Museums of West Pomerania after World War II

In the spring of 1945, West Pomerania found itself in a state of deep social and material crisis. The fighting at the end of the war had led to the destruction of many towns, and a significant portion of the former public institutions ceased to function. The first museum activities focused on securing the abandoned heritage objects and organizing makeshift repositories. Some of the former museums were taken over along with fragments of their collections, while others were created from scratch. In many cases, museum documentation, inventories, and collection catalogs were lost, which further complicated subsequent attempts to locate them. Of particular importance was finding items left behind in abandoned palaces, churches, and former administrative buildings. Some of these heritage objects found their way into newly organized regional museums, while others were transferred to larger institutions in Warsaw, Poznań, or Kraków. This process was often chaotic and took place under conditions characterized by a lack of qualified personnel and an uncertain political situation.

A significant change occurred in 1950, when the state initiated the process of centralizing cultural institutions. Museums gradually came under state management, and their activities were subordinated to the cultural policy of the communist authorities. The role of social and local government initiatives was restricted, while administrative control over museology was strengthened. The most important legal act of this period was the Act of February 15, 1622, on the Protection of Cultural Property and on Museums, which for the first time comprehensively regulated the functioning of museums in People’s Poland. It defined a museum as an institution serving the protection of cultural property, scientific research, and educational activities, while simultaneously permitting the creation of museums by social organizations and non-state institutions, which enabled the development of regional museums and rooms of remembrance in the 1960s and 1970s.

Building the Network of Regional Museums

The most important role in organizing post-war museology in West Pomerania was played by Szczecin. It was here, as early as the summer of 1945, that the creation of the region’s first Polish museum institution began. The former Pommersches Museum was housed in a building designed by the German architect Wilhelm Meyer-Schwartau, the creator of the entire complex of the Hakenterrasse observation terraces, renamed Wały Chrobrego after the war. The building survived the war in a relatively good condition, and on August 1, 1945, the Polish Municipal Museum in Szczecin commenced its operations there. The organization of the institution took place under very difficult conditions. The city was devastated, there was a shortage of qualified personnel, and a significant portion of the former collections had been previously evacuated deeper into Germany or scattered during the war. The first efforts of the museum curators focused on securing the surviving heritage objects left behind in abandoned public buildings, churches, and warehouses. Among those participating in these efforts were Lech Krzekotowski and Kazimierz Haska, who were pioneers of Polish museology in West Pomerania. It was they who participated in securing the first collections and organizing the foundations of museum activity in post-war Szczecin.

From the very beginning, the emerging Municipal Museum was intended to perform a function far broader than merely serving as a storage facility for heritage objects. Exhibitions and the first museum publications emphasized Pomerania’s historical ties to the Piast state. A special role was attributed to the House of Griffins, who were presented as Slavic dukes historically linked to Poland, and were sometimes even referred to as the ‘Piasts of the North.’ In the former German exhibition halls, new displays began to be organized to present Polish museum collections, creating a narrative of ‘Polish Pomerania’ through the use of archaeological artifacts, memorabilia related to the Griffins, the history of Szczecin, and the battles for the city in 1945. The institution quickly began to oversee the developing local museums of West Pomerania and participated in securing heritage objects throughout the entire voivodeship. Archaeological, historical, and art collections were gradually expanded. An important role in the development of the institution was played by its subsequent long-time director, Władysław Filipowiak, an archaeologist specializing in research on the origins of Slavic settlement in West Pomerania. Thanks to his research and organizational activities, the museum strengthened its position as the most prominent center for research into the region’s history and the core institution for the care of heritage objects in West Pomerania. In 1947, the institution was renamed the Museum of West Pomerania, and in 1970, it was elevated to the rank of a National Museum.

A separate museum institution in Szczecin was the Maritime Museum, established in 1945 on the initiative of the Baltic Institute, which was subordinate to the Ministry of Shipping. Its seat was a building on Wały Chrobrego, which survived the war almost undamaged. The foundation of the collection was a donation consisting of the surviving exhibits of the pre-war private Maritime Museum in Warsaw, which had been created before the war by Count Stanisław Ledóchowski, a collector and promoter of Polish maritime culture. The collection was supplemented through cooperation with the Maritime Office, which managed property salvaged from destroyed shipyards, the port, and recovered shipwrecks. In subsequent years, an important role in the development of Szczecin’s marine collections was also played by Wiktor Fenrych, who was associated with the local maritime department. In 1950, the Maritime Museum was incorporated into the structures of the Museum of West Pomerania as its branch.

The Pomeranian Dukes’ Castle also became an important element of Szczecin’s museology. Severely damaged during Allied air raids in 1944, it was already covered by securing works in 1946. During these works, a crypt with the sarcophagi of the Pomeranian dukes was discovered. In the 1950s, preparations began for the reconstruction of the castle according to a project led by the architect and heritage conservator Stanisław Latour. The reconstruction of the castle was modeled, among other things, on a 17th-century engraving by Matthäus Merian depicting the residence of the Griffins. The reconstruction was carried out in stages, and the first restored rooms were opened to the public as early as 1959. A significant role in the works was played by the Szczecin Workshops for the Conservation of Historical Monuments, which were responsible for the reconstruction and conservation of historical architectural details. Between 1948 and 1980, a general reconstruction of the castle was carried out, and in 1980, the Castle Museum was opened within it, becoming one of the more important museum institutions in the region.

Among the earliest institutions opened outside Szczecin was the museum in Koszalin, launched in 1947 in the building of the former Heimatmuseum. The institution gathered archaeological, ethnographic, and historical collections related to Middle Pomerania. An important role in securing the surviving museum pieces was played by the museum’s first Polish curator, Jakub Rokicki, who, after the end of the war, organized the transfer and protection of the preserved collections. In 1665, the museum was transformed into the Archaeological Branch of the Museum of Middle Pomerania in Słupsk. Four years later, the directorate of this institution was moved from Słupsk to Koszalin. In the 1970s and 1980s, the museum expanded its archaeological, historical, and ethnographic activities under the leadership of, among others, Franciszek Lachowicz and Tadeusz Gasztold. In 1972, the autonomous Koszalin Museum of Archaeology and History was established, and since 2000, the institution has operated under the name of the Museum in Koszalin.

In Słupsk, museum activity was also continued based on the collections of the former Heimatmuseum. In 1948, a Polish regional museum was opened in the New Gate (Nowa Brama) building, which gradually expanded its historical, archaeological, ethnographic, and art collections related to Middle Pomerania. In the second half of 1964, the art historian Janusz Przewoźny became the director of the developing Museum of Middle Pomerania; together with museum curators from Słupsk and Koszalin, he participated in organizing the museum in the reconstructed Pomeranian Dukes’ Castle, which opened to visitors in 1965. He co-authored the concept for the exhibition ‘History and Culture of Middle Pomerania’ and, along with his wife Maria, also prepared the concept for the Polish art gallery. Over time, the Pomeranian Dukes’ Castle—the former residence of the Griffins, erected at the beginning of the 16th century on the initiative of Bogislaw X on the banks of the Słupia River—became one of the main seats of the museum. The museum’s collections included, among other things, exhibits related to the history of the Pomeranian dynasty, the history of Słupsk, and the early art of Pomerania. The museum in Słupsk possesses the world’s largest collection of works by Stanisław Ignacy Witkiewicz ‘Witkacy,’ built up since 1665 through the purchase of works originating, among others, from the collections of individuals who were friends of or associated with the artist. Its creation was linked, among other things, to Janusz Przewoźny’s decision to purchase a collection of Witkacy’s works from Michał Białynicki-Birula of Lęborka.

The museum in Darłowo, which also operated before the war in the former residence of the Pomeranian dukes, resumed its activities in the very first months after the end of the war. Following the entry of Soviet troops into the town in March 1945, the museum was taken over by the Red Army. Efforts to secure the collections against plundering were undertaken by, among others, the first Polish mayor of Darłowo, Stanisław Dulewicz, and the former director of the museum, Karl Rosenow, who remained in the town and assisted in clearing the interiors and preparing the exhibitions. Despite their actions, some of the museum pieces were looted by Soviet soldiers. As early as July 1, 1945—precisely on the fifteenth anniversary of the museum’s initial opening—the Pomeranian Dukes’ Castle was reopened to the public. In September 1945, the management of the institution was assumed by Amelia Łączyńska, the first Polish female director of the museum. In the subsequent years, conservation works were carried out and exhibitions dedicated to the history of Pomerania, sacred art, and the House of Griffins were created.

In Stargard, the beginnings of the post-war museum were linked to the reconstruction of the destroyed town and the securing of surviving heritage objects. The reactivation of the institution took place in 1960, when Władysław Niemierowski assumed the directorship of the museum. The museum’s first seat was the medieval Pyrzyce Gate (Brama Pyrzycka), and most of the exhibits originated from the collections of the local Polish Tourism and Sightseeing Society (PTTK), the Museum of West Pomerania in Szczecin, and private donors. In subsequent years, the museum was relocated to restored buildings in the old town, where archaeological, historical, and collections related to the former burgher culture of Pomerania were developed.

Military Museums and the Memory of 1945

In the 1950s and 1960s, the region’s museum network gradually began to expand. Alongside classic regional museums, specialized institutions emerged: archaeological, natural history, and military museums. The latter developed with particular dynamism, fitting into the post-war narrative of the Polish Army’s ‘victory route’ in West Pomerania.

In 1961, the Museum of the 1st Polish Army was opened near the cemetery in Siekierki, gathering memorabilia related to the battles along the Oder. Two years later, the Museum of Polish Arms was established in Kołobrzeg, presenting military collections spanning from the Middle Ages to contemporary times. In 1965, on the twentieth anniversary of the crossing of the Oder, the Museum of Engineering Troops was opened in Gozdowice, housed in a building that had served as the headquarters of the sapper command of the 1st Polish Army in 1945. This institution was brought to life by the veterans themselves, and its opening gathered approximately 1,500 guests from all over Poland. In 1966, a regional museum was opened in Cedynia, the establishment of which was directly linked to the celebrations of the millennium of the Polish state. All of these institutions commemorated the sites of the battles for Pomerania, the breaking of the Pomeranian Wall, and the crossing of the Oder, fitting into a broader project of constructing a post-war memory regarding the ‘return’ of Pomerania to Poland.

The fates of these museums clearly demonstrate the difficult conditions under which the post-war museology of West Pomerania developed. Most of the institutions were established based on the surviving fragments of former collections and buildings left behind by German museums and offices. At the same time, the new Polish institutions gradually built up their own collections, exhibitions, and a new narrative regarding the history of the region after 1945.

Museums and the Creation of ‘Polish Pomerania’

The post-war museums of West Pomerania served a function far broader than merely protecting heritage objects and organizing exhibitions. In the reality of the first decades of People’s Poland, they became one of the tools for constructing a new historical narrative about the region. For the state authorities, it was particularly vital to convince the new inhabitants that West Pomerania was neither a foreign land nor temporarily occupied, but a historical part of the Polish state ‘recovered’ after centuries of German rule.

To this end, the Slavic origins of Pomerania and the region’s ties to the Piast dynasty were particularly heavily emphasized. A major role in this narrative was also played by the Griffins, the Pomeranian dukes who ruled the region from the 12th to the 17th century. In post-war publications, guidebooks, and museum displays, they were frequently presented as natural allies of Polishness and continuators of Pomerania’s Slavic tradition. In practice, this led to a simplification of the region’s multicultural history and the marginalization of its German heritage. A special role was played by the language of the museum narratives. Descriptions of exhibitions and accompanying publications regularly featured phrases such as the ‘return of Pomerania to the Motherland,’ ‘eternally Slavic lands,’ or the ‘Piast roots of the region.’ Concurrently, the German history of Pomerania was marginalized or reduced to an image of a period of foreign rule. Through this, museums participated in the process of symbolically domesticating the region for the new inhabitants arriving after the war from various parts of Poland. A similar message was also present in tourist guidebooks, regional publications, and celebrations of historical anniversaries. Museums, therefore, did not operate in isolation, but constituted part of a broader system of narratives present in culture and the public sphere.

Military museums and sites commemorating the battles of 1945 also became an important element of this memory policy. Exhibitions dedicated to the crossing of the Oder, the capture of Kołobrzeg, or the battles for the Pomeranian Wall emphasized the role of the Polish Army and the Red Army in the ‘return’ of Pomerania to Poland. These narratives reinforced the image of the region as a space liberated and reintegrated into the Polish state through the efforts of soldiers and pioneering settlers.

As a result, the museums of West Pomerania became a tool in the process of constructing a new regional memory. They not only documented the region’s history but also influenced the way it was interpreted. It was precisely in the museums, through their exhibitions and accompanying publications, that the new inhabitants of Pomerania learned to understand the space in which they came to live after 1945.

A New Perspective on the History of Pomerania after 1989

The political changes after 1989 also influenced the museology of West Pomerania. In the subsequent years, many institutions began modernizing their exhibitions and expanding the scope of the presented history of the region. Increasingly, attention began to be paid not only to post-war history and Piast themes, but also to the German past of Pomerania and the multicultural character of the region.

In the 1990s and the early 21st century, new museums and memorial chambers were established, documenting the history of small towns and local communities. The Museum of Sea Fishery was opened in Niechorze, the Center for Documentation of the History of the Goleniów Land was established in Goleniów, and the Museum of the Gryfino Land in Gryfino. Many of them were created thanks to the commitment of local history enthusiasts, regionalists, and community associations. The museum exhibitions themselves were also changing. Alongside traditional archaeological and historical displays, exhibitions dedicated to the daily life of former Pomeranian inhabitants, the history of fishery, railways, crafts, or post-war settlement appeared increasingly often. Museums began organizing museum lessons, historical reenactments, and events popularizing the history of the region.

Contemporary museums of West Pomerania continue to serve as important institutions of culture and regional memory. Alongside protecting heritage objects, they engage in popularizing history, organizing educational events, and documenting the social transformations of the region. Consequently, they remain one of the most prominent venues for narrating the history of Pomerania and its inhabitants.

Download

Ignacy Skrzypek, Dzieje muzeów regionalnych na Pomorzu Zachodnim do 1945 roku, Poznań 2024

Paweł Migdalski, Jak Pommern stawało się Pomorzem. O oswajaniu historii Pomorza po 1945 roku, [w:] Kultura – Tożsamość – Rozwój. 75-lecie polskiego Pomorza Zachodniego, red. Marek Tałasiewicz, Kazimierz Kozłowski, Szczecin: Książnica Pomorska 2020, s. 97-106

Radosław Skrycki, Barlinek i Stare Łysogórki – dwa modele powstawania polskich muzeów regionalnych na Pomorzu Zachodnim, [w:] Muzealnictwo i historiografia w Gdańsku i na Pomorzu po roku 1945, red. Ewa Barylewska-Szymańska, Sylwia Bykowska, Gdańsk: Muzeum Gdańska i Instytut Historii PAN 2024.

Kamila Sarosińska, Tworzenie powojennych instytucji muzealnych na tzw. ziemiach odzyskanych i ziemiach rodzimych na przykładzie Muzeum Narodowego w Szczecinie oraz Muzeum Narodowego Ziemi Przemyskiej w Przemyślu, niepublikowana praca licencjacka, Uniwersytet Szczeciński, Szczecin 2013

Kamila Krężel