A time capsule was opened in the Krasiczyn castle [PHOTOS]

On April 12 this year, in the gallery of the Krasiczyn castle, on the initiative of the Pro Arte et Historia Foundation, which manages the castles in Krasiczyn and Baranów Sandomierski, the ceremonial opening of the exhibition entitled "History of people and places recorded in images. Watercolors of Teresa, Princess Sapieha" took place. The collection comes from the private collection of Ryszard Kołakowski, a photography enthusiast.

The exhibition was filled with works by the young artist, as well as other valuable artifacts documenting the life of the Sapieha princes. Among the numerous exhibits presented at the exhibition were also occasional albums, cameras from the 19th and 20th centuries, and an aeroscope, i.e. a camera constructed in 1908 by the Polish inventor and designer Kazimierz Prószyński. It is worth adding that on June 22, 1911 in London, K. Prószyński made a reportage of the coronation of King George V.

The exhibition was opened by the director of the Pro Arte et Historia Foundation, Szczepan Łąka. The introduction was given by historian Dr. Żaneta Niedbała, who referred to the fact that the castle in Krasiczyn was the residential home of distinguished noble and magnate families for the Republic of Poland over the centuries, including the Sapieha princes. Furthermore, referring to the memories of Professor Stefan Kieniewicz, she referred to the biographical threads of Teresa, Princess Sapieha (1839-1859) and her artistic achievements, also mentioning that the watercolours presented at the exhibition form a story about important places and people in her life.

Teresa, Princess Sapieha, daughter of Leon Ludwik, Princess Sapieha, and Jadwiga, Countess Zamoyska, Princess Sapieha, died on March 27, 1859 in Vienna after a long and serious illness. The last days of the young Sapieha's life in the Viennese salon are presented in a painting presented at the exhibition. After some time, her remains were transported to Krasiczyn and placed in the family pantheon. The famous German composer, pianist JC Kessler composed a funeral song in her honor in Vienna, "Mèditation funèbre".

Time travel

The author of the exhibition took the participants of the meeting on an extraordinary journey through time. Both his lecture on the development of photography and the exhibition of exhibits aroused great interest. Those contemplating the exhibition also had the opportunity to learn what ambrotype, daguerreotype and ferrotype are. It can be said that the objects taken from a private collection, i.e. cameras, albums and watercolours, "revived" the historical interiors of the Krasiczyn castle.

Finally, it is worth referring to the thought of an enthusiast and collector that the watercolors of Teresa, Princess Sapieha, presented at the exhibition are a source of reflection on the past and are a medium for transmitting information about the life of the Sapieha princes. A letter from Jadwiga, née Sanguszko, Princess Sapieha from 1908 (wife of Adam Stanisław, Prince Sapieha), kept in a wooden box together with watercolors, is an important source for research on the history of the castle and the family that created it for four generations. We cordially invite you to the Krasiczyn castle and see the exhibition, which will be open until the end of September this year.

Żaneta Niedbała