Poland prepares to evacuate art in case of Russian invasion

This was announced by Poland’s Minister of Culture Hanna Wróblewska in an interview with Financial Times.

Wróblewska stated that evacuation planning is necessary because nearly 1,000 museums in Poland can no longer operate under a “a theoretical notion of security” while Russia continues its war in Ukraine.

What will be subject to evacuation?

According to Hanna Wróblewska, her ministry is negotiating with authorities abroad about housing evacuated artworks from approximately 160 institutions under Polish administration. In addition to paintings and sculptures, the evacuation will also include rare books and musical instruments. It is expected that private museums and galleries will follow suit.

As noted by the publication, the plan — set to be finalized by the end of the year — is part of broader national security efforts by Prime Minister Donald Tusk’s government, which include strengthening border protection and doubling the size of Poland’s armed forces to 500,000 troops.

Who is coordinating the initiative?

The art evacuation initiative is coordinated by Maciej Matysiak, a former army colonel and former deputy head of Poland’s military counterintelligence. He now leads the Ministry of Culture’s Department of Security and Crisis Management, which has a 40-person staff.

Experience from helping Ukraine taken into account

The plan is partly based on experience gained during efforts to help Ukraine relocate cultural artifacts to Poland following the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion in 2022. According to Wróblewska, some of those Ukrainian works of art are still under Polish protection.

Aside from logistics, the effort also includes updating documentation so that relocated Polish artworks can be tracked and eventually returned.

“You need to evacuate also all the inventory books that can then allow you to say that this is your work,” Wróblewska emphasized.

It was previously reported that Poland’s Ministry of Internal Affairs is also developing a plan to evacuate civilians and national cultural assets in the event of a natural disaster or military threat.