MUSEOLOGY

The primary objectives of Polish museum institutions (as set out by the Museums Act of 21 November 1996) are to accumulate and protect tangible and intangible cultural heritage, promote the fundamental values of Polish and international culture, raise the awareness and appreciation of cultural heritage, and provide access to collections. Museums are currently engaging in educational, exhibition, research, publishing and conservation efforts aiming to protect and promote everything that is both specific to Polish culture and shared by Polish culture with other cultures and communities, especially European.

As a result of a major redefinition of the role of museums in the contemporary world and of the transformation of museum institutions themselves, the Ministry of Culture has engaged in cooperation with the museum community in recent years on a multitude of initiatives to create a climate that fosters the protection and promotion of the diversity of cultural expressions. Major developments included the establishment of modern and interactive museums (e.g, the POLIN Museum of the History of Polish Jews). To meet international exhibition standards, many institutions have undergone major refurbishments (e.g. the National Museum in Warsaw) or have been relocated, or are planning to relocate, to buildings that are better adapted to their needs (e.g. the European Solidarity Centre, the Second World War Museum).

Established in 2011 by the Minister of Culture and National Heritage, the National Institute for Museums and Public Collections (NIMOZ) is tasked with the accumulation and dissemination of knowledge of museums and public collections, setting museological standards, and raising the awareness of the values, and preservation of cultural heritage. NIMOZ is responsible for the Museology Development Strategy. This Strategy aims to spark off and provide technical support for the development of museums as institutions that model social life, community identity, sensibility, etc.