Jam posełkini jego. The Language and Emotions of the Polish Middle Ages
JAM POSEŁKINI JEGO. The Language and Emotions of the Polish Middle Ages presents the oldest surviving texts written in Polish, some dating back nearly 800 years.
The exhibition, which is free and open to the public from 22 October 2025 to 31 May 2026 at the Palace of the Commonwealth (Pałac Rzeczypospolitej) in Warsaw, explores how many features of the Old Polish language have endured to this day, what has changed and what has returned in unexpected ways.
The title of the exhibition was inspired by a fifteenth-century Polish song about the Annunciation, in which Mary says, in Polish: “jam posełkini jego” – a phrase that closely resembles the Middle English “Our Lordës thew-maiden i-wis / Ich am.”
Among the highlights of the exhibition are two priceless treasures of Polish culture: the Holy Cross Sermons (Kazania świętokrzyskie), the oldest known literary text in Polish, composed in the 13th century and attesting to the literary maturity of the language, and the St Florian Psalter (Psałterz floriański), created in the 14th century for Queen Jadwiga. Some 15th-century manuscripts from the treasury of the National Library will also be displayed publicly for the first time. Alongside these milestones of early Polish writing, visitors will also encounter small curiosities that reveal everyday life, from medieval insults to the oldest Polish spells.
The exhibition transcends linguistic boundaries, engaging the senses and placing medieval words in dialogue with contemporary art. The margins of medieval manuscripts, once filled with dragons, sirens and other fantastical creatures from bestiaries, take on new life through the sculptures of Sasza Wiktor and the striking light installations of Aleksander Prowaliński. The presentation is completed by minimalist graphic designs by Hanna Dudkowiak. Visitors to the exhibition can also play Scriptorium and Inkulinati, two games devised by Yaza Games and inspired by medieval illuminations and manuscript art.
