In May and June 2026, the Free Belarus Museum implemented the project “Bagpipes: Music of the Past and Present” as part of the Warsaw Museum Night. The project was a major cultural and educational initiative introducing visitors to the history, traditions, and contemporary revival of the Belarusian bagpipe tradition.
The centerpiece of the project was the exhibition “Bagpipes. Instrument, History, Symbol”, featuring 25 unique musical instruments, including Belarusian and other European bagpipes. The exhibition explored the origins and evolution of the instrument, its significance in Belarusian culture, and its connections with the musical traditions of other European countries.
To accompany the exhibition, multilingual educational materials were prepared in Belarusian, Polish, and English, combining historical research, archival photographs, and contemporary scholarship. An interactive “Bagpiper's Workshop” allowed visitors to discover how bagpipes are made and to try playing educational instruments themselves.
Throughout the three-week exhibition, guided tours were offered in Belarusian, Polish, and English. The project concluded with the exhibition’s finissage and the expert discussion “Belarusian Bagpipes: Challenges and Perspectives”, bringing together researchers and musicians from Belarus, Poland, and Lithuania to exchange knowledge and discuss the future of this unique musical heritage.
As part of the Warsaw Museum Night, the museum courtyard hosted an open-air concert featuring musicians from Belarus, Poland, and Ukraine. Performers included the ensemble Lity Taler, the Belarusian Bagpipe School in Warsaw, Yauhen Baryshnikau, and other artists dedicated to preserving and developing the traditional music of Central and Eastern Europe.
Following the concert, members of the School of Traditional Belarusian Culture in Warsaw led traditional dance workshops accompanied by live bagpipe music, creating an open and welcoming space where visitors could experience Belarusian cultural heritage through music and dance.
The project attracted significant public interest and received wide coverage in both Belarusian and Polish media. Nearly 900 people visited the exhibition, while the open-air concert welcomed several hundred participants.
One of the project's most important achievements was not only raising awareness of Belarusian musical heritage but also creating new educational resources together with a valuable archive of photographs and video recordings that will continue to support the educational activities of the Free Belarus Museum.
The project also strengthened international cooperation between researchers, musicians, and cultural institutions from different countries. Thanks to the partnerships established during the project, the exhibition will continue its journey and be presented at additional cultural venues in Poland and abroad.
The project demonstrated that Belarusian traditional music is a living part of Europe's cultural heritage. The tradition of playing the bagpipes not only preserves the memory of the past but also inspires contemporary artists, encourages intercultural dialogue, and builds lasting connections between communities across borders.
