With pride and joy, we announce that on December 17, 2024, Consul General Martin Kremer presented, on behalf of Dietmar Nietan, the German Government Coordinator for Polish-German Cross-Border and Inter-Societal Cooperation, a certificate of recognition to Dr. habil. Robert Żurek for his outstanding contributions to building Polish-German relations.
We extend our heartfelt congratulations to our director and colleague, who inspires us every day with his dedication and passion for fostering dialogue and mutual understanding.
Read more: Dr. habil. Robert Żurek Honored for Contributions to Polish-German Relations
From December 2 to December 6, an extraordinary youth exchange between Zielona Góra and the German town of Peitz took place. The meeting, held at the International Youth Meeting Centre in Krzyżowa (MDSM Krzyżowa), brought together 40 participants. This event, funded by the Polish-German Youth Office (PNWM), aimed to foster intercultural connections and encourage creative collaboration in a unique holiday atmosphere.
During the exchange, participants took part in various workshops designed to promote creativity and integration. One of the highlights of the program was creating holiday wreaths from wicker, which were then decorated according to individual ideas. The process required teamwork, imagination, and manual skills. The results impressed both participants and organizers alike.
In addition to creative activities, the youth prepared posters and presentations reflecting their shared discussions on daily customs and hobbies in Poland and Germany. This allowed participants to better understand cultural diversity while discovering numerous common interests.
Krzyżowa, with its historical significance as a place of dialogue and collaboration, provided the perfect backdrop for the exchange. It not only nurtured creative skills but also facilitated the formation of international friendships and mutual understanding. Participants emphasized that working together, regardless of language or cultural differences, is an excellent way to build close relationships and mutual respect.
On 10 December 2024, a seven-day seminar entitled ‘Remembrance, Understanding, Future’ will commence in Krzyżowa and Wrocław, uniting young participants from the Western Balkans—Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, Kosovo, North Macedonia, and Serbia—alongside their peers from Poland and Germany.
The aim is to bring closer the experience of Polish-German reconciliation after the Second World War, overcoming the burdens and traumas of the past, and to identify contemporary examples of Polish-German dialogue, in order to reflect together with the participants on whether and to what extent they can be an inspiration for other nations seeking to understand each other despite a burdensome past.
From November 11th to 16th 2024, long-standing guests came to Krzyżowa again: German linguistic students from the Jagiellonian University in Krakow and the Ivan Franko University in Lviv as well as pupils from the Hannah Arendt vocational schools in Hannover. The traditional theme of the meeting was “Migration - Migration movements in Europe” and the participants learned, discussed and exchanged in small international groups during the workshops about their own family migration stories, the migration history of the von Moltke family and the regional migration history of Lower Silesia after 1945, as well as the current situation in the participants' countries, Germany, Poland and Ukraine.