This is, without a doubt, a remarkable place. In part, it operates as a museum, though not the usual kind. Visitors are not only allowed but actually encouraged to touch the exhibits. It is also an active workplace, where mechanics work daily maintaining the steam-powered rolling stock.

A former engine driver hostel located there has been converted into tourist accommodations, allowing visitors to rent rooms and stay overnight. A night spent at a locomotive depot, with the engines revealed after dark, is not easily forgotten. Pure magic! For steam railway enthusiasts, the chance to witness the still-active workshops, machinery and technical installations used in the upkeep and repair of steam locomotives is invaluable. Neither the noise, nor the heat, nor the ever-present oil, grease and coal dust appear to put them off.

Wolsztyn comes alive each year during its steam locomotive parade. It is not just the number of visiting locomotives from abroad that captures attention. The night-time display on the turntable has been likened to a catwalk fashion show: bathed in vivid light and wrapped in dense clouds of steam and smoke, the engines put on a remarkable visual performance. During the day, large crowds gather along the tracks to admire the elegant passage of these steaming giants.

At its heart, the Wolsztyn depot is defined by its people who are driven by genuine passion. They have become well accustomed to visitors and have learned to deeply value their interest. The team also see themselves as having a broader mission, which is to preserve their achievements to date and protect the cultural heritage of the railway.

Krystyna Okulewicz-Rabij

The exhibition's visual material comes from the archives of photographs by Krystyna Okulewicz-Rabij and Aleksander Rabij, two prize-winning photographers and filmmakers. Their work has been widely covered and displayed around the world in the press, on television, in photo albums, and at exhibitions and festivals. They have long collaborated with National Geographic. Krystyna has received a scholarship from the Minister of Culture and National Heritage. Aleksander works as an educator focusing on photography and multimedia in a school and teaching aspiring journalists at the University of Silesia.

translation: Krzysztof Kotkowski

"Wolsztyn: A History Powered by Steam" - an exhibition in the Poznań Photoplasticon (Fotoplastykon Poznański)
Centrum Informacji Kulturalnej (Cultural Information Centre), ul. F. Ratajczaka 44
3.08 - 30.09.2026; opening hours: Monday - Friday 10 am - 6 pm, Saturday 10 am - 5 pm, Sunday and holidays closed, last admission 30 minutes before closing time
tickets: regular admission - 6 pln, reduced admission - 3 pln, family tickets - 12 pln, group tickets (groups of 10 or more) - 25 pln

© Wydawnictwo Miejskie Posnania 2026