For nearly 60 years, the Phillumeny Museum in Bystrzyca Kłodzka has been dealing with the acquisition, protection, scientific description and display of objects related to the history of fire-making and to the region’s history. The core of the museum’s collection is made up of objects used to light a fire, e.g. fuse, petrol, gas, electric and chemical lighters, metal and flintlock flints, as well as match packaging and match labels from Poland, Europe and other continents. The museum was started in 1964, in a historic building erected in 1823 based on the design approved by Karl Friedrich Schinkel, an excellent architect whose patrons and clients included the Prussian royal family.

In the 1960s, one of the hallmarks of the city was the safety match factory – Bystrzyckie Zakłady Przemysłu Zapałczanego – called “Bystrzycka Zapałka” by the locals, which is why it was decided that the emerging museum would deal with broadly understood topics of safety matches and fire-making. Currently, you can also learn about the history of Bystrzyca Kłodzka and see regional items related to the town and to its surrounding area. The facility also presents temporary exhibitions in a variety of formats and topics.

The museum conducts a wide range of educational activities in the form of lessons and museum workshops in the fields of phillumeny, regional studies and art history, tailored to the individual preferences of each group. In addition, it takes part in the local community life, e.g. by co-organising concerts and other cultural events and by supporting grassroots social initiatives.