News

The beginning of January is a good time to summarize the past year, but also to announce what will happen in the year that has already begun - 2022. The last twelve months have been tough but, despite the pending pandemic, the Museum achieved successes. This would not have been possible without the trust placed in us by those who fallow our activities, that is the organisers: Opole local government and the Ministry of Culture and National Heritage, as well as individuals and institutions who support us.

A good prove of the above statement is the number of objects, often invaluable memorabilia, given to the Museum by them. This year's results of the "Saved memorabilia, preserved memory" campaign include as many as 2072 objects that were donated to us. In addition to them, our collection have been increased by 1,439 artefacts excavated from the ground during search work at the Site of National Remembrance in Łambinowice, 135 purchased, and 3 donated by other institutions, what gives 3,649 objects in total. Moreover, in 2021 as many as 1204 museum objects underwent full conservation, and 1853 were conserved. Nearly 4,000 objects were digitised. Additionally, the digital database on Polish prisoners-of-war has grown impressively by nearly 37,900 records. The collections also marked the beginning, made in 2020 and broadcast last year, of a series of short documentary films ...but that's a different story now according to the idea of Dr. Violetta Rezler-Wasielewska, whose new episodes will also be shown in 2022.

Coming back to the conservation works, one cannot to mention in the summary of the last year about a distinction received in the Opole Voivodeship Marshal's Award Competition for the Museum Event of the Year 2020 which was given for to us for the conservation of the remains of the huts of Stalag 318/VIII F (344) Lamsdorf, and the fact that the Monument to the Warsaw Insurgents – POWs of Stalag 344 Lamsdorf underwent thorough conservation thanks to the Institute of National Remembrance.

Another equally important number to show, and what proves the trust put in our professionalism, and what now is part of the Museum’s everyday life, concerns museum classes (mainly online). There were 335 them in 2021. A novelty, which debuted in 2021, is the project War, captivity and duels on words as a method of working with pupils within the framework of Oxford Debates. A major challenge proved to be the first outdoor exposition entitled Place with a Scar, prepared alongside with an educational programme, at the site of former Stalag 318/VIII F (344) Lamsdorf, which official opening is scheduled for March 17, 2022.

Customarily, educational and exhibition activities were possible owing to research works conducted in the last year what resulted in the following publications: next, already the 43^rd volume of Łambinowice Museum Yearbook, the 6^th volume of Sketches from the History of Lamsdorf/Łambinowice Camps. History and the Present Day and Out of the way. Lamsdorf during the Silesian Uprisings (1919-1921) book by Dr. Piotr Stanek published in cooperation with the Silesian Institute.

Meanwhile, in the background of the substantive museum activities, completion works were underway in the entrance pavilion to the Museum in Łambinowice, built in 2019. Their completion is scheduled for April this year and is financed by the Ministry of Culture and National Heritage and the Opole Province Self-Government.

A concise summarization of the last year was presented by director of the Museum, Dr. Violetta Rezler-Wasielewska, among others, on Radio Opole. You are welcome to listen to her conversation with journalist Mariusz Majeran, during which there were also discussed a range of issues related to the Museum's plans for 2022.