International cooperation of the Museum of King Jan III’s Palace at Wilanów
Since June 2006, the Museum of King Jan III’s Palace at Wilanów has been active in the Network of European Royal Residences, participating in the exchange of information and experiences between specialists from various countries – in the areas of scientific research, conservation, documentation, educational programmes, social communication, security and others. The Network, registered as the Association of European Royal Residences (ARRE), with its offices at the Palace of Versailles, brings together 30 cultural institutions that administer royal residences in 15 countries: Austria (Schloss Schönbrunn), Belgium (Palais de Charles Quint), Denmark (Kongernes Samling), Spain (Patrimonio Nacional), Netherlands (Het Loo Paleis), France (Versailles, Chambord, Compiègne), Monaco (Prince’s Palace), Germany (Stiftung Preussische Schloesser und Gaerten), Poland (in addition to the Museum of King Jan III’s Palace in Wilanów – the Royal Castle in Warsaw and the Royal Łazienki Museum), Portugal (Mafra, Parques de Sintra – Monte da Lua), Sweden, United Kingdom (Historic Royal Palaces), Hungary (Gödöllő) and Italy (Venaria Reale, Racconigi, Turin, Caserta, Naples, Monza). As part of the European Year of Cultural Heritage 2018, the Network carried out the joint project “A Place at the Royal Table”, through which we intended to promote knowledge about historical cuisine and customs associated with the culture of the table, understanding taste and shaping culinary heritage in European tradition. More information about the Network: www.europeanroyalresidences.eu/
The following are some of the workshops and projects carried out as part of the Network of European Royal Residences with the participation of Polish specialists – staff of the Museum of King Jan III’s Palace in Wilanów:
- Technical meeting "Preservation of wall hangings", Danish Royal Collection, 14-15 November 2022
- Technical meeting "Management of big projects", Danish Agency for Culture and Palaces, 13-14 October 2022
- Technical meeting "Digitalization in the middle of the pandemic crises", Schönbrunn Palace, 6-7 October 2022
- Management Meeting / General Assembly 2022, Palace of Versailles, 24-25 March 2022
- Technical meeting "Lighting in Royal Residences", Potsdam, 27-28 February 2020
- Technical meeting "Commercial Development", Gödöllö, 14-15 November 2019
- European Showcase “A Place at the Royal Table”, Brussels, 26-27 September 2019
- Technical meeting "Augmented reality", Sintra, 4-5 April 2019
- Technical Meeting – Micro-Folie – the digital museum, Paris 11-13 October 2018
- Technical Meeting „Royal Kitchen Garden”; Copenhagen 22-23 March 2018
- Technical meeting “Present the ‘hidden’ collections: the ‘open storages’” – a seminar organised by the Museum of King Jan III’s Palace in Wilanów team with participation of specialists from Germany, Portugal, Russia, Italy and France, 22–23 February 2018
- Technical meeting “Sharing experience in the daily management of an archaeological site, open to the public” – organised at the Coudenberg Palace in Brussels, 9–10 November 2017
- Technical meeting “How to strengthen the learning potential of historical residences? Good practices and recommendations” – organised by the Royal Łazienki Museum team, 21–22 September 2017.
- Technical meeting “Tourism promotion, Group Tourism” – seminar organised in the Caserta Royal Palace in Italy, 6–7 April 2017.
- Technical meeting “ARRE Corporate image” – 16–17 February 2017, at Het Loo Paleis – discussions on enhancing promotion of ARRE activities through changing the visual identification and active communication with the public.
- ARRE workshop – second meeting regarding organisation of the “A Place at the Royal Table” project, joint action as part of “European Cultural Heritage Year 2018 – Sharing Heritage”, Het Loo Paleis, 15 February 2017.
- Technical meeting “Site security” at the Tower of London, 5–6 December 2016, meeting dedicated to the threats posed by terrorist attacks.
- Technical meeting “Organizing and hosting events in royal residences”, discussion regarding the opportunities and challenges associated with public events in royal residences,
Château Chambord, 15–16 November 2016. - ARRE workshop – “European Cultural Heritage Year 2018 – Sharing Heritage”, 18 October 2016, Charlottenburg; discussion about the joint project to be carried out as part of ARRE in 2018, the European Heritage Year. Creation of “A Place at the Royal Table” project.
- Technical meeting ARRE – Reggia di Venaria Reale Palace, meeting subject: “Sharing communities. Projects and practices for a shared strategy in social and digital communication and others digital uses”, 30–31 May 2016
- ARRE annual general meeting – Museum of King Jan III’s Palace at Wilanów, 21–22 May 2015.
- Technical meeting ARRE – Potsdam Palace, meeting subject: “Let there be light! Lighting and its Impact on Historic Interiors”, 5–6 February 2015.
- Technical meeting ARRE – Le Centre de recherche du château de Versailles, meeting subject: “Research and royal residences”, 20–21 November 2014.
- Technical meeting ARRE – Château Chambord, meeting subject: “Refurnishing Palaces and Castles”. 16–19 November 2014.
- Conference co-organised by ICOM – DEMHIST and ARRE in Compiegne (France), subject: “Authenticity in the Conservation of Historic Houses and Palace-Museums”, 7–11 October 2014.
- ARRE annual general meeting in Mafra (Portugal) – 22–23 May 2014. The studio portion of the trip was devoted to gathering knowledge about the work of Portugal cultural institutions (exhibition organisation, social communication, education).
- ARRE board meeting – Mafra (Portugal) – 21 May 2014.
- ARRE Technical Meeting: „Using GIS (Geographic Information System) to improve maintenance of a historic residence” – 20–21 February at the Museum of King Jan III’s Palace at Wilanów, with the participation of representatives of Château de Versailles, Historic Royal Palaces, Stiftung Preußische Schlösser und Gärten, Wilanów Palace Museum.
- ARRE technical meeting – „Improving our Knowledge of visitors to the European Royal Residences”: 7–8 November 2013. Presentation by museum staff: “Gaining an interest – implementation of public survey results in the cultural and education offer”.
- Technical meeting ARRE „Entering the digital age: European royal residences and E-strategies”, Gödöllő in Hungary, 10-20 September 2013. Presentation by museum staff: “Primus inter pares” exhibition website, mobile museum applications.
- Seminar at the Polish Academy of Sciences Scientific Station in Paris with participation of experts from the Château de Versailles and the Wilanów Palace Museum, “Polish-French relations at the turn of the 17th and 18th centuries through the lens of the Wilanów Palace”, 18 June 2013.
- Seminar at the Polish Academy of Sciences Scientific Station in Vienna with participation of experts from Schloss Schönbrunn and the Wilanów Palace Museum, “Schönbrunn and Wilanów. Conservation of historical wall tapestries and preventative conservation in historical royal residences”, 11 March 2013.
- Exchange of experts: the “Sharing Skills in Europe” project, financed by the Leonardo da Vinci Programme, provided an internship for 8 employees of the Wilanów Palace Museum (2010–2012), and a further 8 employees in 2013. The four-week internships took place at Versailles, Hampton Court, Mafra and Schloss Schönbrunn. Within the framework of the same programme, 6 specialists from French and Austrian museums took part in internships in Wilanów (in the field of preventive conservation and care of architectural monuments). You can read about the Wilanów employees’ internships on the Leonardo in Wilanów blog.
- Friederisiko – Friedrich der Grosse – international workshops for the ARRE network on exhibition interpretation in Potsdam; 7 participants (2012).
- ARRE Study Days – week-long training for ARRE members; 5 museum employees took part in an intensive training in Potsdam (2011).
- DEHRR educational project (heritage classes and museum education) implemented in cooperation with Chambord, Versailles and Schloss Schönbrunn, funded by the Culture programme (2010-2012).
- Research programmes concerning providing access to collections and facilities (including preventive maintenance and microbiology in the museum).
Other international cooperation programmes and projects (selected examples):
The “Citri et Aurea” project (2019=2020) was conceived as a collaboration between the Museum of King Jan III’s Palace in Wilanów and the Uffizi Galleries – Boboli Gardens in Florence in the field of historical citrus collections. The Boboli Gardens have a unique collection of citruses, including species and varieties dating back to Medici times. The project has become a springboard for the deepening of knowledge about Italian and Polish horticultural links and for the exchange of knowledge and experience in the field of citrus collection creation and cultivation.
In 2015, the Museum of King Jan’s III Palace at Wilanów established research and popularisation cooperation with the National Historical Archive of Belarus in Minsk in order to develop and make available extremely valuable archival materials related to the history of the Sobieski family, which are held by the Archive. The cooperation between the two institutions is supported financially by the Polish Ministry of Culture and National Heritage.
Experts from Wilanów participate in the programmes of the Zhovkva Reserve of Architecture and History in Ukraine in the field of public communication, research on the Sobieski family legacy, revitalisation and conservation of the castle (most recently architectural research commissioned by the Ministry of Culture and National Heritage). More about the project – here.
We are expanding cooperation with Wincklemann-Gesellshaft EV/Wincklemann Museum Stendal in Saxony-Anhalt/Germany – implementation of the “Johann Joachim Winckelmann (1717-1768) and Stanisław Kostka Potocki (1755-1821). Masters and students” project, with the aim of carrying out research on the sources of aesthetic, educational, collector and museum concepts of German and Polish precursors and the reception of their ideas in Central Europe. The cooperation consists of scientific exchange, didactic and promotional activities and obtaining funds for the implementation of projects; scientific conferences presenting the experience and achievements gained are organised, publications of the research achievements developed by both parties are published.
The project is managed by a committee composed of: http://www.winckelmann-gesellschaft.com/winckelmann_jubilaeen_20172018/archiv/, more on the ongoing project: http://www.casadigoethe.it/images/stories/pdf/flyerwinckelmann.pdf
Ongoing cooperation in the field of the safety of people and collections is carried out by the Museum of King Jan III’s Palace at Wilanów within the framework of the International Committee Museum Security ICOM Partners: Czech Republic, France, The Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Sweden and Italy. In 2018, the book Muzeum Bezpieczne [Safe Museum] was prepared for publication in the “Muzeologia” series.
Planning Extended Museums (cultural & natural heritage – society – economy – land & townscape), cooperation of the National ICOM committees from Austria, Czech Republic, Poland and Slovakia within the framework of implementing of the assumptions of the ICOM Resolution “Museum Responsibility for Landscape” adopted in Milan on 9 July 2016. A long-term programme, including conferences and publications (two of them have been already published in the “Muzeologia” series); our task was to organise the MUSEUMS AND IDENTITIES / MUZEA I TOŻSAMOŚĆ conference, which took place on 21–23 November 2018 at the Museum of King Jan III’s Palace at Wilanów. We received a Getty/ICOM grant for its implementation.
Cooperation within the framework of the “Culture and Local Development. Maximising the Impact” project, implementation 2018-2019, 9 countries: Czech Republic, France, Netherlands, India, Canada, Poland, United Kingdom, USA, Italy – OECD and ICOM. The project, financed in 2018 by the Ministry of Infrastructure and Development, involves studying museums in terms of their impact on local and economic development.
From 7 July to 1 November 2017, an exhibition entitled “Jan III Sobieski. A Polish King in Vienna” was held in the Winter Palace in Vienna. Work on its preparation began in 2014, and the main organizer of the exhibition was the Museum und Schloss Belvedere. On the Polish side, the preparations involved four royal residences (Royal Łazienki Museum, Museum of King Jan III’s Palace at Wilanów, Royal Castle in Warsaw, Wawel Castle).
Staff of the Museum of King Jan III’s Palace at Wilanów offer their experience to Lithuanian partners managing the Trakai National Historical Park on commission of the Ministry of Culture and National Heritage. The cooperation consists in conservation expertise and the introduction of educational projects in Lithuania, including nature projects, which work well in the Wilanów Museum, as well as in the joint organisation of exhibitions. We continue to cooperate in the field of social communication and research of the identity of the place (organisation of seminars and public debates) within the framework of the Genius Loci association, which includes people involved in exchanges from both institutions, on both sides of the border. Frequent working meetings are held in Poland and Lithuania, also devoted to the creation of cultural industries. Six people from the Museum of King Jan III’s Palace at Wilanów participate in the program.
As a result of cooperation with Staatliche Kunstsammlung Dresden, Porzellansammlung, within the framework of the “Meissen porcelain in the 18th century for the nobility and aristocracy in Poland” research project, the database of the Meissen products from 1710 to 1814 is available on the Wilanów Palace Museum website.
Under the Agreement between the Government of the Polish People’s Republic and the Government of the Italian Republic on Scientific and Technical Cooperation signed in Warsaw on 27 November 1960, the Wilanów Palace Museum, together with the Palazzo Reale di Napoli and Seconda Universita’ di Napoli, implemented in 2013-2014 the project “QR-code in museums: technology for cultural heritage promotion”, concerning the use of QR code technology in residential museums.
Experimental 3D digitisation and conservation of antique silk fabrics are the subject of scientific and conservation network cooperation with several institutions in the European Union.
“Mobility of collections”, Berlin, Hamburger Bahnhof (headquarters of the Institute for Museum Research of Berlin State Museums) – 3-4 June 2013, participation of the museum in a conference summarising and attempting to outline the prospects for the continuation of the work of the Working Group of the European Commission on the evaluation of ways and means to simplify the lending process in the EU (operating for the years 2011-2012 and bringing together delegates from all EU Member States).
