Opening of the Temporary Exhibition “Animals of All Worlds” at the Palace of the Commonwealth
On Tuesday, 27 October 2026, the Palace of the Commonwealth hosted the opening of the exhibition Animals of All Worlds, presenting an extraordinary universe of zoological representations preserved in printed works and illustrations dating from the late 15th to the 18th century.
On Tuesday, 27 October 2026, the Palace of the Commonwealth hosted the opening of the exhibition Animals of All Worlds, presenting an extraordinary universe of zoological representations preserved in printed works and illustrations dating from the late 15th to the 18th century.
Unicorns, whales, dragons, wolverines, giraffes, butterflies and fantastical sea creatures filled the rooms of the Palace, where natural history meets tradition, art and imagination. The exhibition will be open to visitors free of charge from 5 November 2026 until April 2027. On 5 November, the first day of the exhibition, visitors are also invited to join a curator-led tour with Dr Łukasz Kozak, offering an opportunity to explore the works on display, learn about historical perceptions of the animal world and discover the concept behind the exhibition.
The guests were welcomed by Dr Tomasz Makowski, Director of the National Library of Poland, who thanked the exhibition’s creators and the Library’s staff for their dedication in preparing the display. He highlighted the diversity of the National Library’s collections, which include richly illustrated works on zoology.
Dr Łukasz Kozak, the exhibition’s curator, spoke about the preparations for the exhibition and the history of how animals were studied, imagined and described in early printed books. He introduced the naturalists whose works feature in the exhibition and drew attention to the evolving relationship between scientific observation, tradition and imagination over the centuries. The guests then took part in a special curator-led tour.
The exhibition features valuable printed works and engravings from the collections of the National Library of Poland, including works by Jan Jonston, Maria Sibylla Merian, Ulisse Aldrovandi and Conrad Gessner. They are accompanied by sculptures by Dawid Korzeniewski, which bring fantastical creatures from the pages of early books into the spaces of the Palace of the Commonwealth. The exhibition design and lighting, created by Aleksander Prowaliński, give each room a distinct atmosphere, creating extraordinary worlds inhabited by both real and imaginary animals.
The exhibition is accompanied by a catalogue.
