About the Project

The Decalogue is a Polish television series produced in the late 1980s on a modest budget. It has been broadcast in 70 countries, and remains enormously popular with critics and audiences across the world, from Europe and North America to Iran, Japan, and China. Inspired by the Ten Commandments, the episodes address our most urgent human matters using a universal idiom that speaks to viewers of all creeds and cultural backgrounds.

Produced by the National Film Archive — Audiovisual Institute, the Map of The Decalogue is an online guide to the Warsaw locations featured in Kieślowski’s classic TV series. The map was created with editorial supervision from film director Natalia Koryncka-Gruz, whose original concept provided the basis for the project.

The Map of The Decalogue presents contemporary photographs of each location, created by Piotr Jaxa, along with clips from individual episodes accompanied by excerpts from the screenplay. Readers will also find contextual descriptions of particular places and events, written by the film scholar Prof. Mikołaj Jazdon, as well as reflections on the fundamental issues addressed in Kieślowski’s Decalogue, compiled by the theologian Prof. Michał Klinger.

The Map of The Decalogue is an excellent guide for local and foreign Kieślowski buffs visiting Warsaw or looking to rediscover the Polish capital through the eyes of the great filmmaker. The featured textual content offers even deeper insight into the themes explored in the series, and teachers will find helpful materials that can be incorporated into high school lessons.

Copyrights:

K.Kieślowski's portrait on the Home Page – Piotr Jaxa/ CC BY-NC-ND
Photographs of the locations – Piotr Jaxa/ FINA
Film snippets – In copyright TVP
Script snippets – In copyright Fundacja Sztuki Współczesnej IN SITU