The head of the Europa Nostra Heritage Hub in Krakow, Dr Katarzyna Jagodzińska, became a member of the Social Committee for the Restoration of Krakow Monuments [Społeczny Komitet Odnowy Zabytków Krakowa, SKOZK]. On November 24, 2023, she received the act of appointment from the President of the Republic of Poland, Andrzej Duda.
The ceremony took place at the Wawel Royal Castle, and the occasion was the 45th anniversary of the establishment of the Social Committee for the Restoration of Krakow Monuments. The aim of SKOZK is to protect and restore Krakow’s monuments constituting the national cultural heritage. The Committee administers the National Fund for the Restoration of Krakow Monuments, which is financed mainly from donations, public collections and annual subsidies transferred from the state budget through the Chancellery of the President of the Republic of Poland.
During the plenary meeting, President Andrzej Duda pointed out that over the course of over four decades of its activity, SKOZK
“has become a place where people actually meet for social activities – for the heritage of Krakow, but above all the heritage of the Republic of Poland – distinguished people who enjoy respect in Krakow, whose activities very often exceed the borders of the Republic of Poland, not only Krakow, with their excellent results and achievements; who are experts in the field of architecture, in the field of history, in the field of monument protection, in the field of protection of cultural heritage (…)”
“this formula of activity (…) has an extraordinary impact, but it also has great authority and it is undoubtedly an excellent way to implement this great task of caring for the cultural heritage of the Republic of Poland here in Krakow. (…) the renovation of Krakow’s monuments will always be needed. It is a never-ending process. There will always be a need to renovate our monuments. I hope that there will be more and more of them as the years go by, when our today’s excellent contemporary architectural objects will slowly become the historic substance of our city.”
In 2023, fourteen so-called key projects received resources from the National Fund for the Restoration of Krakow Monuments, including comprehensive revitalisation of the patrician bourgeois residence at ul. Św. Jana 12, the seat of the Society of Friends of Kraków History and Heritage, founded in 1896, which runs the Europa Nostra Heritage Hub.
Today, SKOZK counts 144 members. Prof. Dr Jacek Purchla, Vice-President of Europa Nostra, is a member of the SKOZK Presidium.