Collection of photographs and postcards of the Polish Museum in Rapperswil - part 6

History of the Polish Museum in Rapperswil 1868-1948

By The Polish Museum in Rapperswil

The Polish Museum in Rapperswil

The second Polish Museum in Rapperswil (1936-1948) (1943)The Polish Museum in Rapperswil

The Museum of Contemporary Poland (1936-1948)

In spite of the fact that the Rapperswil Castle emptied in 1927, the lease agreement concluded by Władysław Plater was still valid. That allowed the Polish circles to keep organizing exhibitions there.

1936 the second public display of the Polish Museum opened with Halina Kenar-Jastrzębowska as director.

Postcard "Ausstellung - Polnische Kunst" (1936) by A. WajwódThe Polish Museum in Rapperswil

In 1936, on the initiative of artists from the "Blok" group, a large display of Polish contemporary art, under the title "Polnische Kunst", was held in the castle.

As much as up to three floors of the Rapperswil Castle, on the initiative of an artistic group "Blok", was arranged in 1936 as an enormous exposition of contemporary Polish art known as "Polish Art" which was unusually warmly received by the public and well received by the critics.

Postcard "Ausstellung - Polen der gegenwart, T. Piotrowski, 1937, From the collection of: The Polish Museum in Rapperswil
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Postcard "Exhibition - modern Poland", From the collection of: The Polish Museum in Rapperswil
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Postcard "1937 Exhibition Catalogue”, 1937, From the collection of: The Polish Museum in Rapperswil
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The second Polish Museum in Rapperswil (1936-1948) (1943)The Polish Museum in Rapperswil

It was that exhibit that initiated the creation of the so-called second museum which, from that moment, carried the name of the Museum of Contemporary Poland.

The Second Polish Museum in Rapperswil was established the next year under the auspices of the Foreign Ministry and the Ministry of Communication.

The second Polish Museum in Rapperswil (1936-1948), 1943, From the collection of: The Polish Museum in Rapperswil
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The second Polish Museum in Rapperswil (1936-1948), 1943, From the collection of: The Polish Museum in Rapperswil
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The second Polish Museum in Rapperswil (1936-1948), 1943, From the collection of: The Polish Museum in Rapperswil
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The second Polish Museum in Rapperswil (1936-1948), 1943, From the collection of: The Polish Museum in Rapperswil
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The second Polish Museum in Rapperswil (1936-1948) (1943)The Polish Museum in Rapperswil

The second Polish Museum in Rapperswil (1936-1948) (1943)The Polish Museum in Rapperswil

The second Polish Museum in Rapperswil (1936-1948), 1943, From the collection of: The Polish Museum in Rapperswil
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Gravestone od Władysław Plater, his wife Karoline Bauer and Henryk Bukowski in the courtyard of the Rapperswil Castle.

The second Polish Museum in Rapperswil (1936-1948), 1943, From the collection of: The Polish Museum in Rapperswil
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Entrance to the Museum of Contemporary Poland.

The second Polish Museum in Rapperswil (1936-1948) (1943)The Polish Museum in Rapperswil

Its role was to present the cultural and economic achievements of the Second Republic of Poland.

The second Polish Museum in Rapperswil (1936-1948) (1943)The Polish Museum in Rapperswil

The second Polish Museum in Rapperswil (1936-1948) (1943)The Polish Museum in Rapperswil

The second Polish Museum in Rapperswil (1936-1948) (1943)The Polish Museum in Rapperswil

During the World War II, the Museum took over the cultural guardianship of 13 000 Polish soldiers interned to Switzerland, after assaults in France. It also maintained the "Wola" camp in Feldbach which operated as a refuge for Polish women fleeing from places of forced labour.

The second Polish Museum in Rapperswil (1936-1948) (1943)The Polish Museum in Rapperswil

The second Polish Museum in Rapperswil (1936-1948) (1943)The Polish Museum in Rapperswil

The second Polish Museum in Rapperswil (1936-1948) (1943)The Polish Museum in Rapperswil

The second Polish Museum in Rapperswil (1936-1948) (1943)The Polish Museum in Rapperswil

The second Polish Museum in Rapperswil (1936-1948) (1943)The Polish Museum in Rapperswil

The second Polish Museum in Rapperswil (1936-1948) (1943)The Polish Museum in Rapperswil

Halina Jastrzębowska-Kenar (pictured standing on the right) became the curator of the Museum of Contemporary Poland.

The second Polish Museum in Rapperswil (1936-1948), 1943, From the collection of: The Polish Museum in Rapperswil
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The second Polish Museum in Rapperswil (1936-1948), 1943, From the collection of: The Polish Museum in Rapperswil
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The second Polish Museum in Rapperswil (1936-1948) (1943)The Polish Museum in Rapperswil

Many the ex-soldiers stayed in Switzerland after the end of the war, working as engineers, scientists and artists. It was them, who contributed the most to the foundation of the present Museum.

The second Polish Museum in Rapperswil (1936-1948) (1943)The Polish Museum in Rapperswil

Knight's Room (a view before 1939)

The second Polish Museum in Rapperswil (1936-1948) (1943)The Polish Museum in Rapperswil

The second Polish Museum in Rapperswil (1936-1948), 1943, From the collection of: The Polish Museum in Rapperswil
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The second Polish Museum in Rapperswil (1936-1948), 1943, From the collection of: The Polish Museum in Rapperswil
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Credits: Story

Curator of the exhibition:

Radosław Pawłowski

Text correction:

Anna Buchmann
Anna Tomczak

Digitalization of postcards and photographs:

Radosław Pawłowski
Ewa Wąsik

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.

Developments of texts:

A. Badach, A. Piotrowska, "Muzeum Polskie w Rapperswilu", Warszawa-Rapperswil 2008,
H. Zielińska, "Die Polnische Freiheitssäule in Rapperswil, Rapperswil 1979,

Copyright: Archiwum Muzeum Polskiego w Rapperswilu.

www.polenmuseum.ch

Translation: Translation agency JUNIQUE

Credits: All media
The story featured may in some cases have been created by an independent third party and may not always represent the views of the institutions, listed below, who have supplied the content.
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