Wojciech Bogusławski Monument in Mogiła
Kraków Artists: Theatre, Cabaret and Film
A monument in a park at Sieroszewskiego Street on the Młodości estate, on the site of the former village of Mogiła, next to the Cistercian monastery; unveiled in March 1971 for International Theatre Day. It is a limestone boulder with a granite plaque commemorating Wojciech Bogusławski, actor, director and playwright, the father of Polish theatre, and his opera "The Supposed Miracle, or Krakowiacy and Górale", regarded as the first Polish national opera, whose action takes place in Mogiła itself. The monument was created on the initiative of the Theatre Lovers' Club, whose president was Krystyna Zbijewska.
History
A limestone boulder with a granite plaque stands in the park on Sieroszewskiego Street in the Młodości estate in Nowa Huta, on the site of the former village of Mogiła, next to the Cistercian abbey. The idea came from the Theatre Lovers' Club, chaired by Krystyna Zbijewska, and the unveiling in March 1971 coincided with the celebrations of World Theatre Day. The plaque commemorates Wojciech Bogusławski, actor, director and playwright, known as the father of Polish theatre, and his work "Cud mniemany, czyli Krakowiacy i Górale" (The Supposed Miracle, or Cracovians and Highlanders).
Bogusławski was born in 1757. As a young man he studied in Kraków: from 1770 at the Kraków Academy, and a year later at the Nowodworski Schools. Later he ran the National Theatre in Warsaw and founded theatres in Vilnius and in Kalisz.
"Cracovians and Highlanders" is a vaudeville with music by Jan Stefani to a libretto by Bogusławski. It was staged in Warsaw on 1 March 1794, four weeks before Kościuszko's oath. The action takes place in Mogiła, in the mill and the inn next to the Cistercian abbey - both buildings survive to this day. At the time Bogusławski was studying in Kraków, a church fair was held in Mogiła twice a year, attended by people from the surrounding area and by highlanders, so he may have known the place from his own experience. The text was lost and was only found in 1929 by Leon Schiller, who called it the Polish national opera.
Did you know?
The opera also marked the beginnings of Nowa Huta: the Teatr Ludowy (People's Theatre) opened on 3 December 1955 with a premiere of "Cracovians and Highlanders". A reminder of the play is Bardosa Street, named after Bardos, a poor student from Kraków and one of its characters.