On Saturday, 16 November 2024, the Polish Aviation Museum in Kraków hosted the ceremonial vernissage of the “Sky and Sea” exhibition, organised to mark the centenary of the magazine. The exhibition was created in cooperation with the Association of Polish Maritime Artists and will be available in the Main Hangar of the Polish Aviation Museum until 14 December 2024.
The vernissage took place in a special location, on the grounds of the first airport of the Republic of Poland. It was attended by readers of the magazine, seafarers, artists and sailing enthusiasts.
The first issue of “Morze” (Sea) was published in the interwar period, in November 1924. The magazine was then the organ of the Maritime and River League, later renamed the Maritime and Colonial League – the same one that made efforts for Madagascar to become a Polish colony. “Morze” quickly gained popularity, and by August 1939 its print run had reached 254,000 copies.
After World War II, “Morze” was published in the new communist reality. Despite the obligatory propaganda accents, the editorial team skillfully smuggled in valuable content, providing readers with a kind of window to the world. During this difficult period, Jerzy Miciński became its legendary editor-in-chief who – although he could not become an active sailor due to health reasons – shaped several generations of seafarers through the content he published.
In the 1990s, the magazine declined, with its publication periodically suspended. In 2019, it was revived by the current publisher, Charter Navigator, a company dealing in yacht charters on all the world’s seas.
The current editorial team takes care to preserve the former form of the magazine, maintains the most interesting sections, and the graphic form and style of each issue closely references “Morze” from several decades ago. The topics covered by the editorial team have also remained unchanged – they encompass broadly understood maritime themes, from socio-economic issues, through sport, history, curiosities from around the world, to art.
The ceremony began with a speech by the magazine’s editor-in-chief, Marcin Buś, who thanked readers, authors and all contributors for their part in the development of “Morze” and presented the magazine’s history. Then, the painting exhibition was presented, prepared especially for this occasion by artists associated with the Association of Polish Maritime Artists.
Works by former illustrators of “Morze” were also presented during the ceremony – by Adam Werka, Jerzy Flisak and Lech Eustachy Karłowski.
The event was held under the honorary patronage of the Mayor of the City of Kraków, Aleksander Miszalski.
We invite you to view the photo gallery from the event:
Photos by Artur Wołoch.
