Genesis: Ignacy Jan Paderewski's links with Switzerland

Ignacy Jan Paderewski (1860-1941) was an eminent Polish pianist and composer whose fate was intertwined with Switzerland for more than four decades. Although he was regarded by many of his contemporaries as a Swiss with an exotic-sounding surname, his story resembles that of many Polish emigrants who settled on Lake Geneva for political reasons in the early 20th century.

Paderewski settled in the Villa Riond-Bosson in Morges in 1897. This picturesque villa, located in the wine-growing region, became a place of rest and work for him, inspiring him to create music and organise concerts, which took place not only in nearby Fribourg, Geneva or Lausanne. Its interior was filled with numerous prizes and exotic oriental works of art acquired by Paderewski during his many travels.

Having achieved renown in the West as a composer, Paderewski became involved in charitable and diplomatic activities. Taking advantage of his popularity, he promoted the issue of Poland's independence, and in Switzerland he co-organised initiatives for the country, such as the General Committee for Relief of War Victims in Poland (1915). After Poland gained independence, he returned to his homeland in 1919, where he served as Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs of Poland. After his resignation from office, he returned to Switzerland. In 1936, he became a co-initiator of the Front Morges political party, which - taking advantage of the weakening of Sanacja after Piłsudski's death - sought to seize power in the country. The idea of party cooperation proposed at the time did not come into effect until after the September defeat.

Before leaving Switzerland for the United States, after more than 40 years of residence, Paderewski expressed his deep attachment to this country in an interview with the Lausanne-Morges radio station:

"I leave you my heart and assure you that the oceans that separate us will not succeed in diverting my warmest, most grateful and forever faithful thoughts from you all, from this dear Switzerland"(Paderewski Museum website).

History of the Paderewski Museum

The history of the Paderewski Museum dates back to 1977, when the Paderewski Association in Morges was founded on the initiative of the pianist Henryk Witkowski (born 1951). The organisation's task was to nurture the memory and promote knowledge of the composer, whose fate was closely linked to Switzerland. Thanks to an agreement with the municipality, in 1991 the Association created an exhibition space in the Cultural Centre, located in the medieval Morges Castle. The room is colloquially known as the Lounge because of its small gabbits.

Since 2014. The Paderewski Museum comes under the Paderewski Foundation, continuing the work of the earlier Association. In 2016, an exhibition telling the story of Paderewski's presence on Lake Geneva opened at the Morges Castle in a room lined with white panelling, using artefacts and documents from the collection of the Paderewski Museum. As part of the exhibition, the institution provided digital access via interactive terminals to its entire collection.