Museum in Łowicz

The Museum in Łowicz is located at Stary Rynek 5/7 in a historic building of the former seminary of missionary priests. The institution combines under one roof the history of the city, baroque art and the ethnography and folk culture of the Łowiczczyzna region, one of Poland's most recognisable folkloric areas.

The origins of the collection

The museum's collections owe their beginnings to Władysław Tarczyński, a collector who lived from 1845 to 1918 and made his collections available to the public in 1905. Two years later they were given the name Museum of Antiquities and Historical Mementos. From that point the collection grew with the addition of further departments, up to its present size.

History of the building

The building in which the museum operates was erected in 1689 as a seminary of missionary priests according to a design by the architect Tylman z Gameren, financed by Archbishop Michał Radziejowski. The seminary functioned there until 1820, when it moved to Warsaw. Later the building housed in succession a Piarist school, a technical school, a prison for insurgents and an Orthodox church. During the Second World War the building was severely damaged, with only one wing surviving. In 1950–1952 the remaining three wings were reconstructed, and the museum has had its seat here since the mid-1950s.

From the National Museum to independence

For decades the institution was under the administration of the National Museum in Warsaw. Only in 1995 did it gain independence and come under the management of the Łowicz County Starostwo [county administration], which runs it to this day.

What to see inside

The collection comprises approximately 15,000 objects. More than half consist of ethnographic items from the Łowicz region: folk costumes, paper-cut decorations, agricultural tools and household furniture, which is what Łowiczczyzna is best known for. Permanent exhibitions also include baroque art in Poland, the history of the city and region, and the Room of Remembrance of the Jews of Łowicz, dedicated to the pre-war Jewish community of the city.

Practical information

• Address: Stary Rynek 5/7, Łowicz.
• Getting there: public car park on Stary Rynek, with public transport stops nearby.
• The museum is open daily except Mondays, roughly 10:00–16:00; it is worth checking the exact opening hours on the museum website before visiting.
• What to expect: historic interiors of the former seminary, a rich ethnographic department featuring Łowicz costumes and paper-cut decorations, and an exhibition devoted to the history of the city and region.