It is with deep sadness that we received the information about the death of Janisław Muszyński (9.10.1942-10.09.2020), the first non-communist Wrocław voivode, initiator and organizer of the Lower Silesian Political and Economic Forum in Krzyżowa, a long-standing friend of the Krzyżowa Foundation for Mutual Understanding in Europe.
It is thanks to the vision and determination of Janisław Muszyński that for fifteen years (1999-2013) Krzyżowa turned into Davos in Lower Silesia, where representatives of politics, business, science, non-governmental organizations and culture met to exchange opinions and learn from each other. The main idea of the forum was to initiate and sustain discussions on what to do to make Lower Silesia a good place to live. It was a very rare thread of all talks about the development of regions, and Janisław Muszyński made it the basic issue of all editions of the Lower Silesian Political and Economic Forum in Krzyżowa. It was an event thanks to which Krzyżowa attracted the attention of national media and hosted foreign business representatives, many of them contributed to the development of the region in a very tangible way, investing their capital here and creating jobs.
Janisław Muszyński wanted to see Lower Silesia as the land of Polish-German reconciliation, also on the level of joint activities for the economic development of Europe. The transnational cooperation, which was also part of the mission of the Krzyżowa Foundation, was the joint goal of the activities of the foundation and Janisław Muszyński, therefore we say goodbye to the great friend of Krzyżowa - place, people and ideas - with great regret.
We express our deepest sympathy to the family and friends of Janisław Muszyński.
Read more: Farewell to Janisław Muszyński
This year is crazy and unique in every way. Who could have predicted in January that the world would look completely different in the summer?
After the massive cancellation of almost all concerts and performances - even those in 2021 - it was almost a utopia to hope to organise the Krzyżowa-Music 2020 Festival. Nevertheless, thanks to the extraordinary courage of Matthias von Hülsen and Viviane Hagner, the professionalism of the festival team and the staff of the Krzyżowa Foundation, as well as the great support of the company CENTOGENE, this has become possible.
The 2020 edition was very extraordinary: suddenly we all realised that we had become more mature. Each of us had enough time to reflect and ask questions that had never been answered before.
Read more: Krzyżowa-Music. The 2020 edition was very extraordinary | Alexey Stadler
40 years ago, the free trade union Solidarity was founded. A peaceful mass movement that brought the communist regime in Poland to its knees, making a major contribution to overcoming real socialism throughout Eastern Europe. Its legacy remains valid, especially in the face of the multiple crises of our times.
The crew of the Lenin Shipyard in Gdańsk showed great courage by interrupting their work on 14 August 1980. In the communist 'working countries', strikes were forbidden, and speaking out against the policy of the authorities was not tolerated. Many of the strikers still remembered the workers' protests that had been bloody suppressed ten years earlier in Gdańsk and other cities on the Polish coast. They accounted for 41 dead, 1 164 wounded and more than 3 000 arrested.
Read more: "The legacy of Solidarity" | Robert Żurek
On Friday, 11 September, in the St. Marienthal International Meeting Centre (IBZ-Internationales Begegnungszentrum St. Marienthal) in Ostritz there was a official opening of the Polish Language Competence and Coordination Centre (KoKoPol). During the inauguration of the Centre, a cooperation agreement was also signed with the "Krzyżowa" Foundation for Mutual Understanding in Europe, under which, among other things, language and cultural training for German diplomats, employees of companies and their management boards will be held in Krzyżowa.
The Polish Language Competence and Coordination Centre is to support and strengthen existing initiatives to promote the Polish language in Germany, to promote a positive perception of the Polish language and to organise practical language training related to professional careers (e.g. for diplomats).
Read more: The Krzyżowa Foundation has signed a agreement with the newly established Centre for Polish...
