HISTORYMUSEUM
The first attempt to establish a museum in Łomża was made at the beginning of the 20th century. A museum section was created within the Polish Sightseeing Society, which issued an appeal to the public to donate historical objects. The Łomża weekly “Wspólna Praca” reported on the incoming donations.
Coins, banknotes, cannonballs, and fabric samples were donated — there was even a preserved crocodile from the Nile. Unfortunately, these collections were lost during World War I. The next attempt to establish a museum, this time successful, was made in 1946 at the North Mazovian Institute, headed by Adam Chętnik.
In the newly established institution, three departments were planned: one dedicated to the war damage in the Łomża region, another to geology and paleontology, and a third to ethnography and folk culture. The latter was to be organized in Nowogród as an open-air (skansen-type) museum.
The first exhibits included artifacts preserved from the former Research Station, as well as items collected by Adam Chętnik after the war, such as geological specimens and fragments of prehistoric pottery. The emerging institution was named the Museum of Northern Mazovia. Its first headquarters was a small premises on Aleja Legionów, consisting of two rooms and a hallway, with a total area of 108 m².
The official opening of the museum took place on March 14, 1948, which also marked the first public display of its collections. In 1950, the institution was nationalized and renamed the Museum in Łomża, with Adam Chętnik appointed as the “curator of museum and scientific work.” In 1956, the museum moved to a new location at 4 Sadowa Street, occupying the third floor of the District Cultural Center. The increased space made it possible to present a larger number of exhibits, primarily ethnographic, historical, natural, and amber collections.
In 1975, the institution was renamed the District Museum. Its area of activity covered the Łomża Province, and in terms of researching and collecting ethnographic materials, it also extended to neighboring provinces. Another relocation took place in 1980, when the museum moved into a renovated late 19th-century building known as the “Pastor’s House.” In addition to exhibition halls, the building also housed offices, workshops, and a library.
In 1998, while celebrating its 50th anniversary, the museum returned to its original name — the Museum of Northern Mazovia. In September 2005, the museum was granted the use of the former Public Junior High School No. 4 building at 22c Dworna Street. Necessary adaptation and renovation works were carried out to adjust the building for museum purposes.
