“Remembrance, Understanding, Future” – an international seminar for young people from the Western Balkans, Poland, and Germany

On October 22, 2025, in Krzyżowa and Wrocław, the seven-day seminar “Remembrance, Understanding, Future” begins. It is addressed to young people from ten countries: Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Montenegro, Kosovo, North Macedonia, Serbia, Poland, and Germany.

The aim of the meeting is to present the experience of the Polish-German reconciliation process after World War II, overcoming a difficult and traumatic past, and to highlight contemporary examples of Polish-German dialogue. Participants will jointly reflect on whether these experiences can serve as an inspiration for other nations seeking understanding despite a burdensome history.

The seminar program and topics include, among others:

·       Lectures on Polish-German relations between 1939 and 1989 and in the present day,

·       The history and significance of Krzyżowa as a place of reconciliation,

·       Workshops on the joint Polish-German history textbook,

·       Reflections on the path of Central and Eastern European countries to membership in the European Union and on the current state of the Berlin Process,

·       Study visits to places of dialogue and remembrance, including the District of Mutual Respect in Wrocław, the Depot History Centre, the former Gross-Rosen concentration camp, and the twin cities of Görlitz/Zgorzelec.

The program will also include space for discussions and the exchange of participants’ experiences in an “open space” format, as well as meetings with representatives of local authorities and educators working in the Polish-German border region.

The significance of the initiative

This year’s edition of the seminar is already the fifth in a row, following successful meetings in 2017, 2018, and 2019. In 2020, the project was suspended due to the pandemic, and its resumption in 2024 became possible thanks to the joint initiative of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Poland, the Federal Foreign Office of the Federal Republic of Germany, and the “Krzyżowa” Foundation for Mutual Understanding in Europe.

This year, the format of the meeting has been expanded, and in addition to participants from Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, Kosovo, North Macedonia, Serbia, Poland, and Germany, participants from Bulgaria and Croatia have also been invited.

The 2025 edition of the seminar will bring together 30 participants from 10 countries.

The seminar “Remembrance, Understanding, Future,” as an initiative supporting youth exchange and reconciliation among young people from the Western Balkans Six and partner countries, contributes to the implementation of the Berlin Process. Its goal is to support regional cooperation in the Western Balkans, complementing and strengthening the European Union’s enlargement policy.

The seminar is jointly organized by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Poland, the Federal Foreign Office of the Federal Republic of Germany, and the “Krzyżowa” Foundation for Mutual Understanding in Europe.