Conference summary “Die Haltung der deutschen Minderheiten im besetzten Europa (1939–1945). Forschungsmethoden, soziale Kontexte und Nachkriegsfolgen” - Instytut Pileckiego

On 20–21 November 2025, an international academic conference was held in Berlin and addressed issues of the attitudes of the German population during the occupation and their postwar fate.

Conference: “Postawy mniejszości niemieckich w okupowanej Europie (1939–1945). Metody badań, społeczne konteksty i powojenne konsekwencje” [“The attitudes of German minorities in occupied Europe (1939–1945). Research methods, social contexts, and postwar consequences”]

The conference was organized by the Pilecki Institute, the Pilecki Institute in Berlin, and the Center for Historical Research of the Polish Academy of Sciences in Berlin. The event was hosted at the Center’s headquarters at Majakowskiring 47 in Berlin.

The first day featured presentations on the attitudes of German minorities in various regions of occupied Europe, with particular emphasis on Central and Eastern Europe. In the broad approach to research adopted by the organizers, this concept also encompassed parts of Southeast Europe, including Romania and Bulgaria, which was reflected in presentations devoted to German minorities in these countries.

Speakers included Gerhard Wolf, Ottmar Trască, Thomas Bohn, Tomasz Chinciński, Piotr Madajczyk, Joanna Nikel, Marcin Przegiętka, Monika Napora, Ryszard Kaczmarek, Grzegorz Bębnik, and Michał Turski, with commentary and discussion led by Andrej Angrick, Isabel Röskau-Rydel, Gerhard Wolf, and Piotr Madajczyk.

The second day of the conference centered on a panel discussion on new publications on the history and memory of German minorities in Central and Eastern Europe. There were debates on books by Ryszard Kaczmarek (Czy jestem Niemcem? Przesiedleńcy z Polski do RFN i NRD w latach 1950–1991), Isabel Röskau-Rydel (Deutsche im Distrikt Krakau 1939–1945. Minderheit, Volksgemeinschaft, Besatzer) and Adam Dziurok (Osądzenie przestępstw okresu II wojny światowej przez specjalny sąd karny w Katowicach w latach 1945–1946).

One of the goals of the conference was to present the latest research findings on the attitudes and agency of German minorities under occupation, considering the diversity of attitudes, social contexts, and postwar mechanisms of accountability. Participants also reflected on breaking the stereotypical image of a uniform “Volksgemeinschaft” and on the importance of microhistorical research in this area. This goal was achieved by presenting partial results of research carried out as part of the project “Polish Germans 1939–1945. The Attitudes and Situation of Polish Citizens of German Ethnic Nationality in Lands Incorporated Into the Third Reich and in the General Government” (NPRH/DN/SN/0105/2023/12) and an in-depth discussion of these results during individual panels and thematic sections.