| Abbots' Palace in Oliwa | |
|---|---|
Pałac Opatów w Oliwie | |
 Southern façade of the palace | |
 Interactive map of Abbots' Palace in Oliwa | |
| General information | |
| Architectural style | Rococo |
| Location | Gdańsk,Poland |
| Construction started | 15th century. Major construction 1754-56. |
| Completed | 1756 |
| Demolished | 1945 |
| Client | Jacek Rybiński |
| Designated | 2017-11-22 |
| Reference no. | Dz. U. z 2017 poz. 2277[1] |
TheAbbots' Palace in Oliwa (Polish:Pałac Opatów w Oliwie)[2] is arococo palace inOliwa, a quarter ofGdańsk. It houses the Department of Modern Art of theNational Museum in Gdańsk, and along with the Cistercian-Cathedral complex in Oliwa it is listed as aHistoric Monument of Poland.[3]
The first portion of the palace, the "Old Palace" was constructed in the 15th century. Later, in the first half of the sixteen hundreds a "New Palace" was added, which served as the residency of the then abbot of theCistercians,Jan Grabiński. The final additions to the palace were made between 1754 and 1756, and were funded by another Cistercian abbot,Jacek Rybiński.[4]
After thepartitions of Poland the area became part ofPrussia, in 1831 real estate of the Cistercians wassecularized and the palace became property of theHouse of Hohenzollern. From 1796 until 1836 theBishops of Warmia,Karl von Hohenzollern-Hechingen andJoseph von Hohenzollern-Hechingen resided in the Palace.[5][6] It remained empty until 1869 whenMaria Anna von Hohenzollern-Hechingen, niece of Joseph, took up residence there. After her death in 1888 the ownership of the palace was taken over by the settlement of Oliwa, which used it for offices and apartments.[7]
During the interwar period of theFree City of Danzig the palace contained a museum which housed exhibitions on the history of the region. The director in charge of the museum was a Nazi activist namedErich Keyser.[7][8]
In 1945, at the end ofWorld War II (during which time it served as an arms depot) it was set on fire byGerman troops who sought to clear the terrain in front of the advancingRed Army.[7][9]
The palace was rebuilt in 1965 through the efforts of theMuzeum Pomorskie w Gdańsku (Pomeranian Museum in Gdańsk). It initially served as the ethnographic department of the museum. In 1972 the Museum was elevated to a status of aNational Museum.[7]
Since 1989 the palace contains the Department of Modern Art of thePolish National Museum in Gdańsk. In February 1990 a special gallery devoted to contemporary Polish art was established.[7] Permanent exhibitions include works by Polish artists from 19th and 20th century (painting, sculpture and ceramics). Some of the artists whose works are on display includeZbigniew Pronaszko,Jan Cybis,Henryk Stażewski,Andrzej Wróblewski,Tadeusz Kantor,Jerzy Nowosielski,Alfred Lenica,Jan Lebenstein,Teresa Pągowska,Zdzisław Beksiński,Edward Dwurnik andWładysław Hasior.[10] It also houses the "Promotional Gallery" which exhibits works by young artists.
Media related toOliwa Palace in Gdańsk at Wikimedia Commons
54°24′39″N18°33′37″E / 54.41083°N 18.56028°E /54.41083; 18.56028
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