Krzysztof Kieślowski was born in German-occupied Warsaw on June 27, 1941. “I don’t know where we were, what we were doing during the war,” the director confessed. The only image imprinted in his memory was that of wandering: suitcases, trains, furniture in the background…
In 1951, the Kieślowski family briefly settled in Sokołowsko, where Krzysztof attended the local elementary school. His father struggled with tuberculosis and was unable to work. Between 1952 and 1953, Krzysztof moved between Strzemieszyce and Sokołowsko, staying in tuberculosis preventoria in Rabka, Wisła, and Bukowina Tatrzańska. From there, he regularly wrote letters and postcards to his parents and his grandmother, Maria. His father spent many months in Siewierz before finally relocating permanently with the entire family to Sokołowsko in 1954. They lived at 23 Główna Street, opposite the Zdrowie Cinema-Theater. Krzysztof attended school in nearby Mieroszów (6 km from Sokołowsko), his mother managed the social affairs department of the local sanatoriums, and his father worked odd jobs.
In 1955, Krzysztof completed elementary school in Mieroszów. He then tried his hand at a firefighting school in Wrocław, later at a general high school in Wałbrzych (1956/1957), but ultimately ended up in Warsaw at the State High School of Theatre Technology, which he graduated from in 1962. His father passed away in Sokołowsko in 1960 and was buried in the cemetery in Mieroszów. His mother decided to move to Otrębusy near Warsaw to be closer to her children. During their time in Sokołowsko, Kieślowski’s parents maintained regular correspondence with him, which is now part of the Krzysztof Kieślowski Creative Archive.
Kieślowski visited Sokołowsko several times as a professional director. In 1973, he filmed the documentary X-ray at the local “White Eagle” sanatorium, where his father had been treated. Later, he occasionally stopped by Sokołowsko while passing through to visit his father’s grave, for the last time in 1995.