A History Written in Hops

The brewing memorabilia of Grzegorz Brzyszko, a Krasnystaw-born brewer and collector, filled a temporary show at the Regional Museum in Krasnystaw from 15 July to 30 September 2026. It traced Polish brewing from independence in 1918 to the present. The museum published its text in Polish only; the English below is our translation.

Regional Museum in Krasnystaw on the exhibition:

The exhibition “A History Written in Hops. Polish Brewing Through the Eyes of Grzegorz Brzyszko” is a unique journey through nearly two centuries of tradition, covering the most important stages in the development of the domestic brewing industry. Thanks to Grzegorz Brzyszko’s passion and exceptional collection, we will be able to trace the path from the recovery of independence, through turbulent political changes, to the present day.

What to expect

This was one man’s private collection, not a survey of the museum’s own holdings. Grzegorz Brzyszko was born in Krasnystaw, works as a brewer and wrote “Chmielaki Krasnostawskie 50 lat”, a history of the town’s hop festival. According to the local weekly Nowy Tydzień, he showed objects, documents and curiosities linked to the festival and to the Perła brewery in Lublin.

The museum framed the show as a journey through time: the hard years after independence, the communist period, the 1989 transition and the present day. The 180-year history of Perła, the exhibition’s partner, was given pride of place. The poster lists the beer magazine “Kraina Chmielu” among the organisers, alongside the museum; Krasnystaw County gave its honorary patronage.

The opening took place on Wednesday 15 July 2026 at 13:00 at the museum, ul. Piłsudskiego 5A. Director Marta Stelmaszczuk welcomed the guests together with the curator. Among them were Marek Piwko, chair of the county council, and Daniel Miciuła, mayor of Krasnystaw.

Context

Krasnystaw and the Powiśle area are Poland’s two main hop-growing centres. The earliest records of hops grown on the land of the local Augustinian monastery date from the 1780s. The modern tradition owes most to Tadeusz Fleszyński (1886-1968), an agricultural-school teacher who trained generations of local growers.

Hop-drying barns still stand around the town. Krasnystaw has held its Chmielaki Krasnostawskie hop festival since 1971, and by 1977 it had become a national event. The exhibition led up to the 55th edition, held on 21-23 August 2026.

Tickets and time

The show was open during the museum’s normal hours: Tuesday to Friday 8:00-16:00, Saturday and Sunday 10:00-15:00. The museum’s price list had no separate exhibition ticket. Admission was 14 PLN standard, 8 PLN reduced and 30 PLN family, and children under 7 entered free.

Thursdays were free for everyone, a point the regional portal Super Tydzień made in September. Tickets were not sold online, and the museum said nothing about English labels, tours or an audio guide for this show. It worked best as part of a visit to the whole museum, which takes about 45 minutes.

What the press says

• Nowy Tydzień (21 July 2026, editorial staff): the weekly presented the show as a curtain-raiser for the August hop festival and outlined the collector’s record - nowytydzien.pl
• Super Tydzień (23 September 2026, Joanna Klimek): the portal flagged the last days of the run and reported, citing museum staff, that the show drew strong interest - supertydzien.pl

See also

• Regional Museum in Krasnystaw - the museum has kept its own hop-growing and brewing department since 1976, with memorabilia of the Chmielaki festival.
• Inscribed in Time - the Zamość Museum’s centenary show, open until January 2027, covers a hundred years of collecting, including ethnography and decorative crafts.

After the show

The museum has not said whether the collection travels on, and no catalogue was found. From 2 to 28 October 2026 the museum is showing “René Magritte - Salvador Dalí. Surrealizm w dwóch odsłonach” (“Surrealism in Two Takes”): late Magritte lithographs from 1967 and seven Dalí prints; there is no page for it on this site yet. If regional tradition is what brought you here, two other museums in the Lublin region cover it now.

• Unexpected Pająki - the Museum of the Chełm Land, 27 km from Krasnystaw, shows rare forms of the region’s folk straw-and-paper chandeliers until 31 October 2026.
• The Last Thatched Roofs - the Regional Museum in Janów Lubelski shows about 60 photographs of the wooden village architecture of the Janów district until 30 October 2026.

The museum has not published attendance figures; in September Super Tydzień reported, citing museum staff, that the show drew strong interest. No critical review and no award was found; the local press covered the show as part of the run-up to the hop festival.

Museum profile: Regional Museum in Krasnystaw .