Awaiting Poland’s independence – Helena Dąbczańska’s activity as a book collector

Abstract

During the period following the Partitions of Poland, the partitioning powers took control of cultural institutions, using them to deprive Poles of their national identity. Therefore, an unofficial cultural life had to be organized by the Polish people themselves. The current paper presents the activities of Helena Dąbczańska (1863-1956), a well-known book collector from Lwów, who established a museum in her house. The museum held a large library, a collection of paintings, china, furniture and other works of art. Dąbczańska’s example shows how an energetic and committed individual could make an immense contribution to Polish culture during this period. The sources referred to in the article are H. Dąbczańska’s memoirs, the materials she bequeathed to the National Ossoliński Institute in Wrocław, the existing literature about the collector’s life and legacy, and the results of preliminary research conducted in several museums. During her lifetime, the collector transferred her collections to various museums. The largest portion of her legacy went to the National Museum in Kraków, the Industrial Museum in Kraków and the National Museum named after King John III in Lwów. Smaller bequests went to the Wielkopolska Museum in Poznań, the Podole Museum in Tarnopol and the Ethnographic Museum in Kraków. Today, artefacts from Dąbczańska’s collections are still on display in museums and libraries.