Conference “Contemporary Conservation Doctrine”

The conference is addressed to researchers, heritage conservation professionals, students and practitioners involved in the protection and management of cultural heritage. Its aim is to deepen knowledge of contemporary conservation doctrine, clarify the significance of international and national documents, and confront their principles with the everyday practice of heritage protection.

The programme comprises four sessions, combining introductory lectures with panel discussions. Of particular importance will be the first session, “Standards for the Protection and Management of Historic Gardens: From the Florence Charter to the Present Day.” Among the panelists will be Łukasz Przybylak, Chair of the Eduard Petzold Foundation and President of the European Route of Historic Gardens (ERHG). The discussion will address current challenges in the protection, maintenance and public access of historic gardens as a distinct category of cultural heritage.

Participants will also discuss the protection of industrial heritage, the authenticity and integrity of historic monuments, and the role of historic city centres in sustainable development and climate-change adaptation. The discussion will draw, among others, on the following reference documents:

• the Athens Charter of 1931;
• the Florence Charter of 1981;
• the Warsaw Recommendation of 1976;
• the 2011 UNESCO Recommendation on the Historic Urban Landscape (HUL);
• TICCIH guidelines on industrial heritage.

The programme will be complemented by a guided tour of the exhibition at the Museum of Modern Art, a concluding session with recommendations, and a walk around the “New Centre of Warsaw”, focusing on urban regeneration in the context of the climate and energy crisis. A monographic publication is planned following the conference, and participants will receive the first volume of Contemporary Conservation Doctrine, published in 2025.

The event is organised by the Cultural Heritage Management Committee and the Committee for the Theory of Heritage Conservation of the Polish National Committee of the International Council on Monuments and Sites (PKN ICOMOS), the Mazovian Provincial Heritage Conservator, the Institute of Art History at Cardinal Stefan Wyszyński University, and the Municipality of Warsaw. The conference is held under the honorary patronage of the Minister of Culture and National Heritage and the Mayor of the City of Warsaw.

Participation is possible upon registration through the electronic application form available on the PKN ICOMOS website and payment of the conference fee of PLN 150. Places are limited to 70 participants. Applications will be accepted until 16 October 2026 or until all places have been filled.