SCHLESISCHES MUSEUM ZU GÖRLITZ

Description

In the historic centre of Görlitz, the Schlesisches Museum zu Görlitz has been welcoming visitors since 13 May 2006 and presents the cultural history of the region in a newly assembled building complex.

The museum site unites four heritage-listed houses: the Schönhof, the Mittelhaus, the building at the Fischmarkt – the latter two date from 1832 – and the Hallenhaus at Untermarkt 4. To create functional connections, a glass roof was added to the northern courtyard between the Schönhof and the Mittelhaus; a smaller courtyard to the south links the Mittelhaus with the Fischmarkt via a glazed passage. The entire complex is fully accessible. The roof over the north courtyard also protects the partially preserved sgraffito façade of the 1526 courtyard front of the Schönhof.

Preserved, particularly valuable Renaissance ceiling, wall and beam paintings played a central role in the exhibition concept. The Mittelhaus formerly served as a brewhouse; the building at the Fischmarkt housed the taprooms and was converted into an event venue with a multimedia presentation on the history of Silesia. Due to the heritage-sensitive design, wall-mounted displays—apart from necessary security installations—are not provided; objects are shown in display cases that also supply the required lighting.

The collection spans roughly 1,000 years of Silesian cultural history. On display are landscape and city views, including the Riesengebirge and Breslau, objects of craftsmanship as well as testimony to work and everyday life. Paintings and sculptures that had previously been shown in an exhibition room opened in 2001 on the Untermarkt were incorporated into the new complex; the former rooms are intended for use as an archive.

The Stiftung Schlesisches Museum zu Görlitz was established in 1996 as a foundation under civil law. The foundation’s purpose is the establishment and operation of a museum as a central institution for the research of Silesia’s cultural history in Germany, the collection and presentation of tangible cultural heritage, and the promotion of understanding between Germany, Poland and the Czech Republic. Founding sponsors are the Federal Republic of Germany, the Free State of Saxony, the city of Görlitz and the Landsmannschaft Schlesien; the museum receives institutional support from the federal government and the state. Even before reunification there were plans for a state museum for Silesia with an originally envisaged location in Lower Saxony; after 1990 the location was moved to Görlitz, with a supporting association carrying out essential preparatory work.

A companion catalogue to the exhibition "Silber aus Schlesien / Srebro ze Śląska 1871–1945" was published in 2010 in German and Polish.