prof. dr hab. Jan Harasimowicz

Section 12.: Return to Poland of Mieszko and Bolesław the Brave - Polish historical sciences towards the areas of western and northern Poland annexed in 1945

The paper will offer a concise assessment of Polish art-historical research on the cultural heritage of the main regions in Poland’s Western and Northern territories: Upper and Lower Silesia, the New March, Farther Pomerania, Royal Prussia, and the Duchy of Prussia. The current state of the historic buildings recording survey on the area in question will be presented and the extent to which the cultural phenomena existing there have been recognised so far, with special emphasis on comprehensive treatments of regional and supra-regional scope, already published or still under preparation. New postulates for future research, based on the theories of cultural transfer, e.g. along the Royal Highway, or the River Oder, will be proposed. Future research should strive to overcome a sort of ‘cultural schizophrenia’ currently prevailing in Poland, which gives preference to research on the ‘lost heritage’ in the Eastern Borderlands over the heritage of the Western and Northern territories – fully under control of our state, but not fully assimilated yet.