the cultural activists. Period of the German occupation (1939–1945) Just before the invasion of Poland, a campaign to secure some of the museum pieces was carried out: the branch located at Chodkiewicza street moved the exhibits to the main building at the Market Square. Once occupied, Bydgoszcz was taken over by German administration which designated a new Museum curator, prof. Dr Willem Drost from Gdańsk. In 1940, the post of director was taken over by the former collection custodian, Dr. Konrad Kothe and the custodian position remained to Kazimierz Borucki. In September 1939, Polish hostages -including Catholic priests- were publicly shot, lined up along the walls of the museum and the Church of St. Ignacy Loyola. In the spring of 1940, Nazi authorities pulled down the entire western frontage of the Old Market Square, thus razing the tenement house housing the museum: collections were moved to a pawnshop building at Pocztowa street. During the war, weapons, numismatics and paintings were added to the museum's collections, handed over by Bydgoszcz citizens threatened by the German authorities. Throughout the occupation, about 1,500 items were acquired (gifts or purchases), including some exhibits that the Historical Society of the Noteć Region recovered from Berlin. To some extent, minor exhibitions were conducted (seven exhibitions between 1941 and 1944). Thanks to the activities of both Konrad Kothe (the German director) and Borucki (custodian), a number of art pieces were salvaged from destruction, especially sacred items: some religious objects from the city temples were hidden in the museum, while some were placed in hiding places in secret compartments or hidden among office furniture. In this way, the most precious items of the city were saved, among others: The Image of Our Lady of Beautiful Love of the cathedral; Maksymilian Piotrowski 's paintings, St. Ignatius of Loyola and Immaculate Conception of the Virgin Mary from the Church of St. Ignacy Loyola, before its destruction in 1940; a painting from the basilica of the Blessed Virgin Mary of the Immaculate Conception of the monastery of Górka near Łobżenica. Thanks to Kothe's intervention, many valuable objects avoided appropriation and transportation to Nazi Germany. In 1943–1944, to shelter collections from bombing, several objects were scattered to nearby towns: Dębowo, Kawęcin, Kiełpin, Luszkówko, Lachowice, Mała Komorza, Morsk, Piotrkówko, Pobórka Mała and Trzciniec. Only a small numbers of the exhibits survived the movement and war chaos. Warfare, robbery and estate devastations resulted in