WITH GLAMOUR AND GLORY

40 years ago, at Christmas 1985, the television multi-part "Saxony's Splendour and Prussia's Glory" was broadcast for the first time. It was the most elaborate film production in the GDR. Less well known is the Polish film production "Countess Cosel" (1960) by Jerzy Antczak. This in turn was the most cost-effective production of Polish cinematography to date.

AI generated: The image shows two mannequins dressed in historical costumes, including a dress and a suit made of a red, velvet-like fabric. The clothes appear to be from an earlier era and are on display in an exhibition.

Originalkostüme Gräfin Cosel und August der Starke, Filmfundus Babelsberg

The material was provided by the "Saxon Trilogy" by the Polish writer and journalist Józef Ignacy Kraszewski. Kraszewski had come to Dresden around 100 years earlier, in 1863. He lived here in exile for 22 years. In his novels "Countess Cosel", "Brühl" and "From the Seven Years' War", he depicts Saxon-Polish history and its protagonists - as an author and historian, as a Pole and a resident of Dresden.

The novels are set in the "Saxon era": from 1697 to 1763, the Electorate of Saxony and the Kingdom of Poland were ruled in personal union by Augustus II and then by his son Augustus III. The exhibition introduces legendary personalities such as Augustus the Strong, Countess Cosel and Count Heinrich von Brühl and provides an insight into Baroque courtly life and its festive culture.

Director Hans-Joachim Kasprzik and scriptwriter Albrecht Börner have been working on the material, the novels and the Augustan period since the 1970s. The success of "Saxony's Splendour and Prussia's Glory" proved them right to turn it into a film set in a completely different political system.

»We embark on a journey through 300 years of history as well as the history of literature and film. The exhibition provides insights into the creation of the books and films and shows the different perspectives they take on. Visitors will discover how each era tells history anew - and how our view of the past is constantly changing.«

— Dr Franziska Müller, curator of the exhibition

KI generiert: Das Bild zeigt eine reich verzierte kleine Schatulle mit einer gezeichneten Karte auf ihrem Deckel. Die Schatulle wirkt historisch und dekorativ und befindet sich auf einem Tisch oder in einer Vitrine.

Unbekannte/r Hersteller/in, Tabakdose, Ende 18. Jahrhundert Email, Metall, Eigentum Festung Königstein gGmbH

The Saxon-Polish Union was viewed differently from a Polish and a German perspective and at different times. The rule of the Wettin dynasty left its mark on the states and the courts in Dresden and Warsaw.

The exhibition looks at the historical period of the Saxon-Polish Union and follows the historical stages on Polish and German territory. It presents the protagonists in history, novels and films. She takes a close look at Kraszewski's novels as well as the background and the making of the films. How were the films made? How did the Polish writer Kraszewski view and judge Augustus the Strong and the Saxon-Polish court? And what was life like at the Polish court, which the Wettins ruled from 1697 to 1763?

The exhibition features numerous loans from Saxon and Polish collections, including paintings, prints, original film costumes as well as medals, posters and editions of books by Kraszewski and other Saxon novelists from the 19th century.

mdr report on the exhibition

AI generated: The image is a poster for an exhibition entitled "With Splendour and Glory", which deals with the film adaptation of J. I. Kraszewski's Saxony trilogy. The event will take place from 10 December 2025 to 25 October 2026 at the Kraszewski Museum Dresden.

Poster of the exhibition

Exhibition dates

Sun / 18. Oct

15:00

With registration

Swans in White and Gold. The Story of a Family

Author reading

The descendant of the politician Heinrich Graf von Brühl tells the story of the unique swan service made of Meissen porcelain that he once commissioned. Its fragility holds enormous symbolic value, whilst its history offers a journey of discovery dedicated to the transience of fame and wealth, the magic of ‘white gold’, and the power of memory.

With Dr Christine Countess von Brühl
Admission: €10, concessions €8
Please book in good time online or by telephone via the visitor service of the Dresden City Museums on 0351 488 7272 (Mon–Fri).

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"Saxony's Splendour and Prussia's Glory" – the film, the story and Kraszewski's novels

More than 300 years ago, Elector Frederick Augustus I, known as "Augustus the Strong", was crowned King of Poland. He and subsequently his son ruled the country until 1763, which later prompted the Polish writer Józef Ignacy Kraszewski, who lived in Dresden, to focus on this period in several novels. His descriptions in turn formed the basis for the creation of the largest film production of the GDR in 1885: "Saxony's Splendour and Prussia's Glory". Join us for a lecture and tour of the Kraszewski Museum's special exhibition on the traces of the Augustan period, Kraszewski's literary version and the creation of the film.

Class 7 / 1,5 h / History

WITH GLAMOUR AND GLORY

Exhibition dates

Swans in White and Gold. The Story of a Family

Exhibition offers

"Saxony's Splendour and Prussia's Glory" – the film, the story and Kraszewski's novels

Mehr entdecken

Józef Ignacy Kraszewski

Über uns

WITH GLAMOUR AND GLORY

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Admission

Exhibition dates

Swans in White and Gold. The Story of a Family

Exhibition offers

"Saxony's Splendour and Prussia's Glory" – the film, the story and Kraszewski's novels

Mehr entdecken

Józef Ignacy Kraszewski

Über uns