Darmstadt, Krzyżowa, in January 2025.

Preamble

This manifesto is the voice of civil society, the voice of those numerous organizations and entities on both sides of the border that have contributed for many years to shaping the Polish-German neighborhood in a united Europe.

Close, mutually trusting and friendly Polish-German relations are crucial to the future of both our countries. Huge challenges are piling up before us: strengthening European security and defense policy in the face of Russia's war in Ukraine, rampant populism, the crisis of liberal democracies and the growing polarization of societies. Added to these are the crises of climate change and migration.

November 2024 marked the 35th anniversary of the historic reconciliation mass in Krzyżowa. As a result of the deliberations and discussions held there, we remind the governments in Berlin and Warsaw of the great importance of expanding and promoting Polish-German civil society cooperation. We consider the efforts made so far in this field to be insufficient. This manifesto takes into account the demands of the Copernicus Group and other actors involved in and supporting civil society contacts in Poland and Germany.

The 22nd Eastern and Western European Memorials Seminar, which brought together experts, researchers and representatives of memory institutions from across Europe in Krzyżowa from March 19-22, 2025, has concluded. This year's edition focused on the role of images and photographs in shaping historical memory, as well as the challenges posed by the modern digital age and the development of artificial intelligence.

Key reflections and discussions
Images of Violence, the opening panel, which focused on the interpretation of photographs documenting war crimes. As one person noted: “There are many photos that do not show suffering at first glance, but the question of how to interpret them has to be answered.”

Images of the camps - a discussion of the visual documentation of execution sites and its impact on collective memory.

Images of the occupation - a conversation about the photographic record of the occupation experience and its use in the construction of historical narratives. Experts pointed out the dangers of manipulating images, noting that “propaganda only has power when we don't know history.”

Soviet monuments - the topic of the presence and removal of Soviet monuments in public space and their role in historical memory after 1990.

Study visit to Wroclaw - participants had the opportunity to analyze changes in the perception of monuments before and after 1989.

Reconciliation and visual memory - a concluding panel that discussed the importance of reconciliation gestures and their images in public debate.

A trilateral TRIYOU youth exchange took place in Krzyżowa from March 10-14, 2025, with students and teachers from Poland, Germany and Ukraine. The event attracted 34 participants and 6 chaperones from schools: Albert-Einstein-Schule Langen (Germany), School and Kindergarten Complex No. 3 in Wroclaw (Poland) and Lviv Academic Gymnasium at Lviv Polytechnic University (Ukraine).

The program was full of integration activities, such as team-building games and team competition. Participants worked in international teams, preparing presentations on schools, cities, music or national cuisines in the form of posters, performances or multimedia presentations.

12 vocational school students from Konin and 12 vocational school students from Herne met from February 16th to 23rd in Krzyżowa for the second part of a two-part youth exchange, the first part of which took place at the Jugendakademie Walberberg in North Rhine-Westphalia. During the 9-day program, the youth were able to prepare for their future career paths, confront their own boundaries, examine discriminatory behaviors, cook together, go on trips to interesting places, and deepen their friendships.

In 2025, we will commemorate the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II. This is an opportunity not only to celebrate the victory over Nazi Germany, but also to raise the question of what exactly happened in 1945 and why that year did not mark the end of the fighting and the beginning of rebuilding for all of Europe.

Today, as the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine continues into its third year, questions about the causes and long-term consequences of World War II are particularly relevant. The war experiences in Europe have never felt as close to us as they have since February 24, 2022.

With the aim of bringing the history of World War II closer and exploring the various actions taken across Europe to overcome its consequences—and above all, asking what lessons we should draw from those experiences—the Krzyżowa Foundation, in cooperation with the "Memory and Future" Centre, has undertaken the task of implementing the project “Comprehensive execution of the program to commemorate the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II and the actions related to overcoming the consequences of the war in Europe, carried out in Krzyżowa” in 2025.

As part of this project, the following activities will take place in Krzyżowa in the current year:

• 30 workshops on historical education for Polish-German youth groups (throughout 2025)

• 30 educational lectures/guided tours in Krzyżowa as a memorial site for the war, resistance, and Polish-German reconciliation (throughout 2025)

• Seminar on Eastern and Western European Memorial Sites (March 19-22, 2025)

• A three-day historical education training for teachers from Poland and Germany (fall 2025)

Financed with funds from the Minister of Culture and National Heritage under the project "Comprehensive execution of the program to commemorate the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II and the actions related to overcoming the consequences of the war in Europe, carried out in Krzyżowa."

The “Krzyzowa” Foundation for Mutual Understanding in Europe and the Club of Catholic Intelligentsia, invite young people from Poland, Ukraine, and Germany, aged 15-17, who want to experience an unforgettable week full of inspiring meetings, creative workshops and intercultural experiences to Krzyzowa near Wroclaw from July 27 to August 03, 2025 for a Polish-German-Ukrainian exchange “Art of Relationships”.

The “Art of Relationships” exchange is part of the “LIKHTAR / Ліхтар” networking project.

During the three-cultural exchange, young people will travel deep into the world of history, art and communication, in a place with a unique past. The former estate of the von Moltke family, Nazi oppositionists, today the headquarters of the “Krzyzowa” Foundation for European Understanding, will become a space for building bridges between cultures. During the week we will immerse ourselves in the world of multilingualism, discover the history of the place through creative workshops, and learn what nonviolent communication is in a drama workshop.

We are pleased to announce the start of registration for the anniversary edition of the Summer Guitar Festival, which will take place in Krzyżowa from July 20 to 27, 2025!

It is a unique event that has been combining musical education with summer recreation in the picturesque surroundings of Lower Silesia for years. The festival is aimed at all guitar lovers - regardless of age and skill level.

What do we offer participants?
🎶 5 hours of individual lessons with guitar masters - classical, jazz, blues, pop, rock, fingerstyle
🎸 Group workshops - guitar orchestra and pop music band
🏆 Classical playing competitions - Martinez and Quena
📚 Lectures and educational panels
🎨 Instrument exhibitions and presentations by luthiers
🎤 Concerts by outstanding artists - in Krzyżowa and in Świdnica.

It has been 1,096 days. Three years. That’s how long it has been since the start of Russia’s full-scale aggression against Ukraine. Days and years full of evil, death, suffering, and destruction. But also full of heroism, solidarity, and loyalty to values.

Krzyżowa did not hesitate to offer help to the victims of the war. Just a few days after the outbreak, we welcomed the first refugees. Between March 2022 and January 2025, a total of 177 people found shelter with us. Some stayed for a few weeks, others for many months. Recently, the last of them left us.

We did not limit ourselves to providing shelter and food. We assisted our guests in handling bureaucratic matters, organized Polish language courses, training, and activities aimed at professional activation, as well as medical and psychological care. We helped them search for jobs and housing. For children, we created a special group in our kindergarten, took them on trips, and invited them to participate in our projects.
All of this was made possible by the immense dedication of our team, as well as the incredible support we received from our partners and friends in Poland, Germany, and other countries. We sincerely thank everyone who helped us help others. Without you, we would not have been able to do anything! We are so grateful you are here!

We received many expressions of gratitude from our guests. One of them was a Ukrainian flag with thanks and signatures from several dozen Ukrainian soldiers. Some of them may no longer be alive today...

In the foyer of the Palace in Krzyzowa (2nd floor), you can now see the extraordinary exhibition "JAZDA! Ways of Becoming," which is the fruit of an international youth exchange from Poland, France and Germany. The exhibition touches on important and timely topics of identity, migration and memory culture, posing questions that concern us all:
👉 How to find your way in the world?
👉 Can borders - physical and mental - be crossed?
👉 What is solidarity in modern times?

As part of the 2023 project, young volunteers and students worked together to analyze their own experiences and reflections around these questions. The result of their work is this unique exhibition - presented for the first time in June 2024 in Friedland, Germany, and now open to the public in Krzyzowa. The exhibition will remain here for three months before traveling further - to France.

We cordially invite you to visit the exhibition at the Palace in Krzyzowa - it's a great opportunity to see how young people from different countries look at the world and build common narratives about the past, present and future.

The exhibition can be visited until the end of May.

What made Krzyżowa a symbol of German-Polish reconciliation? What were the beginnings of the construction of this place as a space for dialog, education and remembrance?

These and many other questions are answered in a moving conversation between Aureliusz Marek Pędziwol and Maryna and Michał Czaplinski, board member of the Krzyżowa Foundation and member of the Foundation's Honorary Council. It is a meeting full of memories, personal reflections and a deep conviction of the strength of the civic community.

There are many topics in the conversation that relate not only to Krzyżowa's past, but also to the city's current mission and future. The interviewees remember the defining moments of the place - both on a symbolic level and on a very concrete level: human decisions, daily work and community involvement.

🔹 Why has Krzyżowa become a place of encounter?
🔹 What role did the civic grassroots initiative play on both sides of the Oder?
🔹 How can historical memory create trust between nations?

This is a remarkable story about how history influences our present and how we can live it wisely. Important words are also spoken: “We will go to Krzyżowa if the Poles invite us” - a symbolic sentence that reminds us that true reconciliation cannot be one-sided. It must be based on mutual respect and a willingness to engage in dialog.

We invite you to read the interview - it is an important voice in the debate on remembrance, responsibility and the future of Europe:

https://forumdialogu.eu/