Muzeum Archeologiczne Środkowego Nadodrza w Świdnicy

About the museum

The archaeological collections of the region go back to the regional museums of Zielona Góra, Gubin and Nowa Sól in the twentieth century. After the Second World War, the first Polish research institution in this field was the archaeology department of the Muzeum Ziemi Lubuskiej, set up by Adam Kołodziejski, Edward Dąbrowski and Andrzej Marcinkian. The growing number of field studies and finds meant that a multi-department museum was no longer sufficient.

From 1 January 1982, visitors could see the exhibition rooms of the independent Muzeum Archeologiczne Środkowego Nadodrza, whose first director was Adam Kołodziejski. The museum is housed in a Renaissance manor house in Świdnica, and it also runs an archaeological station in Wicina.

The permanent exhibitions present the history of the Middle Oder region, from hunters and farmers of the Stone Age through Celtic and Roman influences in late antiquity to the early and late Middle Ages. A special place is held by the exhibition on Wicina, a Lusatian culture stronghold built around 700 BC in the marshes of the Lubsza wetlands and destroyed by the Scythians. Thanks to the layer of burnt debris, finds from around 2,500 years ago have survived. The rooms on the second floor also show everyday life and weapons from the time when the western border of the Piast state was defended.

Highlights

• Wicina exhibition: the metalworkers’ stronghold of 2,500 years ago
• Glass beads with a face motif from the period of Celtic influence
• Reconstructions of the lives of Stone Age hunters and farmers
• Weapons and horse harness from the Piast era, and tapestries showing battles
• Housed in a Renaissance manor house

Permanent exhibitions

• Wicina – gród metalurgów sprzed 2500 lat – The most notable finds from the excavations of the Lusatian culture stronghold at Wicina: ornaments of bronze, gold, glass and iron, weapons, tools and pottery.
• Środkowe Nadodrze u schyłku starożytności – The period from the 3rd century BC to the 5th century AD, with finds from Celtic and Roman influences, including glass beads bearing a human face motif.
• Łowcy i rolnicy epoki kamienia na Środkowym Nadodrzu – Reconstructions illustrating human life from the Late Palaeolithic to the end of the Neolithic.

Founded

1982

Director

Arkadiusz Michalak

Admission & discounts

Free admission: Friday: free admission to the main exhibition and the temporary exhibitions for individual visitors.

The ticket office accepts cash and payment cards, in złoty. Additional fees: a campfire costs PLN 70 plus PLN 5 per person; commercial photography or filming costs PLN 30.

Accessibility

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

Kids & families

• Family tours & workshops

The museum runs workshops and museum lessons for children and young people. Children under seven visiting individually do not pay admission, and on Fridays admission is free for individual visitors.

Getting there & parking

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

Amenities & dining

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

Events & venue rental

• Spaces for rent

The museum rents out selected rooms of the Renaissance manor house for educational, cultural, scientific and promotional events; the cost is agreed individually (tel. +48 68 327 31 13). The grounds can also be hired, for example for a campfire.

Plan your visit