DoorToPoland offers a wide range of tourism and genealogy related services, namely:
> guided tours in English or Polish, for individuals and groups, including customized tours focused on Jewish heritage or Christian (Catholic, Orthodox, Uniate, Lutheran) heritage, Word War Two and the Holocaust, the Communist period from 1944 to 1989 and other specific subjects
> genealogy-related research: rese
arch and assistance in obtaining records in the Polish State Archives and Civil Records Offices (USC)
> researching online resources and real-world libraries and archives to find photographs, books and other information important for your genealogy
> translation of vital records and all kinds of documents and texts from Polish and Russian into English (and other languages if needed)
> customized trips to the towns and villages where your ancestors lived: visiting cemeteries, organising meetings with local historians and interviews with residents, interpreting from Polish into English
GEOGRAPHICAL SCOPE:
DoorToPoland specializes in tours and research in Central and Eastern Poland, in cities like Warsaw, Lublin, Zamosc, Pulawy, Chelm, Biala Podlaska, Kielce and many smaller but equally notable towns such as Kazimierz Dolny, Konskowola, Miedzyrzec Podlaski, Parczew, Wlodawa, Uchanie, Hrubieszow, Krylow, Izbica, Szebrzeszyn (Shebreshin), Jozefow, Bilgoraj, Cieszanow, Lancut, Lezajsk, Krasnik, Opatow and many more. These areas generally correspond to the territory of the Kingdom of Poland (informally known as Congress Poland) that was under the control of the Russian Empire from the early 1800s up to World War One. In addition, we partner with trustworthy guides and researchers in other cities like Lodz, Krakow or Bialystok. BACKGROUND
DoorToPoland was founded by Slawomir ‘Slav’ Nowodworski who has been doing tours of Lublin, his home town Lublin, and Lublin Region in the south-east of Poland since 1998. In 2001, Slav completed a comprehensive five-year programme in English studies (both British and American) at Maria Curie-Sklodowska University in Lublin. His MA degree class was focused Holocaust literature. However, the subject of his master’s thesis was “Saints and sinners in the short stories of Isaac Bashevis Singer”, a Polish-born American-Jewish writer whose works are often set in the shtetls of the Lublin Region, a world that perished in WW2. Slav is also an English/Polish translator and interpreter certified by the Polish Ministry of Justice. In his work, Slav combines his linguistic proficiency with a passion for history, both local and international, and a love for music (he is also a keen harmonica player with quite significant musical achievements under his belt). Many of his tours are concerned with Jewish heritage and the Holocaust. His extensive knowledge accompanied by a very tactful, sincere and compassionate approach have won the recognition of numerous visitors from around the world. Slav has worked with professors and students from British, Canadian, American and, naturally, Polish universities, Swedish Committee Against Anti-Semitism as well as various tour operators, educational and research institutions such as the Lublin-based Grodzka Gate Centre http://www.teatrnn.pl. Slav has also helped many individuals in discovering their family roots and visiting their ancestral towns and villages in Poland. Currently Slav and his wife live in Warsaw, an excellent starting point for tours exploring the little known but fascinating regions of Poland. Please do not hesitate to contact us! Our heartfelt MISSION is to:
> help you find out more about Poland’s History
> reconnect with the Past
> appreciate the Present by understanding Poland’s culture, society and daily life.
