This year’s Night of the Museums at the Remembrance Museum was an unforgettable event, full of attractions for lovers of history and photography with a wide range of activities that attracted hundreds of visitors.
One of the highlights that sparked great interest was a workshop on taking photographs using the wet collodion technique – a 19th-century method of photography, which required precise work with chemicals and specialised equipment. The workshop was led by Mirosław Miranowicz, an experienced photographer, who explained step by step the process of creating unique, artistic photographs on glass plates. It was a unique opportunity to travel back in time and feel the magic of old photography.
An exhibition of cameras from early 20th century models to modern digital SLRs from the collections of Piotr Tarczyński and Mirosław Miranowicz proved very popular with both younger and older visitors alike accompanied the workshop. Visitors were able to see how photographic technology has developed over the years and how trends in the field have changed.
The second of the temporary exhibitions presented during the Night of the Museums shows “Faces of Aid” – portraits of residents of the Oświęcim area whose interviews were videoed. In their statements, they recalled personal experiences as well as family stories and the fate of the local community. We could not include all the recorded accounts of witnesses to history in our permanent exhibition, but we wanted to thank them for their contribution to the creation of our museum’s resources by presenting this temporary exhibition.
For families with children and lovers of active leisure, a field game was prepared that took them on a journey along the museum’s ‘Superhero Path’. The game required solving a series of puzzles related to the history of children providing aid during World War II.
There was also an educational workshop for the youngest children. The children watched the fairy tale “Brother and sister – a tale about helping”. They learned why it is worth helping and that good things come back to those who do. During the workshop, the children decorated magic cups and plates taken from the fairy tale with their own hands. There was an opportunity to make magnets with a forget-me-not, one of the symbols of our museum, and take them home to remind them of this special evening.
The event also included a museum quiz, which tested the participants’ knowledge of the museum exhibition and the history of the people it tells. It was a great opportunity to learn more about the exhibition, test your inquisitiveness and win interesting prizes.
Everyone visiting the museum on the day had the opportunity to have their photo taken using the instant technique in the Touring Photographic Facility. This was particularly popular with families and friends who wanted to take away a memento of this special event.
The Night of the Museums was also an excellent opportunity to present prizes to the participants of the competition entitled “The Mysterious Courier Wanda”. The art competition was aimed at children and young people, and its aim was to create a comic strip inspired by the story of Wanda – Władysława Krystyna Rzepecka, née Harat – the eponymous “Courier Girl”. Out of the works received at the awards ceremony, three were distinguished:
The main prize in the competition went to Emilia Krawczyk, aged 12 from the H. Sienkiewicz Primary School in Grojec.
Distinctions were given to Jasmina Pietruszka, aged 13 from Primary School No. 2 in Oświęcim and Milena Rąba, aged 13 from Primary School No. 2 in Oświęcim.
Thank you to everyone who took part in the competition and congratulations to the winners!
The main attraction of this special evening was a shadow theatre performance by the Teatr Figur from Krakow. The artists prepared a unique performance telling the story of the Kulig family from Poręba Wielka. The family paid the highest price for the aid they rendered to Auschwitz prisoner Jan Nowaczek – the price of the life of father Wawrzyniec Kulig. The poignant story, portrayed in moving images of light and shadow, combined with gripping music and narration, made a huge impression on the audience.
Night of the Museums 2024, full of impressions and unforgettable moments, is over for another year! We warmly thank all the participants for coming in large numbers, for their interesting conversations and active participation in the events.
See you next year!
