In a recent address to the head of Swedish diplomacy, Ann Linde, Björn Söder from Sweden Democrats Party evoked his willingness to return the valuable  Łaski’s Statute to Poland. 

He argued that Poland is making great efforts to enhance security in the region and that the Polish parliament was among the first to ratify the admission of Sweden and Finland to NATO.

Söder underlined that only two Statutes of Łaski have survived; one is in the Central Archives of Historical Records in Warsaw, and the other specimen is kept in Sweden „after it was robbed by the Swedes in the 17th century along with other priceless treasures of Polish culture„.

The parliamentarian added that Łaski’s Statutes are “of special importance in Poland, being the first illustrated prints in this country.” The Swedish Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced that it would respond to the parliamentarian’s inquiry by the 26th of July.

The Statute of Łaski of 1506 is the first printed collection of the laws of the Kingdom of Poland, dating back to King Casimir the Great. It was issued on the order of King Aleksander Jagiellończyk. 

The valuable document was stolen by the Swedes during the Swedish Deluge (1655–1660). In 2016, the documents were placed on the Polish List of UNESCO’s National Memory of the World Program.

Söder is one of the leading politicians of the right-wing Sweden Democrats party, the third power in the Swedish parliament. In the years 2014–18, he was the second vice-president of the chamber. He is known for his interest in Polish affairs.

Image: Wikipedia

Author: Sébastien Meuwissen