Some Remarks on the Stormy Relationship Between the Detectorists and Archaeological Heritage in Poland

Abstract

The paper discusses the issue of the use of metal detectors in Poland in its legal and practical aspects. The possession and the use of metal detectors in Poland is legal, but to search for portable monuments a permit is required. All historical and archaeological finds belong to the State. Detectorists, whose number is estimated to over 50,000, commonly break the law by conducting illegal searches and by appropriation of the discovered objects. This paper describes legal and illegal activities of the detectorist community, giving numerous examples. The authors address the issue of prospects of cooperation between archaeologists and detectorists and comment on the attempts of the latter to depreciate archaeology and the principles of modern heritage management, as well as their rivalry with professional researchers. The authors believe that archaeologists should, therefore, speak and act for archaeology and heritage, instead of accepting the views of the detectorists. The paper also presents threats to archaeological heritage resulting from illegal metal detecting, and draws attention to the problem of low social awareness regarding the rules and needs of archaeological heritage protection in Poland. Solving these issues requires multidimensional activity, encompassing education and training, as well as the consequent prosecution of crimes against archaeological heritage.

Keywords

• metal detectors
• detectorists
• Poland
• archaeological heritage
• Polish heritage law
• heritage protection in Poland