The war in Ukraine. The Polonika Institute helps to protect Ukrainian monuments

The director of Polonika, Dorota Janiszewska-Jakubiak, explains that the Russian attacks have already caused losses that are difficult to estimate. – Czernichów – a city that is a candidate on the UNESCO World Heritage List, is currently subjected to criminal activities, there were shellings in the vicinity of Lutsk, and Lutsk, Volyn and Ołyka are places of great importance for Polish history. We know about the shelling of Zhytomyr, where there is one of the most valuable archives for the history of Poland and the history of the Republic of Poland – she informed.

The war in Ukraine. The Russian army is destroying the monuments, so Polonika supports their protection

The Russian army has already destroyed several historic churches, destroyed the historic University and dozens of other places important for culture. That is why Polonika supports the protection of monuments, among others, in Lviv, which has not yet received military operations.

– We try to protect, for example, sculptures located outside the Latin Cathedral, objects, for example, in the vicinity of the Old Town Square – assures Dorota Janiszewska-Jakubiak.

Read more similar information at

Initially, the sculptures were secured with special non-flammable materials or wrapped with non-flammable materials, but the issue of dismantling some objects and moving them to safe places is being considered. Lviv tenement houses and religious buildings are famous for their historic, unique value of stained glass.

Director of Polonica: If a bomb hits a building, I don’t think there will be anything to collect anyway

Dorota Janiszewska-Jakubiak emphasizes that the conservators are very careful in securing them.

– If a bomb hits a building, I don’t think there will be anything to collect anyway. On the other hand, if it was a matter of shrapnel or a shock wave, our colleagues who take part in the work related to the protection and maintenance of stained glass use additional protective nets, additional non-flammable mineral wool, OSB boards, sheet metal – he says.

For the time being, the conservators from Lviv have not yet secured the historic tombstones of Poles resting in Łyczakowski, or the historic and exceptionally symbolic Lviv Eaglets’ Cemetery.