was the longest piece consisting of six acts. After the war, she also wrote a movie script for "Chopin in Warsaw", that told the story about compositor's youth. 

Credits: Story

Author of photos: Tobiasz Bułynko
Author of 3D models: Karolina Polkowska  
Author of drawings: Mariusz Koszuta
Text editor: Michał Słowiński
Translator: Ola Andrzejczak 

Credits: All media
The story featured may in some cases have been created by an independent third party and may not always represent the views of the institutions, listed below, who have supplied the content.
Explore more
Related theme
Chopin Forever
View theme
Google apps