Your Heritage Foundation

Your Heritage Foundation (Polish: Fundacja Twoje Dziedzictwo; German: Dein Erbe Stiftung) is a Polish non-profit organisation dedicated to the preservation, restoration and promotion of cultural heritage. Operating from Poland and working across Polish-German cultural contexts, the foundation describes itself as having worked for 14 years and reports having obtained and settled 32 grants, with a stated value of saved heritage of 7,055,442 PLN. Its activities combine monument rescue, cultural events and educational projects. The foundation's flagship undertaking is the 'Pearl' (Polish: Perła) project — the Temple of Art and Light: The Pearl — a ruined historic building that the foundation took ownership of in July 2013 in agreement with the Bolesławiec Rural Commune, assuming full formal responsibility for its future. Under the direction of founder and Chairwoman of the Board of Founders Thinloth Korwin-Szymanowska, the building was included in the 'Pearl' project in November 2012 to promote it and raise funds for reconstruction. Major renovation of the main space was completed between 2014 and 2018 with support from the Ministry of Culture and National Heritage of Poland and the Marshal's Office of the Lower Silesian Voivodeship, based on a design by architect Juliusz Leonard Marcinowski. Cultural life in the Pearl began in 2018, and further reconstruction of the tower floors continued into the 2020s, financed in part by the Deutsch-Polnische Stiftung Kulturpflege und Denkmalschutz from Görlitz with German federal funds. The foundation's leadership includes Thinloth Korwin-Szymanowska as founder and chairwoman of the Board of Founders, Wilk Korwin-Szymanowski as strategic manager and spokesperson, and Juliusz Leonard Marcinowski as chairman of the Programme Council and chief architect. Its public profile is built around projects such as the Pearl, the Monastery of Souls, and the 'Culture must survive!' and 'Focus on Monuments' initiatives, alongside news and events published on its bilingual website.

Your Heritage Foundation (Fundacja Twoje Dziedzictwo / Dein Erbe Stiftung) is a Polish heritage organisation whose public history is closely tied to the rescue of endangered historic buildings. According to its website, the foundation has been active for 14 years and has obtained and settled 32 grants, with the value of saved heritage stated at 7,055,442 PLN. The foundation's best-documented project is the 'Pearl' (Perła) — the Temple of Art and Light. In November 2012, by decision of the Chairwoman of the Board of Founders, Engineer Thinloth Korwin-Szymanowska, the ruined building was included in the 'Pearl' project, aimed at promoting it and raising funds for its reconstruction. In July 2013, in agreement with the Bolesławiec Rural Commune, the foundation became the owner of the ruined building, assuming full formal responsibility for its future. Between 2014 and 2018, the major renovation of the main space of the Temple of Art and Light: The Pearl was completed with support from the Ministry of Culture and National Heritage of Poland and the Marshal's Office of the Lower Silesian Voivodeship, based on a design prepared by Juliusz Leonard Marcinowski, M.Sc., Architect. The works included a complete renovation of the roof structure, replacement of the roof covering, fastening the walls with a ring beam, a complete renovation of the vaulted ceiling structure with plaster restoration, restoration of the lightning protection system and guttering, reconstruction and conservation of missing building support structure, structural stabilisation of the building, and restoration of the gallery structures. Cultural life in the Pearl began in 2018. Between 2018 and 2020, the first and second stages of the reconstruction of the tower floors were completed, including restoration of the window joinery and reconstruction of the Honorary Lodge. These works were financed by the Deutsch-Polnische Stiftung Kulturpflege und Denkmalschutz from Görlitz, with the participation of funds from the Federal Republic of Germany, as well as the Erika Simon Foundation. The website describes the reconstruction timeline as running from 2018 to 2026, indicating continuing work on the building. Beyond the Pearl, the foundation's website highlights other initiatives such as the Monastery of Souls, the 'Culture must survive!' campaign, and 'Focus on Monuments'. It also publishes news and events, including film and music projects connected to Polish-German cultural exchange. The foundation presents itself as a bilingual (Polish/English/German) organisation working across borders, with a team led by founder Thinloth Korwin-Szymanowska, strategic manager and spokesperson Wilk Korwin-Szymanowski, and chief architect Juliusz Leonard Marcinowski.

• 2018

  Cultural life in the Pearl began in 2018; the first and second stages of the reconstruction of the tower floors, including the restoration of the window joinery and the reconstruction of the Honorary Lodge, were completed between 2018 and 2020.

• 2014

  The major renovation of the main space of the Temple of Art and Light: The Pearl was completed between 2014 and 2018 thanks to the support of the Ministry of Culture and National Heritage of Poland and the Marshal's Office of the Lower Silesian Voivodeship, based on a design prepared by Juliusz Leonard Marcinowski.

• 2013

  In agreement with the Bolesławiec Rural Commune, the Your Heritage Foundation became the owner of the ruined building in July 2013, assuming full formal responsibility for its future.

• 2012

  In November 2012, by decision of the Chairwoman of the Board of Founders, Engineer Thinloth Korwin-Szymanowska, the ruined building was included in the 'Pearl' project, aimed at promoting it and raising funds for its reconstruction.

A non-profit heritage foundation rescuing endangered monuments and turning them into cultural venues, with a Polish-German cross-border focus.

• Temple of Art and Light: The Pearl (Perła)

  A ruined historic building rescued and reconstructed by the foundation, becoming a multifunctional cultural arena.

• Monastery of Souls

  A heritage project featured on the foundation's website.

1. 1Your Heritage Foundation – Your Heritage Foundationtwojedziedzictwo.pl
2. 2Pearl – a history of reconstruction – Your Heritage Foundationtwojedziedzictwo.pl
3. 3Your Heritage Foundationwikidata.org