Piotr Gliński made the declaration at an annual conference of officials running independent Polish museums, archives and libraries in the Western hemisphere, Polish state news agency PAP reported.
‘What you do matters for Poland’
Gliński, who is also a deputy prime minister, told the gathering: “Ladies and gentlemen, the fact that you are working for Polish causes abroad is impressive. It is largely a service, pro bono work, highly valuable to us all.”
He added: “Thanks to your service, collections have not dispersed, and today they provide a compendium of knowledge for new generations of Poles around the world.”
Gliński told the cultural officials that their work was "a combination of professionalism and patriotism."
He said: "Your diligence in looking after Polish heritage abroad is worthy of the utmost appreciation."
He thanked them for their work, stressing that “what you do matters for Poland.”
Millions for Polish institutions abroad
The culture minister stressed: “Protecting Polish cultural heritage abroad is one of the central responsibilities of our department.”
He noted that the culture ministry offered funding for Polish independent museums, archives and libraries based outside the country.
“Between 2020 and 2022, a total of 12 foreign-based Polish cultural institutions received financial assistance to the tune of PLN 18 million (EUR 3.8 million),” Gliński said.
He added that most of the recipient institutions were based in Western Europe, the United States and Canada.
Annual get-together of foreign-based Polish cultural institutions
The annual conference of Polish museums, archives and libraries based in the West has been held since 1977.
Officials representing 25 institutions, from nine countries and four continents, meet "to pool experiences and good practice in the protection, documentation and sharing of Polish cultural heritage abroad," reporters were told.
This year’s edition takes place in Warsaw between September 26 and 28. Participants include the Polish Museum in Rapperswil, Switzerland, the Józef Piłsudski Institute of America as well as the Historical and Literary Society and the Polish Library in Paris, France, among other organisations.
Also represented are domestic institutions such as the National Archives, the Institute for National Remembrance (IPN) and the National Library (BN), the PAP news agency reported.
(pm/gs)
Source: PAP, gov.pl