Sienna 16 / Śliska 9

At the beginning of August 1942, an elderly well-dressed gentleman left home with around 200 orphans in tow. It was to be their last outing.

Sienna 16 was the last address of Janusz Korczak’s Dom Sierota orphans’ home before he and his children were killed at the Nazi German death camp of Treblinka in the first week of August 1942.

Janusz Korczak was a pediatrician, renowned author, pedagogue, social activist, and defender of children’s rights. In fact, it is his work with children and his role as the director of the Dom Sierot, the Orphans’ Home, for which he is best known.

Apart from introducing new educational methods at the orphange, he also nurtured creativity among the children – one such endeavour was a newspaper: The Little Review.

Further reading:

Biography of Janusz Korczak on Culture.pl
https://culture.pl/en/artist/janusz-korczak

12 Things Worth Knowing About Janusz Korczak https://culture.pl/en/article/12-things-worth-knowing-about-janusz-korczak

Mały Przegląd: A Little Review with a Big Impact
https://culture.pl/en/article/maly-przeglad-a-little-review-with-a-big-impact

There Are No Children, There Are People: Janusz Korczak the Educator
https://culture.pl/en/article/there-are-no-children-there-are-people-janusz-korczak-the-educator

Janusz Korczak: Legacy of a Writer & Teacher
https://culture.pl/en/article/janusz-korczak-legacy-of-a-writer-teacher

With thanks to:

Agnieszka Witkowska-Krych from the Korczakianum Research Institute at the Museum of Warsaw, for providing an insight into Janusz Korczak’s life and work.

Alicja Baczyńska, your audio guide, for help with acoustic mapping throughout the Unseen project.