Piotr Cezary Skrzynecki (12 September 1930 in Warsaw – 27 April 1997 in Kraków) was a Polish choreographer, director and cabaret impresario, known for his involvement with the cabaret Piwnica pod Baranami (The Cellar under the Rams), of which he was the founder.

Biography

Skrzynecki was born on 12 September 1930 in Warsaw. He was the son of a Pole Marian Skrzynecki, lieutenant colonel in the Polish Army and a

Jewess Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""Th ...

Magdalena Endelman. His father died during the Soviet invasion of Poland, when he was the commander of the 7-th Lubelski Cavalry Regiment. After World War II his family moved to Łódź. There he attended a theater school associated with the

National Film School in Łódź National may refer to: Common uses * Nation or country ** Nationality – a ''national'' is a person who is subject to a nation, regardless of whether the person has full rights as a citizen Places in the United States * National, Maryland, ce ...

. Next he moved to Kraków where he began studies in history of art at the

Jagiellonian University The Jagiellonian University (Polish: ''Uniwersytet Jagielloński'', UJ) is a public research university in Kraków, Poland. Founded in 1364 by King Casimir III the Great, it is the oldest university in Poland and the 13th oldest university in ...

. There, at the age of 26, in 1956 he organized student club which, in time, became Piwnica pod Baranami, with its first performance in December that year. Until his death, he would be the leading member of Piwnica. It became the most popular intellectual cabaret in postwar Poland, and one of the symbols of Kraków. Although it was not primarily a political humor group, coming in the wake of the liberalization of Polish October, the Piwnica cabaret became famous for its satirical criticism of the

People's Republic of Poland The Polish People's Republic ( pl, Polska Rzeczpospolita Ludowa, PRL) was a country in Central Europe that existed from 1947 to 1989 as the predecessor of the modern Republic of Poland. With a population of approximately 37.9 million nea ...

communist regime. Polish magazine

Przekrój ''Przekrój'' (; ''Cross-section'') was the oldest Polish weekly newsmagazine in operation, established in 1945 in Kraków. After temporary closure in 2013, it was bought by photographer Tomasz Niewiadomski and subsequently relaunched in December ...

wrote that "For 41 years krzyneckiand his cabaret persuaded us that, despite the system, we had come into this world for happiness and joy.". His attitude to authority was rebellious through his life; he often taunted censors present in the audience. During the martial law in Poland of 1981 he was accused by the authorities of inciting a riot by his simple presence; in response, he set the official document accusing him of the charges to music, as he later did with the one lifting the charges. Similarly, he had a disdainful attitude towards money; there was a time he was homeless and slept on a park bench. In addition to cabaret activity, Skrzynecki organized various events, fresh air performances, and famous parties, gathering top Polish artists and actors. He played in several movies: ''Kalosze szczęścia'', ''Aria dla atlety'', ''Sukcesja'', ''Epitafium dla Barbary Radziwiłłówny'', ''Przewodnik'', ''Piwnica pod Baranami Piotra Skrzyneckiego'', ''Rozmowy z Piotrem''. He wrote the script for the ''Panowie na złotych sznurkach'' movie, which he directed. In his final years he has been suffering from cancer. He died on 27 April 1997 in Kraków.

Awards and recognition

He has been described as a "larger-than-life figure", "already a legend in his own lifetime", widely respected and even adored in Poland. His funeral attracted large crowds and many public figures. A documentary movie (''Przewodnik'' by Tomasz Zygadło, 1984) and a 4-episode TV series (''Piwnica pod Baranami Piotra Skrzyneckiego'' by

Antoni Krauze Antoni Krauze (4 January 1940 – 14 February 2018) was a Polish screenwriter and director. Early life Antoni Krauze was born on 4 January 1940 in Warsaw, Poland. He studied filmmaking at the National Film School in Łódź (1966). He was the old ...

, 2001) are dedicated to him. In 1998,

Joanna Olczak-Ronikier Joanna Olczak-Ronikier (born 12 November 1934) is a Polish writer and scenarist, co-founder of the Piwnica pod Baranami cabaret in Kraków. Biography Joanna Olczak was born on 12 November 1934 in Warsaw to a Polish-Jewish family, as a daught ...

published his biography, entitled ''Piotr ''. Three monuments to Skrzynecki exist, out of which the most prominent is a life-sized statue of him on the

Market Square The market square (or sometimes, the market place) is a Town square, square meant for trading, in which a market is held. It is an important feature of many towns and cities around the world. He received several awards through his life. He has been awarded the honorary citizenship of the city of Kraków. Since his death, his birthday and nameday are celebrated with "Koncerty dla Piotra S." (Concerts for Piotr S.) events.

References

External links

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Official site of cabaret "Piwnica pod Baranami"
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PIOTR SKRZYNECKI (1930-1997)
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Skrzynecki, Piotr 1930 births 1997 deaths People from Kraków 20th-century Polish Jews Polish choreographers Recipient of the Meritorious Activist of Culture badge