Ochrona zabytków o wartości ponadnarodowej

• Authors: Gruszecki Andrzej

Title variants

EN

PROTECTION OF FOREIGN CULTURAL VALUES OF SUPRANATIONAL DIMENSION

• Languages of publication: PL EN

Abstracts

EN

Quite frequently, traces of material activity of one tribe, nation or state can be found on the territory of the other state. This may happen when a tribe or state no longer exists, or when as a result of a territorial shift the monuments of one state have found themselves on the territory of the other, or when conquered territories have regained independence. Such consideration is important for it is generally felt th at numerous time-honoured objects, especially these of the highest value, have an all-human meaning, which was reflected in the international legal act adopted by UNESCO in 1972 — the Convention for the Protection of the World's Heritage. Above remarks will be illustrated by the example of Poland, the country situated on open, buffer areas of Central Europe Lowlands, which has experienced many wars and border changes until it finally lost its independence for over one hundred years in the end of the 18th century. Formerly, for some centuries my country was a multinational state and this character of historic Poland, a country of varied yet merging culture is a good basis for a tolerant attitude to non-Polish relics and to their protection as supranational value. The oldest traces of human activity and castle-towns originated in the times when there was neither Polish nation nor Polish state, are carefully protected and viewed with interest paid not so much to our history as Poles but as people. It is, basically, of no consequence whether the relics come from peoples quite foreign to us, or whether they are linked with, for instance, Lusatian culture of the M id dle Bronze Age, in which many researchers see preslav traits. Even the later castle-towns of the second ha lf of the first millenium A.D., or those from the beginnings of Polish statehood meet with much the same response as those of foreign origin. They similarly benefit from high, well established prestige of archaeology. In Poland we come across Polish and foreign medieval towns, churches and castles, some of which, like the castles of the knights of the Teutonic Order, used to be points of support for numerous invasions for Poland and Lithuania. Yet, even Malbork (M arienb urg), the seat of the Grand Master of the Order, is as a state museum protected and subject to conservation works. Time distance has much d iminished the emotional differentiation of Polish and non- Polish monuments of the medieval material culture, and the high and well-established prestige of the Gothic art still ennobles them. Similar attitudes take place in regard to the objects erected during renaissance, mannerism, baroque or classicism, ■’Hhough Polish national feeling has developed since the 16th century. At that time numerous artists from Bohemia, the Netherlands, Italy, Germany and France were active in Poland and worked under Polish sponsors. Many of those artists became polonised and in the most of cases their works were influenced by Polish culture, which, apart from those of the West, used to be under oriental influences caused by many wars with the Turkish power. Even the peculiar costume of Polish gentry was a result of Turkish influences coming through Hungary. European artistic streams of those Imes like renaissance and mannerism were transformed in the first half of the 17th century into Polish, almost popular mannerism, while baroque became a characteristic of Polish landscape. Similarly, the classicist style originating in ancient Greece had attached a typical element of porch to Polish gentry manor. Likewise, in spite of dangerous wars with Turkey there existed cultural links with that country, and Swedish fo rtific a tions from the period of Polish-Swedish wars of the 17th century are received with much interest and care. It seems that if a long time has passed since a war with another country, a spontaneous felling of friendship arises, such as that between Poland and Turkey, or Poland and Sweden. Recently, friendship and cooperation is developing between Poland, the USSR and the German Democratic Republic, marked with by the brotherhood of socialistic countries fig h ting for peace, in spite of wars in the past. In the 19th century, after the loss of independence due to partition of Poland, the three foreign powers erected on our territory numerous constructions, especially huge fo rtification systems. They were constructed by Polish workmen, engineers, or even officers in foreign service, yet their pe rception is not focused on that aspect. It is rather their fo regin character th a t is paid attention especially due to the fact that they were in many cases erected against the Poles, and after the Uprisings were used as prisons of Polish patriots. But despite of such painful links even those fo rtifications are now protected as examples of the high level of European military engineering, and in some of them museums of national martyrology have been established. They have remained untouched, unlike La Bastille during the French Revolution, and they constitute subject of research, and are covered by care and conservation works. There are other numerous examples of protection of foreign cultural values in Poland. I personally remember a small but meaningful event from the first year after the end of the 2nd World W a r when the wounds made by the German fascism were still fresh and painful. Professor Guerquin (of French origin), a dedicated Polish patriot active at th at time in Wrocław told me that at a conservators commission, composed obviously of only Poles, he succeeded in getting additional funds to rescue a monument because it was constructed by an outstanding German architect. The pa lace in Kornik near Poznań, a masterpiece by a grea t German a r chitect Karl Friedrich Schinkel is being carefully protected; moreover, the most precious Polish handwritings and a n cient prints are stored there, which is a testimony of a symbiotic national and supranational feelings. Such e x am ples can be multiplied especially in respect to sacred b u ildings. Not only the Roman catholic churches are under protection, but also Greek and Russian Orthodox ones. Similarly, the Protestant temples and synagogues are protected, as well as Islamic mosques, some of which can be found in Poland. The same concerns cemeteries, especially Jewish and Protestant (the latter on the regained te rritories) since they are associated with population, the rema inders of which have been left in Poland. I would like to emphasize that in this field assistance or rather full-scale actions of the state are necessary in order to protect them. _ With Tull esteem for the values of ≪Polish culture and its significance for our national identity we pay due respect to the culture of other nations and to supranational, European and all-human values of many works of art, which is a b a sis for the links between nations, cooperation and common struggle for peace.

• Publisher: Narodowy Instytut Dziedzictwa
• Journal: Ochrona Zabytków
• Year: 1986
• Issue: 3
• Pages: 167-168

Dates

published

1986

Contributors

author

Gruszecki Andrzej

• doc. dr hab., Generalny Konserwator Zabytkow PRL

Identifiers

ISSN

0029-8247