The government’s Plenipotentiary for German reparations, Deputy Foreign Minister Arkadiusz Mularczyk, has announced that he has addressed the Director General of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) with a request for cooperation on the issue of obtaining compensation by the Republic of Poland for the damage caused by German aggression and occupation in term of culture.

During a joint press conference with the Minister of Culture and National Heritage Piotr Glinski, Deputy Minister Mularczyk highlighted the key role played by UNESCO in matters concerning the protection of national cultural heritage.
“In view of UNESCO’s past experience and achievements in the protection of cultural heritage, we look forward to good cooperation and constructive support”, said the Plenipotentiary for Reparations.

‘With such actions we want to raise the profile of our demands so that the German government has to react. Our expectations and actions are based on professional scientific analyses”, said Minister Piotr Gliński.

The head of the Ministry of Culture pointed out that according to the report on Polish war losses, the total value of losses in culture, art and historical and sacred objects can be estimated at about PLN 52 billion. He stressed that these estimates do not include losses resulting from the extermination of the Polish elite, people of culture, artists and scientists.

“The German invasion and occupation deprived Poland of a significant part of our history and culture, which left a devastating mark on our identity. At the same time, Germany has never borne full responsibility for the actions of its legal predecessor on Polish territory during this period”, pointed out Deputy Minister Mularczyk. He added that the Federal Republic of Germany should take systemic measures leading to the return of cultural property seized from Poland that is located on German territory.

Arkadiusz Słomczyński