DOI Page / Citation link:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.33086#0426
WROCLAW
The Section of History of Material Cul-
ture was established in 1966 as a separate section within
the existing general Historical Section. It contains and con-
tinues to collect both working implements and the finished
products of various trades in the past periods. The more
valuabie possessions of this Section include, besides col-
lections of products of the locksmith's and coppersmith's
trade, diptychs with lettering patterns from the 16th century.
This Section also conducts research on the evolution of the
glass industry in Silesia, based on excavations carried out
on the sites of 14th-century glassworks.
The Numismatic and Sphragistic Cabinet
contains mainly Silesian collections, but other Polish and
European specimens as well. The unique collections include
one of Silesian mint presses from the 15th to the 17th
centuries, a large group of seal presses, a coliection of va-
luable Silesian medals from the 15th and 17th centuries, as
well as an auxiliary collection, not included in the inventory,
of about 20,000 seal castings of great documentary impor-
tance.
The Cabinet of Documents of Polish Cul-
ture in Silesia in the 19th and 20th centuries was estab-
lished in 1968, in connection with the research conducted
for a number of years on material pertaining to Polish life
in Silesia prior to 1945. The collection contains material
concerning the history of Polish vocational, cultural, edu-
cational and economic organizations, the Polish school net-
work, etc. Especially valuable is the documentation of
archival material and personal mementoes preserved in
Poland and pertaining to Polish life in Wroclaw.
The Section for Documentation and Con-
servation of Movable Art Objects in the
Voivodship of Wroclaw was established by the Minister of
Culture and Art in 1963. It took over a number of functions
of the Voivodship Art Curator. Besides carrying out the in-
ventory of items in the fields of mural and easel painting,
sculpture and artistic handicraft, totalling about 50,000
objects, the Section also occupies itself with the expert con-
servation of these objects. This constitutes a breakthrough
in the traditional forms of museum activity: the museum
does not limit its interests to its own collections but, through
its experts, covers the whole region.
The Conservation Workshop is engaged prin-
cipally in the conservation and protection of works of me-
diaeval and modern painting and sculpture, both those kept
in the Museum and — as the Museum's exhibition needs
may require — works of art from the area of the voivodship.
Papers dealing with various technical problems are pu-
blished in specialist journals. In addition to conservation of
paintings and sculptures, they also carry on the conservation
of furniture, textiles and metal objects.
The Museum Library — opened to the public in
1947 as one of the first in Wroclaw, gathers works on the
history of art and related fields, especially dealing with
museum and exhibition problems, protection of monuments
and conservation. The Library carries on the exchange of
303
The Section of History of Material Cul-
ture was established in 1966 as a separate section within
the existing general Historical Section. It contains and con-
tinues to collect both working implements and the finished
products of various trades in the past periods. The more
valuabie possessions of this Section include, besides col-
lections of products of the locksmith's and coppersmith's
trade, diptychs with lettering patterns from the 16th century.
This Section also conducts research on the evolution of the
glass industry in Silesia, based on excavations carried out
on the sites of 14th-century glassworks.
The Numismatic and Sphragistic Cabinet
contains mainly Silesian collections, but other Polish and
European specimens as well. The unique collections include
one of Silesian mint presses from the 15th to the 17th
centuries, a large group of seal presses, a coliection of va-
luable Silesian medals from the 15th and 17th centuries, as
well as an auxiliary collection, not included in the inventory,
of about 20,000 seal castings of great documentary impor-
tance.
The Cabinet of Documents of Polish Cul-
ture in Silesia in the 19th and 20th centuries was estab-
lished in 1968, in connection with the research conducted
for a number of years on material pertaining to Polish life
in Silesia prior to 1945. The collection contains material
concerning the history of Polish vocational, cultural, edu-
cational and economic organizations, the Polish school net-
work, etc. Especially valuable is the documentation of
archival material and personal mementoes preserved in
Poland and pertaining to Polish life in Wroclaw.
The Section for Documentation and Con-
servation of Movable Art Objects in the
Voivodship of Wroclaw was established by the Minister of
Culture and Art in 1963. It took over a number of functions
of the Voivodship Art Curator. Besides carrying out the in-
ventory of items in the fields of mural and easel painting,
sculpture and artistic handicraft, totalling about 50,000
objects, the Section also occupies itself with the expert con-
servation of these objects. This constitutes a breakthrough
in the traditional forms of museum activity: the museum
does not limit its interests to its own collections but, through
its experts, covers the whole region.
The Conservation Workshop is engaged prin-
cipally in the conservation and protection of works of me-
diaeval and modern painting and sculpture, both those kept
in the Museum and — as the Museum's exhibition needs
may require — works of art from the area of the voivodship.
Papers dealing with various technical problems are pu-
blished in specialist journals. In addition to conservation of
paintings and sculptures, they also carry on the conservation
of furniture, textiles and metal objects.
The Museum Library — opened to the public in
1947 as one of the first in Wroclaw, gathers works on the
history of art and related fields, especially dealing with
museum and exhibition problems, protection of monuments
and conservation. The Library carries on the exchange of
303