Exhibition: “Memory of Poland. UNESCO Memory of the World Programme – Polish National List (5th Edition)”
The exhibition, designed as a large-scale spatial installation in the form of urban furniture, is on display in front of Kordegarda – the National Centre for Culture Gallery on Krakowskie Przedmieście in Warsaw from 25 June to 15 July 2024. It is accessible to residents and visitors around the clock, including in a specially designed night-time illumination. Among the archival materials of exceptional importance to Poland’s cultural heritage are documents recovered from mass burial sites in Katyn, Kharkiv and Mednoye, preserved in the collections of the Katyn Museum.
At the opening ceremony, the Minister of Culture and National Heritage, Hanna Wróblewska, expressed her appreciation for all institutions entrusted with safeguarding these invaluable collections – state archives, libraries, museums and foundations – and, above all, the people who work within them. Addressing representatives of institutions whose holdings were inscribed in the 5th edition of the Polish National List of the UNESCO Memory of the World Programme, she emphasised that it is благодаря their dedication, commitment and hard work that this important milestone can be celebrated. She underlined the vital importance of their efforts in preserving and conserving these objects, ensuring that these valuable historical sources remain both secure and accessible for future generations.
Dr Paweł Pietrzyk, Chair of the Polish UNESCO Memory of the World Committee and Director General of the State Archives, highlighted the special nature of this year’s edition, which coincides with a двойной anniversary: the 5th edition of the List and the 10th anniversary of its establishment. He noted that, with this year’s inscriptions, the List now comprises seventy-five items. He also emphasised the commitment of experts serving on the Committee, as well as staff and specialists from cultural and memory institutions submitting nominations. He pointed to the programme’s clear and meaningful objectives: to preserve, protect and make accessible documentary heritage, while also raising awareness and sensitivity to its significance and fragility, given how easily such materials can be irreversibly lost.
Speeches during the opening were also delivered by Robert Piaskowski, Director of the National Centre for Culture; Professor Alicja Jagielska-Burduk, Secretary General of the Polish National Commission for UNESCO; and Dr Anna Krochmal, curator of the exhibition.
The events are organised by the State Archives in cooperation with the Ministry of Culture and National Heritage, the National Centre for Culture, and Kordegarda – the National Centre for Culture Gallery.
In the following weeks, the travelling exhibition will be presented in several Polish cities: Zamość (Rynek Solny, 16 July – 25 August 2024), Kraków (Plac Szczepański, 28 August – 14 September 2024), Katowice (Plac Obrońców Katowic, 17 September – 14 October 2024), Poznań (Plac Adama Mickiewicza, 17 October – 8 November 2024), Kalisz (Rynek Główny, 11 November – 5 December 2024), and Lublin (Plac Litewski, 7 December 2024 – 16 January 2025).
A catalogue accompanies the exhibition. katalog
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