Oprowadzanie po wystawie "Wspólnoty pracy i wiary. Cechy rzemieślnicze w miastach Prus Królewskich" w języku angielskim.
Zapraszamy na oprowadzanie po wystawie "Wspólnoty pracy i wiary. Cechy w miastach Prus Królewskich", opowiadającej o historii korporacji, które przez prawie tysiąc lat odgrywały pierwszoplanową rolę w europejskiej gospodarce i życiu społecznym.
Cechy były wspólnotami, które miały zapewniać bezpieczeństwo pracy i wzajemną pomoc, a ich znaczenie wykraczało daleko poza sferę zawodową, obejmując wiele codziennych spraw, takich jak opieka nad chorymi, sierotami i wdowami czy wspólna modlitwa. Łącząc pracę, życie rodzinne i społeczne, wiarę i politykę, cechy wywierały ogromny wpływ na funkcjonowanie dawnych społeczności.
Historia tych instytucji, pozornie oderwana od współczesnych realiów, daje okazję do refleksji na temat wielu istotnych dziś tematów, takich jak: wartość pracy ludzkich rąk, doskonalenie umiejętności czy wartość materiału i przedmiotu - tak istotne w czasach, gdy świat zalewany jest nietrwałymi, masowo porzucanymi rzeczami. Skłania też do refleksji nad ponadczasowym uwikłaniem człowieka w systemy gospodarcze i społeczne, które choć ulegają zmianie, borykają się ze wciąż powracającymi problemami - przywilejów, nierówności, chęci zysku czy potrzebą bezpieczeństwa.
Informacje praktyczne:- termin: 6.10.2024 (niedziela), godz. 13.00-14.00
- miejsce: Oddział Zielona Brama, Długi Targ 24, Gdańsk
- wstęp: w cenie biletu
- prowadzenie: Sara Rokicka
Guided tour of the exhibition: "Communities of Work and Faith: Guilds in the Cities of Royal Prussia"We invite our English-speaking guests to a guided tour of the exhibition
Communities of Work and Faith: Guilds in the Cities of Royal Prussia, which will take place on Sunday, October 6th at 1:00 PM.
The collections of the National Museum in Gdańsk and other museums in our region include many extraordinary items with unusual shapes and long-forgotten purposes, such as a cup made of European bison horn, a tin cannon with a single wheel, a small iron carriage, metal and wooden signs in the shape of barrels or arrows, as well as silver, tin and wooden cups, mugs and boxes. Many of them are engraved with the names of people who are now forgotten and various symbols showing, for example, ox heads, cogwheels, compasses and many other images. The oldest objects date back to the Middle Ages, the newest from the end of the 19th century.
These objects were used by members of associations that we call guilds. They were communities of people in the same profession, providing them with security and stability of work, as well as mutual assistance in case of problems in running these small enterprises. The functions and importance of guilds, however, went far beyond the professional sphere and included many everyday matters, such as care for the sick, orphans and widows, and participation in religious communities, expressed daily by common prayer.
We decided to show many preserved items of heritage in our museum collections and other museums in the region, related to the activities of guilds in the cities of former Royal Prussia, at a museum exhibition. We wanted to learn their stories and, through them, the stories of the people who used them. Together with a team of museum workers, historians, art historians and heritage conservators, we set off on a long journey visiting museums, historic churches, archives and libraries. We learned the story of a spoon maker who was allowed to sell his spoons in front of Artus Court in Gdańsk only due to his advanced age, a painter-inventor who other Gdańsk painters threatened with beatings and the destruction of his property, the mother of a deceased bricklayer who donated a watering can to the guild in exchange for her sons burial, a goldsmith who, thanks to the kings support, could ignore the complaints of his colleagues and a furrier who painted the interiors of local churches on behalf of a Toruń pastor. We also knocked on the doors of another Toruń furrier and a baker from Chojnice. Plus we wondered where the astronomer Hevelius got the money for his expensive research and where Arend Dickmann, the victor of the Battle of Oliwa, learned to sail.
These seemingly simple stories reveal a much more complex world that is intriguing also to present-day people. They make us think about how society and the economy function and the actual tools and obstacles to development. Just like former members of guilds or people excluded from them, we also support each other today. We try to ensure the safety of our families and friends, but on the other hand, we are confronted with inequality, monopolies and various limitations that hinder our development.
In an accompanying two-volume publication and some of the side events to the Communities of Work and Faith. Cities of Royal Prussia exhibition, we present the results of our several years of work. We reveal history, but we also encourage reflection on whether the world described by the presented heritage items and documents is sometimes not unlike our own and whether we do not have to face the same everyday challenges that the heroes of the stories we told did.
PRACTICAL INFORMATION:- when: Sunday, 6 October 2024, 13:00-14:00
- where: Green Gate, Długi Targ 24, Gdańsk
- an entry ticket to the exhibition is required
- tour guide: Sara Rokicka
