The beginning of the museum in Kęty is strongly connected with Aleksander Kłosiński collector's passion (1892-1974). Just before his death he decided to hand down the historical mementoes he had collected over his life to the town and its inhabitants. That fact contributed to the establishment of a Historical Collection of Kęty Town in 1977. The collection office was situated in an apartment house on Mickiewicza 1 Street. On May 2 in 1983 the Historical Collection became under patronage of the Regional Museum in Bielsko-Biała. The department of the establishment was set up under the name of the Museum in Kęty.
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In 1994 the Museum in Kęty was given the name Aleksander Kłosiński by the voivode in Bielsko-Biała. A year later the exposition was moved to a historical apartment house near the Kęty Market.
The next change took place in 2000. Over the three-year period the Community Centre in Kęty was appointed as a museum collection administrator. In 2003 thanks to the Kęty Commune Office`s costs renovation of the first floor rooms in the apartment house was completed, the place where the museum is located now. Thanks to that, new office rooms and temporal exhibition rooms were made. It also gave a possibility to organise cyclical events called "Evenings by the cannon".
With the beginning of 2004 the Kęty Commune founded a new institution: Aleksander Kłosiński Museum in Kęty which has full rights to the collection handed over by Bielsko-Biała establishment.
A valuable addition to the museum collection is mainly attributed to the contribution of the Commune inhabitants. Thanks to that, at present near 4,000 exhibits are collected depicting the history, art and people`s everyday life in Kęty and its regions. In March 2005 a new permanent exhibition was opened on the ground-floor of the building.
Aleksander Kłosiński:
Aleksander Kłosiński was born on 10th February in 1892 in the family with craft traditions. The grandfather - Jan Kłosiński was one of the last clothier masters, a senior clothier guild, for 45 years he had a position of a councillor and an assessor of the town. At the same time he was a member of the district council in Biała Krakowska for 35 years. The father - also Jan Kłosiński - a furrier master pursued education at the best craftsmen in Slovacia, Budapest, Cracow and Tarnów. After his return to the home town he set up a furriery workshop. Jan wished to hand down the workshop to one of his sons. The chosen one was Aleksander who was well-educated in this profession. After Aleksander's graduation from the folk school he started his studies in a three-year faculty school in Bielsko-Biała. His intention was to continue his education in an industrial school in the same town. However, a different field of work was destined for him. In 1907 he commenced education in a new established teaching seminar in Kęty. The first four years of his study not only involved education itself but also embraced other activities such as: works for the benefit of the school and the Youth Education Association, engagement in school performances and trainings of a volunteer students' fire-brigade, the edition of the school newspaper "Świt", performances in a theatrical group for amateurs. Above all, he gave his hand to his father in the workshop. In 1991 Aleksander obtained the secondary school certificate in the teaching profession. He was working in the post only for a year but with an excellent companionship. He was conducting his classes in the Mariańskie Mountains near Bogumin with Gustaw Morcinek. Apart from accomplishing the secondary school certificate, Aleksander also passed a peon exam in the field of furriery. Additionally, he had a two-month practice in the High Industrial School in Vienne.
In 1913 he was enrolled to the army and stayed there until the end of the First World War. He participated in the battles on all Austrian fronts. In 1918 he came back from a war exile in order to devote himself to work and a family life. He occupied himself with a number of social organizations; he was a member of the Fire Department, the Apiarian Association, the Hunting Club and the Fishing Club.
In the period between the two World Wars Aleksander was running a business he inherited from his father. During the Second World War his workshop was closed down by Germans, and machines and devices were taken away. During the occupation time the Polish people were forced to move away also the Kłosiński family. At that time Aleksander lived and worked in Andrychów and after some time in Porąbka. After World War II he returned to Kęty and started work in PSS "Społem" being at the same time one of the members of cooperative founders.
He was engaged in many social organizations. He was also a member of the committee the aim of which was to build in the board commemorating Kęty dwellers murdered in the Second World War. Moreover, he undertook an action in the committee that planned to rebuild St. Jan Kanty monument destroyed by occupants. Because of the 700th anniversary of setting up the town he was particularly absorbed in the collection of craft mementos, old mementos for everyday use, military devices, documents, photographs connected with the history and culture of this region. In his collection he wanted to depict the history and development of the town taking place in those times. He paid attention especially to things which were very close to him, like the Kęty craft from the past, old guild's documents, devices, tools and weaving workshops. He contributed to the establishment of the museum. He gathered his collection and was very eager to show it to visitors, especially to the youth ones. He had patience with explaining them the history of the town and particular exhibits. The purpose of such acting was to make the young people attach to the town he came from. In leisure time, Aleksander Kłosiński dedicated himself to painting and sculpting. Unfortunately, he did not reach the 700th anniversary of the town he loved so much. He died on 7 April in 1974. The mementos Aleksander had collected through his life were handed down to the town by his family. Based on the collection an institution called "Zbiory Historyczne Miasta Kęty" was brought into being by the town in 1977 which was later transformed into the museum.
A contributor was awarded a gold medal by the Ministry of Culture and Art: for "Monument conservation" which pays homage to his collection work.
Based on: J. Kłosiński, T. Rycerski: Aleksander Kłosiński,In: "Biuletyn Kulturalny", Kęty 1987