Emeryk Hutten-Czapski Museum
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The Emeryk Hutten-Czapski Museum (), also known as the Czapski Museum () is a branch of the
National Museum of Kraków National may refer to: Common uses * Nation or country ** Nationality – a ''national'' is a person who is subject to a nation, regardless of whether the person has full rights as a citizen Places in the United States * National, Maryland, ce ...
, 12 Pilsudski Street,
Kraków , officially the Royal Capital City of Kraków, is the List of cities and towns in Poland, second-largest and one of the oldest cities in Poland. Situated on the Vistula River in Lesser Poland Voivodeship, the city has a population of 804,237 ...
. Count
Emeryk Hutten-Czapski Emeryk Hutten-Czapski (), Leliwa coat of arms (17 October 1828 – 23 July 1896) was a Polish Count, scholar, ardent historical collector and numismatist. Hutten-Czapski was born Emeryk Zachariasz Mikołaj Hutten-Czapski in the town of Stańkava ...
(born 17 October 1828 in Stankow near
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, died 23 July 1896 in
Kraków , officially the Royal Capital City of Kraków, is the List of cities and towns in Poland, second-largest and one of the oldest cities in Poland. Situated on the Vistula River in Lesser Poland Voivodeship, the city has a population of 804,237 ...
) was a Vice-Governor of
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and an important collector of books, prints, and
numismatics Numismatics is the study or collection of currency, including coins, tokens, paper money, medals, and related objects. Specialists, known as numismatists, are often characterized as students or collectors of coins, but the discipline also inclu ...
. He built his collection at his family estate in Stankow, today in
Belarus Belarus, officially the Republic of Belarus, is a landlocked country in Eastern Europe. It is bordered by Russia to the east and northeast, Ukraine to the south, Poland to the west, and Lithuania and Latvia to the northwest. Belarus spans an a ...
. Fearing for the safety of the collection, being close to
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, he moved the collection to Cracow. In 1894, he purchased a 19th-century palace, on what is today 12 Pilsudski Street, and built an addition to house his collection. He personally catalogued the collection. He died in 1896, before the addition was finished. His wife, Baroness Elzbieta Meyendorff, completed the construction of the addition, and in 1904, as per her husband's request, donated the collection to the city of Cracow. The museum displays the Czapski crest on the outside, along with the inscription on the pediment: "Monumentis Patriae Naufragio Ereptis" (Patriotic Monuments Saved from the Destruction of the Storm). The collection originally contained more than 11,000 coins, medals, orders, prints and books. Upon the death of Bogdan Hutten-Czapski, a nephew of Emeryks, his large collection of books and prints was added to the museum library. The museum continually received generous donations from other coin collectors. Important donations came from Wiktor Wittyg, Zygmunt Zakrzewski, Franciszek Piekosinski, Karol Halama, Piotr Uminski and
Konstanty Schmidt-Ciążyński Konstanty Aleksander Wiktor Schmidt-Ciążyński (born February 18, 1818,In the sources listed in the bibliography of the article, there are discrepancies regarding the year of birth. Jan Grzegorzewski provides the year 1818 (without specifying t ...
, among others. At the outbreak of
World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...
, in 1914, the collection was stored in barrels. The museum was reopened in 1917 and once again at the outset of
World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
, in 1939, was closed and the collection was again safeguarded. Since 1939 the museum remained closed to the public. With funding from the
European Regional Development Fund The European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) is one of the European Structural and Investment Funds allocated by the European Union. Its purpose is to transfer money from richer regions (not countries), and invest it in the infrastructure and se ...
of the
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the project of the European Centre of Numismatics in Cracow could be completed, and the restored museum and gardens were opened once again to the public in 2013. The museum has been renovated to a world class museum with touch screens throughout, explaining the different exhibits in Polish and English. In April 2016, on the gardens of the museum, a pavilion was erected to commemorate Emeryk's grandson,
Józef Czapski Józef Czapski (3 April 1896 – 12 January 1993) was a Polish artist, author, and critic, as well as an officer of the Polish Army. As a painter, he is notable for his membership in the '' Kapist'' movement, which was heavily influenced by Céza ...
. Jozef was an eminent Polish intellectual, writer, painter and critic. The modern pavilion displays Czapski's diaries, paintings, and contains various multimedia presentations. The layout of the Pavilion's permanent exhibition was designed by
Krystyna Zachwatowicz Krystyna Zachwatowicz-Wajda (born ''Krystyna Zachwatowicz''; 16 May 1930) is a Polish scenographer, costume designer and actress. She is a daughter of architect and restorer Jan Zachwatowicz and Maria Chodźko ''h.'' Kościesza, and wife of fil ...
and her husband, the film director
Andrzej Wajda Andrzej Witold Wajda (; 6 March 1926 – 9 October 2016) was a Polish film and theatre director. Recipient of an Honorary Oscar, the Palme d'Or, as well as Honorary Golden Lion and Honorary Golden Bear Awards, he was a prominent member of the "P ...
.


References


Bibliography

* Dedicated to the Relics of My Country Saved from the World's Storms; The Emeryk Hutten-Czapski Museum, By Kocojowa, Maria, Published by Wydawnictwo Literackie Krakow, 1978. English edition translated by Zofya Mohl and Therese Dayton. * A Family of Central Europe: Through the Storm, by
Maria Czapska Maria Dorota Leopoldyna Czapska (6 February 1894 – 11 June 1981) was a Polish writer, essayist and historian. She was born in Prague to Count Jerzy Hutten-Czapski (1861–1930), and Jozefina Thun-Hohenstein (1867–1903), and grew up in Przyłu ...
; ranslated from the French by Alasdair Lean Published by Kraków; Buenos Aires : Wyd. Znak and Czapski Editors, 2014.


External links

* * 1904 establishments in Austria-Hungary Museums established in 1904 Museums in Kraków Hutten-Czapski, Emeryk Literary museums in Poland Numismatic museums in Poland {{Poland-museum-stub