On 14–15 January 2026, Prof. Hanna Schreiber participated in a study trip to Supraśl organised for students of the Cultural Policy and Cultural Management programme at the Faculty of Political Science and International Studies, University of Warsaw. The trip was held as part of the study programme titled Experiencing Culture.
The primary aim of the visit was to provide a space for the presentation and discussion of students’ cultural experiences and interests, as well as to reflect on diverse forms of cultural participation and engagement beyond the campus setting.
The trip included a visit to the Polish Tatar community in the municipality of Kruszyniany, one of the most significant living centres of Tatar heritage in Poland. Participants guided by Dżemil Gembicki visited the local wooden mosque and the nearby mizar (Muslim cemetery), which together form an important site of both tangible and intangible cultural heritage.
The presence of Polish Tatars on the territory of present-day Poland dates back to the 14th century, when Muslim communities settled in the lands of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania and the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth. Granted religious freedom and cultural autonomy, Tatars developed distinctive forms of religious practice, community organization, and cultural expression, combining Islamic traditions with local linguistic and social customs. These practices have been transmitted across generations and continue to shape community life today.
Kruszyniany is a site filled with the living heritage of the Polish Tatars, where places of worship, burial traditions, oral history, culinary traditions, and communal practices remain actively maintained by the community. As such, it represents an important example of the long-term coexistence of cultural and religious diversity (as representatives of Polish Muslim, Orthodox Christian, and Catholic communities live together in a small village), reflecting values of mutual respect and continuity.
The programme concluded with a traditional Tatar meal at the Tatarska Jurta restaurant, run by Dżenneta Bogdanowicz, providing participants with the opportunity to experience delicious and inclusive Tatar culinary culture as an important element of living heritage.
The study trip proved to be a valuable component of the study programme, combining academic reflection with direct cultural experience. Similar visits are planned for future academic years as part of the ongoing curriculum.
