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n the following article I discuss the role that materiality plays in mediations of the past in the present via cultural and educational heritage practices. I do so based on my research among three cultural institutions operating in Tykocin, a small town situated in north-eastern Poland. I start by critically examining current theoretical perspectives on heritage and materiality. Next, I show how in Tykocin historical objects influence the process of establishing relationships with the past and take part in shaping narrations about town’s history. I focus especially on historical buildings and urban sites. Last but not least, I study how employees and members of the three cultural institutions try to supervise the agency of the historical objects.