SMALL ESSEN Polish-German place of (non)memory. Temporary photo exhibition in Krzyzowa!
The exhibition can be seen in our Palace, at the May Hall (room 204) until 17.Nov. 2024r.
The creator of the exhibition is Prof. Krzysztof Ruchniewicz.
You are cordially invited!
If you are interested, please contact Dominik Kretschmann in advance
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Below is an announcement of the exhibition and a word from Prof. Krzysztof Ruchniewicz.
Read more: Little Essen: A Polish-German Place of (Non-)Memory. Exhibition of Photographs by prof. Krzysztof...
The 85th anniversary of the outbreak of World War II, which falls in 2024, as well as the 35th anniversary of the Reconciliation Mass at Krzyżowa, provide an excellent opportunity to familiarise German audiences with the historical experiences of Poles and Poles and to sensitise them to the differences in Polish and German memories of these events. These are special events, as they focus on both the extremely negative experiences of Europe, especially of the Polish-German neighbourhood, which should not only be a warning but also a point of constant reflection. As well as the positive ones, which should still inspire us today to think about the strength of civil society and models for our mutual relations.
Read more: New project || From Conflict to Reconciliation. Poland in its relationship with Germany 1939-1989.
.png)
In May 2024, at first glance, it seems difficult to imagine a less favorable international context for celebrating the 20th anniversary of Poland's membership in the EU than the conditions still prevailing just beyond the eastern borders of both the EU and Poland. The ongoing full-scale war between Russia and Ukraine, which has been raging for over two years, and the troubling political developments in Georgia under Russian influence, provide an opportunity to reflect on the significance of the European integration process for Poland – and vice versa.
Looking back to Poland's accession to the EU in May 2004, it is important to remember that this moment marked both an end and a beginning. It effectively closed the so-called post-communist period, during which Poles – along with Czechs, Slovaks, Hungarians, Estonians, Latvians, Lithuanians, Slovenians, and later Bulgarians and Romanians who joined the Union three years later – underwent a deep political, economic, and social transformation that enabled them to join the common market and community formed over half a century earlier during the Cold War's geopolitical division of the European continent. In this context, the frequently cited phrase "return to Europe," as seen on the cover of the May 1, 2004 issue of the weekly magazine Polityka (no. 18 (2450)), aptly reflected the satisfaction of many Poles with the achievements of the few years that had passed since the start of the systemic transformation in 1989.
Read more: 20 Years of Poland in the European Union: A Different Perspective on the "Return to Europe"
