Evacuation preparations in museums to preserve their works from armed conflicts

Armed conflicts are increasing and museums are preparing for evacuation. to protect their works from possible attacks on the cities where they are located. On the one hand, Kiev has already evacuated 630,000 high-risk objects to prevent theft by Russian troops, and on the other, Poland is preparing to save its heritage in the event of a possible invasion by Vladimir Putin.

Polish Culture Minister Hanna Wróblewska confirmed that her country is finalizing a plan to relocate and safeguard its artistic heritage in other countries in the event of a Russian invasion. At a press conference in Warsaw, Wróblewska stated that the contingency plan, which will be ready before the end of the year , is "absolutely necessary, because the war in Ukraine taught us that (a Russian invasion) would trigger a war not only for territory, not only to destroy our national identity, but also our culture."

According to the minister, this decision is "part of a broader national security strategy " by the Polish government, which also includes doubling the size of the armed forces to 500,000 troops and strengthening border protection on its eastern flank.

The Polish Ministry of Culture's project is based on cooperation with foreign governments to ensure the temporary storage of paintings, sculptures, rare books, and musical instruments from approximately 160 state institutions, although private museums and galleries are expected to soon participate.

Oversight of this vital operation has been entrusted to Maciej Matysiak, a former army colonel and former deputy director of Poland's military counterintelligence agency, who now heads the Ministry of Culture's newly created Department of Security and Crisis Management.

Poland's experience in helping Ukraine relocate its cultural assets following the 2022 Russian invasion has been a key foundation for this plan.

Wróblewska recalled that in the war in Ukraine, "the Russian side uses material culture and works of art as weapons."

Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia are also developing similar emergency plans.

Russian aggression is “not about annexing square kilometers of land,” but rather about “erasing Ukraine’s cultural identity,” says Ukrainian Deputy Minister of Culture Galyna Grygorenko, who counts 630,000 objects evacuated from museums in high-risk areas and laments that there are few “suitable spaces” left to safeguard art in the country.

Culture is often one of the victims of armed conflicts , but in this case, according to Grygorenko, “that is the main reason for this war, and that is exactly what the Ukrainian government is protecting,” which has been supporting cultural institutions such as museums, libraries, cultural centers and theaters with state funds and subsidies since the Russian aggression in February 2022, and security measures “to keep them functioning” in the midst of war, he says.

"It all stems from something very clear: this war isn't about square kilometers of land, but about cultural identity . Russia is trying to erase this identity," the deputy minister said in an interview in the Netherlands, where she traveled for the opening of an exhibition at the Bredius Museum in The Hague.

The exhibition, Old Masters from Kiev , opened with 14 paintings from the famous Janenko Museum in Kiev, combined with 12 works from the collection of the Dutch museum, founded by Abraham Bredius, who traveled through Eastern Europe in 1897 in search of unknown Rembrandt paintings for the coronation of Queen Wilhelmina (1898), and met the collector couple Bohdan and Varvara Janenko. Bredius was director of the Mauritshuis in The Hague.

“ As for permanent collections, the situation is more difficult . Many have been evacuated from eastern Ukraine to the west, because they are closer to the front lines. Some 630,000 museum objects have been moved: it's the largest movement of collections since World War II. But as the front continues to shift, we have to continue to protect the collections. We're trying to keep them in Ukraine, but we're running out of suitable spaces,” he says.

To safeguard these objects, places with controlled humidity, temperature, and light are needed . Authorities are also "creating digital copies and records so that, in case something is stolen or seized by Russia," Kiev can have proof that it belongs to Ukraine.

The Janenko collection itself did not emerge unscathed from World War II : between 1941 and 1943, the German occupiers looted parts of the collection, and many of the paintings remain missing. Since the beginning of the Russian invasion, the Janenko Museum has been emptied, and the collection has been stored elsewhere.

“ Part of protecting our collections is also displaying them abroad . Not everything can be transported, but we do what we can. This exhibition is an example of that. We want to showcase Ukrainian culture and mutual cooperation,” said Grygorenko, who emphasized that “ culture isn't window dressing, it's humanity . It's living our lives and expressing our hopes for a better future,” and with that mindset, Kiev is working to “protect” its cultural heritage.

The idea is that, despite the war, life goes on: in Kharkiv, near the front lines and the Russian border, cultural events are held in basements or places converted into shelters ; the Opera adapted a secure hall for 400 people (fewer than the usual 1,700) to continue its performances; and, since the start of the invasion, more than 100 new plays have been created in cities like Lviv, Kiev, and Odessa, and around 10 new bookstores have opened in the capital alone.

Last February, European Union culture ministers stressed the urgency of preserving heritage , combating the illicit trafficking of Ukrainian cultural property, and imposing sanctions on those involved in its plunder.

According to data from Ukrainian regional administrations, more than 2,185 cultural infrastructures have been damaged or destroyed since the beginning of the war, including 476 verified by UNESCO.