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Handover of the crucifix – thanks to the donors
Recently, thanks to a partnership with the Division for the Restitution of Cultural Property within the Department of Cultural Heritage of the Ministry of Culture and National Heritage, and the ongoing ‘Losses’ Project, artefacts that were part of the Malbork Castle collections or its furnishings before the war have been returning to the Malbork Castle Museum. Thanks to extensive research and fruitful partnership, as many as six artefacts have returned to Malbork only between 2025 and 2026, including one from outside our country – the head of the statue of the Apostle James the Elder from the apostolic college of the Church of the Blessed Virgin Mary at the High Castle in Malbork
This is not the only artefact to have returned to Malbork from abroad. In May of this year, we received information from the Malbork City Museum regarding a crucifix, probably originating from Malbork, held in a private collection in Germany. Research carried out by the sculpture’s curator, Dr Monika Czapska from the Department of Art and Artistic Crafts, made it possible to unequivocally identify the sculpture as a piece from the pre-war collections of Malbork Castle. Thanks to these efforts, the artefact was transferred to our museum’s collection as a deposit of the State Treasury on 10 June this year (Historic crucifix returns to the Malbork Castle Museum – Malbork Castle Museum).
Thanks to the donors
This was not the end of the matter, as in early August we had the great pleasure of welcoming the donors of this artefact, Mr and Mrs Gabriel and their family, to our Museum; as soon as they learnt of the artefact’s provenance, they decided to return it to its original location. Mr Heribert Gabriel, a former resident of Malbork, came into possession of the crucifix in the late 1950s, without knowing its exact provenance at the time. Upon discovering the artefact’s provenance, the family decided without hesitation to return it to Malbork.
The guests had the opportunity to view the crucifix once again, which had been in the family’s collection for over 50 years. This time they were accompanied by experts. They gathered together to view the sculptor’s signature, which museum staff had discovered while examining the artefact. The signature confirms that the sculpture was created by Osmar Trillhaase (1857-1932), who also produced other works for Malbork Castle.
The event also provided an opportunity to share memories and stories linked to the family’s history and Malbork of yesteryear. At the end of the visit, the guests went on a guided tour.
We thank Mr and Mrs Gabriel very much for this valuable gift and their praise-worthy attitude. We also hope that the visit to Malbork was an enjoyable experience.
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