The UCF visited the leading cultural institutions of the Republic of Poland

On September 24-27, delegation of the Ukrainian Cultural Foundation visited the Republic of Poland at the invitation of the Adam Mickiewicz Institute in order to visit, research and establish cooperation between the Foundation and the cultural institutions of Poland. Meetings were held with such well-known Polish institutions as the Ministry of Culture and National Heritage of the Republic of Poland, the Adam Mickiewicz Institute, the Zbigniew Raszewski Theatre Institute, The National Film Archive - the Audiovisual Institute, Fryderyk Chopin National Institute, the National Center for Culture and The National Heritage Board of Poland. We offer you an overview of the leading cultural institutions of the Republic of Poland that Ukrainian Cultural Foundation’s representatives visited during their stay.

Ministry of Culture and National Heritage Republic of Poland. In 2018, nine types of cultural institutions were directly funded  to the total amount of PLN 778,850,000 (5,997,145,000 UAH):

1. Institutes in the field of cinematography - 4 997 000 PLN (38 476 900 UAH)
2. Drama and puppet theaters - PLN 146 902 000 (1 131 145 400 UAH)
3. Philharmonic Orchestras, Choirs and Chapels - PLN 56,277,000 (UAH 433,332,900)
4. Galleries (National Gallery of Art of Zacheta in Warsaw) - PLN 11 470 000 (88 319 000 UAH)
5. Arts and culture centers - 117 399 000 PLN (903 972 300 UAH), among them (selectively)

• Adam Mickiewicz Institute (IAM) - PLN 35 477 000 (273 172 900 UAH);
• Fryderyk Chopin National Institute - PLN 12,932,000 (UAH 99,776,400);
• National Center for Culture (NCK) - PLN 25,925,000 (199,622,500 UAH).

6. Other cultural institutions - 63 343 000 PLN (487 741 000 UAH), among them (selectively)

• The National Film Archive - the Audiovisual Institute (FINA) - 27 274 000 PLN (210 009 800 UAH);
• the Zbigniew Raszewski Theatre Institute - PLN 6 029 000 (46 423 300 UAH).

7. Libraries (National Library in Warsaw) - PLN 60,800,000 (468,160,000 UAH)

8. Museums - 286 945 000 PLN (2 209 476 500 UAH)

9. Institutions for the protection and documentation of monuments - 30 717 000 PLN (236 520 900 UAH), among them (selectively)

• The National Heritage Board of Poland (NID) - 23 870 000 PLN (183 799 000 UAH).

The Adam Mickiewicz Institute is a national cultural institution whose mission is to build a cultural component of the Polish brand through active participation in international cultural exchange. The Institute was established in 2000 as a government agency and reorganized in 2006 into a national cultural institution by the decision of the Ministry of Culture and National Heritage of Poland. The Adam Mickiewicz Institute's head office is located in Warsaw on Mokotovska Street 25, in the historic building of the Sugar Palace. The Institute has both the main budget (for the main activity) and the special (for special ministerial programs). The main budget for the Institute's activities in 2018 is PLN 35 477 000 (UAH 273 172 900).

Organization of the Institute: Directorate (director and two deputies) that subordinates the Department of Minister of Culture’s programs, Department of Administration, Knowledge Management Department, Controlling Department, Communication Department, Department of Expert Groups, Study Visit and Residence Department, European Programs Department, and Chief Accountant who is responsible for Department of Accounting, a Department of Quality Management, a Department of Cases of Implicit information and Information security, a Legal Department and a Department of Personnel Management.

The IAM portfolio includes separate (regional and thematic) programs and projects. Among the programs: the program "Asia", the program "America", the program Don’t Panic! We're from Poland, the Eastern European Performing Arts Platform, the program I, the Culture Orchestra and other programs. The program, which is oriented towards the Eastern Partnership countries, is the Open Poland program (5 employees: program manager and implementers of individual projects within the framework of the program), and Culture.Media - is the separate three-language media project Culture.pl. The IAM employs up to 200 permanent staff, of which 70 are employees of the Culture.pl editorial staff.

The Institute's website: https://iam.pl

The Media Project of the Institute: https://culture.pl

The Zbigniew Raszewski Theatre Institute is a national cultural institution that deals with documentation, promotion and animation of Polish theatrical life. Established in 2003. The main directions of the Institute's activity are: public discussion about contemporary Polish theater, scientific reflection, research and educational activities. The Institute's office is located in the VII Pavilion of the former surgical department of the Warsaw Hospital, built in 1905. It is now the administrative building of the Theater Institute, the PROSPERO bookstore, the library, the coffee shop and the stage for anyone wishing to present their performative or stage work to a wider public. Departments of the Theater Institute are the Barbara Krasnodebska Theater Documentation Department, the Project Department, the Department of Communication and Promotion and the editorial board of the e-teatr.pl website. The budget of the Institute's activities in 2018 is PLN 6 029 000 (46 423 300 UAH).

The website of the Institute: http://www.instytut-teatralny.pl

The Media Project of the Institute: http://www.e-teatr.pl   

The National Film Archive - the Audiovisual Institute is a national cultural institution founded in 2007 that originated from the union of the National Film Museum and the National Audiovisual Institute. The budget for the main activities of the Institute in 2018 is PLN 27 274 000 (210 009 800 UAH). In addition, the institution participates in programs of the European Union. It was at the expense of the European Union that a new FINA office was constructed on the Válbjitsky Street in Warsaw, where there is a coffee house, a library, a recreation area and movie showcase, a cinema hall with state-of-the-art audio techniques, a department of audio and video materials’ digitalization, and the Directorate.

The Institute's website: http://www.fina.gov.pl

Media Library of Nina: http://nina.gov.pl

Fryderyk Chopin National Institute - established in 2001, a national cultural institution, the main activities of which are:

• scientific research and popularization of knowledge about Fryderyk Chopin and his music;
• publications;
• organization of concerts, conferences and courses;
• cooperation with Chopin organizations and institutions from all over the world;
• accumulation of archival objects and documents;
• control over the use of the brand and the name of Fryderyk Chopin;
• The portal of the Chopin Information Center.

The uniqueness of the Institute is that it was created on the initiative of the Polish Parliament. The construction of the Institute lasted 9 years and cost PLN 80 000 000 (UAH 616 000 000), half of which was paid by the European Union, also providing for the conservation of Fryderyk Chopin's heritage sites. In 2010, the official opening of three objects of administration was:

• the Institute itself, on floors (the center of Warsaw);
• the main exposition of the Museum of Chopin (near the Institute);
• the manor and the park where Chopin was born (outside the city of Warsaw).

In total, the Chopin Institute has 100 employees and has a budget of PLN 12,932,000 (99,576,400 UAH) in 2018. The Institute is currently engaged inter alia in the construction of a concert hall with capacity of 650 people and administers special programs of the European Union such as #digitalpoles (#polskacyfrowa) and others. The department of research and publications employs 8 employees, in the department of promotion - 10, in the department of accounting and administration - 8 per each. The training of exhibitions in the Museum of Chopin is open for up to 15 people; the rest is integrated into specific projects (paid and volunteering).

The website of the Institute: http://pl.chopin.nifc.pl

Museum website: http://chopin.museum/en

National Center for Culture is a national cultural institution, which, taking into account all reorganizations, has more than 50 years of experience and is oriented towards the strengthening and professionalization of Polish culture. In 2018, the Center's budget was PLN 25,925,000 (199,622,500), staff: 103 people. Each year, the Center publishes a comprehensive study on the state of culture in Poland, with 6 staff members, the main educational background of which is sociology and the economy of culture. According to the Center's research, approx. 300,000 Poles work in the field of culture.

Center’s website: https://nck.pl

The National Heritage Board of Poland is a national cultural institution that (with all reorganizations) has more than 50 years of experience and positions itself as an expert institution on issues related to the heritage (material, immaterial, archaeological, landscape etc.) for the Ministry of Culture and National Heritage of the Republic of Poland. The Institute has been in existence since 2011 and is located on the Copernicus Street in Warsaw. The most important values ​​of the newly created institution are: constancy, participation and access to the heritage, as well as understanding that "the heritage needs not only to be protected, but also to be able to manage and use it". The Institute's budget for 2018 main activities is PLN 23 870 000 (183 799 000 UAH)

The website of the Board: https://www.nid.pl

On-line portal: https://zabytek.pl