Rogalin Armoury

Rogalin Armoury

A treasure trove of memorabilia from Wielkopolska, and the story about the Armoury in Rogalin. 

One of Edward Raczynski’s first initiatives  was the creation of the Neo-Gothic Armoury at the ancestral headquarters in Rogalin, which was of great merit for Poland in many respects. Situated in the former ballroom, it contained a collection of military and national souvenirs with a distinct regional character. These consisted, in fact, of the items collected by Raczynski from various sites in Wielkopolska, as well as objects related to outstanding leaders associated with this area. Among them, a special place is occupied by Krzysztof Arciszewski, born in Rogalin and later the Admiral of the Dutch Fleet and General of the Polish artillery, and Gen. J.H. Dąbrowski, Commander of the Wielkopolska campaign of 1794 and the owner of Wielkopolska Winnogóra, given to him by Napoleon for his services.  

The local palace housed a wonderful collection of maps, military items and books in general,, which were familiar to Raczynski  himself and may helped him decide on their method of display in the Armoury, as well as the degree of their public availability. The idea of honouring outstanding leaders could have come from Winnogóra and some of the choices may have been hers  due to the different political views of Raczynski. As an avowed monarchist, Edward  displayed weapons and memorabilia from the reigns of t Łokietek and Sobieski, who sought to secure the inheritance of the throne in Poland. 

The Rogalin Armoury formed part of a nationwide course of activities aimed at extracting from oblivion and preserving for posterity all the memorabilia which, in that age of lost independence, were to awaken memories of history and, as Raczynski wrote, to cover the current disaster and to defend against death. All of these memories and historical documents represented, in his opinion, the moral wealth of the Polish nation, which should be carefully protected.

Author: Ewa Leszczyńska