The exhibition in Zełwągi, a village near the popular tourist resort of Mikołajki in Poland's northeastern Mazuria region, aims to keep the memory of its former Mormon community alive.
"We’re the generation that’s ready to explore this history," said Joanna Pruszyńska, one of the organizers and a member of the Zełwągi Rural Women's Association.
"Earlier generations were too scarred by the past, but now people are genuinely interested in who lived here before us," she added. "Local history is much more popular now than it was 20-30 years ago."
The story of Zełwągi’s Mormon community dates back to 1920 when a 23-year-old resident, Friedrich Fischer, traveled to Berlin, where he encountered members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, also known as the Mormons.
Upon his return to Mazuria in 1923, Fischer and six other villagers were baptized in Lake Inulec, marking the beginning of the Mormon presence in the village.
The village of Zełwągi is nestled along three scenic lakes in Poland's picturesque northeastern Mazuria district, known as the Land of a Thousand Lakes. Photo: Piotr Marynowski / Wikimedia Commons / CC-BY-SA-3.0, CC BY-SA 3.0 PL <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/pl/deed.en>, via Wikimedia Commons
By 1926, the number of Mormons in the area had grown to 40, attracting missionaries from the United States and Germany.
At the time, Mazuria was part of East Prussia, making Zełwągi the only Mormon community in Germany.
The exhibition highlights the simple, close-knit lifestyle of the Mormons.
According to a letter from a former resident displayed in the exhibition, the Mormons were known for their modesty and community spirit: "They didn’t proselytize or try to convert their neighbors. Their religiosity was private, seen only in their chapel, but their kindness and integrity were apparent in their daily interactions."
The Mormon community in Zełwągi dwindled by the late 1970s when most of the congregation left for Germany.
Their chapel, which had various uses over the years, including as a wedding hall and storage space, became a Roman Catholic church in 1982. To this day, services are held in the chapel, where a painting of Christ, left by the Mormons, still hangs.
Marcin Kulinicz, a representative of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, attended the exhibition's opening.
"This place is important to us as a symbol of our long-standing presence in Poland," he said. "Our church members often visit Zełwągi, enjoying both beautiful nature and the connection to the local community."
In addition to the history of the Mormon village, the exhibition features a prewar map of Zełwągi with a list of residents and the story of a roadside cross erected in secret during the communist era, in 1961.
Dozens of photographs from the village’s past are also on display.
The exhibition is part of a broader project called "Weaving Stories," organized by the Zełwągi Rural Women’s Association and the Hydro-polis Foundation, with support from the National Centre for Culture's "Etnopolska" initiative.
It will be open to the public on the next four Sundays, from October 20 to November 10, between 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. at the village's former school.
(rt/gs)
Source: PAP, radioolsztyn.pl