Cultural heritage of Poland in the urban space of Vienna

Abstract

The aim of the research was to define the cultural heritage of Poland as represented in the urban space of Vienna by Polonica. Structures commemorating Poles or events they took part in, as well as places related to Poland and Polish people such as Nazi death camps, or geographical objects, were included. Polonica were grouped and analysed in terms of the time of creation, location in the city space, founders, inscriptions and building materials (if they came from Poland). On the basis of the results and discussion, it was found that, as a group of objects, Polonica represent the cultural heritage of Poland from various periods. These objects show both the history of the people and events commemorated, as well as events in the history of Poland over the last 400 years. Moreover, it was argued that some Polonica constitute the cultural heritage of both Poland and Austria. Some objects may be perceived and interpreted differently, which may be related to international political disputes.