Natural gas-powered irons and hair curlers, Polish inventors and pioneers of modern industry, innovative applications of natural gas in transport and energy sectors – these are the topics to be taught about by the Virtual Museum of Gas Industry – www.wmgaz.pl. The patron of this initiative is Polska Spółka Gazownictwa (Polish Gas Company), a member of the PGNiG Capital group and an honorary patron – Poland’s Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki. The museum had its premiere on 11 September 2019.
The Virtual Museum of Gas Industry (WMG) is a platform of knowledge, not only about the past but also about the present and the future of the gas industry and natural gas. Its primary content consists in illustrated exhibitions of the beginnings of the gas lighting and home appliances, or even the history of gas meters. WMG also hosts the richest collection of about 150 items to be browsed by category, time of creation, manufacturer or author. Among them we will find unusual objects like gas refrigerators, irons and hair curlers, a rich collection of gas meters or components of classic gasworks.
The visitors to the website may read bios of inventors and entrepreneurs who made significant contributions to the development of the gas industry, articles of and interviews with WMG experts or a gas map of Poland showing, among other things, the last gas streetlamps still operating in cities. A major part of the site is formed by lesson scenarios intended for teachers and students of primary schools and high schools. Ready-to-use lesson plans with extra materials will allow teachers to weave stories about issues related to natural gas and the gas industry from the perspective of history, chemistry of geography.
Poland’s Prime Minister, Mateusz Morawiecki, has become the honorary patron of the project.
“I am very happy to see that owing to Polska Spółka Gazownictwa we may open one of the most interesting museums in Poland, and certainly also in Europe. The Virtual Museum of Gas Industry is a 21st century-style platform, which fully employs state-of-the-art technical and multimedia solutions, letting us travel through the world that has been long gone. I am sure that particularly young people will find the museum’s offer very attractive as an alternative to traditional history lessons and that the museum’s rich collections, available on a tablet or smartphone, for instance, will be a perfect example of combining tradition with contemporary times,” Jacek Sasin, Deputy Prime Minister, wrote in a special letter to the participants of the event.
The patron of the Virtual Museum of Gas Industry is Polska Spółka Gazownictwa, PSG (Polish Gas Company) of the PGNiG Capital Group.
“PGNiG supports multiple initiatives popularising the Polish science. The Virtual Museum of Gas Industry is an example of an exceptional, state-of-the-art informational and educational platform. Here, the past of gas meets the present. Very few know that initially, natural gas, referred to as light gas or coal gas, was produced in classic gasworks plants from coal. Already in the early 19th century gas streetlamps started to light up subsequent cities. In the 1830s the first gas-powered appliances appeared in households all over the world – cookers, refrigerators, heaters and stoves. Popularization of gas brought changes not only to home lifestyle but also social behaviours. The new fuel made it possible for modern cities to be borne. We all are glad that anyone interested may access this information in one spot,” says Robert Perkowski, Vice President of PGNiG Management Board for Operations.
“The Virtual Museum of Gas Industry is yet another educational project of Polska Spółka Gazownictwa that has become an inherent part of the PGNiG Group’s strategy. Recently we have successfully completed campaigns called “Joins us, every breath matters” and “Natural Gas – reliable and safe”. As the largest operator of a gas distribution system not only in Poland but also in Europe, we naturally pursue educational initiatives targeting all Poles. Natural gas is an ecological alternative of the future. We, therefore, want to present information about major forecasts and innovative, future applications of the blue fuel in the energy sector and transportation. This content is an important component of the Virtual Museum of Gas Industry,” adds Marian Żołyniak, CEO of Polska Spółka Gazownictwa.
The online project will easily and attractively demonstrate the role which popularization of natural gas played in the development of society in the 19th and early 20th centuries. It will also show the significance the natural gas may have in the future.
