Call on the Minister of Culture and National Heritage to remedy infringement on the law

n connection with the disposition of the Minister of Culture and National Heritage, dated 6 September 2016, on merging the following state institutions of culture: the Museum of the Second World War in Gdańsk and the Museum of Westerplatte and the 1939 War, and on forming the following state institution of culture: the Museum of the Second World War in Gdańsk, the Director of the Second World War Museum in Gdańsk has, called on the Minister of Culture and National Heritage to remedy infringement on the law.

The Museum is of the view that the Minister’s disposition was issued in violation of the regulations of the law, specifically section 5a(1) and 5a(2) of the Act on Museums.  The regulations stipulate that the Museum may be merged with other cultural institutions operating under the regulations governing organisation of cultural activities, if the merger is not detrimental to the performance of its heretofore tasks.  The merger may take place after the Council for Museums has issued its positive opinion.

At an earlier date, the Ministry announced that it had not and would not seek opinion of the Council for Museums on the planned merger, thus violating section 5a(2) of the Act on Museums.  On the other hand, in the reasons of its call, the Museum has referred to the extensive line of argument which has been presented to the Ministry as of the time the announcement of the intended merger of the Second World War Museum in Gdańsk and the Museum of Westerplatte and the 1939 War was first published, pointing to the detriment the planned process of merging the institutions would inflict on the performance of the standing tasks of the Second World War Museum by e.g. putting at risk the integrity of the accumulated exhibits and the already complete permanent exhibition which has been developed by the museum team over the past eight years.  The above would lead to a harm to the Museum’s activities, i.e. the detriment contemplated in the cited regulation.

It has also been pointed out that the effect of savings for the State Treasury, which, as the Minister’s announcement read, were planned to be generated through the merger, would not be attained.  On the contrary, the merger of the two institutions, especially shortly before the completion of the construction works on the site of the Museum of the Second World War in Gdańsk, would translate to unreasonable and substantial expenditure for the State Treasury, connected with the liquidation of the Museum, the indispensable inventory-taking of the works which would cause potential suspension of the works for an unspecified term, delay in completion of the investment project, and the ensuing sizeable costs.