The text “Millions for WBH Cenckiewicza” was published on the website o2.pl. The Ministry of Defense announced the amounts. The publication was commented on by the Military Historical Bureau. Lieutenant General Kazimierz Sosnkowski.
By decision of former Minister of Defense Antoni Macierewicz, the Military Historical Bureau was established in 2016. Sławomir Cenckiewicz became director. The agency oversees military archives and scientific research. As we hear, the Ministry of National Defense has spent more than PLN 90 million on its activities in eight years
– writes Łukasz Maziewski on the website o2.pl. WBH is located in the Rembertów district of Warsaw. The Central Military Archives, which had been active there since May 1972, became an internal unit of the institution.
The o2 portal calculates how much money WBH “consumes”.
Prof. Sławomir Cenckiewicz had been director of WBH since 2016 and resigned on December 11, 2023.
As we know, the Bureau’s powers include the digitization of records, office and archive training, and the disposal (destruction) of non-archival documentation. It also co-organized 21 conferences, 3 seminars and 26 exhibitions. The Historical and Military Journal, previously published by the defunct Military Historical Research Bureau, was also published. But all this has its price. During the eight years of Sławomir Cenckiewicz’s rule, WBH spent a total of PLN 93.5 million. In 2023 alone, WBH’s operating costs amounted to PLN 15.3 million
– Maziewski sums up. As he further informs, the largest expenditures were recorded in 2018. A separate place is reserved for the merits of the former director of the institution, Prof. Slawomir Cenckiewicz.
The office responds
The Military Historical Bureau responded to the text of the o2.pl website.
Referring to the article by Mr. Łukasz Maziewski “Millions for Cenckiewicz’s WBH. The Ministry of Defense announced the amounts published on January 26 on the website o2.pl. We would like to inform you that the Military Historical Office of Lieutenant General Kazimierz Sosnkowski received PLN 93.5 million from the Ministry of National Defense for 8 years of operation, that is, from 2016 to 2023
– said in a statement.
As we learn further, 60 percent of the amounts are “salaries and other benefits for employees and professional soldiers (in 2023 WBH had 120 full-time jobs)”.
A further 10% was allocated to securing WBH’s activities, including the digitization of archival materials, conservation and publication. 15% was allocated to IT security (required equipment such as servers). The remaining 10% of the amount covered the costs of maintaining electronic security and fire protection systems, ensuring that the unique WBH assets, including the archives inscribed on the UNESCO World List and the National Memory of the World Lists, are professionally secured so that they can serve the next generations of researchers and military historians
– notes WBH.
A huge institution with a rich archive, researching the history of the Polish Army and located on the grounds of the Academy of War Arts, should be under state control and funded by the state. Is there really anything to make a sensation about?
aja/X, o2.pl
Source: wPolityce