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This text is a written version of the opening lecture of the event 'Responsibility, Community, Europe. The legacy of the Kreisau Circle today". It took place on 2 September 2022 in Haus am Dom in Frankfurt am Main in cooperation with the Krzyżowa Foundation for Mutual Understanding in Europe, the German Institute for Polish Affairs, Haus am Dom and the Freya von Moltke Foundation.
The lecture was given in german.
"The geopolitical holidays are over," the Polish diplomat Marek Prawda recently pointed out. The era of relative prosperity and security that has accompanied us in recent decades is coming to an end. New times are coming with great challenges. The legacy of the Kreisau Circle can help us to successfully stand up to them.
DSc Robert Żurek
PART I
What distinguished the Kreisau Circle
At Whitsun 1942, a strange group of people came together in Krzyżowa in Lower Silesia. People who could hardly have been more different in terms of their professions, their social status, their world views or their political sympathies. And it was no accident, it was deliberate, that was the Kreisau Circle.
This meeting was followed by two more - in autumn 1942 and then at Whitsun 1943. Ten to eleven people took part in each of these three meetings. These were not all members of the Kreisau Circle, but so many were allowed to meet under the conditions of conspiracy without being immediately discovered by the political police.
Read more: Lessons of the Kreisau Circle
On 12 December 2022, a meeting of more than 100 participants of the 'Dialogue of Generations' project from the districts of Świdnica, Dzierżoniów and Wałbrzych took place in Krzyżowa. There were three reasons for this meeting: The end of the project, the approaching start of the astronomical winter and the fact that any reason is good to have fun together.
The project started six months ago, on 23 June, with an opening conference. In the following months, the senior citizens took part in activities, trips to concerts and the theatre, as well as various workshops, which are too numerous to count.
Read more: Final meeting of the 'Dialogue of Generations', 12.12.2022
On 12-14.12.2022. Some of the staff of our Foundation (mainly the pedagogical departments) went on a study visit to Berlin. During three intensive days, the team visited a number of institutions and museums where they could draw inspiration for their own projects. In each of the places visited, the guided tours were focused on pedagogical aspects and the substantive preparation of the exhibitions. This is of particular value because of the exhibition on World War II that the Foundation is preparing.
On Monday we visited:
→ Jüdisches Museum Berlin - Jewish Museum Berlin
https://www.jmberlin.de/
In addition to a guided tour of the Museum, there was a meeting with the pedagogical department. The concepts and methods used to work with children and young people and the principles of long-term educational programs were presented. An important element of the Museum's strategy is its activities to include children and young people who have fewer opportunities to participate in culture and those with learning disabilities or disabilities. Therefore, interesting examples of their activities were the mobile exhibition and online programs.
→ 7xJung - Dein Trainingsplatz für Zusammenhalt und Respekt (Ausstellung von Gesicht Zeigen)
https://www.7xjung.de/
Read more: Study trip to Berlin, 12-14.12.2022
Announcement from the Copernicus Group
On 24-26 November, the Polish-German Copernicus Group met in Warsaw for its fortieth meeting. The report "Germany and Poland - regaining trust" summarises the joint reflections of the Group members.
Prof. Waldemar Czachur, Warsaw
Prof. Peter Oliver Loew, Darmstadt
15 December 2022
Read more: Announcement from the Copernicus Group
