Oświęcim neon signs. The return of luminous tradition!

Cafe Bergson is returning to the glorious tradition of neon signs. A new illuminated advertisement, rarely present in the urban space of Oświęcim in recent years, has just hung on the cafe’s wall.  The distinctive logotype, which has been well known for ten years and not only among the local community, was designed by Oświęcim-based graphic designer Pawel Adamus.

The neon tradition in Poland dates back to the interwar period. The first Warsaw neon sign was created in 1926, and the heyday of their popularity was during the communist era and the 1950s to 1970s.

Due to the peculiarities of the economic system of the communist era, neon signs performed decorative and informational functions rather than advertising in the strict sense. The neon signs were designed by the best Polish artists and often became icons of contemporary art.

Oświęcim was also lit up by neon lights at the time, but after 1989 they slowly disappeared from the local landscape, replaced by a mass of cheap and not very aesthetic advertisements, as one of the manifestations of the new free-market reality.

One of the last of Oświęcim’s neon signs was located on Olszewskiego Street, on the facade of the “Elektron” electrical store, and hung there for nearly 50 years. The neon sign was saved by Tomasz Kuncewicz – director of the Jewish Museum and an enthusiast of this form of advertising, who brought it to the attention of local collector Łukasz Szymanski.

Thanks to their efforts, in 2013 the Oświęcim “Elektron” was the first to go to the Warsaw Neon Museum. The next two – the inscription “Post Office” and “Oświęcim”, coming from the Oświęcim railroad station, went to the mentioned place in 2014 and 2018, respectively.

In recent years, we have seen a turn to the neon tradition in many Polish cities, and we are seeing more and more of these unique advertisements around us.

We hope that this is a lasting trend of returning to the neon past. In addition, we believe that the so-called Landscape Law, soon to be passed by the local government, will put the urban space in order and restore its proper aesthetics!

Historical photographs in this text belong to the Collection of  Łukasz Szymański