Tatra Museum Hand In Hand With European Institutions

Muzeum Tatrzańskie (The Tatra Museum) signed a letter of intent yesterday (Nov. 27th) commencing cooperation with eight European mountain museums. The institutions aim for establishing an international society of mountain museums' union and joining forces in acquiring EU cultural grants in years 2014-2020.

As Anna Wende-Surmiak, the director of the Tatra Museum told Polish Press Agency (PAP), the meeting took place in Turin, Italy. Apart from the Tatra Museum in Zakopane, the museums represented at the meeting were: the Alpenverein-Museum, Innsbruck, Austria, the Alpines Museum der Schweiz, Bern, Switzerland, the Alpines Museum, Munich, Germany, the Musee Alpin, Chamonix, France, the Slovenski Planinski Muzej, Mojstrana, Slovenia, and the Servei General d'Informacio de Muntanya, Sabadell, Spain. The meeting was hosted by Aldo Audisio, the director of Museo Nazionale della Montagna in Turin.

Opened in 1889, the Zakopane facility is the second oldest establishment in the group after the Museo Nazionale della Montagna, Turin (est. 1874). Also, the Zakopane museum is also the largest one, comprising of eight branches and three art galleries.

"It was the first meeting of mountain museums' directors ever" told PAP director Wende-Surmiak. "It allowed us to exchange experience, define common needs and cooperation opportunities, as well as establish personal contacts beetween the directors. Owing to such networking, the Tatra Museum hopes to expand its international cooperation, and also to present the Polish Tatra culture abroad, and bring in Alpine culture to Zakopane as well" the director said.

Also, during the meeting a schedule for annual meetings, as well as exhibition exhange programme was established. "In the near future we would like to present our ethnographic collection in the Alpines Museum der Schweiz in Bern, and to bring in to Zakopane their exhibition demonstration some very intreresting projects of Alpine mountain hostels" revealed Wende-Surmiak.

The letter of intent will also allow the European mountain museums to accomplish joint educational and cultural projects, as well as employees' exchange. 

The fruit of the Tatra Museum's international cooperation is the November exhibition of Zakopane collection in Turin, entitled "Tatra Meetings. The Tourist and Sports Posters from 1900-1950".