Archdiocesan Museum in Gdańsk

The Archdiocesan Museum in Gdańsk, opened on November 16, 1975, by Cardinal Karol Wojtyła and Bishop Lech Kaczmarek, is housed in the historic complex of the Cistercian monastery in Gdańsk-Oliwa, which operated from 1186 to 1831. The museum was established to mark the fiftieth anniversary of the Gdańsk diocese and initially focused on exhibiting sacred art, including paintings and sculptures, within the historic monastic interiors such as the refectory and the Oliwa Peace Hall. Between 1993 and 1999, conservation work was carried out, shifting the museum's focus toward the revalorization of the architectural merits of the monastery. Today, the museum showcases the most valuable architectural monuments from the 13th to the 15th centuries, including the chapter house, the refectory, and St. Mary's Chapel, all surrounding the cloister garden. An interesting fact is the planned adaptation of the former Cistercian prison for exhibition purposes, which, together with exhibitions in the lavatorium and cloisters, underscores the significance of this site as a complex of high cognitive and artistic value, rich in history and regional tradition.