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Prof. Waldemar Czachur and Dr. Gregor Feindt are the authors of a new Polish-German publication about Krzyżowa, which has just been published by the publishing Bundeszentrale für politische Bildung (bpb).

The village of Krzyżowa in Lower Silesia has German history, Polish present, and European horizon. With the move of the border after the end of World War II, the German village Kreisau became the Polish one. Later the place was rediscovered as a place of German resistance to National Socialism. Germans and Poles have together started the research on the ideas of the Kreisau Circle. Therefore Krzyżowa was the right place to organize the Reconciliation Mass in 1989. Waldemar Czachur and Gregor Feindt follow the growing importance of Krzyżowa for Polish-German relations and show the history of the establishment of the Krzyżowa Foundation for Mutual Understanding in Europe.

"Let us pray for the Polish nation and the German nation: Give us, Lord, the strength to come out of the shadow of the past and let us find mutual understanding. Let new horizons of hope emerge through the Polish-German youth exchange".  Those are one of many important words spoken on 12th of November 1989 in the courtyard of the former estate of the von Moltke family in Krzyżowa. During the service, one of the items on the agenda of the visit of the German head of government in Poland, Prime Minister Tadeusz Mazowiecki and Helmut Kohl, conveying the sign of peace, embraced each other as a sign of reconciliation. This gesture, made in exceptional circumstances, took on a very clear meaning and was remembered as a milestone in building friendly relations between once divided countries.

On the occasion of the 30th anniversary of the Reconciliation Mass, Dr. Agnieszka Łada recalls the history of Krzyżowa in the programme "Germany in close-up/ Polen verstehen", but also shows Krzyżowa now - a vital place where respect, dialogue and understanding take place.

"I've never forgotten the Foundation." Interview with Stephan Erb, one of the first employees of the IYMC in Krzyżowa, currently Managing Director of the PNWM in Potsdam

  • The Krzyżowa Foundation: Do you remember the moment when you were in Krzyżowa for the first time?

  • Stephan Erb: I came to Krzyżowa for the first time in 1994. At that time, I had just finished my studies and got a job as a pedagogue at Krzyżowa. I was one of the young people who worked at the IYMC and supported and led groups that came to Krzyżowa. These were often Polish-German student exchange programs. But at that time, the " Krzyżowa " Foundation also organized workcamps. Young people from different countries met to work together and renovate the building complex. They spent nights in tents near the House on the Hill.

    For five years, until 1999, I worked in Krzyżowa, but also after that time I was connected with the Foundation and the place. For several years, I was a member of the Foundation's Supervisory Board and the IYMC Board. Since 2008, I have been working in the Polish-German Youth Cooperation, where I continue to support Polish-German youth meetings.

On 14-18 October 2019 children and youth from Montessori schools in Wrocław and Bad Toelz met in Krzyżowa in order to get to know each other, develop their competences and discuss topics connected to global and ecological education.

The participants aged between 9 and 16 took up challenges during outdoor education workshops, gave new life to trash creating recycled instruments and learnt how global economy works during “Banana game” simulation. The important part of the programme was also discovering the history of Krzyżowa and the culmination of the project was the hike and the campfire at the top of Wielka Sowa mountain.

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The creation of this website was supported by:

Krzyżowa Foundation for Mutual Understanding in Europe

Krzyżowa 7, 58-112 Grodziszcze, Poland

phone: +48 74 85 00 300

fax: +48 74 85 00 305

e-mail: sekretariat@krzyzowa.pl

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