Historical lectures: “Wisława Szymborska's Krakow on the 30th anniversary of the Nobel Prize in Literature.” and “Mounds and mounds of Krakow and its surroundings.”

17.00 Cracow Wisława Szymborska on the 30th anniversary of the Nobel Prize in Literature.

Wisława Szymborska lived in Krakow from early childhood and died here in 2012. We will trace the places associated with the Poetess, we will get to know her family and friends. We will introduce the Nobel Prize winner from the side of literary creativity, and we will color the biography with anecdotes. There will also be some poetry and excerpts from the columns. With the attention devoted to Mrs. Szymborska, we celebrate the round anniversary of her worldwide success, the fourth Polish (Krakow!) The Nobel Prize in Literature in 1996.

Hosted by: Danuta Gajewska

18.00 The series “Through the eyes of an archaeologist” — “From modest necropolises to royal tombs - that is, funeral customs, graves and cemeteries of our ancestors through the eyes of an archaeologist”.

The interiors of Krakow's temples and their immediate surroundings, such as today's St. Mary's Square, have served as resting places for centuries. We admire Renaissance tombstones and Wawel epitaphs, but burial practices in these areas go much deeper, going back thousands of years. Centuries ago, the dead were buried not only in separate cemeteries, but also within former settlements, between households and even under the floors of huts. Alongside Slavic incineration burials on the tops of mounded mounds, science reveals a whole range of fascinating customs.

During the meeting, I will talk about mass graves, caves that hide the remains of people and animals, and about ancient customs ordering the dismemberment of bodies. We will look at both modest burials and rich graves equipped with weapons, ornaments or necessary tools. I will mention the dead lying upright, ready to rise to the Last Judgment, and those who lie hunched on their sides as if they had fallen asleep. Before the feast of All Saints, it is worth remembering that under our feet the earth hides not only loud treasures, but, above all, the silent memory and remains of the former inhabitants of our lands.

Hosted by: Ewa Kubica Kabacińska

Danuta Gajewska — city guide in Krakow.
Ewa Kubica-Kabacińska — archaeologist, researcher at the Archaeological Museum in Krakow.