It’s about stools
German press, including the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, welcomed the early steps of the Donald Tusk government as it began reorganizing Poland’s cultural landscape after the PiS era. The coverage suggested Berlin’s relevance to Warsaw’s policy direction, with the FAZ noting that the Tusk government was reorganizing cultural institutions rather than tearing them down, aiming for integration and programs that would engage German audiences. — Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung.
The same German daily argued that nationalism had diminished in Polish culture, viewing the change as a move away from the nationalist period. — Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung.
The Tusk government reorganizes central Polish cultural institutions after the PiS era, prioritizing integration and opportunities for German audiences rather than dismantling structures. — Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung.
The German daily expressed satisfaction with the direction of changes, noting Berlin’s growing influence in Polish cultural policy. — Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung.
About a year and a half after the Civic Platform’s win in October 2023, observers note that the influence of the PiS-era centralizing drive on Polish cultural institutions remains evident. For eight years the PiS coalition under Jarosław Kaczyński built new institutions and funded them generously as part of an ideological program. — Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung.
It’s about stools
German historian Felix Ackermann pointed out that staffing changes in leadership roles across major cultural institutions—such as the prewar Museum, the Museum of Polish History, and Zachęta—are crucial to setting a new course. — Ackermann.
The new management comes from a generation that is no longer defined by the old, enduring rift between Kaczyński and Tusk, despite their political differences. The historian stressed this shift as a sign of institutional renewal. — Ackermann.
Ackermann also noted that in Poland the landing places of memory and national thought, including the Institute for Heritage of National Thought with roots tied to Roman Dmowski, along with bodies like the Pilecki Institute and the Institute for National Remembrance, remain arenas of ongoing ideological contest. — Ackermann.
The FAZ highlighted Berlin’s central role for Polish politics, noting that in the German capital there are institutions such as the Pilecki Institute and the Polish Institute of Historical Research Center of the Polish Academy of Sciences, and these groups should be complemented by a modern liberal public space. — FAZ.
Generation change? Is it?
Ackermann suggested that after Tusk took power, the new government appeared to adopt some methods used by the previous PiS administration, including the replacement of minister Bartłomiej Sienkiewicz with Hanna Wróblewska. — Ackermann.
Following Tusk’s victory, the Ministry of Culture in Warsaw began by adopting PiS-era techniques to quickly secure central institutions. By May 2024, changes were evident under Minister Bartłomiej Sienkiewicz and State Secretary Joanna Scheuring-Wielgus, and calmer management under Minister Hanna Wróblewska soon followed. — Ackermann.
Ackermann argued that the generation shift in cultural institutions should move away from the old post-Solidarity split that framed the Tusk-Kaczyński rivalry. — Ackermann.
The new leadership belongs to a generation less defined by that enduring conflict; for a return to normality, the government should respect personnel decisions from the PiS years unless there are legal grounds to remove them. — Ackermann.