THE UPHAGEN HOUSE IN GDAŃSK – MUSEUM OF MIDDLE-CLASS INTERIORS. TOWARDS AN ANCIENT TRADITION

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THE UPHAGEN HOUSE IN GDAŃSK – MUSEUM OF MIDDLE-CLASS INTERIORS. TOWARDS AN ANCIENT TRADITION

Journal Title: Muzealnictwo - Year 2016, Vol 57, Issue

Abstract

It has been eighteen years since the Uphagen House in the centre of historical Gdańsk was re-opened after five years of restoration. The museum of that name refers to Johann Uphagen (1731–1802), the property’s former owner; however, it is not a biographical museum. The Uphagen House has a more universal role; it shows a building typical of Gdańsk’s Main Town. This is a task of particular importance in Gdańsk, where the historical centre ceased to exist in March 1945. After the reconstruction of the interior (1949–1953), the building was left in an unfinished state. The decision to restore museum traditions to this place was postponed for a long time. In the early 1980s, it was decided to rebuild two outbuildings from scratch, but the construction work stopped in the state of an open shell in 1989. The Museum acquired funding from the Foundation for Polish-German Cooperation, which allowed a significant part of renovation in 1993–1998. The decor of the rooms was recreated. The assumptions made also determined decisions were taken regarding the interior design. The furnishings currently on display in the Uphagen House are the result of a compromise between the long-term objectives and the real possibilities. Despite this, when wandering from one room to another visitors to the Uphagen House are able to feel the space which was available to the citizens of Gdańsk in past centuries. The concept of the Museum assumed that the people supervising the exhibition will serve as the guides, and enter into active contact with the visitors, while the verbal or written commentary in each room is limited to a minimum. What is important is to preserve the continuity of the tradition. The format of a museum of interiors makes the use of modern means of exhibitions unnecessary. The most important thing is to remain in direct contact with the space of the house, to wander through the successive rooms unhurriedly. Especially since in the rebuilt Gdańsk it is an encounter with history of an extraordinary kind. Salvaged from the ravages of war, the passages are arranged like a jigsaw, the pieces of a whole which had seemingly been irretrievably lost.

Authors and Affiliations

Ewa Barylewska-Szymańska, Wojciech Szymański

Keywords

EP ID EP187054
DOI 10.5604/04641086.1218153
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