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HISTORY OF THE MUSEUM OF DOBRZYŃ LAND
The idea of founding the regional museum in Rypin came into being in early 1960s. It reflected the enthusiastic approach of the society, conscious of its roots and identity, towards celebrating the Polish State Millennium coinciding additionally with the 900th Anniversary of Rypin’s Origin.
The vast significance for choice of the museum seat had the history of the building. Its origin reaches back to 1908, when it came into use as the Russian administration building. During the First World War it served as a hospital. After regaining the independence, the building was handed over to the State Police. The most dramatic period in its history falls on autumn 1939, when Nazi invader placed Gestapo and Selbstschutz in the building. The cellars of ”Dom Kaźni” (”House of Torture”) became a place of martyr’s death of landowners, members of intelligentsia, priests, peasants and Jews – together about 2000 people.
The reason for commemorating the site was the tragedy that had taken place in the cellars of ”Dom Kaźni”(House of Torture)-so called after the war.
Work of Edward Koźmiński, Roman Piotrowski and members of Rypin Area Preservation Society has lead to estabilishing the National Memory Chamber – presenting two displays of martyrdom and archeology.
Huge interest in the Memory Chamber resulted, in 1975, in allocating some extra rooms, on the ground-floor level of the building, for the needs of museum exhibitions. Next year, the Department of Culture and Art in the Provincial Office together with the Museum of Kujawy and Dobrzyń Land in Włocławek guaranteed their support and help with creating the Museum of Dobrzyń Land in Rypin. After four years of redecoration, on 22nd July 1980, the Museum was opened as a branch of the Museum in Włocławek.
In the period from 1980 – 2002 the Museum was running an extensive substantive activity, comprising numerous exhibitions, scientific symposiums and conferences. The Museum of Dobrzyń Land, at that time, was also busy with editing and publishing, the evidence of which are publications highly valued in scientific circles. In the field of education, it is worth to mention hundreds of museum lessons, meetings with the youth and extra-curricular classes. Due to the need of a general redecoration, the substantive activity was suspended for years 2002 – 2007.
After the redecoration, subsidized by the state budget, ZPORR program and the Town Council, had been completed, The Museum of Dobrzyń Land was opened again on 14th April 2007. Since then, in the renewed facilities, the museum has been generating a much wider cultural offer. It has an undisputable influence on attendance, which after six months, amounted to over 4500 visitors. During that time, over twenty cultural events have been organised, including temporal exhibitions as well as permanent ones, multimedia shows, museum lessons, projects and lectures, and above all, two outdoor events – Rypin Fair and Knight Festival in Radziki Castle. Moreover, the museum in Rypin took charge of Amateur Artists Society of Rypin District.
