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M u s e u m |
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The showcase and an extraordinary tourist attraction of Siedliska is the country museum, established in the former primary school building. The inhabitants voluntarily reconstructed and renovated the interior to adapt the rooms for museum exhibits. The people of Siedliska gave to the museum their collections of fossilized wood, hunting trophies and old household equipment. The museum was opened on 21 June 2003 during the jubilee ceremonies of the 100th anniversary of the construction of the Roman Catholic church in Siedliska by prince Pawel Sapieha. The museum is presently looked after by the 'Our Siedliska' association, affiliating the people of Siedliska. New exhibits are permanently gathered and funds are raised for further development and promotion. The museum's basic goals is to preserve extremely valuable exhibits produced by nature and people as well as to ensure that they can be scientifically examined in detail. The number of exhibits is increased all the time, and thus a new floor will be built. The museum has three so-called thematic chambers. The largest (incorporating a few rooms) and the most important is the chamber of fossilized trees. It is particularly valuable, as this is the largest collection of this kind in Poland. It contains fragments of fossilized trees, impressive due to their size and beauty. The museum has about 500 exhibits of various shapes (from small slivers to 500-kilogram rocks) and different colours (white-yellowish, sand-beige, reddish, grey, grey-brown). The second chamber is the hunting chamber containing hunting trophies (various antlers, wild boar skins and a large wolf skin) as well as hunting equipment. The third chamber displays old household equipment. The exhibits include e.g. flails, spinning wheels, earthenware, kerosene lamps, troughs, woodworker's bench, flat irons. |
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Global Environment Facility – Small Grants Programms The Association for the Development of Siedliska 'Our Siedliska' was established by the village inhabitants on 7 March 2004. The mission of the Association is e.g. to support social initiatives affecting the economy, tourism, protection of cultural property as well as to support any activities to promote the village. The Association took organizational actions in order to protect fragments of fossilized tree, which are unique in the world. These actions will be implemented under the project: 'Fossilized Trees as an Opportunity for the Development of Siedliska and the Region'. The project is supposed e.g. to protect Tertiary fossils by developing the museum (expansion of the building and new equipment), and thereby inhibit plundering (ban on collection of exhibits, expansion of the 'Jalinka' reserve and preparation of a protection plan for the reserve). This project has been approved by the global environment fund - GEF/SGP, which has been present in Poland since 1994. The fund supports local initiatives related to environmental protection. The fund operates on the basis of UN funds, subsidizing ideas promoted by people fascinated by protection of local qualities and natural resources. The fund sponsored the plan with ca. 120,000 PLN. The fossilized tree protection project is an opportunity for the development of Siedliska, promotion of this region, and in consequence improvement in the local people's living standard. The example of Siedliska confirms that the commitment of people united by a common goal, in combination with assistance provided by the GEF/SGP fund, has proved successful and brought tangible benefits.
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The museum is presently located in the former school building; with the funds from the GEF/SGP program, it will be expanded and better adjusted to the growing collection, growing number of visitors, and will ensure that the museum will be able to perform a number of new functions. A conference room and a computer workshop will also be arranged next to spacious rooms with exhibits. The expansion project will already be finished by the end of this year. |
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