Saved from Kresy: collecting memorabilia and stories from the Borderland

Museum of the Eastern Territories of the Former Commonwealth – a branch of the National Museum in Lublin, runs the “Saved from Kresy: collecting memorabilia and stories from the Borderlands” action. The aim of the initiative is to preserve the memory of the Borderlands in material and spiritual terms. These culturally rich areas, with an intricate and often difficult history, constituting a multi-national and multi-faith melting pot for centuries, determined all aspects of everyday life – once ordinary, today separated from us by a barrier of time and space. The memories, stories of people, places and objects gathered by the curators of the Museum of the Eastern Territories of the Former Commonwealth, marked by personal, often emotional perception, will allow us to capture a vivid and authentic image of the Borderlands. This is the last moment to talk to the generation that carries the Borderlands in their hearts and minds, and wants to pass on their love to their children and grandchildren.

As part of the campaign, we will collect both memories, registering them in the form of oral history, and objects – memorabilia that are kept in the Kresovian families. Sometimes we do not realise how much ordinary objects can tell – photographs, documents, elements of clothing or home furnishings; even small, inconspicuous things can hide important stories – personal or relating to public life. Each person, each biography is interesting, unique and worth remembering. These individual stories make up a unique mosaic of life with all its difficult, often tragic, but also joyful aspects.

That is why the National Museum in Lublin, which is working on the opening of the Museum of the Eastern Territories of the Former Commonwealth, asks you to share your memories and memorabilia connected with life in the Borderlands. We ensure that all donated items will be properly cared for and stored in conditions that will protect them from damage. The stories collected in the form of oral history will provide a unique opportunity to save authentic, individual memories. Before the Museum of the Eastern Territories of the Former Commonwealth opens its doors to visitors, the memorabilia and memories collected as part of the campaign will be presented on the museum portal that is currently being prepared, as well as temporary exhibitions and in book publications.

Together – and only thanks to the good will of the Donors – we can keep the memory of the Borderlands.

The campaign will take the form of a fundraiser from 14 September 2020 at the Lubomirscy Palace (Plac Litewski 3, 20-080 Lublin) – the future location of the Museum of the Eastern Territories of the Former Commonwealth.

If you are interested, please contact us at the phone number +48 726 022 100 and at the e-mail address: zbiorka@mnwl.pl.

Our employees will arrange a meeting at a time convenient for the Donors, during which it will be possible to donate memorabilia or record memories. The objects will be handed over in the form of a donation. The field collection points planned for November 2020 in Katowice and Wrocław, due to the epidemiological situation and restrictions introduced on 24 October will unfortunately not be launched. We will return to their organisation next year, as soon as the situation allows, which we will inform about on the website.

Due to the epidemiological situation, we assure you that we will make every effort to ensure that the transfer of memorabilia or memories takes place in safe conditions. Therefore, we encourage you to contact us in advance by phone and arrange the meeting time at the local collection point, in order to avoid the possible accumulation of an excessive number of people. We will provide all Donors visiting the collection point with protective equipment (masks, disinfectant, gloves). We encourage you to take part in the action despite the difficult conditions. 

The regulations of the campaign are available for download below.

Action under the honorary patronage of the Minister of Culture and National Heritage.