Rozwadowski Falcon - on the wings of independence

The building that houses the Gymnastic Society “Sokół” in Rozwadów is over 100 years old. The activities of the Society, which raised successive generations of youth in the spirit of patriotism and sporting competition, represent one of the most beautiful threads in the history of Rozwadów. Every important event of an independence or sporting nature was honored by the participation of Sokoły and Sokolic in their characteristic costumes.

The building was not only the seat of Sokół but also a cultural center for the residents of Rozwadów.

It housed sections for gymnastics, cycling, soccer, as well as a theater club and the mandolin group “Lutnia.” Singing and dancing were taught here. The variety of forms of leisure was ensured by: a civic casino, a book rental, a reading room, and a community center. The “Sokół” cinema operated vigorously, screening feature films and documentary chronicles twice a week. Anniversaries, theatrical performances, and nativity plays were organized on its stage. Carnival balls and dance parties were extremely popular.

Part of the premises was occupied by the Commercial School in the late 1920s and 1930s. During the war, wounded soldiers were accommodated in the building.

After World War II, despite the dissolution of the struggling Gymnastic Societies, the building continued to serve the residents. Among others, scouts and a senior club found their home here.

The outdoor photographic exhibition will include 20 panels presenting the history of the building and the activities of the Nest and its various sections in a chronological and thematic layout. This is the first exhibition that broadly presents the previously lesser-known history of Sokół in Rozwadów, which operated from 1906 to 1939. The destruction of the Nest’s documents during the wars had a huge impact on the work on the exhibition, which had to be largely based on archival photographs, postcards, posters, and magazines, as well as accounts from people whose relatives were members of Sokół before the war and who preserved invaluable materials in their private archives.

An extension of the exhibition in the urban space will be the presentation of profiles of Rozwadów residents who were active in Sokół. The way of exhibiting will be quite unusual: for the first time, the windows of the abandoned Sokół building at ul. Rozwadowska 21 will serve as the exhibition space.

Organizer: Regional Museum in Stalowa Wola

Idea: Lucyna Mizera

Curator: Aneta Garanty, in collaboration with Joanna Wójcik

Artistic design: Krzysztof Drumiński, Jakub Walkowicz (2code.pl)