The Archiwum Narodowe w Krakowie (National Archives in Kraków) has prepared an outdoor exhibition, ‘Legenda Kabaretu Piwnica pod Baranami’, organised as part of the celebrations for International Archives Day and the 70th anniversary of the cabaret’s activity. The exhibition consists of 48 panels presenting nearly 200 digital reproductions of photographs, posters and ephemera. The materials come mainly from Kraków’s archival holdings, including the collection ‘Piwnica pod Baranami i jej ludzie’, files of the Krakowski Dom Kultury ‘Pałac pod Baranami’, the Teatr Rapsodyczny and documentation from state administration during the Polish People’s Republic (PRL). The Stowarzyszenie Artystów i Sympatyków ‘Piwnicy pod Baranami’ (Association of Artists and Friends of ‘Piwnica pod Baranami’) also contributed to the exhibition, providing additional materials and recollections.
The exhibition recalls the history of the cabaret’s founding and the profiles of its creators, including Piotr Skrzynecki and Janina Garycka. It shows the everyday functioning of the stage in the realities of Poland under communist rule and its literary and artistic programme, which set it apart from other cabaret stages. The display also presents the creators who helped build the cabaret’s legend: photographers, visual artists, set designers, journalists and friends of the stage. Among the works on show are photographs by Adam Karaś, including previously unpublished portraits of the artists, and pictures by Zbigniew Łagocki, Krzysztof Malski, Paweł Grawicz, Tadeusz Płaszewski and Bogdan Zimowski, as well as artworks by Kazimierz Wiśniak, Lidia and Jerzy Skarżyński, Janina Garycka and Sebastian Kudas.
The exhibition also includes materials relating to Ambroży Grabowski, a nineteenth-century chronicler of Kraków and the informal patron of Kraków’s archivists. Among the exhibits is a diploma presented to Piotr Skrzynecki by the archive’s staff in 1979 for producing the play ‘Apologia Ambrożego Grabowskiego’. According to the source, archival documents served as the inspiration and basis for the scripts of productions such as ‘Duma i ozdoba miasta K.’, ‘Apologia Ambrożego Grabowskiego’ and ‘Silviludis albo niedole Wazów’.
The exhibition was previously displayed at plac Szczepański, where it could be viewed until 21 June 2026. From 23 June to 21 December 2026, the display will be shown outside the seat of the Archiwum Narodowe w Krakowie at ul. Rakowicka 22E.