The Polish Heritage Center at Panna Maria
The Panna Maria Heritage Center Foundation recognizes and celebrates the first permanent Polish settlement established in the United States, at Panna Maria, Texas, in 1854.
The Polish Heritage Center at Panna Maria relates the story of the Silesian Polish immigration to Texas through the “Polish Renaissance” that began in Texas in the late 1960s. The stories reflect our American history as a nation of immigrants and act as a lens to focus the meaning of faith, family, and community, and serve to rekindle a new generation’s interest in their Silesian and Polish heritage.
Exhibits
3,000 square feet of permanent exhibits provide interactive and immersive experiences in five main exhibit areas.
- Early Poland (996 – 1854)
- Immigration to Texas
- Texas Silesian Parishes
- Twentieth Century Poland
- Polish Renaissance in Texas 1966 to Present