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Kasimir Zgorecki (1904-1980) – from Recklinghausen to the pantheon of French photography

Ruhr Pole – Westfalczyk – Westphalian – three descriptions for the life of Kasimir Zgorecki, who was born in Recklinghausen in 1904. The son of Polish emigrants from the region around Poznań, he grew up in Herne and, after training as a coppersmith, initially followed his father into mining. Until he was 18, Zgorecki’s childhood was influenced by the Polish “strongholds” in the west, with everyday life in his family involving Polish language and culture and membership of numerous clubs and associations. These clubs and associations endeavoured to preserve Polish life in all its diversity in order to hang on to traditions from the homeland with morality and order.

The Zgorecki family emigrated to the northern French mining region of the Pas-de-Calais in 1922. Kasimir soon decided against a professional career as a miner. He began to take photographs and took over his brother-in-law’s photography studio in Rouvroy. His photographs became very popular in France and have been exhibited in various art museums since the 1990s.

In 2019, the Louvre-Lens museum of art exhibited several of his photographs, with the French press dubbing Kasimir Zgorecki a “contemporary witness” of Polish life in northern France. The fact that his work has received such broad acclaim can be attributed to a chance find by a member of his family in 1990.

Karzimierz Zgórecki: Self-portrait, photograph 1994, private ownership
Kazimierz Zgórecki: Self-portrait (self-portrait 1994), black and white photograph, print 2019, privately owned by the family, published in the Louvre-Lens exhibition catalogue
©
Frédéric Lefever © adagp / Frédéric Lefever

The sources available meant that we were unable to find detailed information about Kasimir’s schooldays in Herne. The children of Ruhr Poles grew up with the Polish language, although it was not allowed to be used in every area of life. German was expected in school.[37] In our conversation about school life, the historian Frank Piorr referred to a statement made by a priest from Herne who wrote that many of his parishioners did not speak any German at all.[38] It is, however, highly likely that Kasimir and his two sisters spoke some German as Polish was banned in Prussian schools.

In Herne, just as in Recklinghausen, there were numerous Polish clubs and associations which shaped everyday life alongside work and school. Even before the First World War, Herne and Wanne-Eickel had more than 150 Polish and Masurian clubs and associations.[39] The City Archives house some of the documents relating to these clubs, along with postcards showing motifs of Polish gymnastics clubs and festivities. They are organised according to district and then divided into Polish, Masurian, Silesian and Ostmark associations. Of note are the many choral societies and gymnastic clubs, which existed alongside women’s associations, prayer societies, lottery clubs and consumer associations for example (see Fig. 8). The consumer associations dealt with the importing of Polish potatoes and shoes or sold furniture. Beyond this broad offering, the “Związek Wzajemnej Pomocy” specialised in charitable assistance. No less important was the Polish spiritual welfare provided by the Church of St. Bonifatius through Chaplain Johannes Bitter and his successor Paul Lange.[40]

But the best known association was the Sokół federation in West Germany, which had its head office in Herne and, according to documents in the Herne archives, was founded in 1920. Several of the documents in this case also highlight the way in which Polish associations were monitored because they were accused of misusing their meetings for political rallies. Priests were also placed under observation. The documents also show that events generally required authorisation from the police which could only be obtained if a schedule was provided. As already mentioned, associations had certain rules and regulations to which the members had to keep. An archive document about the Stanislaus association refers to the promotion of order and common decency which were violated by repeated drunkenness or fights and resulted in expulsion from the association. Some clubs and associations had an age limit so Kasimir , as a minor, was not able to join every association.

 

[37] Frank Braßel: Die polnische Hauptstadt Westfalens, p. 24.

[38] Telephone call on 19 June 2020 on the subject of the Ruhr Poles in Herne.

[39] Frank Braßel: Die polnische Hauptstadt Westfalens, p. 26.

[40] Susanne Peters-Schildgen: Schmelztiegel Ruhrgebiet, p. 98f.

Kazimierz Zgórecki: Self-portrait (self-portrait 1994), black and white photograph, print 2019, privately owned by the family, published in the Louvre-Lens exhibition catalogue
©
Frédéric Lefever © adagp / Frédéric Lefever
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  • Fig. 1: Self-portrait, 1920s

    Kasimir Zgorecki: Self-portrait, photograph, 1920s

  • Fig. 2: Birth certificate, 1904

    Kasimir Zgorecki’s birth certificate, certificate, 1904

  • Fig. 3: Registration card, 1907

    The Zgorecki family’s registration card, document, 1907

  • Fig. 4: Herner address book, 1912

    The Zgorecki family’s address, address book, 1912

  • Fig. 5: Herne address book, 1914

    The Zgorecki family’s address, address book, 1914

  • Fig. 6: Bahnhofstraße in Herne, date unknown

    The town centre in Herne, photograph, author and date unknown

  • Fig. 7: Colour postcard of Bahnhofstraße in Herne, ca. 1912

    The town centre in Herne, postcard, author unknown, ca. 1912

  • Fig. 8: Sokół, date unknown

    Sokół presentation at a festival, photograph, date unknown

  • Fig. 9: “Kraft” advertisement, date unknown

    Advertisement for the “Kraft” photography studio, advert, date unknown

  • Fig. 10: Herne address book, 1912

    Addresses in Herne, address book, 1912

  • Fig. 11: Parade in Herne, date unknown

    Parade in the Polish quarter, photograph, author and date unknown

  • Fig. 12: Call against radical ‘Polishness’, 1920

    Call against radical ‘Polishness’, newspaper advert, 1920

  • Fig. 13: The Zgorecki family in France, 1920s

    Kasimir Zgorecki and his family, photograph, 1920s

  • Fig. 14: Portrait of a woman, 1920s

    Portrait of a young woman, photograph, 1920s

  • Fig. 15: Gymnastics club, 1930s

    Photograph of a gymnastics club, photograph, 1930s

  • Fig. 16: Family celebration, 1930s

    Photograph of family celebrations, photograph, 1930s

  • Fig. 17: Parade, 1930s

    Festivities in the streets of Northern France, photograph, 1930s

  • Fig. 18: Nativity scene, 1930s

    Photograph of a nativity scene, photograph, 1930s

  • Fig. 19: Grieving family, 1930

    Photograph of a grieving family, photograph, 1930

  • Fig. 20: Post-mortem photograph, 1930s

    Photograph of a deceased child, photograph, 1930s
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