Restytucja strat wojennych przez krajową administrację publiczną
The restitution of wartime losses by the national public administration

Author(s): Emilia Barbara Zakrzewska
Subject(s): Administrative Law
Published by: Wydawnictwa Uniwersytetu Warszawskiego
Keywords: wartime losses; looted works of art; activities of a social and organizational nature; database of wartime losses; restitution
Summary/Abstract: The article is an attempt to diagnose the problems related to the looted works of art and their restitution. The paper tries to examine the relations between different public administration bodies, which are responsible for the recovery of the Polish heritage. The main focus is put on the Ministry of Culture and National Heritage and legal frameworks it uses to succeed. Further and deepened study of the biggest and most important venture of the authorities – the electronic Database of Wartime Losses – allows for a better understanding of historical and systematic problems the state faces when trying to reclaim what once belonged to the Poles or was part of public collections. A comparison with other countries’ attempts to restore their cultural heritage gives a perspective of what else can be done. The lack of coordination and cooperation both between the governmental departments and public institutions with privately-owned enterprises calls for the administration’s immediate and substantive actions.

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