It was a unique year. 30th anniversary of the Krzyżowa Foundation | Dr. Robert Żurek

The year 2019 was a special time for Krzyżowa - a time of jubilees. We celebrated the 30th anniversary of the establishment of the Krzyżowa Foundation for Mutual Understanding in Europe and the 30th anniversary of the Reconciliation Mass. Eighty years have passed since the outbreak of World War II, and Poland has been a member of the European Union for fifteen years. This year was for us a time of reflection and memory.

We have wondered what the Krzyżowa Foundation has achieved and what new goals we should set ourselves today. In the anniversary year, together with our friends and partner organisations, we tried to recall the anniversaries we celebrated through various events. Therefore, throughout the year, we took initiatives addressed to different audiences to encourage different groups to think about the values that were the guiding idea of 2019: respect, dialogue and understanding.

We celebrated the anniversary of the Krzyżowa Foundation mainly actively, during meetings and events.

The celebrations were started by the Polish-German-French project "smART history". (21-27 February) addressed to educators and multipliers. During the workshop, models of pedagogical work in historical and civic education were discussed, and the main theme of the meeting was reconciliation.

On May 15, in Warsaw, in the seat of the Club of Catholic Intelligentsia, a debate was held on the occasion of the 30th anniversary of the Polish-German Reconciliation Mass. During the meeting, the participants reflected, among other things, on the historical and contemporary meaning of the symbolic embrace of Mazovia and Kohl and on the areas in which the Polish-German dialogue can today be an opportunity for the European Union.

The spirit of the Reconciliation Mass was also recalled at the meeting on 3 June in Leipzig - "The breakthrough year 1989 - the semi-free elections in Poland and the Polish-German new beginning in Krzyżowa", during which it was asked whether the reconciliation between Germans and Poles is still a topical issue.

From 10 to 12 June the Krzyżowa Foundation - together with its partners - was the organizer of the conference "Challenge for Dialogue: Democracy, Religion, Resistance and Society", which was a reflection on the possibility of Krzyżowa and other places of dialogue to join the conflict prevention process.

People who are close to the values of the Foundation and who feel connected with Krzyżowa came to the anniversary Meeting of the Friends of Krzyżowa (7-10 June).

In the middle of the year (15 August) we celebrated the Jubilee together with the inhabitants of Krzyżowa and surrounding towns during the Family Picnic. Many attractions awaited the participants, which allowed them to spend the afternoon with their loved ones in an interesting way, and for the Foundation it was an opportunity to remind the local community about the 30th anniversary of this unique meeting place.

At the turn of August and September, the sounds of music were heard during the fifth jubilee edition of Krzyżowa-Music. This year, once again, musicians from nearly 30 countries met during the festival to inspire each other, exchange experiences, play concerts and explore the theme of symposia - this year on the role of musicians in society. The festival ended with a tribute paid to the victims of the Second World War as part of the final concert on September 1, on the 80th anniversary of the outbreak of the Second World War.

On September 26th, in the courtyard of the Krzyżowa Foundation, several hundred runners of different ages met and took part in the anniversary Intergenerational Reconciliation Runs.

At the end of the month (27 September), a symbolic event took place, highlighting two coexisting dimensions of Krzyżowa. Helmuth Caspar von Moltke - son of Helmuth James and Freya von Moltke, owners of the property in Krzyżowa and members of the Kreisau Circle, in the presence of employees and co-founders of the Krzyżowa Foundation (Father Adam Żak SJ and Annemarie Cordes) planted the Remembrance Oak.

The 5th Lower Silesian Civic Congress was held on 23 October in Krzyżowa. Once again, representatives of non-governmental organizations met in the largest hall of the Foundation. About 350 people listened to guest speeches and then took part in thematic panels. The jubilee Congress was an opportunity to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the Foundation.

The celebration of the 30th anniversary of the Reconciliation Mass at Krzyżowa was international and ecumenical in its character. The celebration of the Jubilee started with a solemn Mass on 12 November 1989 under the leadership of Archbishop Alfons Nossol. Afterwards, messages from Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki and Chancellor Angela Merkel were read out to the participants. The celebration was completed by a two-day international conference "30 years of German-Polish reconciliation. Self-government dimension of the agreement". (12-13 November) devoted to the legacy of Polish-German rapprochement and its significance for cooperation between countries.

At the end of the jubilee year, the Krzyżowa Foundation held a solemn meeting of the bodies (6-7 December), and the celebrations will be concluded with a January meeting for the integration of colleagues and volunteers working for the Krzyżowa Foundation during the celebrated three decades.