The Asia and Pacific Museum in Warsaw: 1973-1995

The Asia and Pacific Museum in Warsaw is the only Polish institution of its kind that promotes knowledge about the cultural heritage of the nations of Asia, Australia and Oceania. Its aim is to spread reciprocal learning, cooperation and friendship between nations.
The museum, which is state-owned, was founded in 1973 on the basis of a private collection of oriental art amassed and later donated to the Polish State by Andrzej Wawrzyniak -- Museum founder and its life-long director/curator-in-chief.
Andrzej Wawrzyniak -- sailor, diplomat, explorer and collector -- first saw Asia at the age of eighteen as an officer in the Polish Merchant Navy. After graduating from the Foreign Service School in Warsaw he joined the Polish diplomatic service and spent twenty-six years in Asia with postings in Vietnam, Indonesia, Laos, Nepal, Afghanistan, and visiting other Asian countries. In 1973 he was promoted to the diplomatic rank of Minister Plenipotentiary. At home and abroad, Andrzej Wawrzyniak is a recognized auhority in the field of Oriental Studies. He is a member of the Oriental Committee of the Polish Academy of Sciences, vice- president and co-founder of the International Association of Friends of Angkor Vat, president of the Polish-Nepalese Friendship Society etc.
In 1994, the Asia and Pacific Museum collection in 1994 contained 14,6809 artefacts, most of them originating from Indonesia, but including numerous items from Armenia, Australia, Bangladesh, Burma, China, Iran, Japan, Kazakhstan, the Maldives, Pakistan, Papua New Guinea, the Philippines, Russia (Asian part), Singapore, Tadzhikistan, Tahiti, Thailand, Turkey, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan and Vanuatu,

Exhibitions
To March 1995, the Museum has held 426 exhibitions not only at its two Warsaw galleries - - the Nusantara gallery, and the Asian Gallery -- but in over sixty other towns in Poland and in Afghanistan, China, Czech Republic, Germany, India, Indonesia, Nepal, Pakistan, Papua New Guinea, Russia, Slovakia, Sri Lanka, Sweden, Tahiti, Thailand, and Vietnam.
Most exhibitions have been supplemented by valuable catalogues and posters designed by outstanding Polish artists. Those posters, that have received Polish and/or international awards, form their own separate collection -- The Asia and Pacific Museum Posters.
Besides the exhibitions regular lectures, filmshows, theatrical spectacles, concerts, lessons for Warsaw school students, celebrations of national days, countries' weeks and so forth are organized. Since 1990 the Museum has held year-long exhibitions and organized special programmes -- "Year of...": Indonesia (1990); Mongolia (1991); China (1992); India (1993); Pacific (1994) and Vietnam (1995). It will continue to do so.
The Museum's Asian Library has in excess of 10,000 books, periodicals, microfilms, video- cassettes, records, slides and so forth. It operates an information network of books on Asian and Pacific countries with other public and private libraries. The Asian Library is supplied by exchange publications with Polish and foreign partner institutions.
The Asia and Pacific Museum Yearbook "Orient" volume 1, was issued in 1990. Unfortunately, due to lack of funds, further publications have been suspended.
The Museum cooperates with several hundred persons and partner institutions -- museums, universities, research institutes, NGOs in 101 countries all over the world.
Apart from the insufficient financial support, that has affected all cultural institutions in Poland, the Asia and Pacific Museum's most burning problem is lack of space for its collections which would allow their permanent exhibition. The municipal authorities, acting on behalf of the Polish State at the time when Andrzej Wawrzyniak donated his collection, committed themselves to building special premises to house the artefacts. In 1993, in conjunction with celebrations to mark the Museum's twentieth anniversary, the twentieth anniversary of this still unrealized obligation was also observed.
Despite the obstacles, however, the Asia and Pacific Museum in Warsaw has achieved its objectives of intercultural education and understanding about Asia and Pacific and it plans to expand this role.

The Asia and Pacific Museum
24, Solec Str
00-403 Warsaw
Poland
Tel: +48-2-296724

Nusantara Gallery
18a, Nowogrodzka Street
Warsaw

Asian Gallery
5 Freta Street
Warsaw 




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