ACTIVITIES OF THE HISTORICAL MONUMENTS DOCUMENTATION CENTRE IN THE FIELD OF DOCUMENTATION AND PRESERVATION OF ANCIENT ORGANS AND ORGAN PROSPECTS IN POLAND

On the initiative of Historical Monuments Documentation Centre on February 24, 1969 a session of Polish organ-builders has been held at Warsaw with the aim to make them acquainted with the Historical Monuments Protection and Museums Act, 1962 as w e ll as with the duties and responsibilities arising from regulations contained in the said Act. No less important issue on the session’s agenda constituted the problems most commonly encountered within the milieu o f Polish organ-builders in their everyday practice. The session offered an opportunity for a lecture delivered by the Swedish organ expert, Mr. Samuel Nygren, who at the same time made those present at the session familiar with his unusually interesting self-prepared travelling exhibition devoted to problems of scientific documentation and experiences gathered in the field of ancient instruments preservation in his country. From among several desires submitted by those attending the session should, in the first line, be listed the need for selecting from the milieu of organ — builders those specializing and responsible for conservation of ancient instruments, at the same time having adequate professional skill and knowledge enabling them to undertake the task, and also the necessity of special training for personnel of the government conservation authorities in the field of history and building of ancient organs through introducing the subject into curricula of conservation training courses. The Historical Monuments Documentation Centre has in turn been made acquainted with the technical state of the most precious ancient organs in the country and supplied with the first draft conservation documentations for organs at Zamarte and the two sets of made-to-scale drawings covering two organ prospects at Wroclaw. Churches throughout the country have been provided with inquiry forms issued by HMDC and the answers sent are to be worked up later in 1970 to form the basis for systematically prepared list of ancient organs in Poland