Konserwacja malowideł ściennych w zamku w Lidzbarku Warmińskim w latach 1955-1985

The article is an attempt to show the thirty-year-long activities of restorers aiming to protect the group of wall paintings in the castle in Lidzbark Warmiński. The castle was built as the seat of the bishops of Warmia in the years 13 5 0— 14 00. It is one of the most beautiful Gothic structures in Poland. The castle interiors had a wealth of paintings. These came from various periods: from the end of the 14th cent, until the end of the 15th cent., and from the 18th cent, (wh en the castle interior underwent adaptation). The first restoration-construction work was begun in 1 8 96. In the course of it Gothic paintings were uncovered on the walls. Restoration work on a greater scale was taken up later, in 1 9 2 4 and was completed in 1 9 39. The first restoration work after the war was begun already in 1 9 5 3 . In 1 9 5 6— 1 9 6 0 the paintings in the lower parts of the chapter-house wall were uncovered, preserved and protected. In 1 9 6 8— 1 9 6 9 students and staff of the Fine Arts Restoration Department of the Mikołaj Kopernik University in Toruń investigated and unveiled a painting on the cloister vaulting: in 1 9 6 8 in the north and west wing, and in 1 9 6 9 in the east wing. At the same time, the Szczecin Branch of the Ateliers for Conservation of Cultural Property carried out architectonic studies of the castle, which revealed the presence of many paintings under the wall plaster layers. These were from the 1 5th to the 18th cent, and included, among others, the currently totally uncovered wall paintings in the Kredens room of the chapel and paintings on the vaulting of chambers in the north wing and in the Small Refectory. In 1 9 7 9 wide-scale restoration work was commenced on the Scene with Bishop Anzelm and paintings with the coats of arms from the castle cloisters. In 1981 complex work was begun on the painting decoration of the Samll Refectory. First the Gothic decoration in the vault ribs was uncovered. Next, its restoration was carried out along with the colour integration of the losses in the painting layer. This work lasted until 1 9 8 3 . All work conducted in the period from 1 9 7 9 to 1 9 8 3 was done by restorers of the Ateliers for Conservation of Cultural Property from Olsztyn.