The Museum of Ceramics invites visitors to explore an exhibition presenting exceptionally popular Krakow nativity scenes from the collection of the Museum – Nadwiślański Ethnographic Park in Wygiełzów and Lipowiec Castle.
The Wygiełzów museum’s collection includes impressive nativity scenes created by renowned nativity-scene makers, including Witold Głuch, Stanisław Malik, Bronisław Pęcik, Stanisław Paczyński, Roman Woźniak and Tadeusz Gillert, as part of the Competition for the Most Beautiful Krakow Nativity Scene.
Krakow nativity-scene making is a unique phenomenon on a global scale. In November 2018, it was inscribed on UNESCO’s Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. The form of the Krakow nativity scene developed in the 19th century among masons and construction workers seeking additional income during the autumn and winter. Building a portable puppet theatre in the form of a tower-like structure, with elements inspired by Krakow’s historic architecture and figures of the Holy Family, was very popular until the outbreak of the First World War.
Contemporary nativity scenes are characterised by an accumulation of miniaturised, imaginatively transformed architectural elements. They are precisely constructed and richly decorated, often electrified and mechanised. The genre scenes depicted in them also refer to important historical and cultural events from Poland and around the world. To preserve the tradition and pass it on to subsequent generations, the first Competition for the Most Beautiful Krakow Nativity Scene was organised in Krakow’s Market Square in 1937. In 2019, the nativity-scene competition was held for the 77th time, enjoying undiminished popularity among both participants and event spectators.
The exhibition at the Bolesławiec museum is accompanied by Christmas workshops inspired by Krakow nativity-scene making, which create a unique festive atmosphere.