It's hard to believe that this terrible war has been going on for two years already. And it's hard to believe how much we have already become accustomed to it, how much we have gotten used to it. At the beginning, the sea of death, misfortune, suffering, and tears, but also heroism, sacrifice, and solidarity, made a huge impression on us. We were shocked. We rushed into the whirlwind of aid. We protested. Now it has all become a bit indifferent to us. Our zeal to help has cooled a bit. We are tired, preoccupied with other problems.

This is exactly what the aggressors are counting on. They have not become indifferent and they have not tired. They continue to attack. They are convinced that the support and solidarity of the West have reached their limits and that the weakening, bleeding Ukraine will eventually fall prey to them.

On this 731st day of the war, we appeal to ourselves and to you, our Friends, people who are close to the values of Krzyżowa:

Ukraine still needs our help and our solidarity. Let us not allow indifference to prevail in us. We have the right to feel tired, but we do not have the right to give in to this fatigue. The heroic defense of Ukrainian women and men, their commitment to freedom, and their determination to become part of a united Europe, confirm how important our values are – freedom, democracy, the rule of law, the European community. Let us remember that today their defense is taking place in Ukraine. If Ukraine loses, we all lose.

Professor Waldemar Czachur, after nearly two terms of chairing the Foundation Council, has decided to resign from the position of chairman. We warmly thank Professor Czachur for his contribution to the development of our organization so far and look forward to more years of cooperation, this time as a member of the Foundation Council.

On November 18, 2023, a new Presidium of the Foundation Council was elected. Ole Jantschek was elected as the new chairman, and Dorota Nahrebecka-Sobota as the vice-chairwoman.

Get to know them better.

Krzyżowa Foundation, in cooperation with partners from the Netherlands, Romania and Italy, is implementing a new educational project 'Remember the Rebel'. 

The aim of the project is to discuss the foundations of democracy, the relevance of legislated law to the changing needs of society and the limits of civil disobedience. 

During the "Skills for future" exchange, young people from Hungary, Germany and Poland developed their skills, digging into the secrets of acrobatics, sculpture and culinary. Participants from the Youth Sociotherapy Center No. 2 in Wroclaw, IB Mitte in Ebersbach and the NENESZ oganization from Pecel, Hungary, met to get to know peers from other countries in an unusual environment, share their culture, get to know each other and develop passions together.

From 6-11.02.2023, Krzyżowa was visited by a group of very young people (8-13 years old) from Poland, Germany and Ukraine who came to discover and develop their talents in circus, sculpting, music and cooking.

The days were full of excitement and the activities supported getting to know each other! The exchange culminated with a trip to the trampoline park and to the slope in Rzeczka, where we were able to encounter real winter and go sledding.

Frank-Walter Steinmeier, President of the Federal Republic of Germany, awarded Viviane Hagner, artistic director and co-initiator of Krzyżowa-Music, the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany "Bundesverdienstkreuz" for exceptional achievements in the field of cultural exchange between Germany and Poland.
Ms. Maren Schellenberg, mayor of Berlin's Steglitz-Zehlendorf district, presented the order on February 15, 2024, at the Mendelssohn-Remise in Berlin.
Our warmest congratulations, Viviane!

Last Friday, November 24, 2023, the Train to Culture between Berlin and Wroclaw turned into a moving stage, with Krzyzowa in the lead role.

The ride was titled "Breslauer Nachbarn - Neighbors of Wroclaw: Zu Gast im Kulturzug: Kreisau-Krzyzowa the Guest of the Train to Culture."

Krzyzowa was represented on board by a team consisting of: from the Kreisau-Initiative association - deputy managing director Elisabeth Kosek; from the Krzyzowa Foundation for Mutual Understanding in Europe - Memorial manager Dominik Kretschmann, vice chairman of the supervisory board Annemarie Franke and volunteer Nikola Witchorek; from the Freya von Moltke Foundation for Krzyzowa - director Anna Quirin; and from the Krzyzowa-Music Festival Deputy General Manager and Representative Paulina Schgmid.

On 23-26.11.2023 Krzyzowa was visited by 30 teachers from Germany, Poland and Ukraine as part of a contact seminar "From two make three". The purpose of the seminar was to create new trilateral partnerships and to familiarize participants with aspects of organizing international youth exchanges.

During the workshop, participants learned about methods of working with youth, talked about the principles of good partnerships, and presented their projects.

The Kreisau conference for memorial sites targets museums and memorials throughout Europe and worldwide. Its main goal is to provide a platform for experts and opinion makers in this field to exchange ideas, foster networking among facilities and institutions, with the aim of promoting stronger collaboration and encouraging critical-reflexive thinking about democratic memorial culture.

This year the conference focuses on the debates surrounding the creation of monuments. How do these monuments express experiences of dictatorship, and to what extent do they differentiate between National Socialism and Communism or remember them collectively? Furthermore, what changes occurred after the turning points in 1945 or 1989? How do memorials dedicated to victims of violence evolve over time, and what is the role of victim competition in this evolution? What is the significance of addressing crime complexes and Transitional Justice in the creation of memorial sites? What trends are evident in monuments dedicated to real or perceived heroes? How does gender history feature in memorials, both past and present? How does the formal language of memorials change over time? Lastly, the conference explores how memorials and places of remembrance contribute to the development of democratic memorial culture.

We encourage you to read interviews with artists participating in the first edition of the Konrad and Paweł Jarodzki Artist In Residence Programme, which took place in 2023 in Krzyżowa. The interviews were published on BLOK, an online magazine in English focusing on events related to art, culture and politics in Central and Eastern Europe.

https://blokmagazine.com/about-the-konrad-and-pawel-jarodzki-international-artists-in-residence-programme/