Vase

The history of Western Pomerania is foremost the history of a region in which the fates of different nations and cultures have intertwined over the centuries. The Polish people became tied to this place for good in 1945. As a result of the events of the Second World War and the political decision for an unprecedented total population exchange, the history of this region was largely moulded by the fate of the newly arrived settlers. Some came here because they had been resettled from their home villages in the Kresy (Eastern Borderlands), while others were returning from forced labour in Germany. Regardless of their motives, the newcomers undertook the hardship of adapting to alien, and extremely difficult conditions. Among the first settlers was Helena Kurcyusz (1914-1999), a Polish architect, town planner, painter and cultural promoter. Deciding to stay in Szczecin, she moved into a villa at ul. Stanisława Wyspiańskiego 7, taking over the furniture, appliances and tableware left there by the exiled residents, including a porcelain vase made by the Rosenthal porcelain factory, the products of which are still extremely popular around the world and are at the same time the epitome of luxury and elegance. The artefact, alongside other personal effects, was donated to the collection of the National Museum in Szczecin after the death of Helena Kurcyuszowa in 1999. Anna Lew-Machniak