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The Museum of the History of Cracow will be opening a brand new branch this week in the famous (at times infamous!) suburb of Nowa Huta.
Nowa Huta was founded in 1949 and the name literally means 'New Steelworks'. The project was centred around a gargantuan steel plant. This chunk of the town was in fact a special present from Moscow.
As it was, Nowa Huta was a political enterprise from the outset. It was designed to counter the traditional, bourgeois character of Cracow. However, the project ultimately backfired and the imported working class became a bastion of the Solidarity protest movement.
Besides a permanent exhibition, the new museum will be opening a temporary show that showcases the striking black and white photography of Henryk Hermanowicz. The official opening of both exhibits will be at midday on Tuesday 26th April.
The decision to open such a museum reflects the changing times. For years traditional Cracovians refused to acknowledge Nowa Huta as a proper part of their city. However, in recent times the suburb (which is a rare model of a complete social-realist city ) has found a number of eloquent champions. Even some architects whose families suffered considerably under to the Soviets tout the domestic architecture as an excellent example of emerging modernism.
The Museum of The History Of Cracow, Nowa Huta Branch
Os. Sloneczne
Tel: (12) 425 97 75
| Source: NH | April.25.2005 |
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