Contemporary heritage policy in Poland increasingly combines the protection of cultural heritage with digital transformation, sustainable development, accessibility and international cooperation. Heritage protection remains one of the central priorities of the Ministry of Culture and National Heritage, particularly in the context of climate risks, armed conflicts and the growing importance of digital documentation and conservation standards. The National Heritage Board of Poland is an institution responsible for such actions including the protection and monitoring of Polish UNESCO World Heritage sites, coordination of heritage documentation and support for conservation policy and heritage management.
The main objectives of the Heritage Board are to gather and disseminate information on heritage, set standards for its protection and conservation, and aim to raise social awareness on the cultural heritage of Poland in order to save it for future generations in accordance with the strategy for sustainable development.
Other national institutes responsible for heritage preservation and protection are:
- The National Institute for Museums and Public Collections. Its mission is to support the development of museums and public collections through research, training, digitisation, professional standards, educational activities and innovation in museum management. The Institute also coordinates projects related to accessibility, digitisation, audience development and professional training in the museum sector.
- The State Archives. Its tasks are: shaping the state archival resources; recording, storing, developing, protecting and sharing archival materials belonging to the archival resource; conducting scientific and publishing works in the field of archival science and related fields; and popularising knowledge about archival materials and archives as well as conducting information activities.
In recent years, heritage institutions increasingly focused on digitisation, digital access to collections and the protection of cultural heritage in emergency and crisis situations, especially after the Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
Currently, the Ministry of Culture and National Heritage runs subsidy programmes for:
- Memorial sites and permanent memorials in the country. The aim of the programme is to support local governments in providing stable care over the most important memorial sites, which are material testimony to events that are key to national identity.
- War graves and cemeteries in the country. The aim of the programme is to support the care of war graves and cemeteries in the territory of the Republic of Poland, constituting material evidence of key events in the history of Poland related to struggle and martyrdom, as well as to support scientific activities disseminating knowledge about these events
- Protection of archaeological monuments. The aim of the programme is to protect the archaeological heritage by supporting the key tasks for this area, including the identification and documentation of archaeological heritage resources as well as the preparation and publication of the results of archaeological research.
- Protection of cultural heritage abroad. The aim of the programme is to improve the state of preservation and strengthen the protection of cultural heritage located outside the territory of the Republic of Poland, and to disseminate knowledge about it.
- Supporting museum activities. The aim of the programme is to support activities in the field of conservation care of museums, archives and book collections, as well as the presentation of the collections in the form of cognitively attractive exhibition and publishing projects.
- Protection of monuments. The aim of the programme is to preserve the tangible cultural heritage, through the conservation and restoration of immovable and movable monuments, and making them available for public purposes.
In 2025 and 2026, heritage policy was additionally supported through European Funds for Infrastructure, Climate and Environment (FEnIKS), the National Recovery and Resilience Plan (KPO), EEA and Norwegian Funds and programmes related to energy modernisation and accessibility of cultural infrastructure. Public debate increasingly emphasises the need to combine heritage protection with sustainability, climate adaptation, accessibility and digital innovation.
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