blog
You will find us in the heart of Krakow in the immediate vicinity of the Main Square
Discover traces of life from 40 million years ago preserved in Baltic amber. An inclusion in Baltic amber is anything that got into it naturally while the resin was flowing down the trees. Mostly these are plants and animals that lived in the amber forest, but they can also be air bubbles, water, dust, sand or…
The most famous work of art in amber craft. One of the best-known and most mysterious works of art ever made of amber is the Amber Chamber. Construction of the chamber began in 1701. It was originally in Charlottenburg Palace, the residence of Frederick I, the first King of Prussia. Designed by the German Baroque sculptor Andreas Schlüter and made by Gottfried Wolfram,…
The second, revised edition of the book by Prof. Barbara Kosmowska-Ceranowicz is available at the Amber Museum. “Bursztyn w Polsce i na świecie” (Amber in Poland and around the world) by Prof. Barbara Kosmowska-Ceranowicz is a Polish-English publication presenting the beauty, history and properties of amber. It is written in a simple, accessible way. With its wealth of information, the book can serve as a textbook for students and researchers…
Baltic amber – a magical stone, the gold of the North. Baltic amber, also called succinite, is the best-known fossil resin, formed from prehistoric trees. The parent tree of Baltic amber has still not been identified with certainty. Since the 19th century it has most often been attributed to a plant of the pine family, Pinus succinifera. Chemically, Baltic amber consists…
Most people associate amber with nuggets found on sandy beaches. However, what we find there today is only a small percentage of the world’s amber production. Baltic amber is mainly deposited underground. The largest deposits in the world are in the Kaliningrad Oblast, in Ukraine and in Poland, near Chłapowo. The oldest…
From a piece of “Baltic gold” he draws out the most precious things beneath its surface. Eugeniusz Salwierz is a Krakow visual artist. He started out making jewellery from acrylic glass. Later he switched to amber, and his love for it was born in the mid-1990s at the Dominican Fair in Gdańsk. In the book “Bursztyn nie tylko nad Bałtykiem”, talking to Anna Sado…
The Amber Museum holds a symbol of the search for purpose. For years his amber pieces have been breaking the rules. As he says in the book Bursztyn nie tylko nad Bałtykiem – “I do what my soul tells me. My aim above all is to find my own way, to avoid being pigeonholed, and to talk about jewellery in a different language every time.” The Amber Museum’s collection…
A true work of art, distinguished by timeless beauty and character. The beauty and warmth of amber have been appreciated for ages. Its unique forms and warm colour inspire not only jewellery but also remarkable sculptures set in gold frames, like the one this article is about. The amber version of “Christ Crucified” was made by a family…
A few words about the work of Joachim Sokólski. Joachim Sokólski was born in 1946 in Warsaw. From 1966 to 1972 he studied at the Faculty of Interior Architecture of the Academy of Fine Arts in Warsaw. Sokólski was an outstanding maker of unique art jewellery. Between 1973 and 1985 he took part in more than a hundred group and solo exhibitions in Poland and abroad. Joachim Sokólski’s work…
At this year’s Amber Trip fair in Lithuania, the Amber Museum acquired a new exhibit, enriching its collection. Artist: Reimundas Padleckas, Vilnius, Lithuania. Object: “Agapė”. Materials: amber, walnut shell, a fork – found in the attic of an old house in Klaipėda, dating from between the First and Second World Wars. The plate – inherited from the artist’s grandfather, from before the war. The knife…
The sculpture of a woman on display at the Amber Museum belongs to a limited collection inspired by the beauty and harmony of the female body. It was created in the 1990s, influenced by the artist’s collaboration with the well-known sculptor Jacek Sumeradzki. “There were literally only a few of these sculptures, each one different, but each with a characteristic elongated figure, each in a style reminiscent of…
At the Amber Museum in Krakow you can admire the winged horse sculpture by Krzysztof Jacek Sumeradzki. In Greek mythology, Pegasus was believed to have been born from the blood of Medusa, which spurted out when Perseus cut off her head. Krzysztof Jacek Sumeradzki is a contemporary sculptor, a graduate of the Post-Secondary School of Advertising in Ciechanów, a member of the Association of Creative Work in Ciechanów and of the Association of Polish Artists and Designers…
A true and exceptional work of art, distinguished by enduring beauty and a timeless character. The painting Lady with an Ermine can currently be admired not only at Wawel, where it is shown while its home, the Czartoryski Museum in Krakow, is being renovated, but also at the Krakow Amber Museum. The beauty of amber has been appreciated for centuries. It is a “stone” that remembers the most ancient times.…
Amber and silver are combined so often that the pairing can seem banal. In the hands of a creative maker, however, it can become a work of art – as with Tomasz Ogrodowski and his 1998 ring Amber and Silver. Created almost 20 years ago, the ring still surprises and delights with a concept drawing on Constructivism. Of course, its decorative value…
This family has been collecting amber for generations – first the father, and now his sons as well. The art studio Harald Popkiewicz runs with his sons has existed since 1973. They design and make art jewellery and three-dimensional forms in amber and silver. In 1983 Harald Popkiewicz was awarded the title of master of artistic craft, and…
Comparative characteristics of IR spectra. Amber can essentially be divided into varieties and types according to where it was formed and where it occurs. Its diversity, beauty and uniqueness depend not only on the region where the “amber” formed, but also on the conditions and the type of raw material it came from. More than a hundred varieties of fossil resin are known worldwide.…
In the Amber Museum collection you can admire the beauty and simplicity of amber in the work of Krakow artist Maryna Lewicka-Wala. Maria Lewicka-Wala lived from 1941 to 2011. She was a geologist by training, but her true passion was jewellery, which she began making in 1974. She was also fascinated by designing clothes from natural fabrics, sculpture and photography. From 1978 she was a member of the Association of Polish…
Greek mythology says the winged horse was born from the blood of Medusa. And what inspired K.J. Sumeradzki when he created this sculpture? Krzysztof Jacek Sumeradzki is a contemporary sculptor, a graduate of the Post-Secondary School of Advertising in Ciechanów, a member of the Association of Creative Work in Ciechanów and of the Association of Polish Artists and Designers of Applied Art in Warsaw. He probably inherited his love of art from his mother, who was…
Amber in myths and legends. Many myths and legends preceded the formation of amber. In Greek mythology, the origin of amber appears in the story of Phaethon, son of Helios, the Sun god. One day Phaethon asked his father for permission to drive the sun chariot. The father gave in to his son. But the inexperienced Phaethon, driving the sun chariot, came too…
Its power has been believed in since the earliest times. That belief has survived to this day. Amber contains many valuable trace elements, such as silicon, magnesium, iron, calcium, potassium, organic compounds bound with iodine, volatile substances and resin acids. Succinic acid has been found to act as a biostimulant: it stimulates the nervous system, regulates kidney and bowel function, and is anti-inflammatory and anti-toxic. On…
At the Amber Museum in Krakow you can see an exceptional exhibit: a copy of the amber necklace of Duchess Sibylle of Brzeg. While making it, Marta Włodarska discovered that the “original” from 1610 on display at the Malbork Castle Museum is not an original at all… The story of this discovery may not be as gripping as a Dan Brown novel, but it is certainly very interesting – especially…
“There should definitely be more meetings like this, where you can learn more about amber” – participants agreed after the workshop How not to buy a pig in a poke: recognising amber fakes, held on 24 January at the Amber Museum in Krakow. With this workshop the Amber Museum launched its educational programme for 2014. “This first meeting…
Tomasz Mikołajczyk, who has worked in the amber trade for 25 years, talks about his latest project, one that “goes beyond accepted patterns and canons” – the private Amber Museum in Krakow – and about buying a spectrometer that is meant to “bring the market back to normal”. Where did the idea of opening an Amber Museum come from? I decided to do it because there is nothing like it in Krakow yet. This city…
At its last meeting, the Board of the International Amber Association changed its recommendation rules. The change prevents recommended companies from using shaped amber (formed at high temperature from a single nugget previously cut to the intended size) and takes effect with new or renewed certificates. Until now the rules only excluded pressed amber, substitutes, succinite fakes and subfossil resins (copals).…
Friday 13 September went down in Krakow’s history in letters of amber. Distinguished guests – amber lovers from all over Poland – came to the opening of the Amber Museum to celebrate this unusual event together. The opening was graced by a show of three exceptional fashion collections combined with amber jewellery by the following design duos: Danuta Burczik-Kruczkowska & Joanna Weyna and Danka Czapnik…
Amber is a unique stone. What does that mean? With us you will discover the fascinating world of amber and the people who make it even more beautiful. But be warned: amber leaves no one indifferent! Warm to the touch, full of light and history – Baltic amber has enchanted people all over the world for centuries. Its golden glow holds the secret of ancient forests in which…
The newly opened Amber Museum in Krakow has prepared a real treat for amber lovers and those who are not yet: the exhibition “Amber – its beauty and history”, an introduction to the world of this fascinating stone. The exhibition introduces visitors to the basics of amber, the most common organic mineral in Poland, which for centuries…
“I had long wanted to create a place in Krakow where amber would be presented in an attractive yet many-sided way. Until now we focused mainly on the aesthetic qualities of contemporary pieces made from this stone; at the Amber Museum we have combined them with education,” explains its founder, Tomasz Mikołajczyk. There are many ventures of this kind around the world,…