COLOURFUL CHRISTMAS JOY AND FRIENDS

28th November 2023 – February 2024

Exhibition in the banquet hall at the Old Town Hall

Leipzig Museum of City History, Old Town Hall, Markt 1, 04109 Leipzig

To many people, nativity scenes are just as much a part of Christmas as advent calendars, fruit cake or Christmas markets. Visitors to the Old Town Hall can enjoy the colourful and gold-decorated dream architectures of the Szopki krakowskie, a very special nativity scene tradition. They magnificently highlight the traditions of Leipzig’s twin city.

The Kraków nativity scenes are part of the intangible cultural heritage of humanity. In Kraków, the tradition of building nativity scenes dates back to the 19^th century – and it is still very much alive, as can be seen in Kraków’s main square every year. This is where the traditional nativity scene building competition is held. Afterwards, the designs by the winner’s of the respective year are moved to the Muzeum Historyczne Miasta Krakowa, the partner museum of the Leipzig Museum of City History.

However, the magnificent constructions from Kraków are only loosely reminiscent of the humble stable in which baby Jesus slept in a manger next to an ox and a donkey. They are richly coloured, decorated in gold, bright, illuminated and, in part, operated mechanically.

Traditionally, the Kraków nativity scenes include important monuments of the city. The distinct towers of St Mary’s Church and Wawel Cathedral can be seen particularly frequently. In addition to the Holy Family, figurines of Polish kings, national heroes and the legendary Tatar Lajkonik make the scene more lively. While, in the past, the nativity scenes were made from simple materials, such as cardboard and sweet wrappers, today, they are usually made of wooden slats and lavishly decorated with shiny aluminium foil. The figurines are made of wood, plaster or plastic and often they can even move, thanks to sophisticated inbuilt mechanisms.

In addition to a selection of historic nativity scenes from the Muzeum Historyczne Miasta Krakowa, we will also highlight nativity scenes made in the recent past. Moreover, together with partners from the community, a new Leipzig nativity scene will be built in the Kraków style in 2023. It will then be presented in the banqueting hall.

With the support of the Department of International Affairs and the Department of Cultural Affairs of the City of Leipzig, we will present nativity scenes from the Museum of Kraków in the historic banqueting hall to celebrate the 50^th anniversary of the twinning agreement and as part of the 2023 focus on “Leipzig – The whole city is a stage”. At the same time, this also revives the tradition of the Christmas Exhibitions at the Old Town Hall, but with a more contemporary approach.

^{_{Photographs (from left to right): »Kraków nativity scenes (szopki krakowskie)«  © Muzeum Historyczne Miasta Krakowa
1 Szopka krakowska made by Jakub Zawadziński
2 Szopka krakowska made by Marzena Dłużniewska
3 Szopka krakowska made by Józef Madej
4 Detailansicht der Krippe made by Marzena Dłużniewska}}