Palace Interiors

The permanent exhibition at the Muzeum Tradycji Szlacheckiej in Waplewo Wielkie presents palace interiors, recreated in the spirit of the originally arranged spaces from the time of the former owners, the Sierakowski family of the Ogończyk coat of arms, and their predecessors. The Waplewo interiors breathe the atmosphere of a noble seat, whose owners, in keeping with the spirit of their age, regarded their home not only as a family retreat but also as an oasis of Polishness on land held by the Prussian partitioner, and as a substitute for a museum, an institution that raised the level of knowledge about art and shaped national identity.

Vestibule loosely references the vestibules of Gdańsk interiors. The hunting trophies on display, both local and exotic, attest to the hunting privilege enjoyed by the owners and invite visitors into the noble seat, beginning the tour with the representative part.

Billiard Room, one of three sitting rooms arranged in an enfilade, displays furniture for games: a chess table and a bridge table with a fold-out top. Drawing on the account of Andrzej Sierakowski, son of the last owners, the walls are decorated with family portraits which, thanks to the museum's holdings and the gift of Izabella Sierakowska-Tomaszewska, the last of the Sierakowski line, returned to the ancestral seat. One of the most valuable portraits is the likeness of Stanisław Sołtan, painted by the outstanding portraitist Jan Chrzciciel Lampi.

White Hall, serving as a salon, showcases European painting. Pictures of diverse artists and painting genres, hung in three rows, cover entire walls in keeping with the fashion of the second half of the 19th century. Thanks to the generosity of the last of the Sierakowski line, most of the walls are adorned with canvases from the former Waplewo collection. Richly decorated mirrors with large panes of glass lend a representative character, suitable for balls and formal social gatherings.

In the Gdańsk Hall, as its name suggests, the main exhibits are Gdańsk furniture, Elbląg craftsmanship and Dutch cabinets, which were once taken for works by Gdańsk craftsmen. Appealing to the idea of protecting Gdańsk craftsmanship, Maria z Sołtanów Sierakowska installed fronts of old Gdańsk cabinets in place of the doors leading to the Dining Room and Library. Visitors can also admire an original ceiling from 1896 and a historic fireplace from the 17th century, acquired by the Sierakowskis from the Elbląg town hall.

Corner Parlour is an example of a room furnished in the style of the turn of the 18th and 19th centuries. The walls received upholstery of fabric following patterns of that period, with which furniture in a similar aesthetic corresponds. The interior is named after Marianna z Granowskich Lubomirska, who supported the Sierakowskis with her inheritance. In the room, a votive offering to a benefactor aunt, a sculpture depicting her and paintings from her collection were once displayed, of which an image of Christ survived (exhibited in the parlour).

In the Dining Room, as in the Gdańsk Hall, the doors to the Sideboard imitate doors once made from an old Gdańsk cabinet. The walls, according to the recollections of household members and guests staying at Waplewo, are decorated with royal portraits that inspired diners to talk about the glorious past of the Commonwealth. The room displays valuable examples of Meissen, Vienna and Berlin tableware, as well as original damask table napkins bearing the Ogończyk coat of arms.

The Master and Mistress's Bedrooms and the Study and Chancery, called the Armoury, located in the private part of the manor house, are furnished with everyday objects. Here we see bed linen decorated with the coronet of rank granted to comital families, toilet sets, chamber pots which, in the absence of sewerage, served daily hygiene, and desk accessories and inkwells indispensable for the daily administration of the estate, as well as devotional objects. The rooms are decorated with paper wallpapers in the style of the second half of…