Księga Urwisów [The Book of Rascals]
Miedzianka Mountain is an extraordinary place in every respect. From the rocky peak there is a panoramic, beautiful view of the Świętokrzyskie Mountains. But Miedzianka is not only amazing views, it is also a wealth of ores hidden deep in the earth and the history of the Old Polish Historical District, the oldest place in Poland where the mining and metallurgical industry operated. The treasures of Miedzianka can be found underground and at our exhibition.
Edmund Niziurski’s first novel for young people takes place in the shadow of Miedzianka. In this story, technology meets local legends. In the atmosphere of post-war unrest and miners’ tales, we meet the provincial Wilczków and its inhabitants: Karlik Rudniok, who comes to the Świętokrzyskie Mountains with his father, who is an engineer; Wiktor Stopa – a local boy, a half-orphan who lost his father during the war; and other students: Antek Batura – a top student, editor of the school newspaper and Stefek Gola, a football enthusiast, and adults: teachers, parents and officials.
The world of the young in the early 1950s is not easy. There is a lack of shoes or decent clothes, not to mention toys or games. Even compulsory school attendance is not always possible because instead of studying, you have to help your parents with the household. This difficult period was diversified by games for which you could make yourself or obtain the necessary equipment – sticks, firecrackers or other – it would seem – unnecessary things. Sometimes there were toys made by local craftsmen or talented relatives. Most of your free time was spent outside because at home, there was always something to do. In such conditions, a good leather ball was an extraordinary treasure, which is why its appearance arouses real enthusiasm among the boys.
Karlik is bored in Wilczków, he misses Silesia and is not happy about the move. Despite this, he makes friends with Wiktor, and their everyday life gathers pace when they come to the conclusion that there is a spy operating in the mine, or maybe even a saboteur. Initially, the boys suspect the janitor Kropa, and later the secret Bolesławiec geologist. Of course, their hunch is right and during the expedition to Wild Shaft they come across people who want to blow up the mine. Thanks to the intervention of the appropriate services, the whole story ends happily, and the villain turns out to be a well-known and liked… Who exactly? You will find it the book.
Awantura w Niekłaju [Trouble in Niekłaj]
An old, mysterious garden that is quite rightly associated with the Kielce Doły Siekluckiego, a wild area that is a remnant of 19th-century estates with breeding ponds, is the setting for another novel by Edmund Niziurski. In the 1960s, there were still many semi-wild places in Kielce that were perfect for crazy adventures amidst lush vegetation. And what lurks in the thicket? Maybe a bear, a lynx, or a treasure buried in the ground?
The heroes of the novel are young people who spend their summer in the city and organize their free time in an old garden, which becomes an extraordinary „battlefield”. Three gangs fight for the territory – „Pirates” led by Zenon, gathering „natives” or native inhabitants of Niekłaj, „Colonists” (or rather the Federation of Astronauts), gathering young people from immigrant families who came to Niekłaj in connection with the expansion of the machine factory, and a group of girls „Green Lizards” led by Anka Ankwiczówna. „Pirates” allied with „Lizards” believe in the story of the treasure, they are attached to the garden and its nooks. „Colonists” want to tidy up the garden and make a place for sports there. But what will happen to the urban legend then? The conflicts between the groups are quite serious and require specialist weapons: bows, poppers, spears, and even cap pistols. But even during a fight it is worth taking a break and playing badminton or flying kites. Because the most important thing is to have common interests with your peers. Światek Dauer, or Adenauer, the son of an engineer from the Coast, who came to Niekłaj with his father, does not belong to any of the groups and, as he himself states, he would give up all his toys, models for gluing and games just to be able to spend time playing in the garden.
The situation becomes complicated when the youth come to the conclusion that disturbing things are happening around the factory – some gang is trying to steal a closely guarded invention, the „Virus” rotary engine. Since the adults do not believe their warnings, the youth decide to act on their own, above „tribal divisions” and disclose the gang. It turns out that the operation brains are a bandit called Magister [Master]. Luckily, the kids prevent the theft and they find the famous Szwajs treasure. And what did the hidden chests contain? You will find it in the book.
Sposób na Alcybiadesa [A Remedy for Alcibiades]
Although the Linde Secondary School is a Warsaw school, it is still a Kielce school. And although the action of the novel takes place after the war, it is still a bit before the war. This is because in this book, Edmund Niziurski returns to his school memories. As he himself confessed in one of his interviews: „Alcibiades from the novel has his prototype in Śniadecki Junior Secondary School. We had a historian there, Professor Nytka, a legionnaire who loved to talk about his war experiences, i.e. he was a great drifter. We liked him very much for that, and his supposedly unrelated digressions were also a history lesson, and one that presented in a personal way, gained bones and flesh. We also had a Polish teacher there, Professor Czarnecki, a man of great authority. He was a type of athletic, modern man. I remember him taking us to the train station and teaching us how to use the timetable. He organized bicycle trips. And so, from the intersection of these two characters, the book’s Alcibiades was created.”
Besides learning, relationships are the most important at school. Colleagues help you survive tests, quizzes or quizzes, and if necessary, they will help you with an eraser or a pen. Going back to school times, we often recall characteristic objects that accompanied us every day. Inkwells, erasers, pens, notebooks with characteristic covers complete the world of students, both the real one and the one described by Edmund Niziurski.
The boys from grade 8a – Ciamciara, Pędzel, Słaby and Zasępa, are exceptionally stubborn students. Instead of taking up studying, they look for ways to deal with teachers, which would allow them to get good marks without studying. Such methods are offered by students from higher classes – experienced in school life. However, the lack of funds severely limits the boys’ possibilities and they can only afford the way to deal with Alcibiades – professor Misiak, a gentle and kind teacher who never caused students any major worries. Despite this, they start to follow the recommendations, especially the aforementioned drift. Over time, the boys unexpectedly become more and more involved in history lessons. However, the real test turns out to be a class trip from Ełk, which the novel heroes were to show around the most interesting monuments in Warsaw. Will the boys’ knowledge prove to be sufficient? Will they not disappoint the teacher whom they have already like? You will find it in the novel.
Klub włóczykijów [The Wanderers’ Club]
It is known that holidays are for wandering and resting, not for studying for a retake geography exam. However, sometimes a higher power, i.e. the specter of repeating a year, means that instead of enjoying the joys of summer, you have to pour over books. However, in the world of Edmund Niziurski, it is possible to both gain knowledge and experience incredible adventures. This is exactly what happens in the case of Kornel Kiwajłło, who sets off on an unforgettable journey with his uncle Dionizy – an antiquarian, tutor Joanna and friends. Traveling through Warsaw, Pułtusk, Kurpie and finally the Świętokrzyskie Mountains, they search for a lost treasure of the insurgents of 1863. They are interrupted in their search by two extremely talented criminals on „vacation”: Bogumił Kadryll and Wieńczysław Nieszczególny.
These villains, despite their menacing expressions, immediately evoke sympathy. Wieńczysław Nieszczególny is „the most cunning, most skillful, most dangerous thug of the capital’s underground world.” A man with unusual interests – philosophical, aesthetic, historical and many others, despite his own surname. And what is important, he does not rob just anyone or anything. Becoming a victim of Nieszczególny is an honor! On the other hand, Dr. Bogumił Kadryll is distinguished by unusual elegance and the scent of jasmine.
Fast-paced action full of adventures requires special accessories: guides, compasses and others. Good rucksacks can definitely be useful. And you can hit the road because thirteen adventures await the heroes. The eleventh of them takes place on the Holy Cross. Łysica and Łysa Góra are two important peaks in the Świętokrzyskie Mountains, belonging to the highest range of Łysogóry. These extraordinary landscapes and the legend of the Devil’s Stone are clues to solving the mystery. Where was the treasure finally buried? And what did our heroes find in the chest? You will find out in the thirteenth, last adventure.
Trylogia Odrzywolska [Odrzywoły Trilogy]
The world of Odrzywoły is the most wonderful place in the world, although not for the heroes of the novels: „Naprzód, wspaniali!”, „Awantury kosmiczne” and „Adelo, rozumie mnie!”. Tomek Okist, Maciek Kwękacz, Aleksander Kleksiński and Zygmunt Gnacki dream of great adventures. Four self-proclaimed magnificent boys – who named themselves in reference to the then hit television series – „Seven Magnificent” impatiently await extraordinary events to match their own ambitions. And in Odrzywoły it is boring, although the town can boast an interesting history, hospitals, museums, a stadium, i.e. infrastructure characteristic of a quite large center, but there is a lack of adventures. Odrzywoły was inspired by Kielce. Jarosław Strzębski, the writer’s nephew, explained these similarities as follows, „Odrzywoły may not be so directly reminiscent of Kielce, but the size of this city, the mentality of the people who live there, the relationships, where the city is big but practically everyone knows each other, are the scale of Kielce (…) Odrzywoły is Kielce, not even on a topographical level, but more mentally. When you talk to someone here, you will always find common friends, family”. Odrzywoły, like Kielce, had its better and worse districts, iconic places and entertainments. Despite this, the main characters felt unsatisfied, and reality seemed grey and bland to them. Tomek Okist, in his diary, notes, „I am waiting, or rather lurking because it is an impatient, watchful and tense waiting for something terrible to happen in our honest town, in this boring Odrzywoły”. Of course, Tomek sets a stone rolling and strange things start to happen in the town.
A mysterious stranger in a Mercedes appears in the town, who, together with a gang of recruited local adults, prepares for a bigger action in the basement of a burnt-down brewery. The Kielce resident immediately thinks of Karsch Hill… But do things really look the way our Magnificents see them?
In the next part, „Awantury Kosmiczne”, Tomek and his gang (and the reader) search for the famous and valuable avaramises, or jewels from the 10th century coming from Baghdad. The last to see these beautiful, albeit cursed stones (they brought ruin to their subsequent owners) was the archivist Antoni Zakałło. What adventures await our heroes? And will they find the avaramises? You will find it in the book.
The last part of „Adelo, zrozum mnie!” is no longer an adventure novel, but a thriller. Tomek and Zygmunt are kidnapped and imprisoned in… a hospital. „The Odrzywoły Trilogy” is not only the adventures of the boys, but also of the girls – thanks to Matylda Opat and Adela Wigor, Odrzywoły gain a new shine, which causes the first love dilemmas and crazy adventures in the characters.
In the world of the Magnificents, there is no longer room for toys. Instead, there are cameras (Matylda Opat was a keen photographer), youth magazines (the iconic Płomyk), but also games: table football, checkers, Chinese checkers and many others.
„Initially, the immediate vicinity of the house and the wild gardens by the Silnica River were enough. We played hide-and-seek there, stalking, cops and thieves, and also played war. Then we started looking for adventures in the more distant surroundings. Kielce had many mysterious places that excited our imagination. Caves, mountains, Kadzielnia, Wietrznia, Karczówka and Telegraf, a powder magazine, the ruins of a brewery, an abandoned Orthodox church on the square between Mickiewicza and 3 Maja streets, mysterious gardens, labyrinths of courtyards in the old part of the city, old villas and manor houses inhabited by eccentrics, legends of mysterious dungeons and secret passages… And in addition, near the city, the area of the Świętokrzyskie Mountains, rich in historical, natural and geological attractions. Łysogóry, the Machocki Gorge, the Devil’s Stone, caves, both discovered and undiscovered, in the Bolechowicki and Zelejowski mountain ranges, Miedzianka drifts, castle ruins in Chęciny and Bodzentyn. My colleagues and I began a series of discovery expeditions, trips and hikes in search of adventures and strong impressions (…).”
Join the group of the “Magnificents”!
The “Magnificent” four from Odrzywoły are Tomek Okist, Maciek Kwękacz, Aleksander Kleksiński and Zygmunt Gnacki. Each of them earned this honorable title in different circumstances. Tomek received the title of “Magnificent” by winning a television tournament of cities as a representative of his home Odrzywoły. Kleksik, or the Magnificent Certified; he earned this title by noticing a fire in time and putting it out (as a reward he received a special diploma from the fire department). He has considerable zoological knowledge, acquired during his stay with his uncle, who worked at the Warsaw Zoo. Kwękuś – Half-Magnificent; due to bad luck he never managed to do anything that would help him earn the title. He received the temporary title of Half-Magnificent for an unsuccessful attempt to escape to the Vietnam War. And finally, Zygmunt Gnacki, the oldest and strongest, „and besides, he enjoyed the reputation of a theoretician. It really is rare for the strongest guy in the class to also be the smartest brain. But when it happens by some miracle, a phenomenon like Gnat is created.” This extraordinary gallery of characters is complemented by girls: Matylda Opat and Adela Wigor. Matylda is a modern, liberated and go-getting teenager. When she appeared at the school in Odrzywoły, she immediately aroused admiration with her self-confidence and… awesome jeans. As a keen photographer, she quickly joins the team working on the school newspaper. However, her skills are also useful in other situations. Adela Wigor, on the other hand, is „inhumanly beautiful”, which is why half the boys in Odrzywoły fancy her. Although the boys question the girls’ titles of „Magnificent”, we are certain that in our Museum everyone can fight for this honorable title. All you have to do is take part in the next games and overcome the obstacle course that we have prepared for you.
Test your:
balance,
throw accuracy and precision,
go through the maze with your friends,
solve the puzzle game „Four in a Row”,
and finally, express yourself artistically and send us a photo with a drawing to the address: poczta@muzeumzabawek.eu
Prizes await the best works!
Join the fun 🙂
Every athlete knows how important it is to be able to keep his/her balance. Not only your balance but also your coordination can be improved through practice and training. Stand on a balance board and try to guide a ball through a maze.
Throw the string ring so that it hooks the wooden pins. Then count the points. A challenge for the big and the small!
This is a team challenge. Before you start the task, find someone to help you – a friend, a brother, a sister or an adult. Your task is to precisely guide the steel balls through the designated track. And when you turn the board over, it turns into a „flying carpet” on which one player can sit, and the others will lift him/her up, acting synchronously. Remember, cooperation is the most important thing here.
The title of the „Magnificent” is not only an evidence of physical fitness, but also to a sharp mind. You certainly know the game „tic-tac-toe”, the game „four in a row” is based on similar rules. Each player has 21 discs of a chosen color. The game consists in throwing discs into the slots alternately, until four discs of the same color are arranged in a line. Whoever is first wins!
Finally, express yourself artistically and create a work inspired by the world of Edmund Niziurski, like our artist Joanna Biskup-Brykczyńska.
If you want to learn more about the exhibition, download Qrkod
You can find the text in English here.
You can find more photos here.
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„Young people are incredibly honest. No one will force them to read. If they like a book, they would like to learn about new adventures of the same heros. But I don’t like that, I prefer to explore new environments. Although I have already written a trilogy. Meeting is like a mirror. I can see which novels people like. I am also happy that adult readers come to me and say that they had been heavily influenced by my books.
E. Niziurski, From an interview in the „Ikar” cultural and artistic monthly, no. 11, 1999.
„Young people are incredibly honest. No one will force them to read. If they like a book, they would like to learn about new adventures of the same characters. But I don’t like that, I prefer to explore new environments. Although I have already written a trilogy. Meeting is like a mirror. I can see which novels people like. I am also happy that adult readers come to me and say that they had been heavily influenced by my books.
E. Niziurski, From an interview in the „Ikar” cultural and artistic monthly, no. 11, 1999.
„The writing of Edmund Niziurski, an extremely popular creator who is constantly present in the minds of young readers, constitute a permanent and almost classic part of contemporary fiction for children and young people. In recent times, this very fiction, formerly contemptuously called „Cinderella”, thanks to changes in content and form, has taken its rightful place in the latest literary culture. Becoming a universally appreciated element of art, it has begun to fulfill the functions of a teacher of life and to realize the cognitive, educational and entertainment goals it sets.
S. Frycie, „The Writing of Edmund Niziurski”, „Polish Studies. Monthly Journal of Education and Upbringing”, no. 2, 1987.
After the outbreak of war, the family evacuated from Poland on 3rd October 1939, heading to Hungary. There, Edmund studied at the famous school for Polish children in Balatonboglár. The school in Balatonboglár was established in December 1939. Initially, 150 students learnt there. After the fall of France, in 1940, the idea of creating a single center for educating Polish youth in Hungary was born. Balatonboglár was chosen, and from that moment on, the junior secondary school and senior secondary school operated under the name of the Polish Youth Camp. The reason was Father Béla Varga, the local parish priest and a great friend of Poles. The school had a scouting group, a dance group, a theater group, a choir, and an orchestra. Edmund Niziurski studied at Lake Balaton for only a year – in the autumn of 1940, the Niziurski family decided to return to Kielce.
Edmund and Zofia Barbara Kowalska (born in 1926) met in a forest near Kielce. This is how B. Niziurska recalled this moment years later, „This is the most important moment in my life. I loved the forest and my husband loved the forest too. (…) One day I went for a walk in the forest, even though they said that there were still people with guns in the forest, so going there could be dangerous. However, I always considered the forest to be very safe. One Sunday I decided to go to the forest, which I often did. I was walking along a path and a young man was walking opposite. We bumped into each other on this forest path and the first question my future husband asked me was, „What books do you like, what do you read?”
„My father lived in Kielce until the end of his life – on the top of his dream mountain. That’s how I would describe it. He loved Kielce, he loved the mountains and he didn’t like Warsaw. He always felt a bit like an exile in the capital.”
Son Marcin in: K. Varga, Księga dla starych urwisów [The Book of Old Rascals], Warsaw 2019, p. 34.