Szczerbiec, the medieval coronation sword known to all the Polish children is held there, and so are the
Turkish banners captured after the battle of Vienna in 1683, precious tapestries from the 16th century acquired by
King Sigismundus Augustus and a great many other artifacts of enormous historic and, of course, monetary value.
Most of these treasures were evacuated from Wawel following the outbreak of World War II, and after a fascinating journey through Romania, France and
Britain were safely deposited under the custody of the Canadian Government. Starting May 04, 2013 until June 23, 2013
Pier 21 hosted an exhibition telling the story of how these treasures found their way to Canada and
back to Poland as well as the story of brave people who made it possible.
It is also an expression of gratitude of all the Poles to Canada for saving a huge part of our national heritage.
Special 'Thank You' goes to the Administration of the Canadian Museum of Immigration at Pier 21 for making this event possible.
It was precisely in the port of Halifax that the Polish treasures reached the American continent in 1940, to find a safe refuge for twenty years.
Steve Schwinghamer, a historian at Pier 21 conducted research
about the connection of the treasures to Pier 21.
