Losy Mazurka Dąbrowskiego

The Song of the Polish Legions in Italy, later known as the Dabrowski's Mazurka, did not become an anthem until 130 years after it was written. During this time, the content of the song was repeatedly censored, changed and even banned. The turbulent history of the anthem is presented in the section of the permanent exhibition entitled "The fate of the Dąbrowski's Mazurka". Among the exhibits on display, a collection of patriotic jewellery from the second half of the 19th century deserves special attention. Among the collections on display are various versions of the song, 19th-century mourning jewellery, as well as items with music boxes playing the censorship-banned melody of the Mazurka. The exhibition makes clear how popular the song was during the November Uprising, the Spring of Nations, the national mourning and the January Uprising and the repressions that followed. In turn, the motif of Polonia and the symbolism of enslaved Poland is combined with a presentation of women heroes of national uprisings. The exhibition also addresses such topics as Poland's regaining of independence, the time of building the statehood of the Second Republic (including the re-establishment of national symbols), the role of the anthem during World War II, in the times of the People's Republic of Poland and during the strikes organised by the Solidarity movement. The exhibits come from the Museum of the National Anthem's own collection and from the Museum of the Polish Army in Warsaw.