Museum Night 2026 at the Katyn Museum
Another edition of Museum Night has come to a close, bringing together visitors for an evening dedicated to history, art, and reflection.
Throughout the event, guided tours of the permanent exhibition attracted strong interest, offering visitors an opportunity to engage more deeply with the museum’s core narrative and collections. A particular focus of the evening was the temporary exhibition “Totemic Figure No. 107 by Jan Lebenstein. A Single-Painting Exhibition”, which became an important point of reflection on the artist’s work and the historical context behind the featured piece.
At 6:00 p.m., a meeting took place with Ida Nowakowska, who spoke about the work of Jan Lebenstein and the painting presented in the temporary exhibition. Inspired by a photograph taken in Katyn in May 1943, the artwork offers a powerful artistic reinterpretation of history, inviting viewers to reflect more deeply on one of the most tragic chapters of the 20th century.
The evening concluded with a performance of the radio drama “Post Mortem. The Story of Zofia Dwornik”, followed by a discussion with its creators – director Mikołaj Szczęśny and actor Adam Woronowicz. Set in post-war Poland and the milieu of the Łódź Film School, the story interweaves individual human experiences with the enduring shadow of the Katyn massacre, offering a moving reflection on memory and moral complexity.
The discussion with the creators and the audience was led by Zofia Kunert, whose moderation gave the conversation both depth and a clear historical and cultural framework. In her questions and reflections, she also referred to the work of Andrzej Wajda, highlighting – together with the creators – how his films form part of a broader narrative about memory, history, and the artist’s responsibility towards reality. Her contribution also allowed the character of Zofia Dwornik to resonate more strongly – her complex, courageous, and ambiguous stance towards the regime became one of the key points of the evening, prompting reflection on individual choices in times of constraint and pressure.
We would like to thank all our guests for their presence.
