Sports in the II RP
Curator: Dr. Iwona Grys (Museum of Sport and Tourism in Warsaw)
Coordinator: Joanna Wójcika
Halina Konopacka, Janusz Kusociński, Stanisława Walasiewicz are legends of Polish sport, creating its glorious history. The achievements of these and many other Polish athletes of the interwar period will be known at the temporary exhibition Sport in the Second Republic, which will be opened on April 12 at the Regional Museum in Stalowa Wola. This is another look at the Polish Republic in the years 1918-1939, in the year of our city’s jubilee. The exhibition was created in cooperation with the Museum of Sport and Tourism in Warsaw.
The exhibition refers to the time when Independent Poland, reborn after more than a century of captivity, enabled its athletes to return to the arena of international competition. The chronological scope of the exhibition covers the period from September 1918 to August 1939. It closes with the outbreak of war and the absolute ban on sports by Poles issued by the German authorities.
The theme of the exhibition, whose leitmotif is the history of sports in Independent Poland, includes more than a dozen sections showing the variety of sports disciplines and the increasing level of training of Polish athletes competing at home and abroad. The history of sports in the Second Republic is illustrated by original and unique exhibits, most of which come from the collections of the Museum of Sports and Tourism in Warsaw.
The exhibition takes the viewer through the history of Polish sports, starting from its birth right after the restoration of independence, through the Olympic debut at the 1924 Paris Games and further starts at the Olympic Games. It also tells the story of the Games of Poles from abroad, as well as the great sports competitions held at home (the European Championships and the World Championships), and always ending in great organizational success for Poles. It shows the profiles and achievements of outstanding Polish athletes: athletes, tennis players, skiers, skaters, equestrians, boxers and athletes. There will be exhibits illustrating the history of motorcycle rallies and cycling races, as well as balloon, glider, airplane and various water sports.
The Sport in the Second Republic exhibition features trophies and personal mementos of Janusz Kusociński, Halina Konopacka, Stanisława Walasiewicz, Maria Kwasniewska, the Kuchar brothers, Franciszek Szymczyk, Jerzy Braun and many other outstanding athletes. Nearly 180 names of Polish athletes actively engaged in sports in 1918-1939 will appear there.
Thanks to modern methods of narration, this originally arranged exhibition introduces the atmosphere of sports competition from the 1920s and 1930s. The exhibition is complemented by archival films, sound recordings and multimedia presentations.
Regional Museum in Stalowa Wola
Workshop Gallery, 17 Hutnicza St. (COP exhibition building for the future)
Additional information: Joanna Wójcik
tel. 15 844 85 56 w. 11
