The Memorial Site at Krzyżowa maintains the memory not only of the resistance of the Kreisau Circle against National Socialism, but also of the activities of the anti-communist opposition in Central and Eastern Europe. It was clear from the beginning that conveying this connection would not be easy, after all, Krzyżowa as a place is historically authentic only in the first case. In contrast, the anti-communist opposition is connected to Krzyżowa through many of the founding fathers and founding mothers of the Foundation who came from opposition circles. By conveying the history of both oppositions in a comparative way, the Memorial Site at Krzyżowa goes beyond understanding the resistance movement from the historical perspective of one nation's experience. 

Based on our long-term work at Krzyżowa we know very well that a comprehensive understanding of opposition attitudes and activities on the basis of historical events and personalities is not an easy task. Such a systematic reflection seems to me to be necessary especially in the current situation where people recklessly use terms like dictatorship or resistance - especially opponents of restrictions to stop the corona-pandemic. 

On 20-21 May, meetings of Supervisory Board and Council of "Krzyżowa" Foundation took place in Krzyżowa. Representatives of the Honorary Council also took part in the meeting. The last period posed many challenges and new tasks for the Foundation and we are very pleased that we had the opportunity to discuss them in such a large audience.

An important item on the agenda was the summary of the past year in the Foundation, but also further work on the strategy for the development of our organisation. This part of the meeting order was also attended by employees of the Foundation, as well as the directors of our partner organisations: Nina Lüders from the Kreisau-Initiative Association from Berlin and Anna Quirin from the Freya von Moltke Foundation.

On Friday, 6 May, the Foundation was visited by special guests. Federal, European and Regional Development Minister Birgit Honé and Lower Saxony Minister of Culture Grant Hendrik Tonne came to Krzyżowa accompanied by the German Consul General in Wrocław, Hans Jörg Neumann. The visit was connected with a tour through Lower Silesia by representatives of the Lower Saxony government on 5 and 6 May.

Managing Directors Dorota Krajdocha and Dr. Robert Żurek, accompanied by representatives of the Foundation's team, showed the guests around the building and presented the history of the place as well as the current activities of the Krzyżowa Foundation. An important aspect of the discussions held during the visit was the challenges currently facing Europe and the possibilities for closer cooperation between the Foundation and Lower Saxony.

22 students from Poland and Germany met in Krzyżowa on 16-21 May and took part in a school exchange. As every year, youth from Kherson were also supposed to participate in the event. Unfortunately, the war in Ukraine made this meeting impossible, which is extremely sad for all of us. The absence of the Ukrainian school, a long-standing partner of the tri-national exchange, was keenly felt by all participants.

The main theme of the school exchange was 'Europe and me'. That is why the youth first learnt about the history of Krzyżowa and nearby Wrocław and then reflected on their associations connected with the word 'Europe'. Reflecting on their family histories and discussing European values was an important part of this process.

From 18 to 25 April this year we hosted the Polish-German-Ukrainian exchange "SuperHeroes". Planning it, we had no idea how true this name would be and how difficult it would be for us to meet. But we did it! Young people from the Ukrainian Romanów came to us despite the war to meet their peers from IB Mitte in Ebersbach and the Youth Sociotherapy Centre No. 2 in Wrocław. Together we got to know the heroes of Krzyżowa and Wrocław, and we talked about what courage means in modern times. There were also opportunities to develop 'super skills' - we took part in circus workshops, wood carving and stop motion film making.

At the beginning of spring, we started a new project called "Making Ourselves at Home" in Krzyżowa. It was a Polish-German-Greek youth meeting that took place from 24-30 March 2022 and was attended by a group of 36 girls and boys aged 15-17.

Students of Campus Efeuweg from Berlin, Liceum Ogólnokształcące nr XV we Wrocławiu and The 3rd High School of Arta participated in classes and workshops devoted mainly to the issues of migration, integration and empowerment. These were topics that are close to them, as most of the project participants had migration experience. An important event of the exchange was the renewal of the wooden, colorful rainbow located on the foundation's premises, which is a kind of symbol of our youth projects. It was created 12 years ago on the initiative of Klaus and Claudia Gust, who have now decided to cover the cost of purchasing the paint for its renovation and came to Krzyżowa in person to take part in the renovation together with young people.

On 13-16 May, in Krzyżowa, the second Learning Teaching Training Activity took place - a seminar for educators and multipliers within the framework of the strategic partnership on education for sustainable development and post-growth.

During the seminar, participants tried to answer the question why cultural sensitivity in education for social-ecological transformation matters. The first outline of a manual to be produced by the project was also presented. There were also sessions led by the project team, and seminar participants were invited to co-create an open space session.

19th East-West European Memorial Meeting Kreisau

 Remember - tell - share

Eyewitnesses in memorial work

After a gap of two years, a memorial meeting was held again in Presence from 30 March to 2 April 2022. The topic was contemporary witnesses.

For decades, the history of the 20th century has no longer been told solely through political decisions, incisive war developments or "great historical figures". Teaching history in dialogue with contemporary witnesses is particularly attractive for a broad public. Authentic accounts by Holocaust survivors or victims of the communist dictatorships preserve individual experiences and convey everyday memories and emotions. In the work on memorials in Eastern and Western Europe, individual memories are documented and used for historical and political education. It is precisely in this context that the topic of contemporary witnessing is often critically questioned. In view of the fact that contemporary witnesses of the Holocaust and the Second World War will only be able to tell their stories for a limited period of time, the "end of contemporary witnessing" was also the topic of the meeting.

The Krzyżowa Foundation is launching a new educational project 'Uprooted - (Hi)Stories of Stolen Children during World War II', dedicated to the story of children who were taken away from their families by the occupying German authorities during World War II and sent to Germany to be Germanised and brought up as citizens of the Third Reich.

After 1945, despite efforts made by the authorities of the occupied countries during the war, the Allied authorities and the Red Cross, most of these children never returned to their families. Their birth certificates were falsified and documents proving their true origins destroyed. Only a few, as adults, many years after the war, learned the truth about their origins.

We are pleased to announce that the first meeting of the third edition of the project "Laboratory of dialogue and reconciliation" has just taken place. A project that the Krzyżowa Foundation for Mutual Understanding in Europe is implementing in cooperation with the Konrad Adenauer Foundation in Poland from 2019.

"Since the first edition of the project, our focus has been to create a space for the presentation and exchange of experiences and ideas among people actively working to promote constructive dialogue based on mutual respect," says Dr Tomasz Skonieczny, project coordinator. "Today, in light of Russia's unprecedented aggression against Ukraine, the crimes committed by Russian soldiers against the civilian population, in view of the devastating changes that two years of pandemonium have caused in our social and economic life, issues such as dialogue and reconciliation must be looked at anew, from a completely different perspective. There is no doubt, however, that dialogue is what we invariably need. Even in the face of legitimate questions about its limits'.

According to traditional wisdom, frosts were temporarily forgotten last week, along with the Three Gardeners and the Cold Spring. To mark the occasion, on 19th May we carried out an action in our ecological garden, in which we said goodbye to the low temperatures and did some work: we tidied up the vegetable garden, finished mulching the paths between the beds with woodchips, and removed the grass, which was growing where it shouldn't be. Thus we can tempt ourselves to say that the work on the construction of the vegetable garden is mostly finished. We still have to connect the pump, install the fence and do some finishing work.

In February, our new colleagues Sarah Schumayer and Leonie Żelazko started work at the International Youth Meeting Center. As specialists for educational projects, they very quickly got used to their new duties and started working with youth.

Sarah and Leonie have already been in Krzyżowa for some time and have had the opportunity to get to know both the place and the work of the Foundation well. As part of our instagram series "FACES OF KRZYŻOWA", they chose their favourite places on the grounds of the Foundation and told us why they are important to them.

We invite you to read these short presentations, which will tell you a lot about our new colleagues. We are very happy that they are with us and wish them a very fruitful and full of good experiences time at the Foundation.

Usually we welcome volunteers to Krzyżowa only in autumn. This year, new people also came to us in April. Three new fantastic colleagues have been with us at the Foundation for several weeks: Keti, Nastya, who are volunteers, and Claudia - an intern.

Where do they come from, how did they get to Krzyżowa and what are their first impressions - you can read about it in short self-presentations.

We are very happy that our new friends are already with us and we wish them creative, interesting and full of good emotions during their time in Krzyżowa!

For several weeks we have been hosting a new volunteer in Krzyżowa. It is Berkan Bayçinar from Turkey. You will get to know him better by reading his self-presentation, which we publish below.

We are very happy that Barkan is with us and we wish him that the time he will spend in Krzyżowa be creative, interesting and full of good experiences.

/

/

Under the title "Reconciliation in Crisis?" The Saxon Protestant Academy and the Silesian Museum in Görlitz are organizing a discussion event that will look at the signs of crisis in contemporary European relations and with Russia. Ways of overcoming divisions, images of the enemy and war will be discussed. The discussion will be inspired by the legacy of Dietrich Bonhoeffer and the analysis of this legacy by the Polish sociologist Anna Morawska. Her work "The Christian in Resistance" has been an important contribution to reconciliation between Poles and Germans since the 1970s.

Two representatives of the Krzyżowa Foundation will take part in the panel debate with the Prime Minister of the Free State of Saxony, Michael Kretschmer: Dr. Robert Żurek, Managing Director of the Krzyżowa Foundation and Dr. Annemarie Franke, a member of the Supervisory Board of the Krzyżowa Foundation and a representative of the Federal Institute for German Culture and History in Eastern Europe.

Dr. Marek Prawda, diplomat and former ambassador of Poland to Germany, will give an introductory lecture.

The event will take place on 25 June 2022 from 14:00 to 16:00 as part of the Lausitz Church Day under the title "Von Wegen" in the Silesian Museum in Görlitz.

On June 1 in Berlin, on the occasion of the 80th anniversary of the first meeting of the "Kreisau Circle", a conference was held, whose main theme was the ability to conduct dialogue in times of threat to democracy - also in relation to the war in Ukraine.

The keynote speeches were given by Helmuth Caspar von Moltke and Minister of State Claudia Roth, Federal Government Commissioner for Culture and the Media (Digital). The introductory lecture was presented by Dr. Peter Frey, editor-in-chief of the ZDF.

This was followed by a panel discussion, moderated by Fr Klaus Mertes SJ, which included:
▪️ Viola von Cramon-Taubadel, Member of the European Parliament,
▪️ Esther Dischereit, poet, essayist, author of plays and radio,
▪️ Dr. Peter Frey, editor-in-chief of ZDF,
▪️ Dr. Robert Żurek, Managing Director of the Krzyżowa Foundation for Mutual Understanding in Europe.

We would like to present you this publication, whose aim is to present the history of the “stolen” children from Central and Eastern Europe. It consists of texts written by authors coming from Germany, Poland, the Czech Republic and Ukraine. They present the policy of the Nazi authorities, the process of capturing and Germanising children and, by showing the fates of particular people, how strong a mark these events left on them. The presentation of these issues from the perspective of authors coming from these four countries is also an opportunity to see how the contemporary memory of these events has been shaped in different ways.

As Dr Tomasz Skonieczny, editor of the publication, stressed in his introduction: “For many years, the story of the stolen and uprooted children was pushed to the margins of our knowledge and interest in World War II. Over the last decade, the fate of these children has, fortunately, been brought to light in Germany and Poland, thanks in part to the involvement of journalists from both countries, who discovered that many of the stolen children were still alive and ready to share their stories. It was also revealed that there is virtually no public awareness of this issue. (…)

We would like to present you with a publication which aims to tell the story of Polish " stolen" children. It consists of two texts. The first, by Anna Malinowska, presents the main principles of the German policy of stealing children from occupied countries. She discusses them on the example of activities of Lebensborn, one of the main Nazi organisations responsible for obtaining racially suitable children. The second, by Katarzyna Kaczorowska, describes post-war attempts to restore stolen children to Poland and shows how today, in Poland and Germany, these children, no longer children but very old people, are treated - also in legal terms.

Both texts appeared in an English-language collection of essays on the history of "stolen" children from Central and Eastern Europe, which is available on our website: A collection of historical essays about the “stolen” children. English language version.

We have previously published an English-language publication containing historical essays to explore the topic of "plundered" children, and a Polish-language version of two essays created by Polish authors (both publications can be found on our website: ONLINE PUBLICATION || A collection of historical essays about the “stolen” children. English language version oraz ONLINE PUBLICATION || A collection of Polish historical essays on 'stolen' children).

Now we are handing over to you a collection of lesson scenarios for secondary schools, which can be of help to teachers who would like to introduce their students to the history of children "stolen" by the Nazi regime in occupied Poland and the post-war fate of the victims of this policy.

The scenario has been prepared especially with the Polish school in mind, but nothing stands in the way of using it, after appropriate adaptation, within the framework of non-formal education.

We invite you to listen to a conversation with Anna Malinowska, journalist and author of the book "Brown Lullaby. Stories of kidnapped children", about the Nazi search for "good blood", the post-war fate of robbed children who were deprived of their identity and family, and the demanding work of a reporter who collects the testimonies of the victims.

The conversation, prepared as a podcast, is part of the educational project “Uprooted – (Hi)Stories of Stolen Children during World War II”.

We would like to remind you that podcasts of the Krzyżowa Foundation can also be listened to on the most popular podcasting platforms: anchor.fm, Spotify, as well as on: Google Podcast and Breaker.

We invite you to listen to a conversation with Prof. Krzysztof Ruchniewicz, historian, German scholar, on the presence of the history of "stolen" children in scientific and media circulation, social responsibility of a historian's work and the rules of compensation for the victims of the Third Reich.

The conversation, prepared in the form of a podcast, is part of the educational project "UPROOTED. Plundered / uprooted. The fate of children taken from their families by the German occupying authorities during the Second World War".

The podcasts of the Krzyżowa Foundation can also be listened to on the most popular podcast platforms: anchor.fm, Spotify, as well as on: Google Podcast and Breaker.

In connection with the 100th anniversary of the birth of Prof. Władysław Bartoszewski, the magazine "NOWE ŻYCIE" published an article by Robert Żurek, PhD, entitled " About wise patriotism".

"On the basis of Władysław Bartoszewski's life a feature film could be made which would illustrate the dramatic history of Poland in the 20th century and at the same time keep you in suspense from the first to the last minute. However, we should keep the memory of Bartoszewski alive not only because he deserves it, but also so that we do not forget what wise patriotism is. (...) Let us therefore learn from Władysław Bartoszewski and remember his words: Whoever despises people, no matter for religious reasons, for racial reasons, because of xenophobia towards anyone (...) - above all despises himself. And also about those perhaps best known: It’s worth it to be honest, though it doesn’t always pay off. It pays to be dishonest, but it’s never worth it".

The Krzyżowa Foundation was the theme of two articles published in the Sächsische Zeitung in recent weeks. The first of them (issue of 2.05.2022) tells about situation of refugees from Ukraine, who found shelter in Krzyżowa and about how the Foundation helps people in need while carrying out its statutory activity.

The second article ( issue of 16.05.) describes the temporary exhibition "Growing up. Western and Northern Lands. The beginning", which is exhibited in Krzyżowa. The theme of the exhibition is the fate of Polish inhabitants who arrived and settled in new territories in the west and north, which had previously been part of Germany. After the end of World War II, the Allies and the Soviet Union decided to shift Poland's borders westwards. Since many of the newcomers came from the eastern territories, which now belong to Ukraine, the exhibition takes on new meaning and context in the neighbourhood of Ukrainian refugees.

The current issue of "Kulturkorrespondenz" of the German Cultural Forum Eastern Europe e.V. is devoted to Ukraine. It includes articles on history, voices of Ukrainians on the current war, as well as an article on the aid activities of cultural institutions, which mentions the involvement of the Krzyzowa Foundation for European Understanding.

"War changes everything. Both inside and outside Ukraine. It changes people's behaviour, as well as initiatives or institutions. This also applies to organisations that previously did not deal with humanitarian issues, but with culture in the broadest sense, and even to those for which Ukraine was only a marginal part of their work. Cultural organisations are becoming aid organisations'.

Journalist Jan Opielka spoke to Anna Kudarewska, director of the International Youth Meeting Centre of the Krzyżowa Foundation. We recommend reading this article as well as the entire issue.