Dear Readers!

This issue of “Ochrona Zabytków” presents little-known historical monuments which due to their artistic merits and the conservation efforts devoted to restoring their former splendour, deserve our utmost attention. The objects in question include the sanatorium in Trzebiechów, today a veritable pearl of the Art Nouveau style in the region of Lubusz. The interior design and outfitting of this monument are to a considerable degree the work of Henry van de Velde, an outstanding Belgian artist from the early twentieth century. The discoveries made in the course of research and conservation show unambiguously that the preserved colours of the interiors grant the Trzebiechów sanatorium a high rank among the cultural accomplishments of Poland and the Continent. The at first glance modest wooden parish church in Boguszyce (Mazovia) conceals Renaissance painted decorations recognised as unique both in Poland and abroad. At the end of the twentieth century, this valuable monument was in an outright catastrophic state. The first conservation of the polychrome was carried out during the 1950s, and the second half of the 1990s witnessed the inauguration of a complex conservation of the object and the paintings, to be completed this year. Numerous sacral objects in Poland await conservation and protection against such hazards as fire and burglary. This serious problem, the object of concern for the environment associated with the protection of historical monuments, is reflected in the current issue of our periodical. The conservation of Aborigine paintings on bark might seem to be an exotic topic. Meanwhile, these special and fragile works of art are featured in numerous European museums, including Polish galleries. Information about the way in which conservators from the National Gallery in Canberra deal with assorted problems might prove to be a source of valuable directives. You will also find articles about results of the research on the origin of the marble from the sarcophagus of King Władysław Jagiełło in the cathedral on Wawel Hill, new facts from the history of the Department of Architecture at Warsaw Polytechnic, and helpful hints on how to seek information about the patrons of Warsaw streets. We hope that you will not only enjoy the newest texts but also share your professional successes and problems with other readers of “Ochrona Zabytków”. Respectfully yours, Jacek Rulewicz Director of the National Centre for Historical Monument Studies and Documentatio