Ignacy Jan Paderewski - Warsaw, Poland - Grave of a Famous Person on Waymarking.com

Ignacy Jan Paderewski was born in 1860 to Polish parents in an area of eastern Europe that is now part of Ukraine. Showing an interest in music, young Ignacy was given piano lessons and eventually attended the Warsaw Conservatory. Further study in Berlin and Vienna led Paderewski to begin a career as a virtuoso concert pianist.

Tall and handsome, with a shock of long red somewhat unkempt hair and a rather histrionic stage presence, Ignacy Paderewski became a hit with audiences wherever he performed. He was also a composer, often performing his own works on piano. Many of Paderewski’s classical compositions enjoyed popularity during his lifetime and are still performed today.

Paderewski was also a big hit in the United States which he first toured in 1891. His status as a celebrity allowed him to hobnob with the rich and famous as well as move permanently to California in 1913. Articulate and passionate about his homeland, Ignacy Paderewski became a member of the Polish National Committee during World War I. A big proponent of an independent Poland, Paderewski even managed to influence President Woodrow Wilson who later made an independent Poland point 13 of his famous 14-point speech. When Poland did become independent in 1919, Paderewski was appointed Prime Minister.

Having resigned as Prime Minister in 1922, Paderewski returned to his music. In 1936, he even appeared in a movie as himself. My guess is that Ignacy Paderewski is the only Polish Prime Minister who also has a star on Hollywood’s Walk of Fame.

Ignacy Jan Paderewski died in 1941 at the age of 80. He was interred in Arlington National Cemetery in Virginia on a temporary basis. In 1992, after the fall of communism, Paderewski’s remains were moved to Poland where he was laid to rest in the crypt of St. John’s Cathedral in Warsaw. That is, all except for his heart which is encased in a sculpture at the National Shrine of Our Lady of Czestochowa, in Doylestown, Pennsylvania, just north of Philadelphia.
(Source: wikipedia.com)

Description: See Long Description above. Date of birth: 11/06/1860 Date of death: 06/29/1941 Area of notoriety: Politics Marker Type: Crypt (below ground) Setting: Indoor Visiting Hours/Restrictions: 10:00 am to 6:00 pm Fee required?: Yes Web site: [Web Link]

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