Act and Shine: Winter Break at Wawel Castle
January 30 – February 10, 2023
Do theater, photography, goldsmith’s work, illuminated manuscripts, textiles, and stained glass have anything in common? Of course, they do! During this year’s winter break we invite children to activities and workshops centered on movement, light, and brilliance, which we will look for in the works of art in the Crown Treasury. Together we will try to capture these ephemeral elements, be inspired by them, and create works of art.
Join in the fun and become actors, goldsmiths, calligraphers, weavers, and other artists and artisans.
Join in the fun and become actors, goldsmiths, calligraphers, weavers, and other artists and artisans.
Free activities for families with children (in Polish and Ukrainian).
Advance reservations are required. Reservation form will be active from February 23, 2023.
January 30, 2023 – Weaving with Radiance – Macramé Workshops
Can a textile shine? At Wawel we’re sure they can. Especially the royal tapestries of Sigismund II Augustus. The tapestry collection is one of the most precious legacies of the kings of the Jagiellonian dynasty. Woven with silk, wool, silver, and gold threads, their beauty and craftsmanship still inspire awe. In the workshop we’ll make our own macramé works of art, with plenty of shiny threads, too.
Leader: Barbara Mateja
- Time: 11:30 a.m., duration: about 120 minutes
- Place: The State Rooms exhibition
- Reservation: please complete the form on our website
- Audience: families with children aged 7 to 13 years
January 31, 2023 – Act, Play, Shine – Seven Krakow Legends (a play)
Join us for a special play in the Senators’ Hall with Wawel’s best-known inhabitant—the Wawel Dragon. He’ll introduce us to fantastic legends about Krakow and Wawel Royal Castle. The stories will be told in a colorful and happy way with the active participation of the youngest audience members—children will be able to act in the play becoming the heroes of the stories.
Leader: Teatr Otwarty T.O.
- Time: 2:30 p.m., duration: about 120 minutes
- Place: The State Rooms exhibition
- Reservation: please complete the form on our website
- Audience: families with children aged 6 to 10 years
February 1, 2023 – Dazzle – Ornamentation Workshops
Have you ever wondered how jewelry is made? These tiny works of art enchant us not only because they sparkle and shine, but because they are so precisely crafted. You’ll be able to see many such intricate gold objects during our activities in Wawel Royal Castle’s Crown Treasury. You’ll learn about the goldsmith’s craft and, in the following workshop section, you’ll one of the techniques to create your own accessory.
Leader: Blanka Błaszczak-Rozenbaum
- Time: 11:30 a.m., duration: about 120 minutes
- Place: The Crown Treasury exhibition
- Reservation: please complete the form on our website
- Audience: families with children aged 7 to 10 years
February 2, 2023 – Grab Your Pens! – Calligraphy Workshops
“Although only three fingers write, the whole body labors.” So said medieval scribes diligently and precisely moving their quills over the parchment to create stunning letters as they copied manuscripts. Join us for a trip through time and learn to write beautifully. Calligraphy requires exceptional precision, but the results are so satisfying!
Leader: Barbara Bodziony
- Time: 11.30 a.m., duration: about 120 minutes
- Place: The Crown Treasury exhibition
- Reservation: please complete the form on our website
- Audience: families with children aged 7 to 18 years
February 3, 2023 – Let’s Paint with Light – Photography Workshops
We all know how important light is in our lives. We simply need it to live! We could write all kinds of scientific papers, for example in biology or physics. But have you ever wondered about the role light plays in the fine arts? How did artists depict it through the ages? Can it be symbolic? Can we use modern methods such as photography to paint a picture with light? Let’s find out together!
Leader: Małgorzata Fatalska
- Time: 11.30 a.m., duration: about 120 minutes
- Place: The Crown Treasury exhibition
- Reservation: please complete the form on our website
- Audience: families with children aged 7 to 13 years
February 6, 2023 – Weaving with Radiance – Macramé Workshops
Can a textile shine? At Wawel we’re sure they can. Especially the royal tapestries of Sigismund II Augustus. The tapestry collection is one of the most precious legacies of the kings of the Jagiellonian dynasty. Woven with silk, wool, silver, and gold threads, their beauty and craftsmanship still inspire awe. In the workshop we’ll make our own macramé works of art, with plenty of shiny threads, too.
Leader: Barbara Mateja
- Time: 11:30 a.m., duration: about 120 minutes
- Place: The State Rooms exhibition
- Reservation: please complete the form on our website
- Audience: families with children aged 7 to 13 years
February 7, 2023 – With Light, Shadow, and Movement – Legends Enchanted in Light and Shadow
Can light and shadow be used for creative play? Of course it can! Join us for theater workshops during which you’ll meet a number of interesting characters and Krakow legends. And you’ll be able to create your own fairy-tale characters.
Leader: Teatr Otwarty T.O.
- Time: 2:30 p.m., duration: about 120 minutes
- Place: The State Rooms exhibition
- Reservation: please complete the form on our website
- Audience: families with children aged 7 to 15 years
February 8, 2023 – Dazzle – Ornamentation Workshops
Have you ever wondered how jewelry is made? These tiny works of art enchant us not only because they sparkle and shine, but because they are so precisely crafted. You’ll be able to see many such intricate gold objects during our activities in Wawel Royal Castle’s Crown Treasury. You’ll learn about the goldsmith’s craft and, in the following workshop section, you’ll one of the techniques to create your own accessory.
Leader: Barbara Mateja
- Time: 11:30 a.m., duration: about 120 minutes
- Place: The Crown Treasury exhibition
- Reservation: please complete the form on our website
- Audience: families with children aged 11 to 15 years
February 9, 2023 – Let’s Make Books Glitter! – Illumination Workshops
The glow of gold and the bright colors of precious stones—are we in a jewelry store? No! It’s a manuscript book. Join us for workshops in which under the watchful eye of a specialist you’ll learn how to create beautiful, glittering illuminations. You’ll learn about the workshop of the medieval illuminator, the creator of illustrations for manuscripts, who made the pages of books shine and come alive in magnificent colors.
Leader: Barbara Bodziony
- Time: 11:30 a.m., duration: about 120 minutes
- Place: The Crown Treasury exhibition
- Reservation: please complete the form on our website
- Audience: families with children aged 7 to 18 years
February 10, 2023 – The Colors of Light – Stained Glass Workshops
Light and color are an excellent combination for making a magnificent work of art. These two elements come together most beautifully in the art of stained glass, which was already popular in the Middle Ages. We will visit the Crown Treasury, explain what stained glass is, what crown glass is, and how stained glass windows are made. You’ll also make your own artworks inspired by this technique.
Leaders: Barbara Mateja
- Time: 11:30 a.m., duration: about 120 minutes
- Place: The Crown Treasury exhibition
- Reservation: please complete the form on our website
- Audience: families with children aged 7 to 13 years
Workshops as part of Winter Break at Wawel Castle will also be conducted in Ukrainian.
The event is organised as part of the Krakow Together – Integration project, which is implemented by the Internationaler Bund Polska Foundation in cooperation with the Department of Education of the City of Krakow and the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), from which the action is financed.
The event is organised as part of the Krakow Together – Integration project, which is implemented by the Internationaler Bund Polska Foundation in cooperation with the Department of Education of the City of Krakow and the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), from which the action is financed.