Memory of the inhabitants of Rozwadów

The exhibition presented in the former Grand Cafe restaurant consists of dozens of archival photographs, mainly from the first half of the 20th century. These are individual and group portraits of former residents of Rozwadów. The portraits capture burghers, intelligentsia, craftsmen, and merchants, whose names and fates are inextricably linked to the history of the old town.

The vast majority of the photographs, available to the public for the first time, have languished in family albums, drawers, and trunks for decades. Among them are photographs from the well-known and esteemed Serwacki family in Rozwadów, which had lain in a trunk for several decades. The traditional presentation of the photographs on the walls of the temporary gallery will be enhanced by prints placed on mirrors, tables, and windows of the venue.

The exhibition is also an opportunity to bring closer the history of the restaurant and hotel. Old postcards depicting this part of the Rozwadów market, as well as unique, and so far the only known photographs showcasing the restaurant’s interiors, and a photograph from a wedding reception held at the Grand Cafe in 1941, will serve this purpose.

The story of a Jewish girl is also connected to the restaurant’s owners, who found shelter there after she was abandoned at the station in Rozwadów during World War II. After the war ended, she returned to her biological parents. The only known image of the adoptive mother and the girl will be presented at the exhibition.

The Regional Museum in Stalowa Wola would like to express its heartfelt thanks to the residents of Rozwadów for their selfless assistance in organizing the exhibition and providing photographic materials.

We would particularly like to thank: Marek Ciba, Zuzanna Ciołkosz-Karlik, Barbara Karakula, Zbigniew Krzemiński, Halina and Eliza Kułacz, Teresa Niemiec, Teresa Rakowska, Katarzyna Sebastyańska, Elżbieta Szczygieł, Bożena Wrzos.

We are aware that we have not reached all residents and families of Rozwadów. We encourage you to share your family photographs and knowledge about your relatives with us, so that more exhibitions and publications can be created to restore the memory of the residents and the former Rozwadów.

Organizer: Regional Museum in Stalowa Wola

www.muzeum.stalowawola.pl

Idea and concept: Lucyna Mizera

Curator: Aneta Garanty

Artistic arrangement: Alicja Czajkowska-Chmielewska

EDUCATIONAL OFFER: for kindergartens, for primary schools grades 1-3, for primary schools grades 4-6, for middle schools, for high schools, for adults, for families, program for disabled guests