Germany will hand back valuable artefacts looted during the Second World War to Poland, local media reported on Sunday.
The restitution will be part of a Polish-German cooperation meeting scheduled for Monday in Berlin, which Onet.pl described as marking the โhistoric return of cultural goods looted during World War II.โ Polish officials have called the move โgroundbreaking.โ
Among the items to be returned is a sculpture of a saintโs head stolen from Malbork Castle, a royal residence in northern Poland, as well as documents from the Teutonic Order, a medieval Catholic brotherhood of crusading knights. Warsaw has been pressing for the return of the Teutonic Order archives since 1948.
Countless Polish artefacts, including archives and works of art, were seized by Nazi Germany during the war, and the issue has long strained relations between the two countries. Conservative-nationalist politicians in Poland, including President Karol Nawrocki, have also demanded reparations from Germany.
Mondayโs meeting will bring together Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, and Polandโs foreign and defence ministers. Discussions are expected to cover the artefact restitution, broader cooperation, and security issues including the war in Ukraine.
Polandโs foreign ministry did not respond to AFPโs request for comment on Sunday.
