Museum of Architecture in Wrocław

The Museum of Architecture in Wrocław, registered in the National Register of Museums, is the only institution of its kind in Poland. Its history dates back to 1965, when the institution was established in the rebuilt interiors of the former Bernardine monastery, with the aim of collecting and exhibiting artifacts related to architecture. Initially, the museum operated as part of the Museum of Wrocław, but it has been an independent institution since 1971. Currently, the museum is headed by Michał Duda. The museum holds approximately 25,000 objects, of which around five hundred are on permanent display. Its collections include architectural details, plans, maps, drawings, and photographs documenting the history of Wrocław. A particularly valuable exhibit is the Romanesque Tympanum of Jaksa from the Ołbin Abbey. The museum hosts permanent exhibitions on the medieval architecture of Wrocław and its urban development, as well as regularly organizing temporary exhibitions from both domestic and international institutions. The museum plays an important role as a cultural center, hosting concerts, theater performances, conferences, and meetings, including presentations of the most interesting Polish architectural projects as part of the "Gallery of One Project." Among its notable features is a unique stained glass department, which houses the oldest preserved stained glass in the country, dating back to the turn of the 12th and 13th centuries, as well as Gothic stained glass in their original medieval framework. The museum also serves as a venue for discussions on diploma theses by students of the Faculty of Architecture at the Wrocław University of Science and Technology and is counted among the founding members of the International Confederation of Architectural Museums (ICAM).