Muzeum Biblii Gutenberga i Sztuki Sakralnej w Pelplinie

About the museum

The beginnings of the museum collections of the Chełmno diocese are linked to the bishop’s palace in Pelplin and to Bishop Stanisław Wojciech Okoniewski, who after taking over the government of the diocese in 1926 reorganised its church and cultural life. The bishop was a lover and patron of art, and he remodelled the palace, built by the Prussian authorities in 1818, into a neoclassical residence to a design by Stefan Cybichowski.

In 1928 Okoniewski founded the diocesan museum, gathering valuable monuments of sacred art from the churches of the diocese in the palace and commissioning their conservation. Among the first exhibits were the 14th-century “Crucifixion from Lignów”, 15th-century Passion paintings from St John’s Basilica in Toruń, and a Gothic sculpture of Christ Crucified from Starogard Gdański. As the collections grew, some objects had to be kept in the palace basements.

The collection also includes a copy of an incunabulum from Gutenberg’s workshop from the mid-15th century, discovered in 1897 in the Diocesan Library in Pelplin and subjected in 2023 to research, digitisation and conservation. In 2026, the year of the 750th anniversary of the Cistercian heritage in Pelplin, the museum changed its name to the Museum of the Gutenberg Bible and Sacred Art.

On 26 May 2026 the first part of the new permanent exhibition “Wokół opactwa cysterskiego w Pelplinie” (Around the Cistercian Abbey in Pelplin) was opened, devoted to the history of the Cistercian order and the former abbey. It shows, among other things, conserved works, such as the medieval “Crucifixion from Lignów”.

Highlights

• Copy of the 15th-century Gutenberg Bible
• Medieval “Crucifixion from Lignów”
• Permanent exhibition “Wokół opactwa cysterskiego w Pelplinie” (Around the Cistercian Abbey in Pelplin)
• Medieval and early modern art, textiles and the treasury
• The museum’s conservation workshop

Permanent exhibitions

• Wokół opactwa cysterskiego w Pelplinie – The first part of the new permanent exhibition on the history of the Cistercians and the former abbey in Pelplin, with conserved works of art, including the “Crucifixion from Lignów”.
• Biblia Gutenberga – Presentation of the Pelplin copy of an incunabulum from Gutenberg’s workshop from the mid-15th century, discovered in 1897.

Founded

1928

Operated by

Diecezja Pelplińska

Director

ks. Krystian Feddek

Admission & discounts

The museum honours the Pomeranian Tourist Card (Pomorska Karta Turysty).

Accessibility

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

Kids & families

Great for kids & families

• Family tours & workshops

The museum runs an educational offer for children and young people, including the programme “Muzealny Detektyw” (Museum Detective), and offers discounts for children, pupils and families with the Large Family Card.

Getting there & parking

The museum is in a large, bright building of the Diocesan Curia, near the cathedral in Pelplin; directions with photographs are on the museum’s website.

Amenities & dining

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

Events & venue rental

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

Plan your visit