Stills from the Film Lalka (The Doll)

Stills from the new film of Lalka (The Doll), Poland’s great 19th-century Warsaw novel, hang in the Łazienki Open-Air Gallery on Aleje Ujazdowskie, a month either side of the cinema release on 30 September 2026. Free admission, from 1 September to 31 October 2026.

The Royal Łazienki Museum on the exhibition:

We invite you to an open-air exhibition of stills from the latest screen adaptation of Bolesław Prus’s “Lalka”, directed by Maciej Kawalski. The film premieres on 30 September 2026.

The exhibition, on view in the Open-Air Gallery on Aleje Ujazdowskie, presents selected photographs taken during the filming of one of the most important novels in Polish literature. It is a chance to look at the film’s interpretation of Bolesław Prus’s work through striking frames.

The photographs show the characters, scenes and spaces connected with the production, as well as elements of the set design and costumes. The exhibition invites you into the film world of “Lalka” through photographs documenting the work of the filmmakers and actors, and the places that became the settings of the production.

Most of the filming of “Lalka” took place in authentic historic buildings and outdoor locations. One of the film sets in Warsaw was the Royal Łazienki. In August and September 2025 the crew worked in the historic gardens, including the Royal Garden, and in October and November in the historic interiors: the White House, the Royal Theatre in the Old Orangery and the Palace on the Isle. The last filming location in the Royal Łazienki was the Myślewicki Palace, where further shots were taken in mid-December 2025.

Bolesław Prus’s “Lalka” has long held a special place in Polish culture. Its characters, social relations and themes continue to interest successive generations of artists. The new adaptation by director Maciej Kawalski enters into a dialogue with this heritage, offering its own take on the literary work.

Translated from the museum’s Polish text; the museum has not published an English version of this page.

What to expect

This is not an indoor show. The museum gives the venue as its Open-Air Gallery on Aleje Ujazdowskie; according to the free-entry guide wstepwolny.org, that is a display on the Łazienki park railings, so you look at the stills from the pavement, with no ticket and without entering the gardens. The museum describes the selection as production photographs: characters, scenes, set design, costumes and filming locations. It does not say how many images are on show.

The best part is that the film was shot right behind that railing. The crew worked in Łazienki from August to mid-December 2025: in the Royal Garden, the White House, the Royal Theatre in the Old Orangery, the Palace on the Isle and the Myślewicki Palace. Look at the stills, then walk into the park and find the real locations. The film’s cinematographer is Piotr Sobociński Jr.

Context

Bolesław Prus’s Lalka (The Doll) was serialised in the Warsaw daily Kurier Codzienny in 1887-1889 and came out as a book in 1890. It follows Stanisław Wokulski, a self-made merchant who falls for the aristocrat Izabela Łęcka, and it paints a wide picture of Warsaw society in the late 19th century. Łazienki matters in the plot: Wokulski comes to the park hoping to run into Izabela.

The novel was filmed before by Wojciech Jerzy Has (1968) and made into a TV series by Ryszard Ber (1977). The new version is directed by Maciej Kawalski, who co-wrote the screenplay with Łukasz Światowiec. Marcin Dorociński plays Wokulski, Kamila Urzędowska plays Izabela and Marek Kondrat plays the shop clerk Ignacy Rzecki.

Tickets and time

• Free. As stated on the museum’s exhibition page.
• Dates: 1 September to 31 October 2026.
• Where: the Open-Air Gallery on Aleje Ujazdowskie, the avenue running along the western edge of Łazienki Park in central Warsaw.
• How long: 10-15 minutes for the stills alone.
• Pair it with: the costume exhibition from the same film in the Palace on the Isle, the Old Orangery and the Myślewicki Palace. The museum says admission to it is covered by the shared ticket to the museum’s buildings.
• English on site: the museum has no English page for this show and does not say whether the captions are in English.

Who it is for: anyone waiting for the film or who has just seen it, teachers and students working on the novel, and anyone walking down Aleje Ujazdowskie. The stills alone are not worth a special trip. As the start of a walk through Łazienki, or before the costume show, they are well worth 10 minutes.

Events

The museum has not announced events for the stills show itself. A few days before the film’s release, it is holding a public event around the novel in the park:

• 27.09.2026, 14:00-16:00 - “Reading Lalka Together in Łazienki”, a literary happening (in Polish) by the Lower South Pond near the Palace on the Isle; join at any point, free, moves to the Kubicki Stables if it rains: details

See also

• Chic and Conventions. Costumes from the Film “The Doll” - 32 costumes from the same film in the Łazienki palaces, until 13 December 2026; the obvious next step after the stills.
• Rafał Milach. Fermata - another show in the same Open-Air Gallery, until 30 September 2026.
• A History That Flows On. 140 Years of Modern Waterworks and Sewers in Warsaw - 140 years of Warsaw’s waterworks on panels in the Open-Air Gallery on the other side of the park, by ul. Agrykola, until 30 September 2026.
• A Photojournalist at War. 36 Frames - another show in the same Open-Air Gallery, photographs from the Warsaw Uprising, until 30 September 2026.
• The Royal Łazienki Museum - hours, tickets and the palaces where the film was shot.

More about the exhibition on the museum’s website.

Museum profile: Royal Łazienki Museum.