On the 4th of June 1989 members of The Wroclaw Catholic Intelligentsia Club, accompanied by their friends from the USA, the Netherlands and both German states, set off to Krzyżowa. There, standing in front of the ruins of the palace of von Moltke family, they decided to create a European youth exchange centre. That was how the „Krzyżowa” Foundation for Mutual Understanding in Europe, one of the most interesting and vital civic initiatives in Central and Eastern Europe, was brought to life. Its history can be a source of hope and inspiration in the times of crisis of the European project, the increase of society polarisation as well as the passivity of the citizens.

The efficient force of vision and determination

Since its creation the „Krzyżowa” Foundation carried out thousands of educational projects, in which dozens of thousands of young people from almost all European countries, but mostly Poland and Germany, took part. And everything started from a completely utopian vision. On the 4th of June 1989 the palace in Krzyżowa was in shreds. The power in Poland as well as in GDR was wielded by the communists. In Poland, similarly to GDR, numerous Red Army troops were stationed. In these circumstances, how could it be believed that here and now a European meeting place could have been created? But it came off. The efficient force of vision and determination.

The citizen power

Moreover, the citizen power. The citizens were the ones, who dreamt the New Krzyżowa up and brought it to life. After all, they have been the hosts of the Foundation for thirty years and they are the ones who have been animating its activities. They have worked out the network of international partnerships and programmes of historical, civic and ecological education, which have been appreciated by youth from many countries. They had to face great organizational, financial and programme difficulties. But they managed to do it. The foundation still exist and is constantly developing.  

The state wisdom

None of that would have been possible without the state’s support. Or rather two states’ support. The governments of both Poland and Germany have been giving the Foundation a lot of help for many years, at the same time not trying to appropriate it. There has never been any attempt of putting pressure on the personal policy or programme offer of the Foundation. While devoted to Krzyżowa, the goverment respected the autonomy of the civic initiative. The Foundation has naver betrayed that trust. It has been building the space for dialogue and european understanding on the basis of historical truth, with the respect towards the national and worldview sensitivity of all the participants. 

The importance of encounter and education

It is difficult to measure the effect of the educational activities of the Foundation. It is a fact that among the people of younger generation in Germany, who are professionally or socially involved into the development of Polish-German cooperation, very few were not participants of the projects of Youth Meeting Centres in Krzyżowa or Oświęcim.  The experience of the encounter, the dialogue, facing the difficult history awakens not only interest but sometimes even a fascination over the neighbour’s country. It is the imperative to act. In that way the network of people building Polish-German neighbourhood based on mutual understanding and respect is constantly growing.  

The space of understanding

The Foundation has been working in the spirit of cooperation over divisions since its beginnings. It was created and has been developing as a result of the encounter and the dialogue between the Polish and the Germans as well as the representatives of other nations with a variety of worldviews. Many times different conflicts occurred between them. Nevertheless, in most of the cases an agreement was possible to be reached and optimal solutions were possible to be worked out. The educational projects of the Foundation are  conducted in similar spirit. People from many countries with diverse experiences and beliefs have taken part in them. However, hardly any conflicts happen between them – on the contrary, acting in the spirit of respect, dialogue and understanding they manage to develop the space for community and appreciate the richness of diversity.

The potential of the example

In November 1989, The Reconciliation Mass, with the participation of the prime minister Tadeusz Mazowiecki and the chancellor Helmut Kohl, took place in Krzyżowa. The process of building good relations between the Polish and the Germans, however still not finished, is the symbol of hope and the source of inspiration for others. In the second part of June 2019 the third edition of „Remembrance, Understanding, Future” project, which is organized by “Krzyżowa” Foundation in the cooperation with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Poland and Germany,  will take place in Krzyżowa. Its goal is to support young leaders of social life of Western Balkans, which were still very recently engulfed by war, in the promotion of the culture of dialogue and understanding. I will never forget seeing tears in eyes of our guests, when they were crossing the Old City Bridge from Zgorzelec to Görlitz and how they couldn’t stop wondering how the border of a country can be crossed without even noticing it. That is because in their homeland, there are still abatis on the borders.

The heritage of hope

We are in a difficult moment of history. We are concerned about the future of European Union, we worry about the scale of political conflicts in many European countries including Poland. We are going to face great challenges connected to the climate change as well as mass migration from poverty and violence-stricken regions. But before we cast doubt on the good future and the meaning of the initiatives we undertake, let us think about a smattering of idealists standing thirty years ago in front of the ruins of Krzyżowa palace, about their utopian vision and its fruits. They did it. We also have a chance.

Dr Robert Żurek
Managing Director, Member of the Management Board
Krzyżowa Foundation for Mutual Understanding in Europe