LIBRARIES OF WARSAW DURING THE HECATOMBE PERIOD 1939–1945
Authors: Morshna N. O. 
Published: July 2024

Purpose. Nataliia Morshna’s article “Libraries Warszaw during the hecatomb period 1939–1945 years” reveals the current problems of Polish libraries that survived the hecatomb during the German and Soviet occupation of 1939–1945.
Methodology. The research methodology is based on the application of general scientific principles of historicism, consistency, complexity, objectivity, and comprehensiveness of knowledge. This was facilitated by the use of methods of analysis, abstraction, synthesis and generalization.
Novelty. Analysis of the state of Polish libraries during the Second World War 1939–1945 showed that Polish culture suffered huge losses due to the lack of formation of the state policy regarding the preservation of cultural values under the threat of a military invasion of the country, which actualized this problem in Ukraine during the russian-ukrainian war.
Scientific novelty. The scientific novelty of the obtained results lies in the fact that the study of the experience of Polish libraries during the period of German and Soviet occupation showed that during the full-scale russian invasion of Ukraine, the relevance of libraries became obvious, and in the new realities the problem of protecting library funds in wartime arose, which is an important component of the cultural policy of the Ukrainian state.
Practical value. Analysis of the experience of preserving Polish library collections during the period of German aggression for Ukraine during a full-scale invasion of russia in order to identify advantages and disadvantages in order to prevent them.
Conclusions. As evidenced by the analysis of the works of Polish researchers, the significance of library collections in Poland during the Second World War was considered on a par with other cultural and educational institutions (for example, museums, theaters, schools), and books were threated in the same way as other cultural values (works of art, architecture). It was found that the measures taken by the Polish authorities to secure cultural national heritage were completely insufficient on the eve of the Second World War – the measures taken were temporary and, mainly, were the result of a lack of faith in the reality of the threat. It has been established that the library collections were devastated not only as a result of military operations, but primarily as a result of a planned, systematic action to destroy Polish culture, in particular, the Nazis looted libraries during the entire time they were in power – first on the territory of Germany, and then in all occupied lands. It is emphasized that the Polish state and Polish culture suffered huge, often irreparable losses during the Second World War, which in many cases are difficult to assess due to the absence, destruction or loss of documentation. It was established that the actions of the Nazi occupiers were aimed at looting cultural values or their destruction, which was part of the program that provided for the destruction of the Polish nation, and it was a completely planned action to destroy the most valuable monuments of Polish literature, which we are currently observing in the actions of the russian occupiers against Ukrainian cultural heritage. Today, it is difficult to predict the timing of the end of hostilities and the extent of the damage caused, but it is highly likely that in the post-war period, the main areas of work in the field of cultural heritage protection will be documenting the facts of war crimes against cultural objects in order to bring the perpetrators to justice, restitution of cultural values, and restoration of damaged monuments.