The Abbots' Palace in Oliwa ( pl, Pałac Opatów w Oliwie) is a
rococo
Rococo (, also ), less commonly Roccoco or Late Baroque, is an exceptionally ornamental and theatrical style of architecture, art and decoration which combines asymmetry, scrolling curves, gilding, white and pastel colours, sculpted moulding, ...
palace in
Oliwa
Oliwa ( la, Oliva; csb, Òlëwa; german: Oliva) is a northern district of the city of Gdańsk, Poland. From east it borders Przymorze and Żabianka, from the north Sopot and from the south with the districts of Strzyża, VII Dwór and Brętow ...
, a quarter of
Gdańsk
Gdańsk ( , also ; ; csb, Gduńsk;Stefan Ramułt, ''Słownik języka pomorskiego, czyli kaszubskiego'', Kraków 1893, Gdańsk 2003, ISBN 83-87408-64-6. , Johann Georg Theodor Grässe, ''Orbis latinus oder Verzeichniss der lateinischen Benen ...
(Danzig). The first portion of the palace, the "Old Palace" was constructed in the 15th century. Later, in the first half of the sixteen hundreds a "New Palace" was added, which served as the residency of the then abbot of the
Cistercians
The Cistercians, () officially the Order of Cistercians ( la, (Sacer) Ordo Cisterciensis, abbreviated as OCist or SOCist), are a Catholic religious order of monks and nuns that branched off from the Benedictines and follow the Rule of Saint ...
,
Jan Grabiński. The final additions to the palace were made between 1754 and 1756, and were funded by another Cistercian abbot,
Jacek Rybiński.
[Muzeum Narodowe w Gdańsku]
Oddział Sztuki Nowoczesnej – Pałac Opatów w Oliwie
(National Museum in Gdańsk. Department of Modern Art - The Opatów Palace in Oliwa), last accessed August 17, 2010
After the
partitions of Poland
The Partitions of Poland were three partitions of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth that took place toward the end of the 18th century and ended the existence of the state, resulting in the elimination of sovereign Poland and Lithuania for 12 ...
the area became part of
Prussia
Prussia, , Old Prussian: ''Prūsa'' or ''Prūsija'' was a German state on the southeast coast of the Baltic Sea. It formed the German Empire under Prussian rule when it united the German states in 1871. It was ''de facto'' dissolved by an e ...
, in 1831 real estate of the Cistercians was
secularized and the palace became property of the
House of Hohenzollern
The House of Hohenzollern (, also , german: Haus Hohenzollern, , ro, Casa de Hohenzollern) is a German royal (and from 1871 to 1918, imperial) dynasty whose members were variously princes, electors, kings and emperors of Hohenzollern, Brandenbu ...
. From 1796 until 1836 the
Bishops of Ermland (Warmia),
Karl von Hohenzollern-Hechingen Karl may refer to:
People
* Karl (given name), including a list of people and characters with the name
* Karl der Große, commonly known in English as Charlemagne
* Karl Marx, German philosopher and political writer
* Karl of Austria, last Austri ...
and
Joseph von Hohenzollern-Hechingen resided in the Palace. It remained empty until 1869 when
Maria Anna von Hohenzollern-Hechingen
Maria may refer to:
People
* Mary, mother of Jesus
* Maria (given name), a popular given name in many languages
Place names Extraterrestrial
*170 Maria, a Main belt S-type asteroid discovered in 1877
*Lunar maria (plural of ''mare''), large, da ...
, niece of Joseph, took up residence there. After her death in 1888 the ownership of the palace was taken over by the city of Oliva, which used it for offices and apartments.
[Gdansk.pl]
"Oddział Sztuki Nowoczesnej - Pałac Opatów w Oliwie, Historia obiektu"
(Department of Modern Art - Opatów Palace in Oliwa, History of the Structure), last accessed August 17, 2010
During the interwar period of the
Free City of Danzig
The Free City of Danzig (german: Freie Stadt Danzig; pl, Wolne Miasto Gdańsk; csb, Wòlny Gard Gduńsk) was a city-state under the protection of the League of Nations between 1920 and 1939, consisting of the Baltic Sea port of Danzig (now Gda ...
the palace contained a museum which housed exhibitions on the history of the region. The director in charge of the museum was a Nazi activist named
Erich Keyser Erich Keyser (12 October 1893 – 21 February 1968) was a Nazi activist and far-right nationalist historian connected with the anti-Polish ideology of Ostforschung and the racist Volkisch movement. He supported German expansion in Central and Easte ...
.
[
In 1945, at the end of ]World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...
(during which time it served as an arms depot) it was set on fire by German troops who sought to clear the terrain in front of the advancing Red Army
The Workers' and Peasants' Red Army (Russian language, Russian: Рабо́че-крестья́нская Кра́сная армия),) often shortened to the Red Army, was the army and air force of the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist R ...
.[
The palace was rebuilt in 1965 through the efforts of the Muzeum Pomorskie w Gdańsku (Pomeranian Museum in Gdańsk). It initially served as the ethnographic department of the museum. In 1972 the Museum was elevated to a status of a ]National Museum
A national museum is a museum maintained and funded by a national government. In many countries it denotes a museum run by the central government, while other museums are run by regional or local governments. In other countries a much greater numb ...
.[
Since 1989 the palace contains the Department of Modern Art of the Polish National Museum in Gdańsk. In February 1990 a special gallery devoted to contemporary Polish art was established.][ Permanent exhibitions include works by Polish artists from 19th and 20th century (painting, sculpture and ceramics). Some of the artists whose works are on display include ]Zbigniew Pronaszko
Zbigniew () is a Polish masculine given name, originally Zbygniew . This West Slavic name is derived from the Polish elements ''Zby-'' (from ''zbyć, zbyć się, or pozbyć się'', meaning "to dispel", "to get rid of") and ''gniew'', meaning "ang ...
, Jan Cybis
Jan Cybis (16 February 1897 - 13 December 1972) was a prominent Polish painter and art teacher.
Biography
Cybis was born in Fröbel (now Wróblin, Opole Voivodeship, Poland) and studied at the Jan Matejko Academy of Fine Arts in Kraków, se ...
, Henryk Stażewski
Henryk Stażewski (pronounced: ; 9 January 1894 – 10 June 1988) was a Polish Painting, painter, writer, and visual artist. Stażewski's career spanned seven decades and he is considered a pivotal figure in the history of Constructivism (art), ...
, Andrzej Wróblewski
Andrzej Wróblewski (15 June 1927 - 23 March 1957) was a Polish figurative painter who died in a mountaineering accident in 1957 when he was only 29. He is recognized by many as one of Poland's most prominent artists in the early post World War ...
, Tadeusz Kantor
Tadeusz Kantor (6 April 1915 – 8 December 1990) was a Polish painter, assemblage and Happenings artist, set designer and theatre director. Kantor is renowned for his revolutionary theatrical performances in Poland and abroad. Laureate of ...
, Jerzy Nowosielski
Jerzy Nowosielski (January 7, 1923 – February 21, 2011) was a Kraków-born Polish painter, graphic artist, scenographer, and illustrator.
He was well known for his religious compositions ( wall paintings, iconostases, polychromies) in th ...
, Alfred Lenica, Jan Lebenstein, Teresa Pągowska, Zdzisław Beksiński, Edward Dwurnik and Władysław Hasior
Władysław Hasior (Polish pronunciation: , May 14, 1928 – July 14, 1999) was one of the leading Polish contemporary sculptors connected with the Podhale region. He was also a painter and theatre set designer.
Biography
Władysław Hasior was ...
.[Museo.pl, "Muzea w Polsca" (Museums in Poland]
''Pałac Opatów w Oliwie''
last accessed, August 21, 2010. It also houses the "Promotional Gallery" which exhibits works by young artists.
References
External links
{{Authority control
Buildings and structures in Gdańsk
Museums in Gdańsk
Palaces in Poland
Houses completed in 1756
Rococo architecture in Poland