“If I were to prepare this exhibition again, I would do it with even more engagement,” said Małgorzata Dziędziel-Gabryszak, teacher and creator of an exhibition entitled Kęty Textile Factories, which was opened in the Mikołaj Kęty District School Complex no. 10 in Kęty.
Edward Zajączek (1874-1949) was a famous Kęty entrepreneur and mayor, responsible for the road bridge on the Soła River and the construction of the power plant. An exhibition, supported by the Aleksander Kłosiński Museum in Kęty, in one of the classrooms has been devoted to him, his achievements and his family.
Profile of Edward Zajączek
“I am very touched that we managed to do it. We took up the challenge to start a project with the Remembrance Museum of Land of Oświęcim Residents. We were wondering what to present, I was rather distracted as I had too many ideas and could not focus on one. Suddenly I realised that I had a brilliant topic. A topic that relates to important people in the Oświęcim area, that is, my ancestors,” said Małgorzata Dziędziel-Gabryszak.
The classroom was divided into four zones: the factory, factory workers, Zajączek’s store, and Zajączek’s living room. In each of them, surprises or tasks awaited the participants at the opening. The surprises included the opportunity to stamp a commemorative stamp, sweet treats and aromatic coffee. Visitors had the challenge of guessing the types of fabrics. Original memorabilia of the Zajączek family, including a typewriter, an owl-shaped lamp, photographs and diaries, aroused great curiosity.
One of the presented curiosities was a photocopy of a letter with a limerick written by the Nobel Prize winner Wisława Szymborska in Krakow on 23 May 1995 on… pre-war letterhead of the Zajączek and Lankosz factory in Kęty.
“The project inspired many very interesting conversations. We returned to our memories as a family, we returned to subjects that had been swept under the carpet. I met with Ms Barbara Malik, who is the doyenne of our family and who told us very interesting things with zeal, joy and commitment. And I must honestly admit that if I were to prepare this exhibition again, I would do it with even more engagement, because we discovered many fascinating things. What you will see here is just a taster,” summed up Małgorzata Dziędziel-Gabryszak, hinting that in the future we may be able to see even more memorabilia of the Zajączek family.
The opening of the exhibition was attended by members of the district board, Teresa Jankowska, director of the Remembrance Museum of Land of Oświęcim Residents Dorota Mleczko, and Museum educators Joanna Cebulska and Anita Bury.
The project, entitled “Hear the Forgotten Voices-the Fate of the Inhabitants of the Land of Oświęcim in the First Half of the Twentieth Century,” is addressed to teachers, employees of cultural institutions, day centres, libraries, and local historical associations in the Oświęcim district. The goal is to create a series of exhibitions presenting the fate of the inhabitants of the Oświęcim area. The event in Kęty was the sixth in a row. Previously, teachers from Konarski High School in Oświęcim, employees of the Municipal Centre for Culture, Sports, and Recreation in Chełmek, teachers from the Vocational and General Schools no. 6 in Brzeszcze, ladies from the Zator Land Lovers Society, and the Youth Team of the Voluntary Fire Brigade in Malec have presented their own exhibitions.
The project will conclude at the Remembrance Museum at 2A Kolbego Street in Oświęcim in June this year. The exhibits created as part of the project will be presented in the form of temporary exhibitions at the Museum.
