Diocesan Museum in Pelplin

The Diocesan Museum in Pelplin, formally named after its founder Bishop Stanislaw Wojciech Okoniewski, is a prominent sacred art museum located in the town of Pelplin, Tczew County, within the Pomeranian Voivodeship of Poland. Managed by the bishopric of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Pelplin, the institution holds one of the finest collections of medieval art in the country. Established in 1928 during the interwar period of the Second Polish Republic, the museum is renowned for its significant holdings of Gothic sculpture, early prints, and liturgical objects, most notably housing Poland's only copy of the Gutenberg Bible.

Bishop Stanislaw Wojciech Okoniewski founded the museum in 1928, initially housing the collections in the episcopal palace with Stanislaw Smogulecki serving as the first conservator. The institution quickly amassed Gothic religious objects from parishes across the Diocese of Chelmno, expanding so rapidly that a branch was established at Zamek Bierzglowski castle in 1929. Plans for a dedicated museum building were thwarted by the outbreak of World War II. During the conflict, the collection was evacuated to Torun, then transported to Berlin, and later moved to Gdansk. Facing the advance of the Soviet Army, the holdings were dispersed across northern Poland, resulting in the loss of a portion of the objects. Bishop Okoniewski died in Lisbon in 1944 during the war. The collections were ultimately recovered and reestablished, finding a permanent home in a newly constructed building complex in 1988.

The museum's holdings are anchored by a major collection of Gothic sculptures sourced from churches of the former Diocese of Kulm, later the Bishopric of Pelplin, and the Diocese of Torun. Late Gothic paintings form another core strength, supplemented by early modern works by artists such as Hermann Hahn and Andreas Stech. The institution also preserves an important collection of early prints and manuscripts, alongside decorative arts including monstrances, reliquaries from workshops in Gdansk, Torun, and Nuremberg, and liturgical vestments and dalmatics. The museum has received financial support from the Ministry of Culture and National Heritage for the preventive conservation of paintings dating from 1420 to 1695.

The most celebrated object in the museum is its Gutenberg Bible, originally from the Franciscan monastery in Lubawa. It is one of only 48 surviving copies, among just 20 that are complete. It is further distinguished as one of only nine surviving copies retaining its original 15th-century binding, crafted by Henricus Coster of Lubeck. The bible is printed on 641 folios, totaling 1,282 pages of text arranged in two columns measuring 285 mm by 85 mm. Its binding features beveled oak boards covered in red goat leather with brass buttons and corner fittings. A loose typesetting sort fell onto a page during printing, leaving a mark that allowed scholars to deduce the shape of Gutenberg's type. During World War II, the Polish government rescued the bible, routing it through Paris and London to a vault at the Bank of Montreal in Ottawa, Canada, and it was not returned to Poland until 1959. Another priceless holding is a manuscript of St. Augustine of Hippo's De civitate Dei, dating to 1425. Notable paintings include a late Gothic Crucifixion from Lignowy gilded with gold leaf, a Flagellation from 1380, and a Descent from the Cross from 1495, the latter originating from the Cathedral Basilica of St. John the Baptist and John the Evangelist in Torun.

Since 1988, the museum has been housed in a modern-style building complex that forms part of the Pelplin episcopal curia. This purpose-built facility replaced the original episcopal palace quarters, providing updated infrastructure to properly preserve and display the rapidly expanding collection of Gothic art, early prints, and liturgical treasures.

The Diocesan Museum is located in the town of Pelplin in the Pomeranian Voivodeship of Poland. It operates under the administration of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Pelplin. The institution maintains an active role in cultural preservation, supported by national heritage funds for conservation efforts, and continues to serve as a major repository and exhibition venue for sacred and medieval art in the region.