Monuments are not only museums

“Dear countrymen, you know very well in how many Polish communes, villages, small towns and somewhat larger cities - there are pearls hidden. Pearls from Poland's past that have fallen into disrepair. My heart aches, it hurts all the time to see them deteriorate, to see them lose their value, to see them disappear before our eyes,” said Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki during a press conference at which he announced the launch of the Government Monuments Reconstruction Programme.

For the past 30 years, historic buildings in our country have been condemned to oblivion. A frequent reason was the lack of funds for their restoration. The repair of public finances has made it possible to allocate significant funds for this purpose, as monuments also have a use value. In many towns and cities all over Poland, schools, crèches, kindergartens or community centres are located in historic buildings.

More than PLN 2.5 billion has been allocated to the Government Monuments Reconstruction Programme. Funding of up to PLN 3.5 million will be provided to local authorities across Poland - more than 4,800 reconstruction and conservation projects will receive funding.

“Our words are followed by actions and measures. It all started with the repair of public finances, without which, not only would there not have been our great social programmes, the reduction of taxes to 12%, but there would not have been this great, amazing Government Monuments Reconstruction Programme,” stressed the Prime Minister.

The special role of monuments

Monuments link the past with the present and the future. They are part of our culture and identity - both local and national. Restoring monuments is an investment in our heritage.

“Polish monuments are the pride of many Polish local communities. At the same time, it is about caring for this living fabric of Polish culture. In fact, monuments, after all, bring the past into the present and also carry it forward into the future for generations to come - they are this ark of covenant between the old and the new, and it is precisely them that we must and want to take care of,” stressed Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki.

The restoration of historic buildings is also an investment in the local economy, as monuments are also public buildings. Refurbished and protected from deterioration, historic buildings can attract tourists, but also serve local residents.

“This programme will see the restoration of hundreds, thousands of palaces, manor houses, churches, as well as railway stations or public buildings, municipal schools, sometimes hospitals - precisely because we do not want to let these wonderful mementos of Polish culture fall into oblivion,” said the head of government.

Government Monuments Reconstruction Programme

The programme supports local authorities in improving the condition of, restoring and renovating historic buildings.  We will protect them from degradation and destruction. The beauty of historic places will be preserved for decades to come. Caring for monuments means caring for cultural heritage, preserving our identity and building a national community.

Funds from the Government Monuments Reconstruction Programme will be used for:

• conservation work,
• restoration,
• construction works.

In parallel to the Government Monuments Reconstruction Programme, we have undertaken to support the protection of monuments and heritage in recent years. We have earmarked a total of more than PLN 1.24 billion between 2016 and 2023 for the Historic Preservation Programme, and we have also expanded the list of Historic Monuments.