POLSKI 
KONTRAST 
Music castle
Szydłowiecki castle is considered to be one of the most beautiful residences in Poland. It is a seat of a unique institution. It houses a museum which has the largest collection of folk instruments in Poland. Here we may see not only instruments, but also documents of processes of their construction and materials about their creators.
Museum’s collection is exceptionally interesting. Here, we find unique on the global scale exhibits. The oldest exhibits date back to the 17th century: timpani (kocioł) or złocóbki (musical instrument), 19th century mazanki and bass instruments up to 19th century instruments. Many exhibits are instruments which are not used any more. There are very interesting reconstructions re-created on the basis of source documents. Here we may also see original remains of instruments and unusually primitive, even weird exhibits whose simplicity is the proof of human innate strong need for contact with music. The museum owns simple exhibits such as leafs, tree bark for making music or whistles made of straws or feathers, and more complex such as drums and burczybasy (type of instrument) up to very complex instruments such as violins, hurdy-gurdies, bagpipes and accordions (it has the biggest collection of accordions in Poland). Moreover, the exhibition offers documental recordings of the presented instruments.
In addition, the museum conducts educational activity. It offers extremely interesting museum lessons and workshops for kindergarten children, lower and upper primary school and secondary school children. The museum lessons were developed based on core curriculum obligatory at particular stages of teaching. Here, education is delivered in a “living” form with the use of exhibits.
The seat of the museum is an early Renaissance magnates’ castle. It was constructed during 1470-1526 by the Szydłowieccy family on an artificial island surrounded by a ditch. Recently, it was subject to a thorough renovation. It is impressively illuminated at night.
