„Romance au chocolat” – when chocolate becomes art. A unique temporary exhibition at the E. Wedel Chocolate Factory.
Can chocolate be more than just a sweet treat? Can it become a material for works of art and tell stories? The E. Wedel Chocolate Factory Museum in Warsaw is hosting a temporary exhibition entitled „Romance au chocolat”, which invites visitors to a world of miniature chocolate scenes full of imagination, colour and subtle humour. In this post, I share my impressions of my visit to the exhibition created especially for the Museum by Polish artist Mirella von Chrupek. It is worth mentioning that E.Wedel is an iconic Polish chocolate brand with 170 years of tradition.
E. Wedel and Polish artists
Even before entering the Chocolate Factory building, you can smell the characteristic aroma of chocolate. And it is here that the E. Wedel Chocolate Factory Museum is located today, which, in addition to a permanent exhibition dedicated to the history of chocolate, organises temporary exhibitions of works by Polish artists. The Wedel brand has always invited Polish artists to collaborate with it. One of the key artistic figures associated with the brand was Zofia Stryjeńska (1891-1976), a painter and designer considered one of the most distinctive voices of interwar Polish art. Known for her bold, folkloric style, she created packaging for Wedel products and helped shape the interior of the brand’s iconic confectionery shop on Szpitalna Street in Warsaw.
An artistic journey in five acts
Mirella von Chrupek is a visual artist, photographer and designer of dioramas, i.e. three-dimensional miniature scenes. For years, she has been creating poetic micro-worlds infused with elements of fairy tales, fantasy, and humor. Her works have been exhibited in Amsterdam, Poznań and Gdańsk, among other places. What makes them particularly distinctive is the extraordinary attention to detail and the care taken in constructing each scene.
The artist is also the author of the „Gablotka” project at 41 Marszałkowska Street in Warsaw. In one of the old display cases from a former shoemaker’s workshop, she presented her colourful, semi-surrealistic scenes – microcosms created as part of the idea of a small street art gallery.
Created specifically for the Museum, the project takes visitors on a journey through five meticulously crafted dioramas. Each of them is a separate little world, connected by a common theme – chocolate, which appears here in various forms. Sometimes it is part of the landscape, other times it becomes one of the characters in the story. Among the scenes presented, we find adventure, romance (with a balcony scene inspired by Romeo and Juliet, made of wafers), fairy tales, salon and futuristic scenes.
The „Romance au chocolat” exhibition runs from 8 January to 16 April 2026. The exhibition is available as part of a standard museum tour.
Practical information
The E. Wedel Chocolate Factory Museum is very easy to reach by public transport. The most convenient option is the M2 underground line – Warszawa Stadion station, from where you can walk to the museum in about 10 minutes. There are also trams (including lines 3, 6, 25 and 26) and buses (e.g. 123, 138, 509) running nearby. Up-to-date timetables are available on the official Warsaw Public Transport (ZTM) website.
If you are planning to travel by car, it is best to use the large public car park at the National Stadium – from there, you can also walk to the E. Wedel Chocolate Factory in about 10 minutes. Please note that the number of parking spaces in the immediate vicinity of the museum is limited.
“Romance au chocolat” is an exhibition that blends craftsmanship, imagination and a touch of humour. If you’re looking for a cultural experience in Warsaw that feels both playful and refined, this temporary show at the E. Wedel Chocolate Factory Museum is well worth adding to your itinerary.
*https://www.vogue.pl/a/zofia-stryjenska
**facebook.com/MirellavonChrupek/
