Cradle of Freedom
Intro voice-over
06:08. The Cyprian Norwid Polish High School is one of those places that will forever be part of the history of Villard-de-Lans.
15:07. When the Second World War broke out, the clientele deserted this tourist town. Empty hotels and children's homes were filled with refugees.
29 :10. In 1939, Poland is invaded on all sides by Nazi and Soviet troops. 37 :15. The enemy's aim was to destroy the entire nation, wipe out its culture, eliminate its elite and make the country subservient. Annihilated by so many arrests, persecutions and deportations, the population fled en masse and left the country. 58 :19. The Polish government goes into exile in France and the former Polish high school in Batignolles takes in young refugees.
1:06:00. In June 1940, Paris is occupied and the Polish government flees to London. At the time, Zygmunt Zaleski was a delegate from the Polish Ministry of Education in France. With Professor Godlewski, he was tasked with setting up a new lycée in the free zone, with the help and funding of the Polish Red Cross. Working with the Grenoble education authority, they chose Villard-de-Lans, a welcoming location protected by the mountains and accessible by tram.