17.05.2023
Ukrainian monuments and works of art hidden in private homes await the end of the war.
Ukrainians sleep next to works of art and hide them in underground bunkers to protect their culture. Monuments exposed to looting and destruction are saved by the civilian population, especially museologists from areas occupied by the Russians.
Dina Listopad, an employee of the Regional Museum in Izium, hid the Gospel of 1707, published by Hetman Iwan Mazepa in her home. Many people knew how precious this book was. Information about it could easily reach Russian looters. Therefore, Dina placed a book that looked like an antique gospel in the display case. And just a few days before the capture of Izium by the Russians, she managed to transport the valuable artefact to the village of Kropywnicki, 500 km west of occupied Izium.
Now the 18th-century Gospel is undergoing restoration in Kharkov. The museum in Izium, like the entire city, although liberated, is destroyed. Many exhibits must wait for its reconstruction in private homes, in presbyteries of churches, and even – as we heard in Tarnopol – in the basements of a nursing home.
The More Than Poland Foundation is actively involved in helping the inhabitants of Ukraine who spontaneously save works of art and monuments. From the first days of the war, we have been actively helping to protect objects of Ukrainian and Polish cultural heritage located in Ukraine against looting and destruction. We work with non-profit organizations and volunteers, helping them safely travel war-affected areas, to reach historic buildings that require protection or relocation.
We save Polish monuments in Ukraine.
“We save Polish monuments in Ukraine” – it’s the name of the project currently being implemented by the More Than Poland Foundation. Its main goal is to prevent the devastation of Polish cultural goods and to protect works of art located in Ukraine.
The Foundation has started technical and personnel support for securing historic, cultural and sacral buildings, carried out with the help of groups of volunteers operating in Lviv and other cities and towns in Ukraine. The activities are carried out in accordance with the instructions for the protection of monuments developed by experts.
The project is funded by the ORLEN for Pomerania Foundation.
