In a small Dresden house-museum of the famous Polish writer, artist, historian and composer Jozef Ignacy Kraszewski (1812 - 1887), located in Dresden at st. Nordstrasse, 27 (now No. 28), trainees from Belarus got acquainted not only with an important part of the biography of an outstanding person, but also with the concept of this memorial museum, as well as the management system of municipal museums in Dresden.
The Kraszewski Museum, which is part of the municipal association of museums in the city of Dresden, was founded in 1960 in the house where the writer lived during his 20-year exile. He settled here in 1863, choosing Dresden as the place of his forced emigration after renouncing Russian citizenship in 1862 and being exiled from the Russian Empire in 1963 for his sharp criticism of government policies. In Dresden, which at that time was one of the centers of Polish emigration, Kraszewski published the Polish-language weekly "Tydzień" (published in 1870 - 1871), worked on scientific works and created many works - literary, musical, artistic.
The meeting and training at the Kraszewski Museum as part of the German program of the Regional Museum Academy-2019 was interesting for a group from Belarus in many areas. A feature of the Kraszewski Museum is its duality. The long-standing political and cultural ties between Poland and Saxony have been a constant subject of research by Ignacy Kraszewski. The tour and conversation with the head of the museum, Ms. Erika Eshebach, and the representative of the municipal administration of museums, Ms. Magach, touched upon those moments of Polish history that, through the prism of Kraszewski's biography, also touched the history of Belarus (in particular, the fact that Jozef Ignacy's family nest was his father's estate Dolgoe near Pruzhany, on the territory of modern Belarus, it was there that his passion for literature began).
The activities of most interns are associated with small museums, so exposition techniques that make it possible to reflect large-scale phenomena in the limited space of a house-museum have become the subject of special attention. During the visit, the interns completed independent tasks on exposure analysis. Also an important cross-cutting theme was the integration and cooperation of different museums united by one theme or person.
The profiles of Józef Ignacy Kraszewski and Adam Mickiewicz facing each other on the commemorative medals are located next to each other in the exposition. Among the many figures of Polish culture popularized by Kraszewski, Mickiewicz was the first and most revered.
Erika Eshebach, head of the museum, presents the main exhibition of the museum. Despite the limited space, it was possible, through a small number of exhibits, to give an idea of the enormous cultural heritage of Józef Ignacy Kraszewski. Most of it consists of texts - about 600 volumes of novels and stories, poetic and dramatic works, as well as works on history, ethnography, folklore, travel essays, journalistic and literary-critical articles. Therefore, the stands representing the heritage of Kraszewski have the bindings of open books as the prototype of the design solution.
At the lesson, much attention was paid to the issues of museumification of such personalities as Kraszewski and many others belonging to two or three cultures at once, connected with the history of the stasis of several countries. Often such figures cause disputes about priority cultural affiliation. How to avoid tendentiousness and simplification in working on a museum exposition in such cases, how to unite with other museums in countries related to this topic, how they complement each other in the professional field - this was discussed at a meeting with interns.
The representative of the municipal administration of museums, Ms. Magach (first from left) and the head of the Kraszewski Museum, Ms. Erica Eshebach (second from left), spoke about how the museum exists and works. Dr. Christina Janeke (right) moderated the interview.
The house-museum presents not only the author's books, but also household and interior items, recreating the atmosphere of Kraszewski's former office, where such famous historical novels as "Countess Kozel" and "Brühl" were written, dedicated to the reign of Augustus the Strong. A special exhibition tells about the history of Polish-Saxon relations.
The death mask of Adam Mickiewicz occupies an important place in the exposition, as well as the very personality of the great Polish poet - in the fate and work of Kraszewski. This connection does not stop at the present time: a new permanent exhibition on the life and work of Ignacy Kraszewski, which has been operating since the beginning of 2013 in three halls of the house-museum, is organized by the Adam Mickiewicz Museum in Warsaw as part of interaction and cooperation.
A massive desk in the former office of Jozef Ignacy Kraszewski, one of the most productive European authors, is the largest exhibit of the house-museum and at the same time a museum showcase, where the selection of objects reflects the broad scientific interests of the owner, who was a member of the Academy of Knowledge in Krakow (Polish scientific organization with the status scientific society) since its inception in 1872.
In addition to the desk, the exposition of the former office of Jozef Ignacy Kraszewski includes about 60 exhibits, including a collection of medals with images of prominent figures in the history and culture of Poland - a kind of personal pantheon of Kraszewski.
An example of independent tasks was the research trips of trainees with a camera around the museum exposition to study the topic “Communication between the museum and the visitor through the object” and subsequent work in groups.
