Vaults have long held a fascination, not only in churches but also in secular buildings. Spanning the space above our heads are these domes – slender structures just 20 cm thick which, despite their delicacy, have survived for hundreds of years. Each one is different, unique. Medieval ones tend to be geometric, monumental and austere, adorned with ribs arranged in a simple cross. Sometimes they are covered by a dense network of intertwining lines, and sometimes they shimmer with multiple planes – like crystal. The Baroque ones seem almost ethereal, set within undulating frames, with a captivating perspective that almost ‘lifts’ the viewer upwards. They invite one to ‘break away’ from the earth, to soar towards the figures of the saints and to engage in dialogue with them.
We invite you to look and let yourself be carried away….

Photographer: Dr Andrzej Legendziewicz, Prof. at Wroclaw University of Technology

The exhibition marks the start of the celebrations for the 100th anniversary of Poland regaining its independence, and also serves as the culmination of an archaeological project launched in June 2018 to explore the battlefield at Nowy Kramsk, where an episode of the Greater Poland Uprising took place – a significant stage in Poland’s journey to independence.

Coins, pottery shards, ornaments, toys and a bell – all these items will be on display at the ‘Heavenly Archaeology’ exhibition, which opens on Friday 23 November 2018 at the headquarters of the Archaeological Museum of the Middle Odra Region in Zielona Góra. The artefacts on display are the result of archaeological work carried out on the tower of the cathedral in Gorzów Wielkopolski. The research carried out by archaeologists from the Lubuskie Museum under the direction of Stanisław Sinkowski is pioneering on a national scale. This is due to the very nature of the archaeological work carried out on the vaulted ceilings of a medieval building. The exhibition will be open until 11 January 2019 at the Museum’s headquarters – the Kittlitz Palace at 27 Długa Street in Świdnica. The event is organised by: the Jan Dekert Lubuskie Museum in Gorzów Wielkopolski, the Archaeological Museum of the Middle Odra Region in Zielona Góra (based in Świdnica), the Gorzów Cathedral, and ENERIS surowce. The exhibition is held under the honorary patronage of His Excellency Bishop Tadeusz Lityński, the Mayor of Zielona Góra, Mr Janusz Kubicki, the Mayor of Gorzów Wielkopolski, Mr Jacek Wójcicki, the Chairman of the Gorzów Wielkopolski City Council, and the Lubusz Provincial Conservator of Monuments, Dr Barbara Bielinis-Kopeć.

We invite you to a banner exhibition featuring a wealth of illustrative material depicting the ancient and more recent history of Świdnica. At the same time, you will have the opportunity to view the most interesting artefacts discovered during recent excavations carried out in the park adjacent to the palace. The exhibition is co-funded from the Świdnica Municipality budget as part of the Świdnica Municipality’s cooperation programme with non-governmental organisations.

We invite you to visit the temporary exhibition conceived by Radosław Liwoch, entitled ‘Ukraine Centuries Ago’. The exhibition presents artefacts spanning six millennia – from the strikingly beautiful artefacts of the Trypillian culture, through jewellery and weapons from the Bronze Age, ancient pottery from Pantikapaion, objects once belonging to the Scythians, Sarmatians, the Goths and the Polovtsians, to the wealth of artefacts from Old Russian, late medieval and modern cultures.

Media partners: Gazeta Lubuska, Radio Zachód, TVP3.

Stone circles appeared in Pomerania around the second half of the 1st century AD, along with tribes originating from southern Scandinavia, the Goths, and later the Gepids. Towards the end of the 1st century BC and at the beginning of the 1st century AD, the Goths left the island of Scandia and – according to the Roman historian Jordanes – after crossing the Baltic Sea, landed in the region of Central Pomerania, establishing Gothiskandia. The most sources regarding their stay in Pomerania are provided by archaeological research into bi-ritual cemeteries, i.e. those where cremation and inhumation burials occur side by side. The exhibition on display mainly features artefacts associated with the Wielbark culture, identified with the Goths in Pomerania, from the collections of the Museum in Koszalin. These include brooches (fibulae) characteristic of Gothic attire, as well as buckles, belt ends and belt fittings. The exhibits also include, amongst other things, bracelets, pear-shaped and spherical pendants, and glass and amber beads. You can also admire everyday objects there: pins, spindle whorls, combs and pottery. Most of these come from cemeteries of the Wielbark culture, which is also found in the central Odra region. What is particularly interesting is that, despite being perceived as a bloodthirsty and barbaric people, they did not include any weapons in their burials, which was very typical of other archaeological cultures of the time. An important element of the exhibition are also reconstructions of features characteristic of Gothic cemeteries: a burial mound, a stone circle and a funeral pyre. This is complemented by rich, highly illustrative graphic material, compiled during research into such sites in Pomerania. The exhibition is rounded off by the story of the expedition, the battle, death and burial of the chieftain Filimer, son of Gadriag, a figure known from the work ‘Getica’.

The beautiful palace and park in Zatonie, which belonged to Princess Dorota de Talleyrand, are undergoing a costly restoration. On the initiative of the Nasze Zatonie Association, the Archaeological Museum of the Middle Odra Region in Zielona Góra, based in Świdnica, with the support of the Lubuskie Nadodrze Exploration Group, carried out exploratory archaeological research in the park and around the palace to obtain additional information about its history, inhabitants and functioning. The results of this work are presented in our exhibition. You are warmly invited!

Just as the variously shaped pieces of glass, grouped by colour, are merely elements of a stained-glass window, so the individual artefacts in the exhibition entitled ‘More Precious than Gold: Archaeological Treasures from the Central Odra Region’ are merely fragments of a jigsaw puzzle comprising the material remnants of people’s lives across different periods of our region’s history.
It is only by bringing these fragments together that a picture of human life and activity emerges – like a beautiful medieval rose window.
We warmly invite you to an exhibition showcasing newly acquired artefacts and items retrieved from our storerooms. The exhibition is open to visitors until 30 June 2020.

The exhibition illustrates an episode from the Lubusz region during the Thirty Years’ War, which came to an end in the town’s new district – Ochla. A tangible reminder of this is the grave of a townswoman from Zielona Góra, discovered by a forest road leading from Zielona Góra to Ochla. Coins found alongside the woman’s skeleton allow the burial to be dated to 1631, when entries appeared in the town chronicles regarding a plague epidemic that claimed the lives of two-thirds of the town’s inhabitants, and the flight of Zielona Góra’s townspeople from the plague and the raiders to nearby Ochla. This is only a preliminary outline of this tragic story. Has our investigation yielded further findings regarding Jane Doe and the circumstances of the incident? The findings of biological science specialists, who have kindly supported us with their expertise using technologically advanced equipment and the latest advances in modern medicine, will make you feel as though you are in the laboratory of ‘CSI: Crime Scene Investigation’. Facial reconstruction, pathological changes, past illnesses – for the first time, you will be able to see such things in our museum (3D glasses will also come in handy). Come and visit us!

This exhibition, organised in collaboration with the Museum of the Origins of the Polish State in Gniezno, explores early medieval Polish military history (from the mid-10th to the mid-12th century). It was a time when wars were constantly being waged. The rulers of early medieval Europe, including our Piasts, regarded armed forces and conflicts as one of the most important tools of both foreign and domestic policy. This exhibition presents a comprehensive picture of the army of the First Piasts. It shows how these troops were organised, what tactics they employed, what weapons they used, against whom and how they fought. It also traces the journey of a warrior from childhood to old age.

The exhibition is held under the honorary patronage of Janusz Kubicki, Mayor of Zielona Góra

Media patronage:
TVP3 Gorzów Wielkopolski, Radio Zachód, Gazeta Wyborcza

#PiastTOTALWAR

The early Middle Ages: dense, mist-shrouded forests, somewhere between the Great Masurian Lakes and the Middle Neman, and armed warriors on horseback striking fear into the hearts of their neighbours. We present to you the Yotvingians, the easternmost branch of the Prussians.
They aroused extreme emotions among their contemporaries
In his chronicles, the Teutonic knight Peter of Dusburg wrote of them: “The noble Sudovians, just as they surpassed others in the nobility of their customs, so too did they tower above others in wealth and strength. For they had six thousand horsemen and an almost innumerable number of warriors.”
Wincety Kadłubeg, however, in describing the expedition of Casimir the Just in 1193, writes of them rather unfavourably: “They know nothing of the use of strongholds, and their city walls are like those of wild beasts.”

Who were the Yotvingians really? Why did they suffer defeat and fall into oblivion?
If you wish to learn the history of this fascinating tribe, be sure to visit our museum!

The past has, for as long as anyone can remember, captured the imagination and inspired reflection and contemplation. The double anniversary being celebrated this year in Zielona Góra – marking 800 years since the town’s foundation and 700 years since it was granted town privileges – provides an excellent opportunity to present to you the history of archaeological research in our town.
Archaeological work in the area of present-day Zielona Góra was already being carried out in the pre-war period. It focused mainly on prehistoric settlements and, to a lesser extent, on the town’s early history. Until the 1990s, work was carried out on a very small scale (small excavations were opened at Plac Powstańców Wielkopolskich and on Kupiecka Street). It was not until the investigations on Krawiecka Street in 1993 that archaeologists began to play a meaningful role in uncovering the city’s history. Over the course of these thirty years, researchers have carried out investigations at over 500 sites, both private and municipal, which have significantly enhanced our understanding of the city’s past. The oldest remains of wooden buildings, as well as later half-timbered and brick structures, relics of a wooden water supply system, sections of the city’s defensive walls, and cemeteries where former residents of Zielona Góra were buried have been discovered. The materials presented in the exhibition provide an insight into the nature of archaeological research in the city, demonstrating, through the artefacts discovered in the course of the excavations, how the needs of Zielona Góra’s inhabitants for various everyday objects have varied throughout history.

Referred to in written sources as “Castrum Lubenov”, the tower in Lubrza was, until recently, one of the few well-preserved medieval residential and defensive structures located in the Lubuskie Voivodeship. It was built in a strategic location, approximately 10 km north-east of Świebodzin, in the valley of Lake Goszcza. Unfortunately, in 2016, the structure suffered significant damage. The majority of the mound was levelled and its earth removed from the site. The historic fabric of this important site was irretrievably devastated. Legal action taken by the Lubuskie Provincial Conservator of Monuments led to rescue excavations of the site, aimed at searching through the scattered earth, documenting and securing the remains of the hillfort. During the work, metal artefacts, fragments of pottery and animal bones were recovered, likely lying within the embankment, but also in the moat and the outer bailey of the complex.

The exhibition presents the results of the research obtained during the implementation of a project co-funded by the Ministry of Culture and National Heritage and the City of Zielona Góra.

The early 21st century, and particularly its second decade, saw the completion of numerous construction projects in Gorzów. During the works, a significant number of objects were unearthed, many of which are of great historical value. These treasures, which had been hidden underground for years, can be viewed by visiting our exhibition. It presents the preliminary results of both field and specialist research, as well as the conservation of historical artefacts. The artefacts on display are accompanied by panels containing information about the archaeological finds and their cultural context. The exhibition is complemented by photographs illustrating the progress of construction and archaeological works, highlighting the significance of construction projects in uncovering and understanding the history of Gorzów – from its ancient past through to more recent times, right up to the present day.
The exhibition was created by Stanisław Sinkowski in collaboration with Paweł Kaźmierczak and Rafał Wyganowski from the Jan Dekert Lubusz Museum in Gorzów Wielkopolski. The exhibition premiered in December 2022 at the Lubusz Museum.

The exhibition is dedicated to the memory of Henryk Jan Kustosz – a researcher and lover of architecture.

The exhibition is held under the honorary patronage of:

• Janusz Kubicki, Mayor of Zielona Góra,
• Jacek Wójcicki, Mayor of Gorzów Wielkopolski,
• Marcin Jabłoński, Marshal of the Lubuskie Province,
• Dr Barbara Bielinis-Kopeć, Lubuskie Provincial Conservator of Monuments.

Sponsors:

Prim Tomasz Suterski.

M&K – Sanitary Networks,
Sanitex,

EURO INVEST Western Consulting Centre,

PRYZMAT Gorzów Surveying Company,

Drew-Plast Mazowiecki,

We invite you to view the banner exhibition created by the Museum of the Origins of the Polish State in Gniezno, which explores the conspiracy theories and pseudoscientific speculations surrounding what allegedly took place on Polish soil long before Mieszko I. The aim of the exhibition is to debunk the myth of Great Lechia, and it does so by analysing selected pro-Great Lechia arguments and demonstrating that a research methodology is essential to the pursuit of science.

For about a decade, the internet has been flooded with information about the heroic ancestors of modern Poles, known as the Lechites, or less commonly as the Aryo-Slavs or Slavs. Why heroic? Because as early as 2000 BC they possessed the ability to work metals, invented the wheel, established fortified settlements, understood democracy, had their own currency and a warlike army which fought victorious battles against Alexander the Great and Julius Caesar. As if that were not enough, they used their own script. If so, why is their history shrouded in mystery? Supporters of Great Lechia have a ready answer: the ancient books of the Lechites were treacherously stolen by Catholic clergy, who ordered the destruction of every trace of Lechite power. Archaeologists and historians have aided and continue to aid in this cruel scheme, for the proverbial thirty pieces of silver. The German occupier also played a part in concealing the truth.

The exhibition’s organisers have set out to explain exactly what makes the notion of Great Lechia so absurd. The counter-arguments presented expose the complete lack of any professional competence among the proponents of Great Lechia, who categorically reject scientific methods. In doing so, they regress to the period before the second half of the 19th century, when the scientific disciplines, including history and archaeology, were only just beginning to take shape.

“Great Lechia – Great Nonsense” is an interventionist exhibition. It addresses our current attitude towards history, particularly ancient history, where there are more questions than certain answers. The main aim of the exhibition is to encourage reflection and discussion, and ideally – to prompt action to prevent the emergence and spread of theories such as Great Lechia. Equally important is convincing the exhibition’s visitors that the study of history makes sense, especially today, in the age of digitalisation and ‘fake news’. However, it should not be based on ‘cramming dates’, but rather on developing a critical approach.

The pseudoscientific views presented in the exhibition do not in any way reflect the views of the authors or the exhibition organiser.

The exhibition is organised by the Museum of the Origins of the Polish State in Gniezno

Exhibition curators:

Artur Wójcik (Sigillum Authenticum)

Ewelina Siemianowska (MPPP)

Dariusz Stryniak (MPPP)

Our new temporary exhibition presents a collection of early medieval coins recovered during archaeological excavations carried out at the hillforts in Santok and Grodziszcze. The exhibition concept was developed by Paweł Kazimierczak and Rafał Wyganowski from the Department of Archaeology and Numismatics at the Lubuskie Museum. The coins from Santok date from the stronghold’s heyday. They were discovered during the millennium excavations in 1958–62, and during research conducted by Dr Kinga Zamelska-Monczak. The exhibition on display at our museum has been supplemented with artefacts acquired during research conducted by Dr Bartosz Gruszka at the Grodziszcze stronghold in 2017.

The exhibition forms part of the celebrations marking the anniversary of the coronation of Bolesław Chrobry (1025–2025).

Grand opening of the exhibition: 28 February 2025, 2.45 pm.

For people of bygone eras, religion formed the foundation of their worldview and was an indispensable part of reality. Saint Augustine argued that a life devoid of faith is merely a succession of failures; therefore, one must entrust it to God and place one’s hope in Him. During archaeological excavations, objects and relics associated with the Christian religion are very often discovered. Excavation finds provide us with a wealth of information regarding the everyday expressions of religiosity among the people of that era, enabling us to understand their mindset and the conditions in which they lived. The material relics uncovered during research also allow us to trace the evolution of Christianity itself, as it adapted to changing cultural and demographic conditions.

Media patronage: Radio Index, Radio Zachód