“Kultura” is often described as “the most influential émigré monthly”. Yet behind the journal stood much more than an editorial team: the Literary Institute shaped modern political, cultural and social thought in exile. This is why the Polonica associated with “Kultura” occupy a special place: they are the material traces of the lives and work of those who created this remarkable centre of intellectual life.

A journey in the footsteps of the Paris-based “Kultura” should begin at the house in Maisons-Laffitte, the journal’s final headquarters. Jerzy Giedroyc lived and worked there. It was on these premises that he edited, published and printed the periodical. The house stands at 91 Avenue de Poissy. Administratively, it lies within Le Mesnil-le-Roi, although, through longstanding usage and a kind of metonymy, it is still commonly referred to as “Maisons-Laffitte”. The building bears two plaques. The first was unveiled in 2006 to mark the centenary of Jerzy Giedroyc’s birth; the second followed in 2015, in connection with international recognition of the archive’s significance. The house contains the “Kultura” archive, which is inscribed on UNESCO’s Memory of the World International Register, and also serves as a venue for meetings and seminars. The Institute’s first premises in France were on Avenue Corneille. It later moved to Avenue de Poissy. Earlier still, the Literary Institute had operated in Rome under the auspices of the Polish 2nd Corps and was registered as Casa Editrice Lettere. Another important site was the Officine Grafiche Italiane (OGI) printing works at 14 Via Cesena in Rome.

In December 2025, a plaque commemorating Giedroyc was unveiled in Kyiv. The inscription, in Polish and Ukrainian, reads: Jerzy Giedroyc / (1906–2000) / founder of the Paris-based journal “Kultura”, / the most important centre / of Polish political thought / in exile after the Second World War. / A great friend of Ukraine, / he changed the way Poles think / about Ukrainians, Lithuanians / and Belarusians.

Today, the graves of the founders and other key figures behind “Kultura” and the Literary Institute can also be found in several cemeteries outside Poland.

Giedroyc family grave (Jerzy Giedroyc, 1906–2000; Henryk Maria Giedroyc, 1922–2010; Tatiana Giedroyc, 1911–2003; Leda Giedroyc, 1919–2002)
After 2000
Municipal Cemetery, Le Mesnil-le-Roi, France
Section E, grave 18

This is one of Maisons-Laffitte’s “sites of memory”: the shared grave of the Giedroyc family in a cemetery near Paris. Jerzy Giedroyc, founder and long-serving editor of “Kultura”, made the Literary Institute an enduring institution: less a conventional publishing house than a laboratory of political imagination. (Kultura Paryska)
Record of the grave, including its location and photographs, in the “Polish Historical Graves in France” database (Tombeaux Polonais)

Grave of Andrzej Bobkowski (1913–61)
After 1961
Cementerio General, Guatemala City, Guatemala
Family grave of Dr Julio Quevedo

Bobkowski contributed to “Kultura” from its inaugural issue. The Literary Institute’s biographical records note that he was buried in Dr Julio Quevedo’s family grave at the Cementerio General in Guatemala City.

Grave of Maria Czapska (1894–1981) and Józef Czapski (1896–1993)
After 1981
Municipal Cemetery, Le Mesnil-le-Roi, France
Section D, grave 122

Józef Czapski was a co-creator of the “Kultura” circle and one of the journal’s principal contributors; Maria Czapska also contributed to “Kultura”, with texts published from 1947 onwards.
Record of the grave, including its location and photographs, in the “Polish Historical Graves in France” database (Tombeaux Polonais)

Grave of Witold Gombrowicz (1904–69)
1969
Cimetière de Vence-Ville, Vence, France

Gombrowicz’s association with “Kultura” played a crucial role in the wider reception of his work through the publication and circulation of excerpts from his Diary and their placement within broader debates on modernity.
Record in the Find a Grave database (Find a Grave)

Grave of Gustaw Herling-Grudziński (1919–2000)
After 2000
Cimitero di Poggioreale, Naples, Italy
Croce family chapel, Quadrato degli Uomini Illustri (Distinguished Persons’ Quarter)

Herling-Grudziński was a close associate of “Kultura”.

Grave of Zygmunt Hertz (1908–79) and Zofia Hertz (1911–2003)
After 1979
Municipal Cemetery, Le Mesnil-le-Roi, France
Section D, grave 106

The Hertzes were core members of the Literary Institute team. Their work kept “Kultura” running, from logistics and administration to day-to-day editorial tasks.
Record of the grave, including its location and photographs, in the “Polish Historical Graves in France” database (Tombeaux Polonais)

Grave of Konstanty Aleksander Jeleński (1922–87)
After 1987
Municipal Cemetery, Saint-Dyé-sur-Loire, France
Central avenue (Tombeaux Polonais)

Jeleński, an essayist, literary and art critic and translator, helped shape the intellectual profile of “Kultura”, particularly its engagement with art and contemporary criticism. (Kultura Paryska)
Record of the grave, including its location and photographs, in the “Polish Historical Graves in France” database (Tombeaux Polonais)

Grave of Józef Lubański (1906–93)
After 1993
Sutter Creek Catholic Cemetery, Sutter Creek, California, USA
Inscription: “American Polish soldier for freedom and independence of Poland”

Lubański was the driving force behind the English-language periodical Fragments, the only sustained attempt to make selections from “Kultura” available in English. He maintained a correspondence with Giedroyc.

Burial place of Józef Mackiewicz (1902–85) and Barbara Toporska-Mackiewicz (1913‒85)
After 1985
Columbarium at St Andrew Bobola Church, London, United Kingdom
Inscription: “Józef Mackiewicz, 1902–1985. Writer. His ashes may be transferred only to Rossa Cemetery in Wilno.”

Grave of Juliusz Mieroszewski (1906–76)
After 1976
South Ealing Cemetery, London, United Kingdom
Section HH

Mieroszewski was one of the most important political commentators associated with “Kultura”. He helped shape the journal’s political vocabulary and its thinking on Europe, including the influential Ukraine‒Lithuania‒Belarus concept, a plan for reconciliation and a historic alliance with Poland’s eastern neighbours.
Record in the Find a Grave database (Find a Grave)

Grave of Zofia Romanowiczowa (1922–2010) and Kazimierz Romanowicz (1916–2010)
After 2010
Municipal Cemetery, Jours-lès-Baigneux, France

The Romanowiczes, who ran the Libella publishing house and bookshop and Galerie Lambert, were close associates within the wider “Kultura” milieu.

Grave of Leopold Unger (1922–2011)
2011
Kraainem Communal Cemetery, Kraainem, Belgium

From April 1970 onwards, Unger was a regular contributor to “Kultura”. Writing under the pen name “Brukselczyk”, he contributed the column “As Seen from Brussels”.

Grave of Aleksander Wat (1900–1967) and Ola (Paulina) Wat (1903–91)
After 1967
Cimetière des Champeaux, Montmorency, France
Section A