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World Art Day is upon us. So, we would like to draw your attention to the fact that even in extremely difficult circumstances of confinement the man created and looked for beauty. The existential ordinariness in POW camps triggered various creative activities. Having very limited resources and with no workshops available, prisoners, in spare time, created their artistic, sculpting and medallion art works and objects of applied art. Now, together with graphics, drawings, watercolours and oil paintings, they constitute an important part of the Museum's collection (http://www.cmjw.pl/en/zbiory/muzealia/).

Artistic achievements of prisoners have been presented for years on our exhibitions  (the first one already in 1969) and publications, among others in series called ,,Collection Catalogue” (http://www.cmjw.pl/en/science-research/list-of-publications/). Now, on the World Art Day, we wish to present to you an elaborate watch keychain. The adornment was made by lieutenant Zdzisław Jaeschke in Oflag VII A Murnau. The gifted artist had many talents: he was interested in theater and visual arts, painted landscapes and portraits, made caricatures, carved in wood and bone. He was an animator of cultural and educational life in the camp, and after the war he worked as a journalist, among others heading the Polish Radio in Opole.

The presented pendant was made of the fragments of a beef bone (from kitchen waste), connected with a string and decorated with ancient Egyptian motifs. Although the author did not finish the work, the adornment still captivates us with its beauty ...