The Remembrance Museum of the Land of Oświęcim hosted five days of workshops as part of the 4th Sensitive Culture Festival, held under the theme “The Art of the Senses.” The events welcomed a wide range of participants, from seniors to children and young people with special educational needs. A full video recap of the festival is now available on our YouTube channel. The video has been prepared to meet accessibility standards, with subtitles and a translation into Polish Sign Language (PJM).
Each day of the festival at the Museum focused on a different theme and was designed for a different group of participants. However, all the activities shared one common goal: bringing local history closer to people in an engaging, welcoming, and accessible way.
The festival opened with a workshop entitled “Remember, It Was Summer…”, attended by seniors from the Adult Day Care Center in Oświęcim. Participants viewed archival photographs brought to life with the help of artificial intelligence, explored a collection of vintage cameras, and took part in a photo shoot in a retro studio inspired by the early 20th century. They also decorated their own photo frames.
On the second day, the Museum welcomed students from the Special Educational Needs Center in Oświęcim. During the outdoor game “Following in the Footsteps of Superheroes,” the permanent exhibition was transformed into a maze of puzzles about local people who selflessly helped prisoners of Auschwitz. To wrap up the activity, everyone joined in painting the letters of the word “POMAGAM” (“I HELP”).
The next workshop, “How Sponge Cake Became a Superhero,” focused on the story of Bronisław Jacek Stupka and the teddy bear that saved an entire family. The children talked about courage and helping one another, and took part in retro outdoor games in the garden of the Museum.
The fourth day was held under the theme “Help Had a Woman’s Face.” Participants from the County Community Self-Help Center in Kęty learned about women who helped others, including Maria Bobrzecka, Janina Kajtoch, and Helena Stupka. They then created their own graphic portraits on tote bags.
The festival concluded with a performance by the Marek Żyła Puppet Theatre entitled “Scientists: Marysia and the Boys Save the World,” which highlighted the importance of education in a humorous way. After the show and a chance to meet the puppets, participants decorated T-shirts with the festival’s signature design, “An Eye for People,” reminding us of the importance of recognizing each person’s individual needs.
Watch the video: