On June 18, 2026, the first meeting of the Foundation Council of the Krzyżowa Foundation for Mutual Understanding in Europe for the new term of office took place in Krzyżowa.
During this constituent meeting, the Presidium was elected to lead the Council's work in the coming years. Ole Jantschek was elected Chairperson of the Foundation Council, and Dorota Nahrebecka-Sobota was elected Deputy Chairperson.
We would like to extend our warmest congratulations to all members of the newly appointed Foundation Council. We wish you great success, satisfaction in facing upcoming challenges, and a fruitful collaboration.
We are firmly convinced that your commitment will lead to numerous activities that continue the Foundation's mission.
Read more: New Term of the Foundation Council of the Krzyżowa Foundation – First Meeting
On the occasion of Easter, we wish you joy, hope, and peace. May this special time encourage reflection, meetings with loved ones, and drawing strength from the values that unite us.
Happy Easter!
The Management, Employees, and Staff
Krzyzowa Foundation for Mutual Understanding in Europe
Read more: Krzyżowa, Easter 2026
„Transformation and Dissent – Commemoration in Europe since 1989”
Memory is rarely harmonious: it is conflictual, polyphonic, and shaped by social contestation. After 1989/90, narratives about mass violence, Nazi crimes and communist rule collided in memorial sites across Eastern and Western Europe. These tensions are rooted, on the one hand, in the prescribed antifascism of the GDR and other Eastern European states, and on the other, in West German and Western European interpretations of National Socialism that long marginalized the crimes committed under communist regimes. The struggle over Holocaust remembrance and the commemoration of Stalinist mass violence was marked by processes of negotiation and gave rise to new debates about previously overlooked victim groups.
Memory does not lead to consensus but is characterized by dissent—productive when made visible and capable of sparking debate. The 2026 Memorial Conference focuses on the transformation of European sites of memory and learning after 1989/90 and asks: How have narratives, institutions, and museums changed since 1989? How controversial were these transformations locally and within their societies? What conflicts shaped them, and how are these reflected, curated, or even silenced in the histories and educational work of memorial institutions themselves?
Read more: 23rd East-West European Memorial Meeting in Krzyżowa 08 - 11 April 2026
The Foundation's values – dialogue, solidarity, Europe – these are not things that will defend themselves. They are something we must strive for every single day.
— Radosław Sikorski, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Poland
On March 30, we had the honor of welcoming distinguished guests. On the 35th anniversary of the signing of the Treaty on Good Neighbourliness and Friendly Cooperation, we hosted the foreign ministers of Poland and Germany — Deputy Prime Minister Radosław Sikorski and Minister Johann Wadephul.
For us, as hosts, this meeting was of special significance. Once again, Krzyżowa became a place where high-level politics meets the living idea of reconciliation.
The ministers recalled the foundations of our work - from the legacy of the Kreisau Circle, through the historic Mass of Reconciliation in 1989, to the present-day role of the Foundation.
“Support for institutions such as the Krzyżowa Foundation is the best investment in the future of our relations,” emphasized Minister Radosław Sikorski, declaring continued political support for our projects.
Read more: Foreign Ministers of Poland and Germany Visit Krzyżowa
