Wystawa stała Muzeum Historycznego Miasta Krakowa

Abstract

PERMANENT EXHIBITION AT KRZYSZTOFORY PALACE – THE SEAT OF THE HISTORICAL MUSEUM OF THE CITY OF KRAKÓW

The new permanent exhibition which is currently under  construction at the headquarters of the Historical Museum  of the City of Kraków, i.e. at Krzysztofory Palace is being  created over sixty years after the Museum’s first permanent  exhibition titled Kraków’s History and Culture through the  Ages was launched in 1952. The entire exhibition space then  was 324 sq m.  The following thematic scheme was used to accommodate  that show in the Palace’s exhibition rooms: Kraków’s  Prehistory; the Pre-Charter Era and the Great Charter of  1257; Municipal Government; Population of Kraków in the  Past; Social Differences and Antagonisms; Trade; Kraków  Guilds; the City’s Defences; Kraków Marksmen’s Confraternity  – the Fowler Brotherhood; Material and Spiritual  Culture; Local Customs and Rites; National Uprisings;  Kraków in the Era of Galician Autonomy; Academic Research,  Art and Culture; the Development of the Labour  Movement; Lenin in Kraków; World War I; the Sanation  Rule; Revolutionary Movements; the German Occupation;  Liberation of Kraków by the Red Army; the Six-Year Plan;  the Construction of Nowa Huta.  The second permanent exhibition at Krzysztofory Palace  opened in 1979. Its visual setting was supposed to subtly  highlight the interiors’ palace character, and exhibition  space expanded to 896 sq m. This time, the following topics  were covered: Legends and Traditions; Municipal Government;  Kraków Marksmen’s Confraternity – the Fowler  Brotherhood; the City’s Defences; the Guild Inn; Goldsmithery;  Trade; National Uprisings; the Labour Movement;  Kraków during World War I and Its Liberation in  1918; Kraków during World War II; the Palace Chapel; the  Duchy of Warsaw Salon, the Biedermeier Salon, the Burgher  Dining Room.  The exhibition remained in that form until 1997, which  is when it was thoroughly reorganized and upgraded. The  new exhibition space, however, was smaller than the one  opened in 1979, amounting to 710 sq m. It comprised  the following sections: Baldassare Fontana’s Room; the socalled  Royal Chamber; the Municipal Authorities’ Room;  the Guild Inn; Handicraft; Trade; National Uprisings; the  Palace Chapel; Kraków in the Era of Autonomy; World  War I – the Polish Legions – Liberation of Kraków in 1918;  Kraków in the Times of the Second Polish Republic; Views  of Kraków.  Currently (2012) that exhibition no longer exists. The  complete refurbishment of Krzysztofory Palace compelled  its closing down – a process that was implemented by the  gradual liquidation of exhibition rooms which were being  prepared for renovation works, or temporarily adapted to  the needs of the museum staff.  From 2007 onward, a team of museum staff members  have been working on the scenario for the new permanent  exhibition which will be located on three levels: the basement  of Krzysztofory Palace, its ground floor, and its first  floor, which adds up to almost 2,000 sq m of exhibition  space. In addition, staircases, mezzanines, and a number  of other rooms which are not directly included in the permanent  exhibition project provide what the team refer to  as “neutral space” that can be used for the presentation of  minor topics.