The Krzyżowa Foundation for European Understanding has been combining art with history and education for years. As part of the Konrad and Paweł Jarocki International Artist Residency Program, creators come to Krzyżowa who seek new forms of dialogue between the past and the present in their work. This year's edition of the program focuses on painting and experimentation.
The invited artists include:
Adam Rzepecki – performer, painter, sculptor, author of films and installations, co-founder of the legendary Łódź Kaliska group and the Supergroup UNDERGROUND KRAKOWSKI. His practice has been setting new directions in Polish contemporary art since the 1980s. In Krzyżowa, Adam tackles the theme of time—personal, historical, and cosmic. During the residency, he is working on a monumental panorama of the sky over Krzyżowa, as well as a "starry sky diary," painted day by day during his stay. He is also planning workshops for young people where participants will have the opportunity to try the decalcomania technique, creating a joint Polish-German installation.
Aliaksandr Danilkin – a young-generation painter from Belarus, currently living and working in Wrocław. His art grows from the experience of Belarusian folklore and his own history related to resistance against the regime in his homeland. In Krzyżowa, the artist is developing a project inspired by malyavanky—traditional Belarusian painted rugs. He is creating large-format paintings and ceramic objects that transpose the ancient aesthetic into the context of a place associated with resistance against totalitarianism and the building of reconciliation. Danilkin will also lead workshops where young people can create their own "story rugs," discovering folk art as a language of memory and identity.
Read more: International Artist Residency Program in Krzyżowa: Artists Explore Times and Memory
The Krzyżowa Foundation for Mutual Understanding in Europe was established by individuals who were deeply engaged in the difficult process of Polish-German dialogue. People who, despite the immense challenges arising from the tragic legacy of the Second World War and decades of prejudice and resentment, worked tirelessly to bridge the divides between Polish and German societies — including through confronting their shared history, acknowledging guilt, condemning perpetrators, and honouring the memory of victims.
Referring to this legacy, we fully understand the challenges now facing Poles and Ukrainians. We know how much patience and effort are required to foster a wise, truth-based dialogue between partners who respect each other’s dignity while seeking mutual understanding about their shared past.
At the same time, drawing on our experience in Polish-German dialogue, we are aware of how destructive actions can be when they fail to take into account the need to preserve the quality of mutual relations.
For this reason, we view with deep concern the rise of anti-Ukrainian rhetoric, which instrumentalises history and antagonises our societies — precisely at a time when we are facing a shared and enormous threat: Russia’s armed aggression against Ukraine and its hybrid aggression against Poland and other Western countries.
Read more: Statement from the Board of the Krzyżowa Foundation calling for an end to the strengthening of...
From October 10-12, a seminar for teachers and educators from Poland and Germany took place in Krzyżowa, titled “Overcoming Hostility. How to Teach about the Experience of World War II in Poland and Germany?”
The goals of the seminar were:
- To deepen knowledge regarding issues related to the history of Polish-German relations (from 1939 to the present day).
- To highlight the differences and similarities in Polish and German remembrance of World War II, the Holocaust, and the post-war period.
- To present the experiences of academics and teachers involved in the work of the Joint Polish-German Textbook Commission.
- To present the opportunities offered by the use of the joint Polish-German history textbook “Europa. Nasza historia / Europe – Unsere Geschichte.”
- To present possibilities for utilizing large language models (LLMs) in educational work.
- To network participants and show them opportunities for cooperation with Polish organizations active in the field of historical and civic education.
A total of 60 participants from Poland and Germany took part in the seminar.
Read more: "Overcoming Hostility...". Seminar for Teachers. October 10-12, 2025, Krzyżowa.
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On 4 October 2025, Warsaw hosted the celebrations marking the 60th anniversary of the publication of the Eastern Memorandum of the Evangelical Church in Germany and the Letter of the Polish Bishops to the German Bishops – two landmark documents that became milestones in the post-war Polish-German reconciliation process.
To commemorate this occasion, a conference entitled “60 Years Later: Reconciliation in Times of Turmoil” was held, accompanied by a concert, prayer, and an ecumenical service. The events gathered representatives of the Churches, academia, politics, and media from Poland and Germany.
The Krzyżowa Foundation for Mutual Understanding in Europe had the honour of being a co-organiser of the celebrations, which served as a powerful reminder of the importance of dialogue, courage, and wisdom in building peace among nations.
Throughout the conference, it was repeatedly emphasised that reconciliation is not a one-time act but a long-term process, requiring truth, reflection, and a genuine willingness to listen to one another.
Read more: 60 Years of the Eastern Memorandum and the Letter of the Polish Bishops – A Reflection on...
