Rozwadów - a city from memories - an exhibition on the 320th anniversary of its location.
The exhibition recalls events, images and episodes from the history of Rozwadów and its inhabitants, recorded in old photographs and postcards. The town, founded by Gabriel Rozwadowski on the grounds of the village of Charzewice, by virtue of a privilege issued by John III Sobieski in 1690, appeared on maps until 1973, when it was incorporated into the growing urban agglomeration of Stalowa Wola.
The exhibition recalls events, images and episodes from the history of Rozwadów and its inhabitants, recorded in old photographs and postcards. The town, founded by Gabriel Rozwadowski on the grounds of the village of Charzewice, by virtue of a privilege issued by John III Sobieski in 1690, appeared on maps until 1973, when it was incorporated into the growing urban agglomeration of Stalowa Wola.
Until now the protagonist of exhibitions and albums, prepared by the Regional Museum in Stalowa Wola, was mainly the architecture of the cities – Rozwadów and Stalowa Wola. This time is different. For the first time monuments are relegated to the background.
On the old, charming photographs, architectural objects become a background for people going to work, passing cars and playing children; streets, squares, monuments and houses, including those that have been rebuilt or demolished over time – remain in the background.
The aim of the exhibition is to show the transience of a moment, impressions of Rozwadów life, crumbs of events and the atmosphere of a specific, once multicultural commercial center. From the photos look at us former residents of the town, representatives of different social strata and professions, living here over two centuries.
Visitors will become witnesses to the arrival of the first train at the railroad station. They will become participants in important events and celebrations organized by local cultural, educational and sports organizations.
The large-format nature of the photos displayed at the exhibition explains their mystery, truth and beauty, for a photograph seen even many times, only when enlarged reveals a fascinating detail.
The exhibition, although it does not fully reflect the appearance of the city and all the richness of the social and cultural life of its inhabitants, has undoubted cognitive value. The presentation is a sketch for a portrait of the former community. We see here both the likenesses of well-known people, without whom it would be difficult to imagine the history of the city, and “ordinary” people, unknown to the general public.
The exhibition includes about 100 photos and postcards from the collections of the Regional Museum and from private individuals. Most of these collections have never been published. The exhibition is an opportunity for these treasures to be seen by a wider audience.
A special place in the exhibition is occupied by photographs taken by Rozwadów mayor Klaudiusz Krzehlik taken in 1940-1944, as well as post-war photographs, the negatives of which were found by accident in a disused doctor’s office.
The chronological range of the images on display covers almost the entire century, from the late 19th century to the late 1970s.
Most of the images are from the interwar period, when photography significantly increased in popularity and became more accessible. A small number of the photos used are signed; a large part of them are anonymous amateur photographs.
The exhibition is a journey not only through the history of the city and its residents, but also through the history of photography, as it provides an opportunity to observe how photography itself has changed – from photographs carefully posed in the atelier of a photographic workshop to shots taken outdoors and reportage-like photographs.
The exhibition is a kind of “sentimental journey in time” for current and former Rozwadów residents, who are not indifferent to the history of their hometown.
