Zagłębie Museum in Będzin

Zagłębie Museum in Będzin

The Zagłębie Museum in Będzin is a cultural institution with a history profile. It has operated for 67 years in a city founded by King Kazimierz Wielki. They are housed at Będzin Castle and the Mieroszewski Palace from the 18th century (including the park). In these, the museum provides access to its collections, organises cultural events and protects the memory of the former inhabitants of Będzin. Jewish cultural artefacts are displayed, among others, in the "Mizrachi" house of prayer, where unique murals have been preserved. 

 

The museum's collection displayed in the castle includes cold weapons, firearms and pieces of protective armour dating from the 10th to the 20th centuries. In addition to stylish interiors featuring artistic handicrafts, paintings and furniture from the Baroque to Art Nouveau periods, a selection of artefacts from the archaeological and ethnographic collections associated with the city are on display in the palace. The history of Będzin is inextricably linked to the history of the Jewish people. That is why the museum collects artefacts representing Jewish heritage to build memory and create a narrative of intercultural education. The Judaica from the 16th to 20th centuries, memorabilia, documents and photographs we have procured help us achieve this. We have amassed Poland's most extensive collection of paintings and prints by Będzin-based Jewish artist Samuel Cygler (1898–1945). His fate is representative of the life trajectory of many Będzin Jews. They all worked and lived in Będzin, were imprisoned in the local ghetto during World War II and were murdered mainly in Auschwitz.