When can the exhibition be seen?

The exhibition can be seen starting October 9, 2026, from 10 AM and runs until February 21, 2027.

What is the entrance fee?

The entrance fee is 5 Euro per person.

Where does the exhibition take place?

The exhibition takes place at the Sorbian Museum Cottbus, Mühlenstraße 12, 03046 Cottbus.

What content does the exhibition show?

A selection of around 200 glass negatives by Denis Galloway featuring portraits, traditional costumes, depictions of work, market scenes, and shots of Sorbian-Wendish life events can be seen.

What are the opening hours in October?

From October to April, the museum is open Tuesday to Friday from 10 AM to 5 PM and on Saturdays, Sundays, and public holidays from 1 PM to 5 PM.

Are there educational programs available?

The Sorbian Museum offers cultural mediation and events on the history and present of the Sorbs and Wends. Current guided tours and educational offerings should be checked directly with the museum.

Discover Faces of an Era: Photographs that Make Lusatian History Come Alive

Name: Denis Galloway – Woblica from a Distant House / Faces of an Era
Start: 2026-10-09T10:00:00+02:00
End: 2027-02-21T17:00:00+01:00
Location: Wendisches Museum Cottbus / Serbski muzej

Faces of an Era: Photographic Memories of Lusatia

The Sorbian Museum Cottbus invites you to an immersive photographic journey into Lower Lusatia and the Spree Forest. The exhibition Denis Galloway – Woblica from a Distant House / Faces of an Era presents for the first time a selection of around 200 historical glass negatives by Scottish ethnographer, photographer, and artist Denis Galloway.

An Archive of Glass and Light

Between 1908 and 1914, Galloway travelled through Lusatia, capturing Sorbian-Wendish life with great attention. His photographs preserve faces, traditional costumes, working worlds, and rituals of a region whose cultural identity is expressed in language, clothing, craftsmanship, and communal customs. The historical photographs combine documentary accuracy with a compelling aesthetic experience.

People, Everyday Life, and Lived Culture

The exhibition focuses on portraits of women and children, scenes of fieldwork, impressions from the market, and shots of significant life events such as weddings. The diverse variations of traditional costumes, which are rarely visible in such authenticity, appear particularly impressive. Each artwork opens a window to a past way of life and simultaneously draws attention to the individuality of the portrayed individuals.

Photography as a Cultural Historical Source

Galloway's glass negatives are more than historical image documents. They form a visual memory of the Sorbs and Wends in Lower Lusatia and vividly illustrate social structures, regional clothing, and everyday practices. In dialogue with the collection of the Sorbian Museum, a curation emerges that connects photography, ethnography, memory culture, and cultural education.

Art Experience in the Sorbian Museum

The calm exhibition atmosphere invites focused contemplation. Subtle shades of gray, precise facial features, and the material presence of the historical image sources create a special spatial effect. The art experience moves from individual portrait shots to the broader question of how photographic images preserve cultural belonging, origin, and memory across generations.

The exhibition welcomes art enthusiasts, photography lovers, and anyone interested in the cultural history of Lusatia. A visit to the Sorbian Museum enriches the aesthetic experience with concrete insights into Sorbian-Wendish ways of life and makes history in the medium of photography directly tangible.