1000 Treasures of Krakow is a research project realised in collaboration with and on commission from the Municipality of Krakow. The project is planned for three years (2016–18) and seeks to provide a fresh perspective on the city’s cultural heritage, addressing its recent history and newest research findings. Its objective is to identify Krakow’s most valuable monuments, on the basis of a research in the city’s public collections (museums, libraries, archives), as well as those maintained by the church institutions and private owners. The titular treasures are objects that have played an important cultural role in the city’s history, in many cases illustrating its significant events and non-material aspects. Their ideological significance often comes with high artistic value. The monuments selected by the team of experts reflect the city’s and its citizens’ artistic, intellectual, and civilisational achievements across time.
The “Treasures of Kraków” referred to in the title are objects that have played a significant cultural role in the history of the city, in many cases illustrating important phenomena or intangible expressions associated with it. Their conceptual significance often goes hand in hand with high artistic value. The selection of artefacts was made by a scholarly committee established in the summer of 2016, composed of directors of Kraków’s leading museums, academic researchers, and a representative of the City of Kraków’s Department of Culture and National Heritage.
The selection of materials by the committee, clearly divided into periods defined by chronological boundaries, was preceded by an in-depth survey of Kraków’s public collections (museums, libraries and archives), as well as ecclesiastical and private holdings. In the subsequent phase of the project, work focused on preparing object descriptions and accompanying introductory texts addressing the cultural heritage of Kraków across successive periods. At the same time, all selected objects were photographed for the purposes of the publication.
Project Outcomes
The project resulted in a collection presenting a comprehensive and panoramic account of the cultural history of Kraków—one of the first twelve sites in the world to be inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List. Alongside such iconic objects as the Holy Lance of Saint Maurice, the “Sigismund” Bell, and the famous Jagiellonian Globe (the oldest surviving model of the Earth depicting the outline of the Americas), the selection also includes items such as Karol Olszewski’s apparatus for liquefying gases, a wooden figurine of the Wawel Dragon designed by Zofia Stryjeńska during the Kraków Workshops period, and a mosaic by Krystyna Zgud-Strachocka in the foyer of the Kijów Cinema.
Publication
The book concluding the project, intended for a broad audience, is a publication of a universal character. Written by specialists associated with academic and museum circles, it presents the history of Kraków and its genius loci in an accessible and visually engaging way. This 672-page album was published in both Polish and English editions.
Organisers:
International Cultural Centre in Kraków.
The project was initiated and commissioned by the City of Kraków.
Publications
