Information on international understandings in preparation for the inscription of the most valuable paper mills on the UNESCO World Heritage List

Four international meetings were held between November 2021 and the beginning of April 2022 between representatives of the Polish Ministry of Culture and National Heritage (attended by Prof. Bogusław Szmygin, President of ICOMOS and the management of the Papermaking Museum), and representatives of ministries responsible for world heritage in the Czech Republic, Germany, Italy and Spain. All meetings were held in a congenial atmosphere. The participants acknowledged that the paper mills in Duszniki-Zdrój, Velké Losiny, Homburg, Pescia and Capellades are of great cultural significance.

Partners from the Czech Republic, Germany, Italy and Spain agreed that the project should be implemented under the leadership of Polish authorities. The Ministry of Culture and National Heritage expressed its readiness to submit the nomination to the World Heritage Centre in Paris in January 2024 (provided that the nomination is ready and accepted by each country). The Paper Museum in Duszniki Zdrój has agreed to coordinate the work of preparing the nomination.

A draft international agreement on the principles of cooperation is currently being prepared with the support of partners from Germany and Italy. Simultaneously, the Papermaking Museum has commissioned experts under the guidance of Professor Bogusław Szmygin to develop a preliminary nomination. According to the plans, the complete nomination will be ready by the end of 2023 and submitted to the World Heritage Centre in Paris in January 2024.