150th Anniversary of the Railway in Nowy Sącz 1876–2026

A significant part of the exhibition consists of display panels prepared by Leszek Zakrzewski (MSc Eng.), President of the Nowy Sącz Branch of the Polish Historical Society and a renowned researcher and popularizer of railway history. These are complemented by archival materials from the collections of the Museum of the Sącz Region, offering a perspective on railway development through surviving documents and material artifacts of the past.

The exhibition also features unique items on loan from the Railwaymen’s Tradition Chamber of the Nowy Sącz Railway Junction—managed by the Nowy Sącz Railway Enthusiasts Association—and from the private "Stacja Czernichów Główny" Museum. Documents, photographs, memorabilia, railway equipment, and historic technical artifacts weave a multifaceted story of railway history—covering both its significance for the region's development and the daily work of those involved in the railway industry.

This project is being carried out as part of the "Home Museums" initiative under the Małopolska Region’s strategic program, "Małopolska 2030."

Leszek Zakrzewski (MSc Eng.) is a historian, publicist, and social activist who has served as the President of the Nowy Sącz Branch of the Polish Historical Society since 2004. He is a graduate of the Cracow University of Technology, specializing in rail vehicles. His research interests focus primarily on railway history, the history of Nowy Sącz and the Sącz region, military history, independence movements, and biography. He has authored over 150 historical articles, biographical entries, and studies published in journals such as *Rocznik Sądecki*, *Almanach Sądecki*, *Almanach Muszyny*, *Koleje Małe i Duże*, and *Świat Kolei*. He has written and co-authored publications dedicated to the history of railways in Nowy Sącz and the Sącz region, including *Kalendarium kolei w Nowy Sączu* (A Railway Chronology of Nowy Sącz). In 2024, his *Przewodnik sentymentalny po linii kolejowej nr 104 Chabówka–Nowy Sącz* (A Sentimental Guide to Railway Line No. 104: Chabówka–Nowy Sącz) was published. He is also the author of the three-volume work *Dzieje kolei w regionie sądeckim do 1918 r.* (History of Railways in the Sącz Region up to 1918), created to mark the 150th anniversary of the launch of the Tarnów-Leluchów Railway. For many years, he has been actively involved in popularizing regional history and preserving the memory of the past. He has long been associated with the editorial boards of *Almanach Sądecki* and *Rocznik Sądecki*.

The Nowy Sącz Railway Enthusiasts Association has been active since 2009, bringing together individuals interested in railway history, technology, modeling, photography, and travel. Its activities focus on preserving and promoting railway heritage and showcasing historic technical equipment in a dynamic way. The Association organizes railway-themed events, including Railway Technology Days, Railway Worker Day celebrations, and model railway exhibitions. Its most renowned initiative is the Małopolska Railway Tourism Routes project—featuring retro train excursions organized for over a decade in collaboration with the Railway Rolling Stock Open-Air Museum in Chabówka. Since 2010, the Association has managed the Railway Workers’ Tradition Chamber of the Nowy Sącz Railway Junction, located at the Nowy Sącz railway station. Established in 2006 to mark the 130th anniversary of the railway in Nowy Sącz, the exhibition displays historic equipment, books, tickets, plaques, and railway signs, serving as a reminder of the history of the Nowy Sącz railway junction and the work of generations of railway employees.

The Czernichów Główny Museum Station is a private collection established by railway enthusiast Robert Stefaniuk. Its creation is the result of years of work dedicated to rescuing historic rolling stock, as well as vintage railway equipment and infrastructure components, from deterioration and irreversible destruction. The collection offers insight into the history of narrow-gauge and industrial railways in Poland, dating back to the early 20th century. The exhibits include diesel locomotives, vintage railcars, and elements of historic railway infrastructure—such as semaphore signals, distant and shunting signals, a water crane, and steam locomotive wheels. The collection features locomotives such as the Gmeinder, 2WLs50, WLs40, Gls30, Ls40, Lyd2, and Lyd1, alongside a vintage mail and baggage car from the early 1900s. Also noteworthy is the WLs 85 locomotive—a rare surviving example of this type of vehicle.