The protection of cultural goods in modern times is one of the basic duties of every state and its citizens. The nature and scope of obligations in the field of monument protection are defined by appropriate legal norms. The content of these standards (set, regulations, regulations etc.) in each country it is developed individually depending on local conditions, needs and traditions. The main purpose of the introduced legal norms is to prevent the destruction of monuments, determining the method of their proper use and laying the foundations for their lasting protection.
In Poland, until the nineteenth century inclusive, legal guardianship over works of art did not exist. During the partitions, the partitioning states were not interested in the fate of Polish culture and did not care about its preservation.. Only Polish social and scientific organizations undertook protective actions, however, depending on the political attitude of the authorities, care took more or less effective forms.
Earliest, because at the beginning 1800 r., the Society of Friends of Sciences in Warsaw started its activity. This society was dissolved after the January Uprising, nevertheless, it made a great contribution in the field of awakening a patriotic attitude towards monuments and gave an impulse to the creation of similar scientific societies in the Prussian and Austrian partitions.
After the uprising of 1863 r. the activity of the Warsaw community has been limited for many years. Only in 1908 r. The Society for the Preservation of Monuments of the Past was established on the initiative of architects and historians, which has operated extensively to 1918 r. cooperating with the Krakow Art History Commission of the Academy of Arts and Sciences and the Krakow Society for the Protection of Monuments of Art and Culture. Particularly valuable studies by the Warsaw Society concerned the rational and scientific conservation and inventory of monuments (“3).
The most active activity during the partition period was developed by scientific and social institutions in Małopolska. In the field of monument protection, the Academy of Skills created in 1873 r. In Krakow and the Group of Conservators of Western and Eastern Galicia. Already in 1890 r. at the 1st Congress of Polish Historians in Lviv, the concept of a legislative reform in the field of law and authority exercised in the field of monument protection was put forward. Also on the initiative of both Galician institutions under the leadership of Stanisław Tomkowicz, the First Congress of Lovers of Homeland Monuments of Art and History was convened in 1911 r. in Cracow. At this congress, apart from issues related to the theory and practice of conservation, it was established, that in the areas under partitions, the care of monuments belongs to the Polish society.
Many scientists acted on the crystallization of the legal and social foundations for the protection and conservation of monuments, researchers and conservators, among which Włodzimierz Demetrykiewicz played the leading role (1859—1937), lawyer, art historian, archaeologist, Professor UJ, which left a number of dissertations and publications on the discussed issues.
The social and patriotic activities of various organizations, presented in a very brief manner, did not achieve full-fledged results until 1918 r. Only after regaining independence, the ideas and theses were reflected in the Decree of the Regency Council of 31 October 1918 r. about the care of monuments of art and culture, and later in the Presidential Ordinance of. 1928, which, amended and supplemented, appeared in the form of the Act in 1933 r. These legal acts together with other general or specific footnotes, were in force, excluding the period of Nazi occupation, do 1962 r.