Polish Cultural Center & Museum

Come Learn About Polish & Kashubian History

The Polish Cultural Center & Museum was founded in 1979 by the late Rev.  Paul Breza, a Roman Catholic priest of Kashubian heritage, the region of northern Poland that includes Bytow, and the ports of Gdansk and Gydnia. Rev. Breza acquired the offices of Laird Norton Lumber Co., where many Polish immigrants worked from the mid 19th to early 20th centuries, and transformed an industrial building erected in 1890 into a unique, modern gathering and educational center showcasing the accomplishments of Polish and Kashubian Americans in Winona and Minnesota.

Growth of the museum in the early 1980s was initially funded from the sale of apples from a nearby orchard. Today, with three buildings and several thousand artifacts, the museum operates as an internationally recognized 501(c)(3) nonprofit that funds student exchanges with Poland, live and remote cultural gatherings, and special annual events such a Polish Constitution Day dinner in May and the Tasty Apple Festival the 1st Sunday in October. It operates the largest independent Polish gathering hall in Minnesota, available for private event rental, and is a member of the North American Reciprocal Membership Association.

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