“On the path to reconciliation. The Eastern Memorandum of the German Evangelical Church and the Message of the Polish Bishops”

Speaker: Robert Żurek, Managing Director of the Krzyżowa Foundation for European Understanding

Moderator: Gerhard Gnauck, Coordinator of the Mykola Haievoi Center for Modern History, Munich

Venue: German Historical Institute Warsaw, Al. Ujazdowskie 39, 00-540 Warsaw

Language: Polish

The Eastern Memorandum of the German Evangelical Church and the 1965 Message of the Polish Catholic Bishops were milestones on the road to Polish-German reconciliation after World War II. How did these initiatives come about? What was their groundbreaking significance? What were their effects? And can they still provide inspiration for shaping Polish-German relations and overcoming international conflicts? Robert Żurek will attempt to answer these and other questions in his lecture.

Robert Żurek is the managing director of the Krzyżowa Foundation for European Understanding. He studied history and Catholic theology at the Free University of Berlin, obtained a doctorate in history from Martin Luther University in Halle, and a habilitation in humanities from the Pedagogical University of Krakow. He was deputy director of the Center for Historical Research of the Polish Academy of Sciences in Berlin and director of the Institute of National Remembrance in Wrocław. His research interests focused particularly on German-Polish relations in the 20th century, especially the process of reconciliation after World War II.

“German-Polish Scientific Encounters” is a joint initiative of the German Embassy in Warsaw, the Societas Humboldtiana Polonorum, the German Historical Institute Warsaw, and the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD). As part of this series, meetings with outstanding Polish and German scientists from various fields take place four times a year.

Please note that the lecture will be recorded. Participation in the lecture is only possible after registration: dhi@dhi.waw.pl.