Szanowni Państwo!

We take the pleasure of presenting a successive issue of “Ochrona Zabytków” in which we tried to amass varied and interesting material. We sincerely hope that its contents will contribute to acquiring new information and expanding essential knowledge. The diversity of the contents stems from our wish to tackle the largest possible number of topics and encompass a wide range of issues associated with the protection of historical monuments. Articles about the adaptation of historical objects for the purposes of hotels and the tourist functions fulfilled by the castles of Mazovia are thus accompanied by texts on the conservation of paper and old timber, as well as about the new technologies serving contemporary archaeology. We would also like to draw your attention to the importance of protecting historical cemeteries. It is our intention to extend the range of the periodical since we are interested in all questions pertaining to historical monuments. This is the reason for our appeal addressed to researchers, the conservation services staff, and the caretakers and patrons of historical monuments, whose texts we eagerly await. We envisage “Ochrona Zabytków” as a forum with which the readers would identify themselves. On our part we shall make all the necessary efforts to retain the heretofore high editorial level and meet the expectations of our readers. The presented volume is a consecutive double issue; however, we hope that soon the next issues will be available at an appropriate time. Sincerely, Jacek Rulewicz Director of the National Centre for Historical Monument Studies and Documentation