Join us for a unique event bringing together experts and communities dedicated to preserving the memory of prisoners of war (POWs). This congress is an opportunity to network, address challenges, and share best practices in the operation of POW museums and memorial institutions.
Preserving the memory of POWs: good practices, cooperation, challenges
Organized by the Central Museum of Prisoners-of-War, Center for Research on the Economics of Memorial Sites at SWPS University, and the “League of POW Memory” network, this congress seeks to foster collaboration among guardians of POW memorial sites and external stakeholders. We will also discuss the key challenges in preserving national heritage.
What to expect
The congress features five thematic panels led by European and national experts:
- The multidimensional memory of POWs
- Practical approaches to the treatment of POWs
- POWs in society: education, pop culture, and technological innovations
- Heritage and protection: global challenges of POW commemoration
- Panel and plenary discussion
The congress will be conducted in both Polish and English, with presentations simultaneously interpreted in both languages.
What we aim to accomplish
The congress aims to achieve the following outcomes:
- Increase the resilience of POW memorial sites and martyrdom museums in times of economic crisis by fostering collaboration and networking with cultural institutions and external stakeholders.
- Strengthen the cultural and creative sectors by exchanging best practices in fundraising, promotion, and the use of innovative technologies.
- Ensure long-term stability by developing a robust network of collaborators and by establishing the congress as a recurring, biennial event.
Who should attend
This congress is especially aimed at:
- graduates, doctoral students, and academics
- business leaders and NGO representatives
- caretakers of smaller, local memorial sites
- members of local community and government representatives
- researchers interested in the development potential of cultural heritage, particularly in the field of martyrdom and the economics of memorial sites
- officials from state bodies like the Ministry of Culture and National Heritage, the Ministry of National Defense, and the Polish Tourist Organization
- owners of monuments, and managers or owners of properties where local memorials are located
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Registration
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Opening of the congress
Piotr Rypson, Ph.D., Ministry of Culture and National Heritage
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Introduction
Violetta Rezler-Wasielewska, Ph.D., Central Museum of Prisoners-of-War
Adam Szpaderski, Ph.D. / Associate Professor, Center for Research on the Economics of Memorial Sites
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PANEL I: THE MULTIDIMENSIONAL MEMORY OF POWS
Introduction by moderator
Jan Daniluk, Ph.D., Polish-American Foundation for the Commemoration of POW Camps in Szubin / University of Gdańsk
Thoughts on the European Itineraries of POWs During and After the Second World War
Valentin Schneider, Ph.D., National Hellenic Research Foundation
W roli animatora pamięci. Muzeum wobec rodzinnych historii [Museums as Memory Curators: Exploring Family Histories]
Renata Kobylarz-Buła, Ph.D., Central Museum of Prisoners-of-War
Descendant Discoveries
Susanna Bolten Connaughton, Polish-American Foundation for the Commemoration of POW Camps in Szubin
Summary by Moderator
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PANEL II: PRACTICAL APPROACHES TO THE TREATMENT OF POWs
Introduction by Moderator
Agnieszka Szczygielska, Ph.D. / Associate Professor, Military Faculty, War Studies University
Etyczne i prawne aspekty traktowania (ochrony) jeńców wojennych [Ethical and Legal Aspects of POW Treatment (Protection)]
Piotr Krzykowski, Ph.D., Military Faculty, Faculty of National Security, War Studies University
Przestrzeganie międzynarodowego prawa humanitarnego a rzeczywistość wojenna. Traktowanie jeńców wojennych podczas konfliktu rosyjsko-ukraińskiego [International Humanitarian Law vs. Wartime Realities: POW Treatment During the Russia-Ukraine Conflict]
Klaudia Jagusiak, Ph.D., War Studies University
Teoretyczny i praktyczny wymiar jeniectwa [Theoretical and Practical Aspects of POW Internment]
Bartłomiej Bydoń, Ph.D., Muzeum Katyńskie – Oddział Martyrologiczny Muzeum Wojska Polskiego w Warszawie [Katyn Museum]
Summary by Moderator
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PANEL III: POWS IN SOCIETY: EDUCATION, POP CULTURE, AND TECHNOLOGICAL INNOVATIONS
Introduction by Moderator
Adam Szpaderski, Ph.D. / Associate Professor, Center for Research on the Economics of Memorial Sites
Zastosowania edukacyjne i badawcze bazy wiedzy w zakresie rozproszonych miejsc pamięci [Educational and Research Applications of Knowledge Databases for Distributed Memorial Sites]
Maciej Żemojcin, VeriSearch.ai
Jeńcy wojenni na małym i wielkim ekranie [POWs on Small and Big Screen]
Marek Łazarz, Prisoner of War Camps Museum in Żagań
Między tradycją a nowoczesnością. Znaczenie Muzeum Woldenberczyków w strategii rozwoju gminy [Between Tradition and Modernity: The Role of the Museum of Woldenberg POWs in the Local Municipality Development Strategy]
Sabina Jóźwiak, Centrum Kultury w Dobiegniewie – Muzeum Woldenberczyków [Museum of Woldenberg POWs]
Irena Zmaczyńska, Centrum Kultury w Dobiegniewie – Muzeum Woldenberczyków [Museum of Woldenberg POWs]
Summary by Moderator
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Lunch Break
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PANEL IV: HERITAGE AND PROTECTION: GLOBAL CHALLENGES IN POW COMMEMORATION
Introduction by Moderator
Violetta Rezler-Wasielewska, Ph.D., Central Museum of Prisoners-of-War
Wiedza o obozach Wehrmachtu i NKWD dla polskich jeńców wojennych. Raport rozbieżności [Knowledge of Wehrmacht and NKVD Camps for Polish POWs: A Discrepancy Report]
Piotr Stanek, Ph.D., Central Museum of Prisoners-of-War
Miejsce pamięci i jego dziedzictwo jako międzynarodowy kapitał turystyki edukacyjnej [Memorial Site and Its Heritage as International Asset for Educational Tourism]
Kinga Hartmann-Wóycicka, Memory, Education, Culture Foundation, Stalag VIIIA Memorial Site
Tworzenie materialnego kontekstu pamięci jenieckiej. Przykład Bornego Sulinowa [Creating the Physical Context of POW Memory: The Case of Borne Sulinowo]
Dariusz Czerniawski, Gross Born Foundation
Niewola jako jeden z epizodów historii twierdz. Rywalizacja o miejsce w pamięci zbiorowej [Captivity as an Episode in Fortress Histories: The Struggle for a Place in Collective Memory]
Tomasz Przerwa, Ph.D. / Associate Professor, University of Wrocław
Summary by Moderator
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Panel and plenary discussion
Panel discussion with presenters, followed by a Q&A session with congress participants
Moderators: Violetta Rezler-Wasielewska, Ph.D., Central Museum of Prisoners-of-War and Adam Szpaderski, Ph.D. / Associate Professor, Center for Research on the Economics of Memorial Sites
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Closing remarks
Violetta Rezler-Wasielewska, Ph.D., Central Museum of Prisoners-of-War
Adam Szpaderski, Ph.D. / Associate Professor, Center for Research on the Economics of Memorial Sites
Date and location
November 15, 2024, 09.00–16.00 CET (UTC+1)
The event will be held in a hybrid format. You can attend in person at SWPS University in Warsaw (Chodakowska 19/31, room S306) or join us online. Registered attendees will receive a link to the online meeting via email. Please note that registration is required.
Organizers
Event held under the auspices of
Partners
Scientific Committee
- Adam Szpaderski, Ph.D. / Associate Professor
Center for Research on the Economics of Memorial Sites at SWPS University | Chair of the Scientific Committee
- Jan Daniluk, Ph.D.
Polish-American Foundation for the Commemoration of POW Camps in Szubin / University of Gdańsk
- Renata Kobylarz-Buła, Ph.D.
Central Museum of Prisoners-of-War
- Marcin Komosa, Ph.D.
Ministry of Culture and National Heritage
- Prof. Piotr Kwiatkowski
Center for Research on the Economics of Memorial Sites at SWPS University
- Adam Leszczyński, Ph.D. / Associate Professor
SWPS University / Instytut Myśli Politycznej im. Gabriela Narutowicza
- Prof. Anna Matuchniak-Mystkowska
University of Lodz
- Tomasz Przerwa, Ph.D. / Associate Professor
University of Wrocław
- Violetta Rezler-Wasielewska, Ph.D.
Central Museum of Prisoners-of-War
- Piotr Stanek, Ph.D.
Central Museum of Prisoners-of-War
- Agnieszka Szczygielska, Ph.D. / Associate Professor
War Studies University
Organizing Committee
- Adam Szpaderski, Ph.D. / Associate Professor
Center for Research on the Economics of Memorial Sites at SWPS University | Chair of the Organizing Committee
- Bartosz Bartyzel
Auschwitz-Birkenau State Museum
- Dariusz Czerniawski
Gross Born Foundation
- Jan Daniluk, Ph.D.
Polish-American Foundation for the Commemoration of POW Camps in Szubin / University of Gdańsk
- Kinga Hartmann-Wóycicka
Memory, Education, Culture Foundation, Stalag VIIIA Memorial Site
- Sabina Jóźwiak
Centrum Kultury w Dobiegniewie – Muzeum Woldenberczyków
- Marek Łazarz
Prisoner of War Camps Museum in Żagań
- Katarzyna Pasiak
Center for Knowledge Transfer at SWPS University
- Violetta Rezler-Wasielewska, Ph.D.
Central Museum of Prisoners-of-War
- Agnieszka Szczygielska, Ph.D. / Associate Professor
War Studies University
Contact
Adam Szpaderski, Ph.D. / Associate Professor
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
phone: (+48) 691 780 930
The event is organized by the Central Museum of Prisoners of War in collaboration with SWPS University and the League of POW Memory network. The Congress on Prisoners of War Memorial Sites: Heritage and Strategies for the Future is funded through a grant from the European Union's Investment A2.5.1 Development Plan, which supports the growth of organizations in the cultural and creative sectors.