Lucjan Rydel on the Centenary of His Death

For several generations of Poles, the poet Lucjan Rydel – one of the main figures of the Young Poland movement at the turn of the 20th century – is best known as the Groom of Stanisław Wyspiański’s acclaimed drama The Wedding. The play describes the ceremony uniting Rydel with a young peasant woman from Bronowice. When the spectacle premiered in 1901, the controversial depiction of real people caused quite a scandal among Kraków’s society. The exhibition Lucjan Rydel on the Centenary of His Death at the Pod Krzyżem House branch of the Historical Museum of the City of Kraków recalls the author, publicist, poet and dramatist, translator, historian, theatre critic, literary principal, director of the J. Słowacki Theatre and passionate activist and patriot who passed away shortly before Poland regained its independence he longed for. (Dorota Dziunikowska, “Karnet” monthly)