אדולף גניבסקי (גנצוול) 1870-1942

It is my pleasure to present you an extraordinary publication, rich in educational and cognitive values. The albums' author – Slawom Kordaczuk will fulfil the expectations of readers, both enthusiasts and professionals, who are really keen on XIX and XX century history of Siedlce and the former Siedlcian gubernia.

The documentary material comprises glass photo-negatives from the atelier of Adolf Ganiewski (Gancwol) that functioned from the end of the XIX century. In terms of quantity, technical quality, as well as archival and artistic values, the collection is a unique – at least from a national perspective. The exception consists of documentary evidence of history of the town of Siedlce and the surrounding areas over the course of 40 years. Based on such unusual archival material the author managed to vivify the history and deliver the facts, people and events that were already shrouded in ambiguity. Due to the absorbing description, the publication introduces the reader to the forgotten atmosphere of everyday life in Siedlce and its surroundings in the final stage of the Russian annexation and the interwar period.
The album presents the: archival, chronical, historical artefacts, along with their artistic values. The range of photographs draw one into contemplative and sentimental meditation. It is a real joy to look through the photographs, that carry the reader into "a completely different world".
My only regret is that the album came into being several dozen years after the tragic death – in Treblinka – of Adolf Ganiewski (Gancwol), who left a permanent reminiscence in the history of Siedlce.