In a ceremony at the National Library, two prized 19th-century books by Karl Marx found their way back home to the University Library in Wrocław. Thanks to the tireless efforts of the Ministry of Culture and National Heritage (MKiDN), these literary gems, pilfered perhaps in the 1990s, were retrieved from the Austrian market.
Elżbieta Rogowska, head of MKiDN’s Cultural Property Restitution Department, shared the exhilarating news. She revealed how painstaking negotiations, spanning Denmark and Germany, persuaded the rightful owners to relinquish the stolen treasures.
This victory isn’t isolated. Rogowska recounted similar triumphs, recalling the recovery of ancient manuscripts, including Cicero’s works and a rare Turkish poetry anthology, showcasing MKiDN’s commitment to restoring lost cultural heritage.
Dr Tomasz Makowski, National Library Director, stressed the urgency of reporting thefts, underlining MKiDN’s relentless pursuit of stolen art across diverse locales.
Vice-Rector Prof. Artur Błażejewski expressed profound gratitude for MKiDN’s support, emphasizing the critical importance of preserving cultural heritage. He outlined ambitious plans to promote this heritage, not just through digitization but also through scholarly exploration.
In a poignant display in the National Library’s Reading Room, Marx’s “Herr Vogt” and the anthology “Anekdota” stood as triumphant symbols of cultural restoration, their rightful place reclaimed in Polish libraries.
