24 September 1939. Wladyslaw Sikorski (1881-1943) arrived in Paris, where he was entrusted with the role of commander-in-chief over the Polish Army reborn in France. Less than a week after his arrival, on 30 September, he was appointed Prime Minister and Minister of Military Affairs by the President of Poland, and on 7 November he was additionally appointed Commander-in-Chief and Inspector General of the Armed Forces . As a result, he soon formed a Cabinet of Government for Foreign Affairs in Paris, which presided over the fate of the Polish nation until 21 November 1940, before being transferred first to Angers and then to Libourne and the United Kingdom. What role did the building at 58 Jacob Street, which today bears a commemorative plaque recalling the Polish general, play in this story?

The history of the tenement

Sikorski chose the Hôtel du Danube, located at 58 Jacob Street, in the heart of the Latin Quarter, close to the newly opened Saint-Germain-des-Près metro station, as his place of residence in Paris. It was in this 18th-century hôtel particulier (city palace), extended under the Second French Empire, that he began to organise the Polish civil and military authorities in exile. After the permanent seat of the Polish government in France was established at the elegant Hotel Regina on Rivoli Street on 17 October 1939, Sikorski continued to use the Hôtel du Danube as a place for unofficial meetings and to relax after exhausting days at work.

Plaque commemorating Władysław Sikorski's place of residence in Paris

On the façade of the tenement house at 58 rue Jacob, there is a plaque bearing the image of Sikorski, commemorating his stay there between 1939 and 1940. The plaque was created on the initiative of soldiers. It was unveiled in 1953 to mark the 10th anniversary of Sikorski's death. The event was accompanied by the distribution of a leaflet print with a photo of the general and information about the ceremony.

Description: Rectangular plaque, made of marble. It contains a small bronze medallion with a convex, realistic image of Sikorski's head in profile, in mature age. The depiction emphasises the general's sharp features. The plaque bears a convex bronze inscription which reads: "LE GÉNERAL WLADYSLAW SIKORSKI COMMANDANT EN CHEF DE L'ARMÉE POLONAISE EN FRANCE CHEF DU GOUVERMENT POLONAIS HABITA CETTE MAISON EN 1939-1940". (GENERŁ WŁADYSŁAW SIKORSKI NACZELNY DOWÓDCA WOJSKA POLSKIEGO WE FRANCJI SZEF RądzieDU POLSKIEGO MIESZKAŁ W THIS HOUSE IN 1939-1940) and the dates of Sikorski's life: 1881 i 1943.