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“We will go to Krzyżowa if the Poles invite us” - an extraordinary conversation about the history and future of our foundation

What made Krzyżowa a symbol of German-Polish reconciliation? What were the beginnings of the construction of this place as a space for dialog, education and remembrance?

These and many other questions are answered in a moving conversation between Aureliusz Marek Pędziwol and Maryna and Michał Czaplinski, board member of the Krzyżowa Foundation and member of the Foundation's Honorary Council. It is a meeting full of memories, personal reflections and a deep conviction of the strength of the civic community.

There are many topics in the conversation that relate not only to Krzyżowa's past, but also to the city's current mission and future. The interviewees remember the defining moments of the place - both on a symbolic level and on a very concrete level: human decisions, daily work and community involvement.

🔹 Why has Krzyżowa become a place of encounter?
🔹 What role did the civic grassroots initiative play on both sides of the Oder?
🔹 How can historical memory create trust between nations?

This is a remarkable story about how history influences our present and how we can live it wisely. Important words are also spoken: “We will go to Krzyżowa if the Poles invite us” - a symbolic sentence that reminds us that true reconciliation cannot be one-sided. It must be based on mutual respect and a willingness to engage in dialog.

We invite you to read the interview - it is an important voice in the debate on remembrance, responsibility and the future of Europe:

https://forumdialogu.eu/

Read more: “We will go to Krzyżowa if the Poles invite us” - an extraordinary conversation about the history...

Visit the exhibition "JAZDA! Ways of Becoming" in Krzyzowa

In the foyer of the Palace in Krzyzowa (2nd floor), you can now see the extraordinary exhibition "JAZDA! Ways of Becoming," which is the fruit of an international youth exchange from Poland, France and Germany. The exhibition touches on important and timely topics of identity, migration and memory culture, posing questions that concern us all:
👉 How to find your way in the world?
👉 Can borders - physical and mental - be crossed?
👉 What is solidarity in modern times?

As part of the 2023 project, young volunteers and students worked together to analyze their own experiences and reflections around these questions. The result of their work is this unique exhibition - presented for the first time in June 2024 in Friedland, Germany, and now open to the public in Krzyzowa. The exhibition will remain here for three months before traveling further - to France.

We cordially invite you to visit the exhibition at the Palace in Krzyzowa - it's a great opportunity to see how young people from different countries look at the world and build common narratives about the past, present and future.

The exhibition can be visited until the end of May.

Read more: Visit the exhibition "JAZDA! Ways of Becoming" in Krzyzowa

Poland, Germany, Ukraine - where do we go together?

A trilateral TRIYOU youth exchange took place in Krzyżowa from March 10-14, 2025, with students and teachers from Poland, Germany and Ukraine. The event attracted 34 participants and 6 chaperones from schools: Albert-Einstein-Schule Langen (Germany), School and Kindergarten Complex No. 3 in Wroclaw (Poland) and Lviv Academic Gymnasium at Lviv Polytechnic University (Ukraine).

The program was full of integration activities, such as team-building games and team competition. Participants worked in international teams, preparing presentations on schools, cities, music or national cuisines in the form of posters, performances or multimedia presentations.

Read more: Poland, Germany, Ukraine - where do we go together?

Joint educational activities of the Krzyżowa Foundation and the "Memory and Future" Centre on the occasion of the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II.

In 2025, we will commemorate the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II. This is an opportunity not only to celebrate the victory over Nazi Germany, but also to raise the question of what exactly happened in 1945 and why that year did not mark the end of the fighting and the beginning of rebuilding for all of Europe.

Today, as the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine continues into its third year, questions about the causes and long-term consequences of World War II are particularly relevant. The war experiences in Europe have never felt as close to us as they have since February 24, 2022.

With the aim of bringing the history of World War II closer and exploring the various actions taken across Europe to overcome its consequences—and above all, asking what lessons we should draw from those experiences—the Krzyżowa Foundation, in cooperation with the "Memory and Future" Centre, has undertaken the task of implementing the project “Comprehensive execution of the program to commemorate the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II and the actions related to overcoming the consequences of the war in Europe, carried out in Krzyżowa” in 2025.

As part of this project, the following activities will take place in Krzyżowa in the current year:

• 30 workshops on historical education for Polish-German youth groups (throughout 2025)

• 30 educational lectures/guided tours in Krzyżowa as a memorial site for the war, resistance, and Polish-German reconciliation (throughout 2025)

• Seminar on Eastern and Western European Memorial Sites (March 19-22, 2025)

• A three-day historical education training for teachers from Poland and Germany (fall 2025)

Financed with funds from the Minister of Culture and National Heritage under the project "Comprehensive execution of the program to commemorate the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II and the actions related to overcoming the consequences of the war in Europe, carried out in Krzyżowa."