What is Freemasonry?
The exhibition, curated by Tadeusz Cegielski, himself a Freemason, aims to shed light on the mysterious fraternal organisation. Is Freemasonry a broad social movement seeking to improve society and spread ideas of solidarity and self-help, or is it a cover-up for a narrow circle of people who are sceptical of democracy and its principles? Or, perhaps, it's rather an arcane system of initiation rites that lead to bizarre, archaic rituals?
"These alternative answers are still present in the common way of thinking about Freemasonry," explains Cegielski, "and they aren't necessarily exclusive. The Freemasons remain one of the most mysterious organisations in the history of Western culture." To let the audience seek their own answers, the exhibition has been arranged as a passage through those initiation rites, displaying nearly 500 objects.
Freemasons among us
Many directors, composers and doctors were Freemasons – actor, theatre director and playwright Wojciech Bogusławski; Chopin's teacher and a composer himself, Józef Elsner; General Jan Henryk Dąbrowski, a national hero praised in the Polish national anthem; or even the author of its lyrics, Józef Wybicki. Even the great Polish poet Adam Mickiewicz is known to have been involved with the movement. A small group with a lot of power, Freemasons are said to have had a large influence on Polish history. They played a role during the Four-Year Sejm (parliament) of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth that was held in Warsaw between 1788 and 1792 and in the preparations for the Kościuszko Uprising against Imperial Russia and the Kingdom of Prussia in 1794.
Artefacts and rites
Jewel of the Judge "Freedom Regained”, Lublin, brass Some 500 objects are exposed at the National Museum. They range from objects used during ceremonies such as aprons, sashes, and jewels, to books, rare documents, scrapbooks and physical artefacts of historical importance to the fraternity. A multimedia presentation illuminates the rites and symbols of Freemasonry.
