Events 2026 January 1, 2026

2026 in Frames

2026 in frames, updated through the year: northern lights over the Beskids, a retro computer show, fire brigade ATVs, classic cars, the Pieniny.

Words and photos: Sebastian Bogdanik

A lone tree in golden leaves with the Three Crowns behind it. One of those shots that take themselves.

This article grows with the year. It collects frames that did not fit into any photo story, plus one or two from those that did, with a link to the full piece.

January: brass and the northern lights

On the evening of 6 January the Bieńkówka Volunteer Fire Brigade Brass Band played its Christmas Concert to a full hall. The concert story.

The Bieńkówka Fire Brigade Brass Band in full: dozens of musicians behind their music stands.

Two weeks later, on the night of 19 to 20 January, the northern lights appeared over the Beskid Mountains, visible to the naked eye. I took the first photo at 22:17 and the last at 23:12. The record of that night.

19 January, 10:36 pm. A green ribbon climbs high into the sky. — 19 January, 22:36: a green ribbon climbs high into the sky. Next to it, 23:02: red fills almost the whole sky.

19 January, 11:02 pm. Red now fills almost the entire sky. — 19 January, 22:36: a green ribbon climbs high into the sky. Next to it, 23:02: red fills almost the whole sky.

April: early spring

3 April, just before six in the evening. The trees were still bare, and the last patches of snow lay in the grass.

Trees still bare in the late-afternoon light, spring clouds above. — Bare trees in the late-afternoon light, and a young birch against the last of the snow.

A young birch, with the last patches of snow in the grass behind it. — Bare trees in the late-afternoon light, and a young birch against the last of the snow.

May: the garden at dawn

11 May, a few minutes before six. The dew had not yet lifted, and grape hyacinths and tulips were in bloom in the garden.

Grape hyacinths at dawn, among fresh greenery.

A lily-flowered tulip with pointed petals, red fading into yellow. — Lily-flowered tulips with pointed petals: one red fading into yellow, one yellow with red streaks.

A yellow tulip with red streaks on its petals. — Lily-flowered tulips with pointed petals: one red fading into yellow, one yellow with red streaks.

A Japanese maple: red, finely cut leaves against the green.

July: a stop in Obrazów

21 July, on the road: a short stop in a car park in Obrazów near Sandomierz. Clouds were gathering over the hill with the Church of Saints Peter and Paul.

The Church of Saints Peter and Paul in Obrazów on its hill, under heavy clouds.

The façade of the Obrazów church with its ornamental gable. — The church façade with its ornamental gable, and a statue of the Virgin Mary in a blue cloak.

A statue of the Virgin Mary in a blue cloak beside the church. — The church façade with its ornamental gable, and a statue of the Virgin Mary in a blue cloak.

September: old computers and quads in the mud

On the afternoon of 5 September the Municipal Culture Centre in Żywiec hosted the RETRO ŚWIAT 5 exhibition: dozens of working computers and consoles from four decades. A guide to the hardware.

Two 80s empires on one table. From the bottom: VC-20, Amiga 500, Commodore 128, Amiga 600, a dark C16 and the CD32 console, and next to them an Atari 400, a 520ST and the 2600/7800 consoles.

The same day, at around half past five, I was in Kurów near Stryszawa, where the Polish Open Championship for fire brigade and support-service ATV operators was under way. I made it for the last run: axle-deep mud, a course marked with tape and a steep wooded slope.

A crew in red overalls crosses the mud with headlights on. The second operator walks alongside, one hand on the quad.

The forest section. Panning with the quad blurs the background.

Two operators in orange helmets on one quad, against the banners.

A steep wooded slope. The quad's rear box reads STRAŻ (fire brigade).

October: hydrangeas, classics and the Three Crowns

On 9 October the panicle hydrangeas were still in full colour. After the rain, drops stayed on the petals.

Panicle hydrangea in October. The flower head shifts from white to pink. — Panicle hydrangea in October. The flower head shifts from white to pink; up close, drops left by the rain.

The same hydrangeas up close, with drops after the rain. — Panicle hydrangea in October. The flower head shifts from white to pink; up close, drops left by the rain.

On 11 October the Moto Szroty association closed its season in Sucha Beskidzka. Among the cars on the square were a Ford Model T and a Ford Capri. The rally story and a walk among the cars.

A Ford Model T, the car that put America on wheels, on the show ground. — A Ford Model T, the car that put America on wheels, and a facelifted first-generation Ford Capri from the early 1970s.

A first-generation Ford Capri, Europe’s Mustang. — A Ford Model T, the car that put America on wheels, and a facelifted first-generation Ford Capri from the early 1970s.

25 October: a loop around the Three Crowns in the Pieniny Mountains, a golden forest on the way up Okrąglica and the snow-capped Tatras on the horizon. Praise Be to God: Autumn on the Three Crowns. The lone tree below the Three Crowns opens this article.

The Tatras from the platform on Okrąglica. Snow already lay on the ridges, and clouds poured over them like foam.