We invite you to watch part 1 of our interview with Countess Maria née Potocka Reyowa as part of our 'Oral History' series.

Countess Maria z Potockich Reyowa of the Pilawa coat of arms was born on 22 October 1929 in Warsaw. She was the daughter of Count Roman Potocki of the Pilawa coat of arms and Princess Anna Światopełk-Czetwertyńska of the Pogoń Ruska coat of arms. She spent her childhood in the village of Derażne in Volhynia.

After the Second World War, she emigrated from Poland to France. There, in 1950, she married the heir to the castle in Montrésor - Stanisław Werszowiec-Rey, coat-of-arms Oksza, with whom she had four children.

By taking care of the Montrésor chateau and preserving the numerous national mementoes it contained, Maria Reyowa did an enormous service to nurturing the memory of Polish cultural heritage abroad. To this day, the castle still houses many valuable Polish historical mementos, works of art and archives.

Unfortunately, Countess Maria née Potocka Reyowa did not live to see the interview published. She died on 15 August this year in Montresor.

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Film commissioned by the Polonica Institute

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