Collective and Individual Victims: Cultural Property,Justice and the Politics of Restitution in Poland

Abstract

The transition from authoritarianism to democracy in Central and Eastern Europe was not merely institutional, but a moral reckoning with totalitarian legacies. In Poland, this reckoning remains incomplete, as unresolved property restitution—compensation for cultural assets seized by Nazi Germany and nationalized after the Second World War—continues to shape public policy and identity. This article argues that Poland's post-1989 heritage discourse instrumentalizes cultural loss and victimhood to consolidate domestic political agendas rather than to advance genuine cultural justice. Through an analysis of legal acts, policy instruments, and official statements, it demonstrates how the state constructs a collective narrative of national victimhood that often marginalizes individual experiences and their claims to the recovery of cultural loss. The absence of comprehensive restitution laws and Poland's failure to honour Holocaust-related commitments expose this moral contradiction. Moreover, the victim narrative distorts heritage funding priorities, reinforcing state memory politics. The article calls for reframing heritage discourse towards accountability and inclusive restitution policies.