Objects of cultural heritage in Poland

Objects of cultural heritage in Poland (Polish: zabytki) are tracked by the Polish institute in charge, the Narodowy Instytut Dziedzictwa.

The increase in public awareness in Poland of cultural heritage after the damage done during World War II, was largely the work of Jan Zachwatowicz, the Polish signer of the Venice Charter.

In light of Polish law, the "zabytek" is defined as "immovable or movable items, their parts of elements, which are a creation of man or its byproduct, and giving a testament to the past epoch or event, and whose preservation is in the social interest due to their historical, artistic or scientific nature." In more general terms, "zabytek" concerns movable and immovable items, including those recognized as valuable by the state or other institutions, and in more colloquial language, those recognized as such by individuals.

The cultural heritage is officially classified into three categories: movable heritage objects, nonmovable heritage objects, archaeological heritage objects.

Nonmovable zabytek may be categorized as follows:

Movable cultural heritage, such as archaeological objects, bibliographic heritage, and large works of art, are catalogued in a separate National list.

An archaeological zone, or any area with traces of former human intervention with remarkable cultural importance, is catalogued as a separate type.

Objects are recognized as cultural heritage protected by law in four ways:

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