Kraków 31-03-2023r.
Museum in Tomaszowice near Krakow. 2023
The town of Tomaszowice.
Geographic coordinates: 50.135N 19.842E.
Tomaszowice is located north-west of the center of Krakow, near the motorway ring road of the Capital of Lesser Poland. It is 14 km from Tomaszowice to the center of Krakow, 12 km to John Paul II Airport, 76 km to Katowice, 83 km to Katowice Airport, 107 km to Tarnów, and 293 km to Warsaw.
Tomaszowice, as a knight's settlement, was founded in the 13th century. It was mentioned for the first time in 1372. For many centuries, the property was in the hands of various families. In 1830, Mr. Tadeusz Konopka became the owner of Tomaszowice and managed it with his son, Mr. Roman Konopka (1813 -1891), erecting a new manor house and buildings that still exist today. From 1844, the estate was managed by a lawyer, Mr. Roman Konopka. During his time, the manor house and other buildings of the estate were completed. In 1847, a manor park was established.
Mr. Oskar Kolberg (1814-1890), the founder of Polish folklore, was a frequent visitor to the manor house in Tomaszowice. Before the Second World War, the last owner of the manor was Mr. Ludwik Bogusz. After World War II, the communists nationalized the manor estates, which were transferred to the State Treasury. Under communist management, Polish manors quickly fell into ruin. It was no different with the manor in Tomaszowice.
It was only in 1989, after the social and economic changes, that local governments began to organize the ownership of pre-war landed estates. Most of the objects have been put up for sale, provided that the historical structure is preserved. The same happened with the manor in Tomaszowice. In 1996, Mr. Ziyad Raoof, a lawyer from Iraqi Kurdistan, became the owner of the property. Mr. Ziyad Raoof, together with his family, started to rebuild the manor and took up residence there. The manor regained its former glory. It doesn't end there. The park complex has been revitalized. In the following years, more buildings were rebuilt.
In 2000, a hotel and restaurants were founded in the manor complex. The restaurant is located in the building - Nowy Granary. The property has conference rooms, banquet and exhibition rooms. There are organized artistic and business events, weddings, christenings, anniversaries, company trainings, picnics, banquets and parties in the bosom of nature.
The location of the classic Polish manor in Tomaszowice is charming, in a picturesque and romantic place. The entire facility covers an area of approximately 10 hectares. The complex is entered in the register of monuments and has been under the care of a conservator. The elegant three-star hotel is located in the manor buildings in the eastern part. Single, double and triple rooms are comfortable and elegantly furnished. Each room has a bathroom, TV, telephone and Wi-Fi access. Breakfast is included as standard. The hotel is friendly to families with children. The orangery and the Panorama Gallery are two independent buildings that are part of the manor and park complex of the manor house in Tomaszowice, giving a lot of possibilities in organizing any occasional parties.
Address: Manor in Tomaszowice, 68 Krakowska Street, 32-085 Tomaszowice.
"Rescue Museum" in Krakow, outdoor exhibition in Tomaszowice.
"Rescue Museum" in Krakow.
In 2005, the idea of creating the Rescue Museum in Krakow was born. The initiators of the establishment of the museum were a group of enthusiasts gathered around the Volunteer Fire Brigade. The "Rescue Museum" facility began operating on the basis of the Regulations agreed with the Minister of Culture and National Heritage. Initially, the seat of the museum was located in Krakow at 10 Rzemieślinicza Street. The Rescue Museum, as the only one in Poland, collected exhibits related to various fields of rescue; medical, aviation, mountain, sea, road, fire protection, as well as related to the history of the Police.
Thanks to the favor of the "ZRHotels" company, which is the owner of the historic Polish manor house in Tomaszowice, part of the area was given over for an outdoor exhibition. Mr. Ziyad Raoof's family has been known for many years for their passion for art, history and education, as evidenced by the award in 2002 of the title of the Patron of Culture of Krakow. Therefore, the natural decision of the owners of the manor in Tomaszowice was to support a unique and niche project implemented by enthusiasts of medical rescue.
The open-air exhibition in Tomaszowice gathered numerous combat vehicles of the fire brigade, roadside assistance vehicles, police cars and helicopters that were operated by the Polish Medical Air Rescue Service, the Police and KGHM.
One of the first exhibits that went to Tomaszowice was the PZL Kania helicopter. In Krakow, the Police operated two helicopters of this type. One remained in the collection of the Polish Aviation Museum in Krakow (Czyżyny), the other went to Tomaszowice. 19 of this type were built in Poland.
Currently (2023) three other PZL Mi-2 helicopters are presented in Tomaszowice. The exhibition is open to the public free of charge during the opening hours of the facility - the manor, until dusk.
Przemyśl.
It should be noted that the "Rescue Museum" in Krakow is in the process of reorganization and tightening cooperation with other museum institutions.
An automotive and rescue exhibition was set up in Przemyśl, which was located at 85 Słowackiego Street, on the premises of the former Military Hospital. The exhibition in Przemyśl was created thanks to the involvement of enthusiasts of historic motoring and rescue. The city of Przemyśl put into use the facility in the historic complex of the old military hospital, dating back to the times of the Central Committee of the Army. The museum facility is about 1 ha of land with a workshop and garage complex. Its area is nearly 2,000 m2. However, the facility was forced to leave the premises and started looking for a new location in Poland.
Sosnowiec.
Another institution is Auto-Form - Exhibition in Sosnowiec: ul. Inwestycyjna 5. The exhibition in the "ambulance factory" is the result of the passion of many people. This company is an example of success in the ambulance production industry, not only in Poland, but also in Europe. From a small garage to a large 9,000 m2 facility and several ambulance production lines worldwide. A historical exhibition was created in Sosnowiec, about ambulances used in Poland from the end of the 19th century to the present day, and the development of the Auto-Form company, first in Mysłowice, and now in Sosnowiec. A large part of the museum ambulances has been collected, including the first Polonaise produced, restored and donated by the Auto-Form company. Currently (2023), the exhibition in Sosnowiec is in preparation and is not open to the public.
Written by Karol Placha Hetman