“We did it: our stolen heritage has returned home! We recovered priceless Polish–Teutonic archives: 73 documents, including the oldest dating back to 1215, and the head of Saint James, a 14th-century sculpture of exceptional cultural value,” she said.
Cienkowska highlighted that on 1 December, Polish representatives in Germany submitted nine further restitution requests.
These included a manuscript of Gaude Mater Polonia, a 12th-century medallion from the Gołuchów collection, Zamość Ordination manuscripts, journals by the writer Stefan Żeromski, and 15th-century bells from southern and southwestern Poland.
She added that German Minister Wolfram Weimer had assured her that the processing of these additional restitution claims would be expedited.
Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk observes Saint James' head during a cultural heritage hand over of parchment manuscripts and the relic of Saint James' head during the German-Polish government consultation at the chancellery in Berlin, Germany, 1 December 2025 (photo: FILIP SINGER/PAP/EPA)
The minister described the recovery of the 73 archival documents and the 14th-century Saint James sculpture as “a breakthrough in talks with Germany.”
Cienkowska also thanked the restitution team at Poland’s Ministry of Culture, as well as Prime Minister Donald Tusk and Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski, for their support in the negotiations.
She noted that her ministry was handling around 200 restitution cases across 18 countries at the time.
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Source: IAR/X/@MartaCienkowska/@kultura_gov_pl