Professor Zbigniew Wawer a museum curator

Following a long disease, on 12 December 2022, Zbigniew Wawer passed away: a historian, boasting a postdoctoral degree, an associate professor, author of numerous publications, and a film producer. In 2012–2017, he ran the Polish Army Museum in Warsaw, as of 2017 having become Director of the Royal Łazienki Museum. The period of his career connected with museology was marked by the process of establishing contacts with international partners focused mainly on presenting research results. It was also characterized by a high dynamics of displays meant to expose some unique artefacts, particularly Polonica, and of publishing projects. He considered these two aspects the most important in fulfilling the museum’s mission. Prof. Wawer also paid similar attention to collection extension, having demonstrated high efficiency in fundraising for the purpose. Furthermore, he strongly opted for the upgrading of his staff’s qualifications, while also seeing the necessity to verify museum-related competences. Many museum curators followed his encouragement to study. The paper presents the profile of a widely known individual in more detail; he was a researcher focused on revealing the historical truth and a museum curator frequently appreciated for his activity.