Acknowledgements

Most of the photos and documents used here come from the archives of Marcel Malbos, an all-time teacher at the Polish High School in Villard-de-Lans.

The texts accompanying these photos and documents are a compilation of various speeches, memoirs, letters, notes, books, etc., and have occasionally – often – been rewritten, linked together and rearranged by Marcel Malbos’ son, Stéphane Malbos. Before being published, they were submitted to a number of the Polish High School’s former pupils, who amended and added to them.

It would be hard to thank here everyone who helped bring this project to life, but let’s try anyway!

First of all, many thanks to the Villard-de-Lans town council, which hosts this site and provided the funding for it; to its mayor, Jean-Paul Bouvier, long convinced of the important role played by the Polish High School in his town’s history; to Stéphanie Oddoux, a shrewd advisor, for his help and suggestions; to the “Heritage Centre” which is following and sharing our adventure; and to "Bienvenue sur Mars", who developed this website and always managed to satisfy our requirements.

Next, our thanks go to all the authors of the texts used as the basis for this website…
The impassioned orations of Marcel Malbos and Wenceslas Godlewski, the calmer addresses of the various Mayors of Villard, and those of Lucien Owczarka, Chairman of the Old Pupils’ Association for some twenty years; the very thorough political science paper by Valérie Terrel, to our knowledge the first French woman and inhabitant of Villard to have written a general history of the Cyprian Norwid Polish High School (in 1987); the papers (academic and otherwise), memoirs and memories of Henri Gielec, Joseph Harazin, Séverine Gouy, Mieczyslaw Biesiekierski, Régine Demoulin-Clot, François Bonnet and Sandrine Dupuy; the long letters written by Maria Orliac, Michel Markiewicz and Maria Cieszewska, and those more concise written by Irena Skinder, Henri Grabowski, François Helmbolt and Piotr Wandycz; Joseph Dwernicki’s comments and documents; and Christine Haon’s translation, which gave me an insight into the richness of Tadeusz Lepkowski’s book currently only available in Polish, although we hope to have it translated and published shortly.
May those I have forgotten find it in their hearts to forgive me!

Thanks to Jeannine Lieber and Henri Gielec for their love and support.
Thank you to Pierre Zalewski, son of Zygmunt Lubicz-Zaleski (the Polish High School’s first Headmaster), current Chairman of the Polish Historical and Literary Society and Director of the Polish Library in Paris, for his encouragement.

And finally, thank you to all of the “Villardiens” – both from Poland and the plateau – who lived this adventure. We are their heirs…we will not forget it…and we will not forget them.

Stéphane Malbos

Website creation
and hosting
Bienvenue sur Mars
Tel.: 04 76 15 15 15
Address:
11 rue des dauphins
38000 Grenoble
bienvenue-sur-mars.fr

Funding for the project
Mairie de Villard-de-Lans
Tel.: 04 76 94 50 00
Address:
62 place Pierre Chabert
38250 Villard-de-Lans
villard-de-lans.fr

Pictures license
The photos used on the website belong to the photographer who took them. These images may not be used or reproduced, in whole or in part, without the prior consent of their respective photographer.

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