Polish archaeological museum activity in Halychyna and Western Volhynia during the interwar period of the XX century

The article examines the archaeological activities of Polish museums in Halychyna and Western Volhynia in the period between the two world wars. The archaeological activities of museum employees and their participation in the museum activity are highlighted, in particular, work with archaeological materials, replenishment of stock collections and inventory, field research, participation of museum employees in various scientific events, etc. The general principles of archaeological museology in western Ukraine under the legislation of interwar Poland are traced. Regulation of the activities of these cultural and educational institutions by the temporary law on museums, which was developed in April 1918 by the Department of Art of the Ministry of Religions and Public Education is analyzed. Attention is focused on the development of archaeology in the Dzieduszycki Museum and the Museum of Prehistory of the Cherven Land (1936) in Lviv, the Pokuttian Museum in Stanislaviv, and the Volhynian Museum in Lutsk. It is important that in Western Volhynia the Volhynian Museum was the leading institution in the development of archaeology. Smaller collections were accumulated by county museums (Zalishchyky, Terebovlya, Chortkiv). The activity of the Prehistoric Department of the Dzieduszycki Museum was traced and it was established that in the interwar period of the 20th century the archaeological branch of this institution's activity significantly weakened compared to the pre-war years. Special attention is paid to the creation of a specialized archaeological Museum of Prehistory of the Cherven Land based on Polish museums in Lviv. This museum was never opened. The archaeological collections were transferred to the Lviv Historical Museum, where they are still kept with the appropriate codes, and by order of April 11, 1940, the Museum of Prehistory of the Cherven Land was finally liquidated. The emphasis is made on the archaeological activities of the Pokuttian Museum in Stanislaviv during the directorship of Józef Grabowski. Its participation in excavations in cooperation with Lviv archaeologists T. Sulimirski and M. Smishko is highlighted. Attention is drawn to excavations conducted in Bratyshiv, Tlumach County, Vovchynka, and Komarov. The field and stock activity of the Volhynian Museum in Lutsk under the leadership of Zygmunt Leski and Jan Fitzke is highlighted. During 1936–1939, several archaeological expeditions of the museum were carried out, which significantly replenished the archaeological collections of the institution, as well as enriched the archaeological map of Western Volhynia with newly discovered sites. Small archaeological collections that existed in the county museums of Halychyna (Zalishchyky, Chortkiv) and Volhynia (Kremenets) are also presented. These institutions collaborated with Lviv archaeologists, conducted minor field research, and replenished the museum collections with materials from them

Ancient history · Archaeology · Art · Interwar period · World War II · Ancient and Medieval Archaeology Studies · History · Polish Historical and Cultural Studies · Polish-Jewish Holocaust Memory Studies

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