 Museum entrance | |
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| Established | 1914 |
|---|---|
| Location | Regional Museum in Szczecinek ul. Szkolna 1, 78-400 Szczecinek, Poland |
| Coordinates | 53°42′41″N 16°41′32″E / 53.71137°N 16.69229°E |
| Collections | Archaeological, regional, hunting and gold cultural artifacts. |
| Director | Ireneusz Markanicz[1] |
| Curator | Jadwiga Kowalczyk-Kontowska |
| Website | www |
The Regional Museum in Szczecinek Poland was founded in 1914. From the beginning of the 1970s, the museum specialization was established in three main areas: the art collection regarding the history of the city and the entire West Pomerania, hunting, and goldsmithing. Archaeological collections (ceramics, jewelry, tools),[2] regional collections (painting, sculpture - all related to the city and the region), hunting sets (more than 130 hunting objects: firearms and hand-to-hand combat, hunting gear, accessories and memorabilia for hunting salons),[3] collection of gold artifacts. The most valuable objects are from the eighteenth century. The most known statue in the museum is a stone figure of a Slavic deity that is one of the oldest pieces on exhibition, called "Belbuk"[4]
The Regional Museum in Szczecinek dates to 1866 making it one of the oldest museums in Western Pomerania. The museum was created after an archaeological exhibition organized by Prussian major and cryptologist, Fryderyk Wilhelm Krasiski[5] at the armory building (auxiliary formations of the Prussian army) located at the Kosciuszko Street.[6] The exhibition consisted of objects found during excavations conducted by him, including the pile deposits discovered in Parsęca. Until 1881 (until Kasiski's death), the exhibition grew considerably and numbered 702 pieces. After his death the collection was sold and gave rise to the Ethnological Museum (germ. Ethnologisches Museum) in Berlin (Dahlem).
The museum was established half a century later when the historical interests were again enlivened by the ceremonial celebrations of the 600th anniversary of Szczecinek creation in 1910. In the autumn of 1913, mayor K. Sasse, established the Museum Society. The association members included well-known citizens of the city of Szczecinek: K. Tümpel, E. Wille, landrat (head of the county) Ernst von Hertzberg, and painter Paul Stubbe. Thanks to the association of the museum, the museum was established in June 1914, in the tower of St. Nicholas church (remains of the first Christian church in Szczecinek city).[7] The pre-war collection was small but valuable. The works that were exhibited at the time documented the history of the city and of the region. The collection included, among others, the silver goblets donated by princess Ann (from 1606), and princess Jadwiga (from 1625).
The activity of the facility, however, was halted by the outbreak of World War I. Thanks to the efforts of Georg Zehm in 1935, the museum was moved to the castle (Zamek Książąt Pomorskich) in Szczecinek.[8] At the end of World War II, in February 1945, after the city was taken over by the Soviet army, part of the collection was thrown out of the window. Some of these monuments were saved by the Sisters of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary. One of them, Maria Krysta, wrote the first post-war booklet devoted to the history of the city.
Restart of the museum in Szczecinek was taken on by Aleksander Stafiński and reverend Anatol Sałaga, who organized the Civic Committee of the Museum in Szczecinek and Szczecinek Land. In July 1947 the tower of St. Nicholas became a temporary headquarters of the museum[9]
In September 1957, the Presidium of the Municipal National Council in Szczecinek established a new Organizing Committee of the Museum. The organization of the museum was also supported by the Szczecinek branch of the Polish Historical Society. On February 28, 1958, during the celebration of the anniversary of the takeover of Szczecinek by the Soviet army, the Regional Museum of Szczecinek was opened. At that moment it was supposed to be located in the church tower of St. Nicholas, but later it was scheduled to be moved to the Castle of Dukes of Pomerania (Zamek Książąt Pomorskich) in Szczecinek.[10] Nevertheless, the exhibition remained at St. Nicholas church until 2006.[11]
Ultimately, thanks to the former mayor of the city, Marian Tomasz Goliński, the museum was moved to the 19th-century building of the former local school.[12] Thanks to the EU grant money, the Ministry of Culture and National Heritage, and the financing from the city of Szczecinek, the building had been adapted for museum purposes. The ceremonial inauguration took place in 2006. The new headquarters is several times bigger than the previous one and it is more functional. Presently a steady increase of the art collection in the museum is possible thanks to the support of mayor Jerzy Hardie-Douglas.
In the words of the Director of the Regional Museum in Szczecinek, Ireneusz Markanicz:
"The main focus of the Regional Museum in Szczecinek is to provide more information about the city architecture and circumstances of the settlers. I believe that these people are our outstanding heroes and thus the history makers. It is also important to remember the frontier roots of those who came here after 1945, since the modern inhabitants of Szczecinek are their descendants, and it is worthwhile to bring this culture closer to the next generations"[13]
In 2014 the Regional Museum in Szczecinek celebrated its 100th anniversary.[14]
The Regional Museum in Szczecinek reaches out to audiences gathering and presenting valuable collections of important and appreciated artists and other influential figures, among others: artist Wiesław Adamski "In Memoriam[15].,", and astronomer Adam Giedrys "Mr. Adam. Szczecinek Tailor-Astronomer,.[16]" Over the years the museum displayed the art work of other artists: "Stanisław Graczyk, Great Poles"[17]., "Szczecinek in Photography of Zbigniew Gabalis"[18]., "Andrzej Foryś"[19].,Maciej Gaca "Unimportant Drawings of a frivolous Guy"[20]., and many more.
The Regional Museum in Szczecinek currently holds six permanent exhibitions:[21]
