The Museum of Central Pomerania is housed within Słupsk’s main attraction, a commanding 16th-century castle. Beyond its impressive blocky tower are sacral woodcarvings, historic furniture and other exhibits illustrating the town’s history. A new exhibition on the ground floor looks at the town's history in drawings, photographs and old postcards from Stolp, its German name. However the real highlight is a 250-piece collection of portraits by Stanisław Ignacy Witkiewicz (1885–1939), aka Witkacy, on the second floor.
Witkacy was a controversial writer, photographer and painter who specialised in weird-and-wonderful portraits which he produced in a drugged state at his 'portrait company'. Słupsk has no connection to the artist – the museum bought 110 of the pastels from the son of Witkacy's doctor and friend from Zakopane in the 1960s. Some 40 more were added in the 1970s, this time coming mainly from the artist's dentist! Some 125 are displayed at any one time and the exhibition is changed every few months. The body of work is fascinating, Witkacy having captured the essence of his subjects, sometimes to grotesque effect.
