Collection of photographs and postcards of the Polish Museum in Rapperswil - part 1

Polish Museum in Rapperswil is the second oldest, after the Polish Library in Paris, Polish emigration institution in Europe. Established in 1870 at the initiative of count Władysław Broel-Plater and the fighters of the January Uprising, who had the possibility to promote the Polish spirit on the Swiss land, experienced turbulent fate for 150 years of its functioning. The collections of the first Polish National Museum, transported to Poland in 1927, were burnt during the Second World War. In the years 1936-1948, the Museum of Modern Poland was in operation at the Rapperswil Castle, promoting Polish culture and economic development of the country. The attempts of communist authorities to transform the Museum into a propaganda centre led to its closing and termination of lease agreement by the Rapperswil commune (1948). From the foundation of the Association of Friends of the Polish Museum in Rapperswil (1954), thanks to the efforts and activities of the Poles living in Switzerland, the Museum is open again, conducting cultural and promotional activity. From the 1950s, a lot of precious monuments of Polish painting, sculpture, artistic craftsmanship, old prints and graphics were successfully collected. For this purpose, an appropriate step to show the value of the collection gathered consisted in creating the online exhibition, presenting photographs and postcards from the years 1868-1948 coming from the Archives of the Polish Museum. The exhibition, thanks to extensive illustrative material and substantial descriptions, presents in a synthetic way 150 years of history of the Polish Museum together with its contribution into promoting national heritage abroad and the role played by it on the map of Switzerland, Poland and the entire Europe. The oldest photograph presented at the exhibition dates back to the year 1868 and presents the oldest Polonia monument – the Bar Column. The column, similarly to the interiors of the Polish National Museum, has become the leitmotif for postcards, thus promoting Rapperswil as a town which is worth visiting. The prepared exhibition consists of 200 photographs and postcards presented in chronological order. It has been divided into several thematic sections, with each of them preceded by an introductory description. Digitalization of postcards and old photographs, together with the current online exhibition, were financed from the funds of the Senate of the Republic of Poland within the framework of the programme strengthening the position of Polish and Polonia communities in the countries of their residence.

The Museum was founded in 1870 by a Polish emigrant Count Władysław Broël-Plater with a significant help of the Swiss supporters, gathered around the famous writer Gottfried Keller. Not only were they aiding the January insurgents, but they also supported the emigrants´ efforts to create a Polish center of culture and history. After the fall of the national uprisings the matter of preserving the Polish cultural identity became the absolute objective for the emigrants. The museum created in Rapperswil grew up to a rank of the Polish National Museum and its collection, established thanks to donations from all over the world, amplified as well. Rapperswil became a center for the Polish diaspora, bringing together the cultural testimonies and coordinating the political actions leading to regaining the independence.