EN
Poland is the site of numerous extant and unique industrial facilities which, deprived of conservation protection, will be turned into scrap metal or pulled down, although they could serve social education by stirring an awareness of participation in a constant process of the development of technical civilization. At present, the privatisation of the economy and the implementation of market principles has produced a serious threat to historical objects and complexes, connected with technical industrial legacy, in a situation when binding legal regulations are not conducive for an effective protection of industrial heritage. The article discusses prime trends of the activity pursued by conservation services, local initiatives and the efforts of associations intent on the documentation and protection of the monuments o f technology.