GLAM/Newsletter/August 2025/Contents/Poland report
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WikiChełmoński: When Wikipedia Becomes a Guide in the Museum
WikiChełmoński: When Wikipedia Becomes a Guide in the Museum
This summer, Wikimedia Polska, together with the National Museum in Poznań and the National Museum in Krakow, concluded WikiChełmoński – a nationwide editing campaign dedicated to the works of Józef Chełmoński, one of Poland’s most renowned realist painters. The campaign accompanied a major three-part exhibition organized by the national museums in Warsaw, Poznań, and Kraków.
The editing contest ran from April 9 to July 13, 2025, with participants creating and improving Wikipedia articles, translating them into other languages, enriching Wikidata, adding alternative text descriptions, and improving image metadata on Wikimedia Commons.
The results were announced on August 8, on the opening day of the Kraków exhibition, which remains on view until the end of November.
Key outcomes of the campaign:
- 59 Wikipedia articles about Chełmoński’s works are now available in Polish – more than double the number before the campaign.
- New international reach: articles were translated into English and Esperanto, making the painter’s work visible beyond Poland.
- Hundreds of edits on Wikidata and over 50 alternative text descriptions made knowledge about Chełmoński’s works more structured and accessible.
- Participants also contributed high-quality reproductions and improvements to Wikimedia Commons.
Our community
In total, 12 editors took part in the WikiChełmoński campaign. We sincerely thank all participants for their contributions.
- Special thanks go to the award-winners: Gower, EwkaC, Marta Malina Moraczewska, Zutkaikoty, Lansinho, Filifionka111, and PMG.
- We also thank the other contributors for their valuable involvement: EsMarkRod, Marta Tomczak MNP, Cyfrowabiblioteka, UserAgata, Julmar27.
A groundbreaking achievement
For the first time in Poland, Wikipedia became an official knowledge partner of a national museum exhibition. In Kraków, thanks to QRpedia, visitors can scan QR codes next to selected artworks and access freshly written Wikipedia articles. This innovation makes Wikipedia an integral part of the exhibition’s narrative and a direct guide to Chełmoński’s art.
By combining the expertise of museum professionals with the engagement of the Wikimedia community, WikiChełmoński not only enriched online resources but also brought free knowledge into the very heart of a national museum.
Help us share Chełmoński’s art worldwide
We now encourage the Wikimedia community to continue this work by translating the newly created and expanded Polish articles into English and other languages. This will help spread knowledge about Józef Chełmoński and his art globally.
- To get involved, please visit the WikiChełmoński campaign website.
If you still have questions, feel free to contact Kamila Neuman, Open Culture Manager at Wikimedia Polska.
Our partners
We would like to thank our partners for making this campaign possible:
- The National Museum in Kraków – with special thanks to Agata Jabłońska (initiator and originator of this collaboration) and Joanna Szytuła, who served as coordinators of the campaign on behalf of the Museum, showing long-standing openness and commitment that made the project a reality, and to Maria Płatos, an intern who supported the coordinating team.
- The National Museum in Poznań – with special thanks to Marta Tomczak, who coordinated the campaign on behalf of the Museum, for her trust, engagement, and for organizing the accompanying events: a guided tour of the exhibition with Dr. Maria Gołąb and a webinar with curator Dr. Arkadiusz Krawczyk.
We are also grateful to both museums for their continued collaboration and dedication to sharing knowledge about Józef Chełmoński with a wider public.
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