Austrian aid for Ukrainian museums

2023-04-19 13:51:43

Transport with relief supplies to protect the collections reaches southern Ukraine.

Vienna (OTS) – ICOM Austria, the Austrian national committee of the International Council of Museums, carried out another aid transport to Ukraine with the support of the Austrian Federal Ministry for Arts, Culture, Public Service and Sport (BMKÖS). The shipment of urgently needed materials recently reached museums in the Mykolayiv region near Odessa.

The list of urgently needed resources was long: packaging material such as bubble wrap, boxes, wooden panels, archive boxes, but also power generators, petrol cans, humidifiers and dehumidifiers or fire extinguishers were needed to protect and safely store the collection objects.

In Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine, which has been going on for more than a year, many museums have been destroyed or damaged by targeted Russian attacks. Museum stocks could often only be provisionally secured. The threat from the nearby front is particularly great in south-eastern Ukraine. Our full solidarity is therefore with the people in Ukraine, especially our museum colleagues, who, despite the great danger to their own lives, are making every effort to keep the museum collections safe.

This is opposed to the systematic looting of Ukrainian museums by Russian troops, which, according to the current state of knowledge, are also supported by Russian museum actors. The most recent example is the total looting of the Oleksiy Shovkunenko Kherson Art Museum on November 11, 2022, in which thousands of paintings and other objects were taken to Russian-annexed Crimea. Museums, cultural institutions, cultural heritage and memorial sites are targeted by Russia to destroy Ukrainian culture and identity. This is in stark contradiction to the 1954 Hague Convention (and its other protocols) on the Protection of Cultural Heritage in Armed Conflicts, to which Russia is committed.

“For the people in Ukraine, the war, which has been waged with unprecedented brutality for a year now, means suffering, losses and destruction on an immeasurable scale,” said Andrea Mayer, Secretary of State for the Arts and Culture. “Relentingly, we must therefore bring our support and solidarity to life. And never forget one thing: the attack is also an attack on our democratic culture, the freedom of art and freedom of expression. Many Ukrainian museums have already been destroyed or damaged by Russian attacks, and the further course of the war and the winter are threatening Ukraine’s cultural wealth. Cultural heritage is an irreplaceable public good that binds past and future generations together. It makes a significant contribution to building and strengthening a country’s national identity and cultural uniqueness.”

“Museums are the guardians of our common cultural heritage. Especially in times of crisis, they are of great importance in relation to democracy and civil liberties. Last but not least, they are keepers of identity and history. Russia’s attack on Ukraine threatens our fundamental values of peace, freedom and democracy. In view of the terrible war and the dramatic situation of the people on site, we are very happy to be able to contribute at least a little to improving the situation with the aid transports,” said ICOM Austria President Johanna Schwanberg. “We would like to thank the BMKÖS, which completely financed the transport, and the Albertina, which contributed material donations. We would especially like to thank the transport company Kunsttrans Spedition GmbH for carrying out the transport.”

Photos for download