They Restore Historic Monuments and Promote Museum Work

For many years, the regional self-government has recognized the best museum projects in the region, as well as honoring individuals and institutions for conservation and restoration work carried out on historic monuments in the Kujawsko-Pomorskie Region. Today (September 8), at a gala ceremony held at the Copernicus Regional Library in Toruń to present the Musejon statuettes and Hereditas Saeculorum medals, Marshal Piotr Całbecki congratulated the award recipients.

“The Hereditas Saeculorum and Musejon awards share a commitment to preserving our past. I would like to thank all those who work every day to protect the region’s cultural heritage – professional conservators, as well as private owners and investors. It is your love of history that allows us to admire the rich heritage of Kujawy and Pomorze. I would also like to thank museum professionals for their ability to pass knowledge of history on to successive generations. Today’s awards are proof of the high standard of the exhibitions being organized,” Marshal Piotr Całbecki emphasized.

The regional self-government presented the Musejon Award for the seventh time. The jury evaluated 22 entries and presented awards in three categories:

Category I – Exhibition

The award went to the District Museum in Toruń for the temporary exhibition Everything for Ladies. Fashion Accessories 1830–1940.

Honorable mentions:

• The Centre of Contemporary Art “Znaki Czasu” in Toruń for the temporary exhibition Art Jewellery
• The Maria Znamierowska-Prüfferowa Ethnographic Museum in Toruń for the temporary exhibition Images at the Turn of the Century. Naïve Art and Art Brut from the Collections of the Ethnographic Museum in Toruń, 1975–2025

Category II – Research and Publishing

The award went to the Museum of the Kujawy and Dobrzyń Regions in Włocławek for Krystyna Kotula’s publication Aleksander Laszenko 1883–1944.

Honorable mentions:

• The Leon Wyczółkowski District Museum in Bydgoszcz for the exhibition Maksymilian Antoni Piotrowski (1813-1875) in Bydgoszcz and in European Salons
• The Kujawsko-Pomorskie Heritage Centre in Toruń for the scholarly publication Landowners’ Collections and Holdings. History – Research – Sources

Category III – Education and Regional Studies

The statuette went to the Maria Znamierowska-Prüfferowa Ethnographic Museum in Toruń for the project The Heritage of Jewish Communities in the Kujawsko-Pomorskie Region.

Honorable mentions:

• The Museum of the Kujawy and Dobrzyń Regions in Włocławek for the project Kujawy Embroidery – Let Us Preserve and Save It with Folk Artist Krystyna Zagrabska
• The Jan Kasprowicz Museum in Inowrocław for the project Around Beekeeping

The Honorary Musejon statuettes were awarded to:

• Wiesława Wolna – historian, ethnographer and museum professional, senior curator at the Leon Wyczółkowski District Museum in Bydgoszcz; an outstanding researcher of folk art, including that of the Pałuki, Kujawy, Tuchola Forests, Kociewie, Krajna and Kashubia regions; co-creator of the ethnographic collection at the Bydgoszcz museum, jury member in folklore and folk-art competitions, and author of numerous scholarly and popular-science publications.
• Teresa Okoniewska – ethnographer and retired curator at the Maria Znamierowska-Prüfferowa Ethnographic Museum in Toruń, where she worked in the Architecture Department from 1981. She actively contributed to the development of the Ethnographic Park in Toruń. She is the author of exhibition concepts and arrangements for the open-air museum, numerous studies on the folk culture of Kujawy, Chełmno Land, the Dobrzyń Land, Kociewie and the Tuchola Forests, and co-author of numerous temporary ethnographic exhibitions.

Hereditas Saeculorum medals

The Hereditas Saeculorum medals were presented for the fifteenth time, in two categories.

Category I – Conservation and Restoration Works

1. The owners of the complex of three tenement houses at 6 Mostowa Street in Toruń for conservation and restoration work on the front and courtyard façades, including the restoration and enhancement of the floral sgraffito decoration.
   • Małgorzata Janas – authorized representative and property manager
   • ARTE Konserwacja Zabytków – contractor
2. Zbójno Municipality for conservation and construction work on the palace in Zbójno, built between 1850 and 1860 to a design by Henryk Marconi.
   • Katarzyna Kukielska – Mayor of Zbójno Municipality
   • Dach Expert – contractor
   • Jardej sp. z o.o. – contractor

Honorable mention:

The Roman Catholic Parish of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross in Lisewo for the comprehensive technical and aesthetic conservation of the main altar.

Category II – Outstanding Achievements in the Care and Protection of Historic Monuments

Henryk Stanisław Ratajczak for his scholarly and educational achievements developed through many years of work at the Department of Conservation at the Faculty of Fine Arts of Nicolaus Copernicus University, particularly for leading documentation projects concerning Toruń’s historic architecture, especially timber-frame construction, architectural details and roof structures, as well as for his active participation in the team preparing the nomination documentation for the inscription of medieval Toruń on the UNESCO World Heritage List.

Beata Krzemińska
Spokesperson of the Marshal’s Office

September 8, 2026