Polish explorers, innovators celebrated in America

The Mediatravel festival, which runs until Sunday, features films, photographs and books documenting the achievements of various Poles who have made a name for themselves in nature exploration, research, engineering and other fields over the past century or so.

These include famous mountain climbers and great minds like Ernest Malinowski, a Polish engineer who constructed the world's highest railway in the Peruvian Andes in the 1870s, according to public broadcaster Polish Radio.

The festival began with a Polish evening at the Explorers Club in New York’s Manhattan borough on Thursday.

The initiative is part of efforts to mark this year’s 100th anniversary of Poland regaining independence.

Various events from Polish history, including a nationwide effort to reconstruct the country from the ravages of World War II, will be brought to audiences in New York City as well as the neighbouring state of New Jersey, according to the festival’s director, Mirosław Olszewski.

"We want to project a positive image of Poland abroad,” Olszewski said.

Polish Radio is a media partner of the event.

(gs/pk)

Source: IAR