We Gave It Five Years at Most…
The story behind Kraków’s Cellar Under the Rams - the longest-running Polish literary cabaret (est. 1956).
By Malopolska Institute of Culture in Krakow
Kinga Kołodziejska
Cellar Under the Rams – Piotr Skrzynecki (1970s) by Zbigniew ŁagockiMalopolska Institute of Culture in Krakow
We have no preconceived goals. Perhaps our most cherished dream is to liberate ourselves from old mentality and not to fall into any new trap. But most of all, to understand and to get to know ourselves.
This is how Piotr Skrzynecki, the cabaret’s legendary co-founder, artistic manager, and unforgettable master of ceremonies, described the Cellar’s mission statement in 1956, in his first interview.
What is the Cellar Under the Rams? The most famous post-WWII Polish cabaret that has made an indelible mark on the cultural map of Kraków. Located in a modest if Renaissance basement, the Cellar attracted eager audiences willing to enter the cramped space through a small window above the stage, stopping the show in its tracks and becoming part of the performance in the process.
Cellar Under the Rams – Krzysztof Litwin, Tadeusz Kwinta, Mirosław Obłoński (1976) by Zbigniew ŁagockiMalopolska Institute of Culture in Krakow
Regulars to the Cellar enjoyed its carefree ambience that defied the coarse and often tense reality of the Polish People’s Republic, its comedy sketches that skirted around state censorship, and a sense of unbridled freedom. The often hard-to-stomach real life was left outside.
Świętego Ducha Square in Kraków (1978) by Leszek DziedzicMalopolska Institute of Culture in Krakow
Jerzy Turowicz, editor-in-chief of Tygodnik Powszechny, an oppositional Catholic weekly: In these glum, hard times, the Cellar provided many with a breath of fresh air. Stepping in, right from the outside world of captivity, compromise, and lies, one inhaled freedom.
Dąbrowszczaków housing estate in Kraków (1979) by Leszek DziedzicMalopolska Institute of Culture in Krakow
Joanna Olczak-Ronikier: Apart from its inherent inhumanity, Stalinism ushered in unimaginable boredom. Boring propaganda oozed from newspaper headlines and radio waves. Dull social realist potboilers flooded cinemas. Monotony suffused novels about candy manufacturing.
30th anniversary of the Cellar Under the Rams – Zbigniew Preisner (1986)Malopolska Institute of Culture in Krakow
After WWII, Poland found itself behind the Iron Curtain, becoming part of the Eastern Bloc, and joined the states under Soviet control. Until 1989, communism was the order of the day. It decreed a unified, top-down template applied to all activities.
Even during such hardship there were brief moments of respite. Soviet leader Joseph Stalin died in 1953, followed by public exposure of his crimes three years later. His supporter, President Bolesław Bierut died in 1956 – the year of the “Polish thaw” and the hope of freedom.
Political prisoners were pardoned, youth and socio-cultural organisations were given some leeway, the press were granted considerable freedom, which previously was unheard of. Formerly banned Polish writers were published again, and so were international authors. Independent, experimental theatres opened. Art was no longer confined to social realism, an official style that was the order of the day under the Stalinist government. A wind of freedom blew far and wide, if only briefly.
Main Market Square, Old Town, Kraków (1978) by Leszek DziedzicMalopolska Institute of Culture in Krakow
The Cellar Under the Rams, as unrestrained and free-spirited as it was, rode this wave of liberty. Given the city’s artistic and intellectual traditions, it came as no surprise that such a literary cabaret came into being in Kraków.
Wiślna and Olszewskiego Streets in Kraków (1979) by Leszek DziedzicMalopolska Institute of Culture in Krakow
Kraków, give or take a few exceptions, was not destroyed during WWII. Almost all landmarks remained intact. Streets in the Old Town retained their pre-war feel. Many apartments contained the same, now vintage, crockery and furniture.
Courtyard of Collegium Maius in Kraków (1979) by Leszek DziedzicMalopolska Institute of Culture in Krakow
Displaced war survivors from bomb-ruined Warsaw and returnees from the east of prewar Poland – gentry and intelligentsia – flocked the city. Soon after liberation, the Jagiellonian University resumed its activities. Kraków was again teeming with students, lecturers, and artists.
Palace Under the Rams (1986)Malopolska Institute of Culture in Krakow
It was students of Kraków’s universities and art schools (incl. composer Krzysztof Penderecki, visual artist Bronisław Chromy, and artistic director Piotr Skrzynecki) that opened a meeting club in the self-renovated basement of the landmark Palace Under the Rams in the Old Town.
Here, in 1956, the Cellar cabaret was born, which soon unveiled its first stage show, abuzz with absurd humour, comedy sketches, and songs. The club became a safe haven for the younger generation who shared a surrealist sense of humour. What united them was the need for refuge from the post-war deprivation, for self-expression, for camaraderie, for togetherness with no future plans or any career strategy. What mattered was the evening performance ahead and preparation in advance.
Parisian Night in Kraków – Sławomir Mrożek, Piotr Skrzynecki, Janina Garycka, Zbigniew Preisner (1990) by Paweł GrawiczMalopolska Institute of Culture in Krakow
The Cellar did not welcome just anyone. Some came and went, others stayed for good, almost moving in, turning their life around, often in passing evolving into artists, honing their craft along the way, and soon becoming superb. Here, creative and stage personalities were forged.
Almost from day one, unusually charismatic Piotr Skrzynecki became the Cellar’s artistic director, while Janina Garycka acted as its literary director. Soon, the duo was joined by Joanna Olczak-Ronikier, who over the next decades shaped the cabaret’s character.
Cellar Under the Rams – Krzysztof Litwin and Majka Zającówna (1970s)Malopolska Institute of Culture in Krakow
The Cellar insiders also hung out outside of the cabaret’s headquarters. For food and accommodation, some of them relied on the kindness of their fellow creatives. Together, they formed a close-knit community and helped one another in the times of post-war austerity.
Kupa Street in Kraków (1979) by Leszek DziedzicMalopolska Institute of Culture in Krakow
They had one thing in common: escapism. They escaped coarse everyday reality and mediocrity, but also wartime trauma, which they never talked about. It often took years before they shared memories of life under Nazi occupation, of loss, of separation, of forced hiding.
Cellar Under the Rams – audience members (1970s)Malopolska Institute of Culture in Krakow
In-house performances, songs, outdoor events, and zany jubilee bashes laid bare the absurdities of the then system. To artists and audiences alike, they served as a remedy to the complex and hypocritical lived experience of communist Poland.
30th anniversary of the Cellar Under the Rams – Andrzej Wajda and Jerzy Radziwiłowicz (1986)Malopolska Institute of Culture in Krakow
This unassuming basement was a magnet for celebrity scientists and for bohemians. Soon, it became the stomping ground for Kraków intellectual and artistic circles: physicians, lawyers, painters, photographers, writers, musicians, sculptors, actors, film and theatre directors.
Jubilee of Sławomir Mrożek in Kraków – Daniel Olbrychski, Zuzanna Łapicka, and one of the Janicki Brothers (1990) by Paweł GrawiczMalopolska Institute of Culture in Krakow
It was the place to be and not an easy one to enter. One had to be introduced and then either plunged oneself into the Cellar or moved along, going onto greener (and more “serious”) pastures.
Jubilee of Sławomir Mrożek in Kraków – Sławomir Mrożek with wife Susana Osorio-Mrożek (1990) by Paweł GrawiczMalopolska Institute of Culture in Krakow
One could tell that this was a secret place. Cloistered. The very fact that it was located in the basement rather than on the ground floor made it special - like a hideout, like a game of hide and seek. Children enjoy playing in places such as an attic or a cellar.
Children hide from overbearing adults and feel secure in the attic. And at that time we all felt like scared children who dreamt of a hideout and of free, unmonitored play, Sławomir Mrożek, a writer and a regular of the Cellar, recalled in hindsight.
I found there what I value the most: intellectual understanding and the kind of surreal humour that lays the absurd bare, but that does not hurt, Maria Orwid, a psychiatry professor and another friend of the Cellar, concluded.
The Cellar was alive. Unspeakably so! It attacked reality with surrealist methods, tearing it to pieces. But at the same time it was not aggressive. There was warmth in everything that happened there, she added.
30th anniversary of the Cellar Under the Rams – Jubilee exhibtion in the Palace of Fine Arts in Kraków (1987) by Marek PabisMalopolska Institute of Culture in Krakow
Larger than life set designs were the result of the Cellar insiders’ creativity and of the Kraków residents’ generosity, who donated objects needed to stage more demanding shows. Collection items included record players, furniture, fanciful clothes, paintings, and sculptures.
30th anniversary of the Cellar Under the Rams – Jubilee exhibtion at the Palace of Fine Arts in Kraków (1987) by Marek PabisMalopolska Institute of Culture in Krakow
All these objects were a clear manifestation of the artists’ yearning for pre-war aesthetics and atmosphere. In 1987, they were put on display in the Palace of Fine Arts in Kraków as part of the cabaret’s 30th anniversary celebrations.
At one point, the Kraków cabaret started to organise outdoor events. Out of the ordinary, they grew into a tradition of often absurd jubilees, such as the reenactment of Prince Józef Poniatowski’s entry to Kraków as Head of the Napoleon-allied Army of the Duchy of Warsaw. Other productions included the birthday of writer Sławomir Mrożek and the Parisian Night, during which Kraków transformed into Little Paris and festivities continued well into the small hours.
Cellar Under the Rams – Ewa Demarczyk performing alongside Zbigniew Wodecki and Marek Jamrozy (1960s) by Zbigniew ŁagockiMalopolska Institute of Culture in Krakow
Many top artists performed in the Cellar: Krzysztof Komeda, Tomasz Stańko, Ewa Demarczyk, and Zbigniew Preisner. In its heyday, the club enjoyed a network of high-profile friends and well-wishers, such as Andrzej Wajda, Czesław Miłosz, Sławomir Mrożek, and Jerzy Turowicz.
Cellar Under the Rams – Ewa Demarczyk and Piotr Skrzynecki (1960s) by Edward WęglowskiMalopolska Institute of Culture in Krakow
This would not have been made possible without Piotr Skrzynecki, a legend in his lifetime, the driving force of the Cellar. An eccentric master of ceremonies, an unparalleled improvisor, an all-round artist, a mover and a shaker, an art historian, and a drama teacher.
Cellar Under the Rams – Piotr Skrzynecki with his signature bell (1970s)Malopolska Institute of Culture in Krakow
With his signature bell in hand, which he rattled passionately to divert the audiences’ attention from - this in retrospect defies belief - his shyness and onstage mistakes. Far from perfect, his MC skills brought both delight and barrels of laughter.
30th anniversary of the Cellar Under the Rams – Krzysztof Litwin, Zdzisław Leś, Piotr Skrzynecki (1986)Malopolska Institute of Culture in Krakow
Piotr intended to beautify the world and to make it more amusing. Some claim that he squandered his talent, that he partied his life away. Yet, but for Skrzynecki, Kraków would have been less vibrant, and many people would have led a considerably more miserable life.
He enjoyed collecting friendships, surrounding himself with people and highlighting their unusual traits… Everyone, even if not particularly wise or talented, was foregrounded, ennobled, only to discover for themselves their worth, recalls writer Dorota Terakowska.
Jubilee of Sławomir Mrożek in Kraków – Masquerade parade, Main Market Square (1990) by Paweł GrawiczMalopolska Institute of Culture in Krakow
Why do I keep it all going? Jubilee bashes, onstage witticisms, exhibitions, fun and games? To meet people. Because all I do is take a look at their joy. I prefer to see them happy, to see them rejoice rather than to see them murder each other, Skrzynecki used to say.
Skrzynecki died in 1997, closing behind the original chapter in the history of the most notable late twentieth-century Polish cabaret. Janina Garycka, who accompanied him almost all her life and in whose flat at 12 Na Groblach Square he lived for months on end, also died that year. The Cellar Under the Rams remains active to this day, although its founders gave it five years tops…
„Tribute to Piotr Skrzynecki” by Zbigniew Preisner
We gave it all five years at most…
Piotr, the world has changed, but we remain.
It will spin once more, we will remain.
Today, when you are no longer with us,
We raise our song to the heavens.
Be steadfast and watch over us.
Each night dappled with stars.
Music & lyrics: Z. Preisner
Written by Zbigniew Preisner, one of the Cellar’s flagship composers, an internationally recognised author of music for film and theatre (among others Agnieszka Holland’s The Secret Garden, Krzysztof Kieślowski’s The Three Colours trilogy). Composed to mark the 40th jubilee of the cabaret in 1996. Next year, after the death of Skrzynecki, Preisner added the final stanza to commemorate the late legend. Since then, the song has become a tribute paid by the Cellar community to Piotr.
Exhibition script and implementation: Kinga Kołodziejska
Text and research: Kinga Kołodziejska, Marta Dvořák
English translation: Bartosz Wójcik
All quotations used in the exhibition come from Joanna Olczak-Ronikier’s book Piwnica pod Baranami, czyli koncert ambitnych samouków, Warszawa 1996. Quotations courtesy of the author.
Creators of the exhibition would like to express their gratitude to Joanna Olczak-Ronikier for her kindness and for the invaluable time spent on discussing the Cellar Under the Rams.
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