During the XXXI Historical Book Fair in Warsaw, prof. dr hab. Małgorzata Omilanowska-Kiljańczyk received one of the most prestigious historical distinctions, the KLIO Prize. The monumental monograph on Staszic Palace by the Director of the Institute of Art History won in the varsaviana category, which recognises the most outstanding historical books dedicated to Warsaw.

Published by the Institute of Art of the Polish Academy of Sciences, the monograph 'Staszic Palace' celebrates the 200-year history of this building and its location. Before its erection in 1823, the Moscow Chapel and the Dominican Monastery, among others, stood on this site. During the two centuries of its existence, the palace served as, among other things, the headquarters of the Warsaw Society of Friends of Science; today, it houses the Polish Academy of Sciences and the Warsaw Scientific Society.

This is another book by prof. Małgorzata Omilanowska-Kiljańczyk on Polish monuments. In her publications, the former Minister of Culture and National Heritage has addressed, among other things, the architecture of Gdańsk, Warsaw's commercial architecture, and the viaduct and bridge of Prince Józef Poniatowski.

This year's KLIO First Degree Award winners were also Sławomir Łotysz for his book 'Piñskie błota. Nature, Knowledge and Politics in Polish Polesia until 1945' (author's category), and Anna Agnieszka Dryblak for 'The Piast Foundations of Female Monasteries in Poland in the 13th Century. Between the Reception of Foreign Models and Creating an Original One’ (scientific monograph category).

The competition for the KLIO Awards is run by the History and Culture Foundation, which has also been organising the History Book Fair for almost 20 years. The awards aim to promote the contribution of Polish authors and publishers to the popularisation of history and historical literature.