The event took place at the Institute of Industrial Design in Warsaw and was held under the patronage of, among others, the governments of Ukraine, Poland, Germany, and France, the Embassy of Italy, the Embassy of Ukraine, as well as numerous institutions supporting dialogue and cooperation in Europe. This gave the event the character of a multilateral cooperation platform, also in the spirit of the Weimar Triangle.

The conference was officially opened by representatives of the governments of Poland, Ukraine, Italy, and Germany, who underlined its international significance and the shared commitment to supporting Ukraine’s recovery process through culture. Opening remarks were delivered by: Marek Prawda – Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, Marta Cienkowska – Deputy Minister of Culture and National Heritage, Anastasia Bondar – Deputy Minister of Culture and Strategic Communications of Ukraine, Luca Franchetti Pardo – Ambassador of Italy to Poland, and Stefan Rössel – representative of the Federal Foreign Office of Germany. Their addresses inaugurated the two-day discussions, highlighting the importance of culture as a pillar of long-term recovery.

Culture as a Driving Force of Reconstruction

The two-day meeting aimed not only to exchange experiences but also to prepare recommendations for the upcoming Ukraine Recovery Conference (URC 2025), to be held on 10–11 July 2025 in Rome.

During plenary sessions and panel discussions, participants debated, among other things, how culture and national heritage can support social resilience, the return of citizens to the country, and the rebuilding of national identity. Key topics included:

• The role of culture in Ukraine’s resilience system – with contributions from Olesia Ostrovska-Liuta (“Mystetskyi Arsenal”), Andriy Lyubka (Institute of Central European Strategy), Anna Łazar (Centre for Contemporary Art), and Simon Schlegel (Zentrum Liberale Moderne, Berlin);
• Returning home and regional development – with Bohdan Tyholoz (Franko House Museum in Lviv), Oleksandr Knyha (Theatre in Kherson), Błażej Moder (EC1 Łódź), and Julitta Khlystun (Narva Museum);
• Cultural heritage and national security – including presentations by representatives of UNESCO, ALIPH, ENRS, and the Ukrainian Parliament;
• New responsibilities of museums after three years of war – debates on narrative-building, education, and countering disinformation, with participants from NEMO, SFHM (Sweden), the Museum of Art in Łódź, and the Halahana Museum in Chernihiv.

The conference also created an opportunity to exchange best practices in crisis management, the protection of heritage during wartime, and the actions undertaken by Ukrainian cultural institutions despite the ongoing conflict.
Culture as a space for return and integration
A particularly important aspect of the conference was the role of culture in the process of repatriating Ukrainian citizens and fostering social reintegration. The potential of museums, theatres, and grassroots initiatives was highlighted as a means of attracting people back to their homeland and supporting the rebuilding of social bonds.
Łódź and “In the Eye of the Storm”
On the second day, participants travelled to Łódź, where the Museum of Art opened the exhibition In the Eye of the Storm: Modernism in Ukraine, created by the National Art Museum of Ukraine and previously presented at the Museo Nacional Thyssen-Bornemisza in Madrid. The opening was attended, among others, by Hanna Wróblewska – Minister of Culture and National Heritage, and Anastasia Bondar – Deputy Minister of Culture of Ukraine.
International cooperation for the future
The conference demonstrated the crucial role culture plays in the reconstruction of a state – not only in material terms but above all in the social and identity dimension. The event also confirmed that international solidarity and partnership between cultural institutions can serve as a lasting foundation for a civil society capable of meeting the challenges of the future.