REMEMBRANCE CONNECTS

ODER-WARTA REGION

Tag: Slonsk

  • Specialist workshop "Expulsion, forced migration, loss of culture in 1945 in the Oder-Warthe region"

    Specialist workshop "Expulsion, forced migration, loss of culture in 1945 in the Oder-Warthe region"

    25 June 2025, Cultural Centre of the Municipality of Słońsk (PL)

    The workshop served to prepare the content of a symposium planned for the beginning of November 2025 in Küstrin-Kietz. It focussed on the complex German-Polish history in the border region, particularly after the Second World War, and discussed methods for communicating this history to younger generations. The participants, including representatives from Germany and Poland, exchanged views on various aspects such as museum work, cultural heritage and the culture of remembrance and emphasised the importance of coming to terms with the past together. Several projects and initiatives were presented that aim to promote understanding of the shared history and strengthen the German-Polish dialogue.

    On the basis of initiative presentations and experience reports, topics of remembrance were discussed in connection with the effects of the events of 1945 on the population on both sides of the Oder, including the westward shift of Poland, flight, expulsion, forced migration, ideology-based changes in German and Polish cultures of remembrance, loss of culture, interpretation today - lessons for tomorrow.  

    In the stimulating discussion that followed, various perspectives and topics were added, including

    • Looted artefacts from all over Poland in manor houses in the region
    • "scorched earth" by the Soviet army as revenge for the attack and destruction of the Nazi Germans beforehand
    • Recommendation for a dialogue between German-Polish museums to provide impetus for joint education
    • Choice of title for the symposium: a positive connotation
    • "Cultural appropriation processes"
    • Films, culture and art as tools for communicating history
    • Recommendation for 2 films on the history of the town of Landsberg (YouTube)
    • many personal stories of the participants with family roots in the region.

    The last item on the programme was a visit to the Słońsk Martyrdom Museum with a detailed guided tour by Prof. Smolinski. Here, various participants also reported on their personal experiences in conversations with contemporary witnesses in their families.

  • Słońsk House of Culture

    Słońsk House of Culture

    The building - a former town house - is located in the centre of the village and was built in the 4th quarter of the 19th century in an eclectic style. No archives have been preserved about the builders of the building. Due to the impressive character of the building, it is assumed that the owners were among the wealthiest inhabitants of the town. In the 1920s and 1930s, the building housed the savings bank. In the post-war period, the building was home to the municipal cultural centre. Since around 1980, the building has stood empty and deteriorated rapidly.

    Between 2018 and 2020, as part of the "Sites of Remembrance Oder-Warthe" project, the cultural centre was extensively renovated and equipped with barrier-free access. The new "Cultural, educational and meeting centre for regional history - House of Culture in Słońsk" now conveys the diverse history of the city and the region and complements the Martyriums Museum and the St John's Castle in Słońsk. The ground floor houses a large conference room with booths for interpreters, among other things. The upper floor houses exhibition rooms, rooms for workshops and research work, a library and a computer lab. The top floor houses dormitories for students and project staff.

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