Located in the historic centre of Rapperswil, the Library of the Polish National Museum is a treasure trove of knowledge about Polish history and culture. The fate of its collection reflects the challenges accompanying the functioning of many Polish cultural institutions abroad.

The fate of the Library's pre-war collection

The history of the Library of the Polish National Museum in Rapperswil is closely linked to the origins of the Museum, founded in 1870 by Count Władysław Broël-Plater (1808-1889). At the turn of the 18th century, the library collection outnumbered the museum collection and became the largest Polish library in exile. The collection was stored on the second floor of the Rapperswil castle, occupying as many as 14 rooms and a cloister. The collection included, among others, 91,000 prints, 27 manuscripts, 1,400 maps and atlases and 10,000 photographs.

After Poland regained independence in 1918, in accordance with the will of the founder, the Sejm decided to transport the collection to Poland, which was done in 1927. Only 45 manuscripts survived and were donated to the National Library.

The Rapperswil Library today

The present collection of the Rapperswil Library has been systematically assembled since the 1970s. Since 1987, the Library has been housed in the historic "Burghof" building, located near the castle hill. The "Burghof" tenement house, owned by the Polish Libertas Cultural Foundation, is one of the most picturesque buildings in the area.

The Library's space has been divided into a reading room with a book depository and archive, and rooms with an exhibition of selected Polonica. The premises adjacent to the reading room contain, among others, gifts from the collection of the director of the Polish section of Radio Free Europe - Jan Nowak-Jeziorański, including documents related to his activities, war memorabilia, 18th century maps, royal correspondence and works of art, including lithographs with images of Polish soldiers from the period of the November Uprising. Prominent among the objects on display are paintings by Zofia Dembowska-Romerowa and documents relating to the Borderlands, a donation by the Romer family of Tytuvėnai. The décor is complemented by French furniture in the style of Louis XV and XVI, donated by Julian Godlewski.

The profile of the Library's book collection is closely related to the subject matter of the Polish Museum collection. The Library collects materials on the Polish diaspora in Switzerland, valuable old prints, including the second edition (Basel 1566) of Nicolaus Copernicus' 1543 work De revolutionibus orbium coelestium, as well as cartographic and iconographic collections.

The holdings come mainly from private donations from patrons such as Michał Count Potulicki, Jerzy Seweryn, Józef Mackiewicz and Barbara Toporska and Roman Umiastowski, among others.

The Library is currently facing the challenge of the decision to liquidate it. Intensive work is underway to transfer the collection to the Ossolineum Library, run by the Ossoliński National Institute in Wrocław.