Piotr Lasik

Heritage protection law is one of the youngest branches of law. It is still developing, like a child on its way to adulthood. By using the parallel narrative between the chosen literary works for children (The Snow Queen by Ch. Andersen, The Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz by L.F. Baume and Pippi Longstocking by A. Lindgren) and future challenges for heritage law, the authors aim to present different directions of development relating to heritage identity, extending the field of protection by law (by encompassing intangible heritage and other areas), valuation of heritage, and the problem of bringing heritage to the public domain and the reverse process.

This article aims to demonstrate the necessity of creating collaboration between cultural institutions,  which serves to provide the safeguarding of monuments originating in territories affected by armed conflicts and terrorist attacks. A solution proposed in the past is that of safe haven, which has now  been recognized by the international community. In this article, in addition to presenting historical perspectives of this idea, the concept of safe haven is analised from the lawyer’s perspective in national and international legislation and soft law, consisting of documents by the International Law Association, Association of Art Museum Directors, United Nations, and UNESCO. This analysis shows the advantages and disadvantages of practical application of safe haven in relation to United Nations Security Council  Resolution 2347 (2017).

Safe haven as a remedy for affected monuments not only challenges museum directors when managing the safeguarded monuments, but also curators, who engage in monument displays. This article shows the risks and work needed to be done by both directors and regular museum workers to provide the required help for all of the received objects. This is also an opportunity for the museums to overcome financial and governance crises in cultural institutions, and to involve themselves in international heritage matters. Curators as well are responsible for properly managing the monuments, by using the instruments at their disposal to tell a story beyond the objects, involve the audience, and make them aware of the importance of protecting cultural heritage.