Research internship at the Polish Institute and General Sikorski Museum in London.

Wiktoria Zarębczan, a second-year doctoral student in history and a researcher at the Center for Documentation of Exiles, Expulsions, and Resettlements at the University of Economics in Kraków, undertook a research visit to the Polish Institute and General Sikorski Museum in London in March 2026.

The visit was funded by a grant from the Lanckoroński Foundation and the Brzezie Lanckoroński Foundation and included archival research and a research internship.

The research focused on the fate of children evacuated alongside the Polish Army commanded by General Anders as part of the so-called “Trail of Hope,” as a significant aspect of the civilian population’s experience during World War II.

The stay contributed to the development of the doctoral candidate’s research skills and the internationalization of her academic activities, particularly in the field of social history and collective memory.

The collected material will be used in further stages of the research, particularly in the drafting of subsequent chapters of the doctoral dissertation and the preparation of academic publications. The materials obtained during the archival research will also be transferred to the Center for Documentation of Exiles, Expulsions, and Resettlements at the UKEN in Kraków, where they will supplement the source collection and be used in the unit’s research and teaching activities.