Recovered Histories. Queer in Lower Silesia
Henryk Tomaszewski Museum of Theatre, pl. Wolności 7A

The exhibition begins the process of queering the history of Lower Silesia – reclaiming fragments that for decades remained in the shadows. It tells the story of queer life from 1871 to 1990+, from persecution and silence, through the creation of communities, to challenging gender boundaries and preserving diverse memories.
The year 1945 in this narrative becomes both an end and a beginning of new queer stories – from the German past, through the memory of the Eastern Borderlands, to the experience of the “new” communist reality.


Programme of events

15.10.2025

11:00–13:00 – Press conference, curatorial tour for journalists, Dr Joanna Ostrowska.
18:00–19:30 – Exhibition opening and lecture by Raimund Wolfert “On the lives of ‘true friends’ in Wrocław in the 1920s and 1930s. In search of traces of the LGBTIQ community in the city’s history.”*
(Interpretation into Polish and Polish Sign Language provided.)

19.10.2025

12:00–13:30 – Curatorial tour of the main exhibition at the Henryk Tomaszewski Museum of Theatre.
Guide: Małgorzata Bruder.

26.10.2025

12:00–13:30 – Curatorial tour of the exhibition “Recovered Histories. Queer in Lower Silesia.”
Guide: Ewa Pluta.

27.10.2025

11:00–11:30 – Press conference and laying of a Stolperstein for Friedrich Poguntke, ul. Jedności Narodowej 125.
12:00–12:50 – Curatorial tour of “Recovered Histories. Queer in Lower Silesia.”
Guide: Dr Joanna Ostrowska, Henryk Tomaszewski Museum of Theatre.
13:30–14:30 – Laying of a Stolperstein for Egbert Kipke, al. Wiśniowa 22.

09.11.2025

12:00–13:30 – Curatorial tour “Wrocław – Total Regime.” A local history of the takeover of power and everyday life – first by the Nazi regime, then by communist authorities.
Guide: Dr Joanna Hytrek-Hryciuk.

13.11.2025

17:00–19:00 – Meeting with witnesses: ETAP 2 (a group of LGBT+ seniors) – discussion on the past and the future.
Moderator: Ewa Pluta, Henryk Tomaszewski Museum of Theatre.

16.11.2025

12:00–13:30 – Curatorial tour of “Recovered Histories. Queer in Lower Silesia.”
Guide: Ewa Pluta, Henryk Tomaszewski Museum of Theatre (with Polish Sign Language interpretation).

20.11.2025

17:00–18:30 – Curatorial tour “Language of concealment or expression? Queer coding.”
Guide: Dr Tomasz Łukasz Nowak.

30.11.2025

16:00–18:00 – Finissage of the exhibition.
Guide: Dr Joanna Ostrowska. After the meeting, participants will have the opportunity to have the curator’s latest book Traces. The Story of an Archive (Krytyka Polityczna Publishing House) signed.


Wrocław Queerstory Days 2025 is an open event for everyone interested.
We invite you to discover and co-create the queer history of Wrocław and Lower Silesia together!


The exhibition presents an important yet sometimes difficult fragment of Lower Silesia’s history. Therefore, it contains sensitive content: the Holocaust, death of loved ones (including suicide), war, violence, discrimination based on religion, class, sexual orientation, or gender identity; intimate/sexual relations, interrogations by authorities, arrest.
Entry of minors should depend on the decision of their parent(s) or guardian(s).

Admission to accompanying events is free.

For guided tours and the meeting with witnesses, registration is required: teatrkasa@mmw.pl

Details about opening hours and ticket prices are available at:
https://muzeum.miejskie.wroclaw.pl/shop-search/

More about the exhibition and accompanying events:
https://www.wroclaw.pl/miasto-rownosci/wystawa-historie-odzyskane-queer-na-dolnym-slasku-w-muzeum-teatru-im-h-tomaszewskiego
https://www.wroclaw.pl/go/wydarzenia/sztuka/1401659-wystawa-historie-odzyskane-queer-na-dolnym-slasku
Facebook event: https://fb.me/e/91s7is1Cd