The Remembrance Museum of the Land of Oświęcim invites you to the opening of the temporary exhibition “The History of Ice Hockey in Oświęcim: Eighty Years of Unia Oświęcim.” The exhibition will open on June 25, 2026 (Thursday), at 5:00 PM. Admission is free.
“The history of hockey in Unia began in 1958, when the team—founded a year earlier in Brzezinka by local enthusiasts led by Antoni Matlak—came under the patronage of the Oświęcim Chemical Works. The club’s first natural ice rink was located next to Betonowy Square (today the area near the intersection of Chemików and Zwycięstwa Streets). In those years, the team competed in the Kraków regional league. The construction of an artificial ice rink in 1964—the twelfth such facility in Poland—significantly improved conditions for the development of ice hockey in the town on the Soła River,” recalls Maciej Kosnowski, an ice hockey enthusiast, collector, and the initiator of the exhibition.
The exhibition will feature much more than historic hockey sticks, skates, and a protective cage helmet. Visitors will also see archival photographs documenting key moments in the club’s history, match tickets, commemorative hockey pucks, badges, pennants, and valuable historical documents, including the first page of the contract signed between KS Unia Oświęcim and coach Stanisław Małkow.
“Before the 2023/24 season, Nik Zupančič returned as head coach. Successful player acquisitions before the season led to the long-awaited ninth Polish Championship title after twenty years. The championship was decided in the seventh and final game, played on April 14, 2024, in Katowice against GKS Katowice. The decisive ‘golden goal’—the only goal of the game—was scored by Mark Kaleinikovas in the seventh minute of overtime,” says Maciej Kosnowski.
The exhibition dedicated to Unia Oświęcim will be open through the end of August, from Tuesday to Sunday, 10:00 AM to 6:00 PM, on the Museum’s ground floor. The exhibition will appeal to loyal Unia supporters as well as ice hockey enthusiasts.
Visitors are reminded that free parking is available next to the Museum building, and bicycle racks are provided for cyclists. The Museum can also be reached by municipal bus lines 1, 16, 18, 19, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, and 29 (stop: Uczelnia).
The Remembrance Museum of the Land of Oświęcim
2A Maksymiliana Kolbego Street
32-600 Oświęcim
Temporary Exhibition: The History of Ice Hockey in Oświęcim: Eighty Years of Unia Oświęcim
Opening: June 25, 2026 (Thursday), 5:00 PM
Admission is free.
