Photo by B. Witkowski/UMB

A mural on the wall of a tenement building at 22 Marcinkowskiego Street depicting Pola Negri, one of the greatest stars of silent cinema. She began her career in Poland but quickly gained popularity in Germany, where she collaborated with director Ernst Lubitsch. Shortly thereafter, she moved to Hollywood, becoming the first European star of American cinema. She was renowned for her striking beauty and her sensual “femme fatale” roles. After the decline of silent film, she returned to Europe, and after World War II, she settled in the U.S. She remained a style icon and a symbol of the golden age of silent film.

Pola Negri had a close connection to Bydgoszcz, although she was not born there but in Lipno. After her father’s death, her mother moved with her to Bydgoszcz, where Pola spent part of her childhood and youth. It was in this city that she attended school—a girls’ middle school—and took her first steps in the arts.

In Bydgoszcz, she developed an interest in theater and dance, which later led her to Warsaw, where she began her professional stage career. Today, the memory of Pola Negri is still alive in Bydgoszcz—among other things, there is a street named after her, and at the Leon Wyczółkowski Regional Museum, visitors can see memorabilia related to her life and career.

Author: Marek Iwiński

Mural - Pola Negri

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