On September 5-6, 2024, a scientific conference combined with a workshop titled „Safeguarding of Intangible Cultural Heritage in the Military” was held in Wroclaw (Poland). This event was a collaborative project between the International Center for Training and Research on Cultural Heritage in Danger in Wrocław, the Department of Education, Culture, and Heritage of the Ministry of National Defense, and the UNESCO Chair on Intangible Cultural Heritage in Public and Global Governance (University of Warsaw).
The event focused on exchanging experiences, analyzing, and discussing aspects of safeguarding intangible cultural heritage both in general and in military-specific contexts. The discussions addressed methods and strategies to ensure respect for the intangible heritage of diverse communities, groups, and individuals by the armed forces during military operations and in peacetime. The conference also provided an opportunity to explore ways to raise public awareness of the importance of intangible cultural heritage and to define the role and responsibilities of the armed forces in this area. Over 100 participants from both civilian and military sectors attended the event.
The conference began with welcome speeches delivered by:
– Dr. Fumiko Ohinata, Secretary of the 2003 UNESCO Convention on Intangible Cultural Heritage (who welcomed all participants online);
– Mariusz Lewicki, Permanent Representative of Poland to UNESCO (a letter was read);
– Wojciech Bal, Prof. ZUT, Director of the Department of Education, Culture, and Heritage of the Ministry of National Defense (a letter was read);
– Krzysztof Sałaciński, Advisor at the Ministry of Culture and National Heritage and the President of the Polish Committee of the Blue Shield;
– Marlena Happach, Director of the National Institute of Cultural Heritage (a letter was read).
The keynote lecture, titled „From El Condor Pasa to Ukrainian Borscht: The Genealogy of Safeguarding Intangible Cultural Heritage and Its Significance for Civil-Military Cooperation,” was delivered by Prof. Hanna Schreiber, Head of the UNESCO Chair on Intangible Cultural Heritage in Public and Global Governance.
This was followed by panel discussions. The Russian aggression against Ukraine prompted a reconsideration of the need to safeguard intangible cultural heritage as an element of identity, serving as a starting point for presenting the threats associated with attacks on intangible heritage and setting the stage for further discussions. The first panel, titled „Intangible Cultural Heritage in Emergencies – The Context of the War in Ukraine,” was moderated by Marta Szuniewicz-Stępień, Prof. of the Naval Academy, with important speeches by Oksana Humeniuk, Marek Lemiesz and Janusz Radwanski.
The second panel, „Military Traditions in the Polish Armed Forces and Intangible Cultural Heritage,” focused on the unique sphere of military traditions, the ethos of service, and the symbolism of the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. The discussion also covered the role of banners and standards in heroic moments of Polish military history. Starting from the definition of intangible cultural heritage in the 2003 UNESCO Convention, military traditions can be understood as practices, expressions, knowledge, and skills, along with associated instruments, objects, artifacts, and cultural spaces recognized by the military community as part of its ethos and identity. The panel was moderated by Col. Janusz Zajac, with presentations delivered by Lt. Agata Buchholtz and Lt Col. res. Andrzej Łydka PhD.
The third panel, „Intangible Cultural Heritage in Emergencies – Lessons Learned from Around the World” moderated by Krzysztof Sałaciński, familiarized participants with the issues of safeguarding intangible cultural heritage during armed conflicts (Iraq, Afghanistan, Ukraine) and in situations of threats such as climate change (e.g., Yemen) or disasters like the Chernobyl nuclear catastrophe, and sparked a discussion on the role of specific structures and their safeguarding tasks. This panel hosted presentations delivered by Dr Maja Kominko, Aleksandra Brodowska and Col. Marcin Matczak.
The conference culminated with workshop titled „Safeguarding of Intangible Cultural Heritage in Civil-Military Cooperation” conducted using the metaplan method. Four workshop groups were asked: „What does the safeguarding of intangible cultural heritage in civil-military cooperation look like?” The answers to the questions—what is, what should be, why it is not as it should be, and what we can do about it—helped diagnose the current situation and formulate conclusions and recommendations for improving the safeguarding of intangible cultural heritage in civil-military cooperation.
A detailed report on the conference and workshops is currently being prepared. The conclusions and recommendations will help guide military actions to ensure more effective safeguarding of intangible cultural heritage in the country and build the military’s capacity to properly carry out heritage safeguarding tasks during international missions and operations. In summarizing the workshop, Prof. Hanna Schreiber thanked participants for their lively discussions and important insights presented by each workshop group in the plenary session. She also emphasized that we are all custodians of diverse traditions and practices of intangible cultural heritage and should remember this when carrying out tasks in this area.
We are proud that Prof. Hanna Schreiber (UNESCO Chair, Faculty of Political Science and International Studies, University of Warsaw) was honored with the Medal of the Minister of National Defence during this Conference.
