Tapestry

“A teacher is like a hunting dog that can always sniff out a hare. I can glance at a building and immediately know that it is definitely a school,” said Janina Szczerska (born on 22 October 1897 in Stryj, died on 10 July 1981 in Szczecin) – a Polish teacher and educator who in the summer of 1945 undertook the task of establishing the first Polish secondary school in Szczecin, destroyed as a result of the war. She started her mission from taking over a building at Barnima 12 (currently Aleja Piastów), which housed men’s middle school before the war. On Janina Szczerska's initiative, the army contributed to the renovation work, along with future students with their parents. They started to tidy up the building, remove unnecessary equipment and gather basic furnishings for their new school building. Thanks to the intensive work, the first school year in post-war Szczecin was inaugurated on 2 September 1945. Since Janina Szczerska wanted to be close to the institution she ran, she took over a flat in a townhouse at Barnima 66 (currently Aleja Piastów) with furniture left by the previous residents – including a bucolic tapestry, which, in accordance with her will, was donated to the collection of the National Museum in Szczecin after her death.

Anna Lew-Machniak