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The Silesian Institute (Instytut Śląski) invites you to the international scientific conference Colloquium Opole 2021, which will last from 23 to 24 November 2021.This year's edition of this cyclical event will focus on the topic: “A common myth or a source of political dispute? The legacy of the anti-communist opposition from a tripartite Polish-Czech-German perspective”. One of the conference participants will be dr hab. Robert Żurek, managing director of the Krzyżowa Foundation, who together with prof. dr hab. Antoni Dudek and dr hab. Lech Rubisz will take part in the panel "The achievements of the opposition  as European heritage", scheduled from 14:15 on Wednesday, 24 November.

Read more: ||Invitation|| Colloquium Opole – 23-24.11.2021

On 9-10 November 2021 a conference entitled "Polish-German-Czech dialogue of Christians" was held in Görlitz. It gathered around thirty people - men and women engaged in cross-border cooperation in the three represented countries. The issues raised during the conference concerned dealing with the wounds of the past, being a Christian in a secularized world and the commitment of Christians to Europe. The evet was organized by the Working Group of Catholic Associations in Central and Eastern Europe (AKVMOE) and Auxiliary Bishop Dr. Reinhard Hauke ​​and Bishop Dr. Wolfgang Ipolt. One of the conference participants was dr hab. Robert Żurek, managing director of the Krzyżowa Foundation for Mutual Understanding in Europe. 

Read more: ||REPORT|| "Polish-German-Czech dialogue of Christians"

This year's anniversary of the Reconciliation Mass at Krzyżowa had a more modest and cosy character - mainly due to the pandemic in the country. The Board of the Krzyżowa Foundation celebrated this important jubilee on 15 November with its closest partners, the co-hosts of Krzyżowa: Mrs. Teresa Mazurek - the Head of the Świdnica Municipality and Mr. Piotr Fedorowicz - the Head of the Świdnica District. The Consul General of Germany in Wrocław, Mr. Hans Jörg Neumann, accepted the invitation of the Board of the Foundation and the authorities of the municipality and the district and took part in the solemn meeting in the House on the Hill in Krzyżowa.

Read more: 32nd anniversary of the Reconciliation Mass. Meeting in the House on the Hill - Krzyżowa, 15.11.2021

The Reconciliation Mass is probably the most important event with which Krzyżowa is associated. It was celebrated on 12 November 1989 in the courtyard of the current ”Krzyżowa” Foundation and had an international and unprecedented character. The mass was attended by the heads of two states – Poland and Germany – Prime Minister Tadeusz Mazowiecki and Chancellor Helmut Kohl, who, while exchanging a sign of peace, embraced each other in a telling gesture, captured in photographs as a symbol of Polish-German reconciliation.

This event became an important step on the way to building friendly Polish-German relations and establishing the “Krzyżowa” Foundation for Mutual Understanding in Europe. In remembrance of it, we would like to invite you to take a walk around our courtyard which years ago was a venue for thousands of participants of the Reconciliation Mass. Its story is told by Aleksandra Królak-Wąsowicz.

Read more: 32. Anniversary of the Reconciliation Mass at Krzyżowa