What is an “oryl”? How does one make a herring borscht soup? What adorned the garments of a “Łurzycanka” (Old Polish for a woman from Urzecze)? What did life look like for the river-bound people living on terps and trytwas (from German Trift)? If these words sound exotic, it might be worth a visit to the exhibit to explore the disappearing ethnographic region – Urzecze. It stretches from Warsaw’s Saska Kępa all the way to Czersk, and it is centered around and nurtured by the Vistula river. The exhibition is focused around the oral history of contemporary Łurzycoks (people from Urzecze) that remember the old traditions, ceremonies, and the material culture.
We will be able to see archival as well as contemporary photos from Urzecze, films with stories told by its inhabitants about life in the region, local attire, everyday objects, and tools. We want to familiarise the inhabitants of Warsaw and its surroundings with this interesting, but almost forgotten microregion by the Vistula river, who knows, maybe someone will find their ancestors within this captivating tale. The exhibition was organised in cooperation with the State Archeological Museum in Warsaw.
