Krajewscy Family Archive

The author of the film is Jarosław Krajewski (born in 1952 in Poznań). As a teenager, he received his first camera as a gift from his parents. Since then, he has filmed important events and family life: weddings, holiday trips to the Powidz area, as well as his daughters, Paula and Zuzanna, growing up. Jarosław was interested in journalism. In his youth, he belonged to the Club of Youth Journalists (KDM), later he worked, among others, in the office and the company newspaper in a furniture factory and as a tour guide in Europe. He currently lives in Edinburgh, Scotland. 

1977. An account of a holiday trip near Powidz, an important place for the Krajewski family, where the family spent their annual, monthly vacation for many years. The location was the result of theexpectations of Albin Krajewski, Jarosław’s father, who was an avid angler, and his wife, Kazimiera, who wanted to spend her free time near her birthplace – Strzałkowo. In fact, Powidz is more of a nickname than a location, because the place where the family spent their free time was located about 5 kilometers from Powidz, near the settlement of Ostrowo by the Lake Powidzkie Małe. They rented a place on a hill near the water and there they set up a campsite. They rented it from a local peasant by barter, in exchange for unnecessary things and clothes. Over the years, these holidays have grown into customs, rules and took place according to the established order. The camp had a permanent plan. Tents were pitched in the same arrangement under pine trees: in the centre, there was the tent of Albin and Kazimiera, where, in the vestibule Jarosław Krajewski’s daughters (Paula and Zuzanna) often slept, and before they appeared, Jarosław himself with his brother (Tomek). In addition, there was a big table, a slightly distant tent of uncle Mieczysław and a utility tent, where during the day some of the supplies and kitchen equipment were stored. The rhythm of the day was constant, as if it was a programme: from dawn, men were fishing, children were playing, Kazimiera took care of the children, cooked, but also rested and sunbathed. This routine was interrupted by trips for food to Powidz or Strzałkowo as well as by visits of family and friends. Everyone met during meals, as well as during playing cards and evening feasts. It was a carefree time of recharging batteries and strengthening family bonds. The film presents genre scenes from a trip near Powidz. We can observe, among others, setting up the camp, shared meals and playing cards, and playing with the child. In the final part of the film, Jarosław Krajewski’s daughter, Paula, sits on a bed and plays with a book entitled A Walk from popular “Series with a Squirrel”. It was her own bed, which her parents had brought from home. As Jarosław Krajewski recalls, over time the camp grew so much that in order to bring all the necessary equipment, it was necessary to take several trips to Poznań, about 100 kilometers away.

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