KrakowInformer.com

Pod Baranami Cabaret

The cabaret in Piwnica Pod Baranami (or simply the “Pod Baranami Cabaret”) is certainly one of Krakow's 'cult' institutions that brought joy and light to Poland's cultural capital in the somber and dull (don't let the Nowa Huta tours deceive you) days of communism. The Pod Baranami Cabaret began as a students' meeting centre in the 1950s, but it soon became widely acknowledged and loved, thanks to its unique atmosphere, combining the slow, cultural air of Krakow, a pure-nonsense sense of humour, wonderful songs and the mesmerizing personality of its creator and master of ceremonies, Piotr Skrzynecki.

Pod Baranami Palace

The name 'Piwnica Pod Baranami', means exactly 'The Cellar Under the Rams', and though it certainly suits a cabaret, it wasn't born from Skrzynecki's fertile imagination, but simply describes the place where the cabaret was situated: in the cellar of the Pod Baranami (Under The Rams) Palace, 27 Main Square (Rynek Glowny 27) in Krakow. The origins of the building's strange name date back to the medieval times, when it supposedly housed a tavern that, among other things, stored rams to be sold in Krakow. The Pod Baranami Palace obtained its Renaissance look from a general 16^th-century renovation, and it gained an additional story two hundred years later. Throughout the centuries, it belonged to noble families and was often used to greet important figures, like Alexei, the Russian Tzar's Son, or Polish prince Jozef Poniatowski. Currently, apart from the Piwnica Pod Baranami it also houses the Pod Baranami Cinema and a few cafes.

Piotr Skrzynecki and the Golden Age of the Pod Baranami Cabaret

It is certain that the most important person of the Pod Baranami Cabaret was Piotr Skrzynecki. Having created Piwnica Pod Baranami in 1956 along with artist Bronislaw Chromy and composer Krzysztof Penderecki, he literally devoted his life to it – the cellar was virtually his home, and the cabaret's artists were his only family. Thanks to Skrzynecki's charisma, his intuition and sense of humour, the Piwnica Pod Baranami, of which he was the Master of Ceremonies, was crowded at each performance, although its ambitious repertoire surely wasn't suitable for anyone. The Pod Baranami Cabaret presented not only its pure-nonsense sketches, but also songs, the authors of which included avant-garde poets such as Stanislaw Ignacy Witkiewicz or Boleslaw Lesmian, but also anonymous authors of encyclopedias or anti-alcohol pamphlets. Skrzynecki was the true spirit of the Pod Baranami Cabaret, and when he died in 1996, it stopped working for a short time, but was soon reestablished, and even now some of its performances still rank high on the music charts. The performances of the Pod Baranami Cabaret, although not as marvelous as before, are still held from time to time. Piotr Skrzynecki still watches over his beloved cabaret. A monument presenting him in his characteristic black hat and cape, is situated near one of the tables of the Vis a Vis cafe, right next to the Pod Baranami Palace.

Artists linked to the Pod Baranami Cabaret

Among the persons performing in the Piwnica Pod Baranami were many famous Polish singers, like Ewa Demarczyk, Marek Grechuta or Grzegorz Turnau. Many other, now widely known Polish artists were more or less closely connected to the Pod Baranami Cabaret, among them Andrzej Wajda, poet Agnieszka Osiecka or actor Anna Dymna. Also, many composers and jazz musicians have performed in the Piwnica Pod Baranami, such as Krzysztof Komeda, Andrzej Kurylowicz, Zbigniew Preisner or Krzysztof Penderecki.