Kujawsko-Pomorskie People of Cinema Year: “Leonard Pietraszak. Actor, Collector, Bydgoszcz Resident”
On the eve of the 90th anniversary of the actor’s birth, a new exhibition will open at the District Museum in Bydgoszcz. In 2024, Leonard Pietraszak was posthumously awarded the Marshal of the Kujawsko-Pomorskie Region Film Award.
The opening of the exhibition “Leonard Pietraszak. Actor, Collector, Bydgoszcz Resident” will take place on Thursday, 5 November, at 6 PM in the main building of the District Museum at 4 Gdańska Street.
“The exhibits will include personal memorabilia, photographs, archival materials, awards and decorations, as well as works of art collected by Leonard Pietraszak over the years,” the Museum reports. “The exhibition complements the presentation of a collection of paintings by Jan Stanisławski and his students, donated to the Bydgoszcz Museum in 2021 by Wanda and Leonard Pietraszak. This time, the focus is on the donor himself: his life, artistic achievements, personal relationships and passion for collecting, which held a special place in his biography.”
“We wanted to portray Leonard Pietraszak not only as an outstanding actor whose performances have remained in the memories of successive generations of viewers, but also as a man for whom art was an important part of everyday life. The objects on display offer different perspectives on his life. They tell the story of his youth in Bydgoszcz, his professional career, his relationships with family and friends, and his passion for collecting, which reveals much about his personality,” emphasises Anna Nadolska, co-curator of the exhibition.
The exhibition will also feature objects that surrounded Leonard Pietraszak and his wife in their everyday lives.
“Works of art collected by Leonard Pietraszak over many years occupy a special place in this story. For him, collecting was not merely about owning beautiful objects, but a way of consciously engaging with art and cultivating his personal interests,” notes Monika Kosteczko-Grajek, co-curator of the exhibition.
“For our Museum, Leonard Pietraszak was not only an outstanding actor from Bydgoszcz, but also an important benefactor who placed his trust in us by donating, together with his wife, a valuable art collection to our institution. That decision became an important part of our shared history. This exhibition allows us to tell Leonard Pietraszak’s story in a unique way: through the objects he cherished, the works of art he selected, and the records of his life and career. It is also a tribute to a man whose ties with Bydgoszcz were both personal and cultural,” says Anna Kornelia Jędrzejewska, Director of the Leon Wyczółkowski District Museum.
The new exhibition, held under the patronage of Marshal Piotr Całbecki, among others, will be located alongside “Leonard Pietraszak. Master of Many Roles”, an exhibition that opened in June. Photographs documenting the outstanding actor’s most significant roles will remain on display until the end of February 2027. The exhibition features more than 100 photographs from the collections of institutions including the National Film Archive, the National Digital Archives and the Documentary and Feature Film Studios.
Leonard Pietraszak was born on 6 November 1936 in Bydgoszcz. He spent his childhood and youth in his hometown, living on Gdańska and Grunwaldzka Streets. He also had a brief connection with Toruń, having enrolled to study chemistry at Nicolaus Copernicus University. However, he soon realised that acting was his true calling.
In 1960, he graduated from the Acting Department of the National Film, Television and Theatre School in Łódź. He gained enormous popularity for his portrayal of Colonel Krzysztof Dowgird in Andrzej Konic’s television series “Czarne chmury” (1973). Another major success was his role as Dr Karol Stelmach, a friend of engineer Stefan Karwowski, in Jerzy Gruza’s series “Czterdziestolatek” (1974).
He also played Colonel Wacław Wareda in “Kariera Nikodema Dyzmy”, directed by Jan Rybkowski and Marek Nowicki (1980). He demonstrated his exceptional acting talent in Juliusz Machulski’s comedies “Vabank” (1981) and “Vabank II, czyli riposta” (1984).
In 2018, Pietraszak was granted honorary citizenship of Bydgoszcz. He died in 2023 and is buried at the Old Parish Cemetery in Bydgoszcz. In 2024, he was posthumously awarded the Pola Negri Film Award of the Marshal of the Kujawsko-Pomorskie Region.
Other recipients of the Marshal’s Film Award
The new exhibition forms part of the celebrations marking the Year of Leonard Pietraszak in Bydgoszcz, coordinated by the city’s District Museum.
By a decision of the Regional Assembly, 2026 has also been designated the Kujawsko-Pomorskie People of Cinema Year, honouring filmmakers associated with our region who helped shape the history of Polish cinema.
Dariusz Czołgowski
Promotion Department
4 November 2026