by Barbara Kozuch and Elzbieta Pobiegly with photos by Jacek Kubiena

The Krakow festive costumes are considered to be the best-known of Polish folk costumes. Their fabrics, cut, colour, and adornments, changed repeatedly, reaching the greatest differentiation in the final stage of development at the beginning of the 20th century. As a result of historical events, and the influence of patriotic as well as artistic ideas, the Krakow costumes also acquired a symbolical meaning. This is especially true of the man's white sukmana overcoat and a red square cap, decorated with peacock feathers. These two elements came to symbolize the Poles and Poland, raising the Krakow regional costume to the status of a national costume. But in spite of their significance to Polish identity, there has never been a comprehensive study devoted to them. We have tried to fill this gap by publishing this book - reproductions of drawings and archival photographs, presenting the development and regional diversity of the Krakow costumes. The core of this volume is comprised of contemporary photographs of museum exhibits and staged, open-air scenes with models dressed in costumes provided by our museum. This collection of costumes also served as a template for folk music and dance ensembles, and as source material for artists and scenographers.