Upper Silesian State Museum
The Oberschlesisches Landesmuseum in Ratingen , North Rhine-Westphalia , is a museum for the history and culture of Upper Silesia .
history
In 1983 the Upper Silesian State Museum (OSLM) in Ratingen- Hösel was opened by the then North Rhine-Westphalian Prime Minister Johannes Rau . Initially it had the function of a local museum , which supported remembrance and social integration by collecting and presenting the cultural heritage of German refugees, expellees and repatriates from Upper Silesia. With the opening of the borders from 1989 onwards, this has become a recognized international mediator that supports the European dialogue today. The foundations are both the sponsorship of the State of North Rhine-Westphalia for the Upper Silesians living in Germany from 1964 and the partnership with the Polish Voivodeship of Silesia, which has been intensified since 2000. The museum's activities are institutionally funded by the state of North Rhine-Westphalia, currently from budget funds from the Ministry for Family, Children, Youth, Culture and Sport. Special projects are also realized from project funds, for example with the support of the Federal Government Commissioner for Culture and the Media based on a resolution of the German Bundestag on the legal basis of Section 96 BVFG.
Since 1998, the museum has been able to present the exhibitions in a modern functional building opposite the Upper Silesia House. In accordance with a funding concept of the federal government, this has completely borne the construction and installation costs. The OSLM was one of the first comparable institutions to have a building suitable for many possible uses. The design of the Cologne architects Walter von Lom & Partner consists of three massive concrete - cubes and two lighter steel - glass -Kuben that permeate it. The three cubes meet in the centrally located stairwell. The museum logo is also designed according to this floor plan . The entire museum complex is handicapped accessible .
concept
As a cultural and historical institution, the Upper Silesian State Museum conveys various facets from the culture, history, economy, social affairs and politics of the reference region Silesia to visitors. The former Upper Silesian parts of the Prussian Province of Silesia and the Habsburg Crown Land of Silesia are the focus of activity.
The museum works closely with German, Polish and Czech scientific and cultural institutions. The OSLM currently maintains nine contractual partnerships with meeting places, libraries and museums in the Polish Voivodeships of Lower Silesia, Opole and Silesia as well as in the Moravian-Silesian Region of the Czech Republic.
The collections on the cultural and economic aspects of the target regions are constantly being expanded. In essence, the holdings relate to the various parts of Silesia as well as the neighboring Bohemian and Moravian regions. The library of the Haus Oberschlesien Foundation, which was established in the 1980s, was reclassified as the Specialized Information Center Silesia - Moravia - Bohemia in 2008 . Since then, all of the museum's archival and documentary collections, such as maps and postcards as well as newspapers, have been integrated. The inventory of archival materials, books, documents and maps in the Union Catalog Eastern Europe of the Martin Opitz Library is around 24,000 media units (January 2015). The approximately 700 journals can be researched in the journal database under the code "Rag1". The museum is continuously acquiring relevant publications on the target regions. The publication sequences of Polish and Czech-language yearbooks are also constantly being completed. The use of the reference inventory, which is further based on a subject classification, is possible after registration.
construction
The exhibitions are presented on an exhibition area of approx. 2000 m² over three floors. The permanent exhibition is located on the upper floor on approx. 875 m² . It provides an overview of the culture and history of Upper Silesia with the three main themes "Upper Silesia before industrialization ", "Upper Silesia and industry " and "Upper Silesia in the politics of the 20th century". Are shown u. a. Precious silver , faience , iron art castings, textiles , models, views of the site and industry as well as maps and historical documents. In addition to the cultural areas, there is also a literary area.
On the ground floor, larger temporary exhibitions are presented on an exhibition area of around 500 m². The basement level with approx. 175 m² of floor space offers space for smaller temporary exhibitions and events. This includes lectures, meetings of working groups and museum education. This is also where the depot is located, which can also store the holdings of Heimatstuben , the workshops and a room for museum education.
Exhibitions and activities
With the political change of 1989/90 new possibilities arose for cross-border, partnership-based cooperation with Polish and Czech scientific and cultural institutions. In recent years, the Upper Silesian State Museum has continuously strengthened its cooperation and presence in the Silesian regions. The core area includes the two Polish Voivodships Opole and Silesia as well as the Moravian-Silesian District on the Czech side. The cooperation manifests itself in various partnership agreements. In this regard, the Upper Silesian State Museum is a leader in Germany.
Historical, topographical, cultural and artistic subjects were dealt with in around 350 domestic and foreign special exhibitions. There were also exhibitions and projects with partners in the immediate vicinity, as well as museum educational campaigns. Important themed exhibitions were taken over first, u. a. “Art and Artist Colonies in the Giant Mountains ”, “Silesian and Bohemian Dioramas ” and “Construction West. New beginning between expulsion and economic miracle ”(2006). Since then, large-scale themed exhibitions have been designed and shown in abundance only at the Ratingen location. However, this often resulted in traveling exhibitions that could be borrowed. Good examples of this are “The beginning and end of Prussia in Silesia. Military history and building history forays "(2006/2007)," My life for the animals - Bernhard Grzimek on the 100th birthday "(2009)," Eagle over Silesia. Events and pioneers in aviation history ”(2009/10),“ Herrenlos! Silesian monasteries between dissolution and a new vocation ”(2010),“ Castle stories. Adel in Schlesien ”(2011/2012) and“ 300 x Friedrich. Prussia's great king and Silesia ”(2012) and“ Of achievement, suffering and passion. Mining stories not only from Silesia ”(2012/13). The resulting external presentations were in Silesia at six locations “On the trail of history. The Silesian fortress cities in urban development / Śladami historii. Śląskie miasta forteczne w procesie przemian urbanistycznych ”(2008/09) and“ Abandoned Monasteries. The secularization of Silesian monasteries in Silesia 1810 / Opuszczone klasztory! Sekularyzacja klasztorów śląskich w 1810 roku “has been on view in two locations since 2011. Such exhibition versions are prepared in two languages or presented abroad in a separate foreign language version.
In Upper Silesia, together with partner institutions there, numerous exhibitions about artistic personalities were shown, for example about ( Albert Ferenz ; 2005) or “ Heinz Tobolla . The Work "(2006/07). There were youth encounters, for example in 2007 and readings on the history of the city of Teschen (2008).
The museum participated in projects that dealt with the industrial history of Upper Silesia and the massive restructuring processes. For this purpose, groundbreaking conferences and cross-border projects with Polish and Czech partners have been implemented over the years. The Oberschlesisches Landesmuseum works closely with university institutions that research these processes.
Mention should also be made of exhibitions that the Upper Silesian State Museum has developed in cooperation with local cultural institutions. In the 30 years of existence, exciting cooperation projects have emerged that make important contributions to local artists, regional history and culture. Most of the projects mentioned are connected with educational activities in the museum, with which the Oberschlesisches Landesmuseum has established itself primarily as an extracurricular learning location for children and young people.
Special exhibitions 2016
May 22 - August 7, 2016 "Heinrich Schulz-Beuthen"
Heinrich Schulz-Beuthen (1838–1915). Life - Lifetime Achievement - Inspiration
“Your excellent works should be played, printed and published,” wrote Franz Liszt in one of his letters to Heinrich Schulz-Beuthen (1838–1915). Today the composer has been forgotten. Concerts with his music are rather rare, although he is one of the most important German composers of the Romantic period. Over 130 works come from the pen of Schulz-Beuthen, who can certainly be measured against contemporaries such as Robert Schumann or Franz Liszt. 2015 marks the 100th anniversary of the death of the composer associated with Leipzig, Zurich, Vienna and Dresden. The Oberschlesisches Museum in Beuthen and the Oberschlesisches Landesmuseum in Ratingen took this as an opportunity to shed light on the work of this extraordinary personality. At the end of the year there was a concert with his works in Haus Oberschlesien. Now the exhibition follows in cooperation with the Oberschlesisches Museum in Beuthen and with the support of the Foundation for German-Polish Cooperation.
May 22nd - August 7th, 2016 “Mother Eva - her faith and life”
To help the poor and suffering: Mother Eva - her faith and life Exhibition on the 150th birthday of Eva von Tiele-Winckler.
"Mother Eva" - Eva von Tiele-Winckler was known by this name and many institutions still bear her name today. * The daughter of the wealthy Upper Silesian industrial family Tiele-Winckler was born in 1866 at Miechowitz Castle near Beuthen . She made an early decision to help people who were in need or lived in poverty. “When I was 16, I came across the Bible passage about the Good Shepherd. Suddenly God opened my eyes to my surroundings. A completely new, previously unknown love for everything that was poor, abandoned and in need of help came into my heart. But especially God made the unimaginable misery of the people of my Upper Silesian homeland visible to me. That was my job! ”She writes in her memoirs. At first she secretly looked after children in need. Her father forbade her to do this as "not befitting". During a trip in 1885 Eva got to know the diaconal work Bethel near Bielefeld and the pastor Friedrich von Bodelschwingh. Impressed by his work and personality, she trained as a nurse from him. Eva's father finally saw that his daughter wanted to dedicate her life to active charity. With his support, Eva built the "Friedenshort House" near the castle in 1890, a diaconal work for the needy. The founder was soon only called "Mother Eva" by the people around her. At the suggestion of Friedrich von Bodelschwingh, she founded her own Protestant sisterhood in 1892. This was the basis for their great diaconal work. 28 houses were built on the ever larger area of the Friedenshort in Miechowitz. Around 1000 deaconesses were part of the work.
December 6, 2015 - October 15, 2016 - “For body and soul”
From the culture of eating and drinking.
Thanks to its fertile soils, Silesia has always been associated with agriculture and livestock. Butchers, millers, bakers, beekeepers and brewers developed the processing of agricultural products and refined the recipes over the years. The first beet sugar factory in Europe was built in Kunern (Lower Silesia) in 1802. Brands such as “Schneekoppe” or “Tyskie”, which emerged from the traditional Princely Brewery in Tichau , gained supraregional importance. In addition, Bunzlau ceramics and the unmistakable Liegnitz bombs became symbols of their Silesian identity, especially for the expellees.
Special exhibitions 2015
to April 6, 2015 “HeimatWeh - At Home in Europe”
The exhibition trilogy of the “Center Against Expulsion Foundation” with the three parts “The Called”, “Forced Paths” and “Arrived” is a contribution to historical and political education. She also expresses solidarity for and sympathy for the fate of other European peoples who have been driven out. Many examples deal with the German ethnic groups in eastern and south-eastern Europe. Thus, a large temporal, thematic and geographical arc is spanned. Schools in particular are addressed, because all age groups have impressions of Germany's relations to neighboring countries to the east. The exhibition is being realized through funding from the Federal Ministry of the Interior.
January 31, 2015 - March 1, 2015 "Bergischer Künstlerbund eV"
For the first time the Bergischer Künstlerbund (BKB) presents itself with an exhibition in the Oberschlesisches Landesmuseum. This association has existed since 1967 and has since been supported by the Mettmann district and its art-loving district administrators. To this day the association is “houseless” and at the same time is based in all nine cities of today's district area and beyond. For several years now, the BKB has not only presented itself in museums and galleries, but also in new, unusual places. Its exhibitions are a means of communication with the public. In the course of its history, the BKB has continued to develop and has shown itself to be open to renewal, rejuvenation and experimentation. Currently 25 active artists from all fields work together in the BKB eV, musicians and theater people are associated. The exhibition conveys a wide range of artistic expression.
March 8 - April 12, 2015 “Again and again at Easter. Silesian Easter eggs and more “
Again, the small, lavishly decorated works of art are staged in great detail. To this end, the Upper Silesian State Museum has expanded its own inventory of Easter eggs in recent years. A lot of new things can be discovered in the exhibition: richly decorated Easter eggs, regional Easter customs, Easter sayings and traditions, plus delicious cooking and baking recipes for everything to do with eggs and Easter feasts. Chicken, goose and ostrich eggs come out big. They are always presented in a different staging, because the Easter show is enjoying growing popularity and is therefore being presented for the sixth time in Ratingen. Handcrafted Easter eggs from Upper Silesia are available for purchase. There are also public tours of the exhibition and the coveted creative course, in which the traditional Silesian scratching technique can be learned under professional guidance. The dates will be announced in the daily press and on the Internet.
May 9 - November 8, 2015 “Heimat.Front. Upper Silesia and the First World War “
From 2015, the Upper Silesian State Museum (OSLM), together with European partners, will be dedicated to the effects of the First World War. Particular attention is paid to Upper Silesia, which, as a border region, felt these effects in a characteristic way. The exhibition is funded by the Federal Government Commissioner for Culture and the Media based on a resolution of the German Bundestag.
House Upper Silesia Foundation
The museum is supported by the private foundation "Haus Oberschlesien", founded in 1970 . The foundation is supported by the Landsmannschaft der Oberschlesier and the State of North Rhine-Westphalia, represented by the State Chancellery. The foundation is located in the former museum building. There it has several function rooms, an archive, a library and other office space. The work of the foundation is supported by the Friends of Haus Oberschlesien eV. Institutional funding is provided by the Ministry of Culture and Science of North Rhine-Westphalia. Within its funding concept on the basis of Section 96 of the Federal Expellees Act, which describes the aspects of preserving and caring for the culture of Germans from the eastern provinces of the German Reich and the East Central European German settlement areas, a policy paper on "Mission and tasks of the Upper Silesian State Museum" was written in 2016 and decided.
The "12 point paper" (abbreviated) contains the following main features of the museum work of the Upper Silesian State Museum:
- The Upper Silesian State Museum (OSLM) is committed to preserving and preserving the cultural and historical heritage of the Upper Silesia region.
- As a museum, the OSLM is a permanent institution of cultural memory that is determined by the four pillars of museum work - collecting, preserving, researching and exhibiting / conveying.
- The classic medium of communication work for a museum is the exhibition. The OSLM deals with a large number of (cultural) historical topics via the permanent exhibition and special exhibitions, which have both an Upper Silesian reference and general relevance.
- The museum makes a contribution to both historical-political and cultural education by addressing timeless and global phenomena such as poverty, hunger, war, loss of home and integration and creating references to our present and points of contact for today's generations.
- Target groups are not only addressed to those with Upper Silesian roots, but much more to all who have a general interest in the diverse cultural, social and economic interrelationships between East and West. In addition, there are target group-specific mediation offers that are specially designed for children, young people, adults, seniors and people with disabilities for the respective exhibitions.
- The OSLM takes its historical and political educational mission seriously, especially with a view to younger generations. That is why it takes part, for example, in nationwide campaign days for political education. As part of the "Bildungspartner NRW" initiative, the OSLM, as an extracurricular learning location, enables schoolchildren to encounter original objects of art and history under the guidance of museum education. Tailor-made educational offers are continuously developed and shape his cooperation with schools.
- All facets of immigration, flight and displacement as well as (forced) migration represent important topics, which are treated as European and international phenomena in the OSLM. The OSLM understands Upper Silesian history as part of an international migration history and thus enables the discussion of recent and current forms of flight and displacement.
- Nonetheless, the OSLM is a thematically diversified museum that carries out broad-based historical and cultural mediation work.
- Another characteristic of the OSLM is that it is firmly anchored in the European dialogue. Its work promotes the cultural diversity of the regions in the European Union. This is realized through partnership agreements with Polish and Czech institutions, as well as through a transnational cooperation network with the Polish Silesian Voivodeship.
- The physical safeguarding of the cultural and material evidence of the past and their passing on to future generations is an indispensable prerequisite for any type of remembrance work. For this purpose, an extensive museum collection has been assembled over the past 30 years, which is continuously expanded and supplemented to this day.
- Against the background of the disappearance of the "generation of experience", the core task of material security and the passing on of the cultural property to subsequent generations has become even more important. The OSLM has therefore not only taken over and archived numerous bequests in recent years, but also provides advice to private individuals, home offices and other institutions with regional collection focuses in the professional preservation of certificates from the past.
- In order to scientifically develop, research and properly document the collection holdings, a special library was set up which is constantly being expanded. The OSLM attaches great importance to integrating Polish and Czech specialist literature into the holdings and making them searchable via portals such as the “Union Catalog Eastern Europe” (VOE) in the Karlsruhe Virtual Catalog (KVK) or the journal database (ZDB). [1]
Individual evidence
- ^ Website of the Upper Silesian State Museum
- ↑ heinrich-schulz-beuthen-life-life's work-inspiration. ; Retrieved July 20, 2017
- ↑ www.oberschlesisches-landesmuseum.de/ausstellungen/archiv ; Retrieved July 20, 2017
- ↑ www.oberschlesisches-landesmuseum.de/aktuelle-meldung ; Retrieved July 20, 2017
literature
- Susanne Peters-Schildgen: Museum construction site: 25 years of Upper Silesian State Museum in Ratingen (Hösel) - review and new exhibition projects. In: SILESIA NOVA. Quarterly magazine for culture and history, No. 3/2008.
Web links
Coordinates: 51 ° 20 ′ 10 ″ N , 6 ° 54 ′ 1 ″ E