Czechia creates program to preserve unique Ukrainian books
Czechia to help preserve libraries of Ukrainian incunabula (photo: Getty Images)
In the Czechia, a special program called Archa - Ark has been created to preserve Ukrainian incunabula and unique book editions. The initiative was launched by the Ministry of Culture of the Czechia and the National Library of the Czechia, according to Novinky.cz.
The organizers have reached out to businesses, organizations, experts, and all concerned individuals to raise funds for the establishment of two special mobile restoration workshops. These workshops will travel to cities and regions in Ukraine affected by Russian bombardments and shelling to save the Ukrainian book heritage.
Simultaneously, since November 21, 2023, a public fundraiser for Ark No. 2 has been ongoing. Its goal is to digitize documents to prevent their irreversible loss.
According to the plans, Ark will be ready to depart for Ukraine in mid-2024. Experts hope that such a workshop will be able to reach cities that have been most affected by Russian aggression.
Deputy Minister of Culture of Czechia, Ondřej Chrást, explained the necessity of such a program by stating that the Russians deliberately bombard bookstores and archives and want to erase the Ukrainian people.
The target amount is 12 million Czech crowns, and currently, over 460 thousand crowns have been raised on the website zapojmeukrajinu.cz.
The Charitable Fund for Ukraine has also joined the fundraising efforts for the Ark program. As of today, 317 thousand Czech crowns have already been raised, which is approximately 516 thousand hryvnias.
In Ukraine, there are plans to launch the National Electronic Library, which will preserve the documentary heritage of our state.
