The German-Polish Foundation for Cultural Preservation and Monument Protection was founded ten years ago. In the spirit of cross-border dialog, it preserves and researches the shared cultural heritage and involves local stakeholders. A comprehensive publication now presents the foundation’s successful work and takes stock. The outlook is positive: the shared cultural heritage as a unifying bridge in times of political uncertainty.
03.11.2024
Cultural heritage committed
The Protestant Church of Peace in Schweidnitz, built in 1657, is considered the largest half-timbered church in Europe and has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2001. Photo: © Parafia Ewangelicko-Augsburska pw. św. Trójcy
Committed to cultural heritage. Ten years of the German-Polish Foundation for Cultural Preservation and Monument Protection (2007-2017). Review and future. Published for the German-Polish Foundation for Cultural Preservation and Monument Protection by Guido Hinterkeuser, Klaus-Henning von Krosigk and Peter Schabe, Lukas Verlag, Berlin, 2017, ISBN 978-3-86732-293-5, priced at EUR 30 (print) or EUR 24 (e-book). Photo: © Lukas Verlag
Also interesting for restorers
To anticipate: This volume of essays is a magnum opus that is as challenging as it is enlightening to read. The reader is given a detailed insight into the work of the German-Polish Foundation for Cultural Preservation and Monument Protection (DPS) and the cross-border development of monument preservation from the second half of the 20th century onwards. He is also taken on an exciting journey that takes him to remote places with almost forgotten names.
The churches and chapels, manor houses and gardens of Schweidnitz (Świdnica), Steinort (Sztynort), Paradies (Gościkowo Paradyż) and Lomnitz (Łomnica) and many other monuments are part of a common heritage. Preserving them can heal old wounds, promote an understanding dialog between Germany and Poland and, as it were, advance pan-European understanding.
For example, Jäger (TU Dresden) on immediate measures to save Steinort Castle, Schaaf (University of Toruń) on the restoration of the roof truss and windows of the Church of the Redeemer in Bad Warmbrunn in Lower Silesia and a collective of authors led by Drachenberg (Corpus Vitrearum Medii Aevi) on the preservation of historical stained glass in Lower Silesia and Kujawy contribute informative research and restoration reports. The historical and garden conservation comments by Krosigks (ICOMOS-IFLA, DPS board) on the castles and parks in Lomnica (Łomnica) and their rescue based on private initiative create spontaneous feelings of wanderlust in the charming landscape of the Hirschberg Valley.
A real heavyweight
With the volume “Kulturerbe verpflichtet. Zehn Jahre Deutsch-Polnische Stiftung Kulturpflege und Denkmalschutz – Bilanz und Zukunft”, Lukas Verlag from Berlin is expanding its impressive art, cultural and contemporary history program. The 22 contributions by German and Polish academics are printed in German, each with a short summary in Polish. With over 400 pages, almost 300 color illustrations, extensive bibliographies and a detailed appendix, this volume is a heavyweight. The publication “Kulturerbe verpflichtet” demonstrates how the joint preservation of former German architectural and garden monuments in Poland can initiate local identification and bilateral communication processes. This multi-layered work is recommended to all those who care about German-Polish cooperation and understanding.
You can read the full book review in our current RESTAURO issue 1/2018
Read more about the German-Polish Foundation for Cultural Preservation and Monument Protection here