News

The Berlin branch of the Pilecki Institute was opened in September 2019. The choice of date was by no means random – exactly 80 years ago the German invasion of Poland started a conflict which impacted the fte of the entire world.

Through this symbolic referencing of the past we intend to create space for a discussion in which two nations with such different historical perspectives will hopefully find a plane of understanding and cooperation. It is our Institute’s mission to develop foreign collaboration and broaden the field of research and reflection on the common experience of the 20th century and the significance of the values of democracy and freedom.

Our activities are focused on presenting the social and cultural change which occurred in the preceding century, with a particular emphasis on Central Europe. Fundamentally, this objective is being achieved through scholarship and research programs which help develop long-term cooperation with German institutions of science and the country’s scholarly community. We also organize projects which straddle history, art and culture. Our activities in the capital of Germany were inaugurated with the exhibition “The Volunteer. Witold Pilecki and his Mission in Auschwitz”.