Poland hopes it can secure the return of an important historical Polish document that has been in the possession of Sweden since the 17th century, said foreign minister Zbigniew Rau during a visit to Stockholm yesterday.
Łaski’s Statute (Statut Łaskiego in Polish) of 1505 was the first codification of laws published in the Kingdom of Poland. It was drawn up by Chancellor and Primate of Poland Jan Łaski on the orders of the king and parliament.
During the 17th century, a copy of the richly illustrated text, which is hundreds of pages long, was taken to Sweden. Around that time, many Polish artworks and other cultural items were looted by the Swedes during an invasion of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth known as The Deluge.
A Polish constitutional court judge has called on Sweden to return treasures looted in the 17th century.
"They plundered Poland like savage barbarians and now boast of Polish culture in their museums," she wrote ahead of the countries' match at @EURO2020 https://t.co/DwAndLOy5Q
— Notes from Poland 🇵🇱 (@notesfrompoland) June 21, 2021
During his trip to Sweden this week, Rau visited Uppsala University Library and the armoury of the Royal Castle in Stockholm, both of which house items from Poland, reports the Polish Press Agency (PAP). One of those is Łaski’s Statute.
The minister was asked by journalists whether seeking the return of such objects would be part of discussions with Sweden. “The issue is complicated but not hopeless,” responded Rau.
He noted that, at the time the item was taken, under international law it was assumed that war spoils legally belong to the victor. The same argument was used last year by Sweden’s then foreign minister, Ann Linde, in response to a request by a Swedish MP to return Łaski’s Statute.
“Spoils of war from the 17th century are legitimate conquests according to the international law of the time,” said Linde in July.
Sweden's foreign minister has rejected a call by a right-wing Swedish MP for the country to return a historical document taken from Poland in the 17th century.
She says it was a "legitimate spoil of war according to the international law of the time" https://t.co/ldb7HeriHm
— Notes from Poland 🇵🇱 (@notesfrompoland) July 27, 2022
However, speaking yesterday, Rau suggested that perhaps “an exchange of goods is possible”. He added that “it depends on the relationship between two countries”. The return of “Łaski’s Statute should not be ruled out”.
The minister also noted that a further issue is recent discussion in Sweden regarding whether its copy of the statute is in fact war spoils at all.
According to librarians at Uppsala University Library, “most of the evidence shows that the document did not come to Sweden through looting”, reports PAP. They note that the title page includes the signature of King Gustav II Adolf from 1616 – five years before Sweden’s first war looting and decades before The Deluge.
Last year, Poland secured the return from Sweden of a 16th-century painting that was stolen shortly after World War Two. It has also recently embarked on a renewed campaign to seek the return of items looted by Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union during the war.
Daniel Tilles is editor-in-chief of Notes from Poland. He has written on Polish affairs for a wide range of publications, including Foreign Policy, POLITICO Europe, EUobserver and Dziennik Gazeta Prawna.
