News - Instytut Pileckiego

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Prof. Krzysztof Ruchniewicz appointed Director of the Pilecki Institute

Minister of Culture and National Heritage Hanna Wróblewska appointed Prof. Krzysztof Ruchniewicz Director of the Witold Pilecki Institute of Solidarity and Valor. His five-year term began on 5 November 2024.

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We now know the winners of the fourth edition Witold Pilecki International Book Award!

This year’s winners were Grzegorz Hryciuk, Kalina Błażejowska and Christopher Miller. The Awards Committee also announced three honorable mentions during the gala.

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Nominations for the fourth edition of the Witold Pilecki International Book Award

We know the authors nominated for the Witold Pilecki International Book Award! Out of almost 50 submissions, the Awards Committee has selected 13 publications to compete in 3 categories.

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CONTACT Gallery at Dom Bez Kantów

Open every day except Mondays.

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"The Ładoś List" to be included in the Database of Holocaust Survivor and Victim Names

We are currently working on introducing the names from “The Ładoś List” to the Holocaust Survivors and Victims Names Database created by the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington.

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The Ładoś List - download the book

Download first edition of "The Ładoś List" (2020) for free.

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Opening of the exhibition "Polish Paratroopers in Operation Market Garden" in Oosterbeek, the Netherlands

An outdoor exhibition about Polish paratroopers in Operation Market Garden, the 80th anniversary of which falls in September, opened today at the Airborne Museum at Hartenstein in Oosterbeek, the Netherlands.

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Friday: Polish language and history for foreigners

The classes are aimed at familiarizing students learning Polish as a foreign language with the most important events in Polish history by practicing language skills at the A1+/A2 level.

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“Like it or don’t, it’s your duty, my beauty” REPORT Unpunished Crimes: Sexual Violence of the Russian Occupying Forces Against Ukrainian Women

Russia is systematically committing sexual violence in the temporarily occupied regions of Ukraine.

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Healthy, cheerful and blessed Christmas and a happy New Year!

Magdalena Gawin, director of the Pilecki Institute, and her team wish you a healthy, cheerful and blessed Christmas and a happy New Year!

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2023 | Agnieszka Witkowska-Krych, "Dziecko wobec Zagłady. Instytucjonalna opieka nad sierotami w getcie warszawskim"

Agnieszka Witkowska-Krych’s book "Dziecko wobec Zagłady. Instytucjonalna opieka nad sierotami w getcie warszawskim" was awarded the Witold Pilecki International Book Award for the “best academic historical book” of 2023.

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2023 | Bartłomiej Noszczak, "Orient zesłańców. Bliski Wschód w oczach Polaków ewakuowanych ze Związku Sowieckiego (1942–1945)"

The book "Orient zesłańców. Bliski Wschód w oczach Polaków ewakuowanych ze Związku Sowieckiego (1942–1945)" won the Witold Pilecki International Book Award for the best historical reportage of 2023.

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2023 | Zbigniew Parafianowicz, Śniadanie pachnie trupem. Ukraina na wojnie

In 2022, due to Russia’s aggression against Ukraine, the Awards Committee of the Witold Pilecki International Book Award established a special category. In 2023 the award went to the book authored by Zbigniew Parafianowicz.

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Competition for the Post of Full or Associate Professor in the Humanities

Join our team! We are currently looking for a person for the position of professor or professor of the Institute in the field of humanities. We are waiting for applications until September 15, 2023, 9:00 am.

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Competition for the Post of Full or Associate Professor in the Humanities

Competition for the Post of Full or Associate Professor in the Humanities at the Witold Pilecki Institute of Solidarity and Valor.

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2022 | Dr. Joanna Lubecka, "A German Criminal and the Polish Court. Proceedings Before the Supreme National Tribunal in Kraków"

Dr. Joanna Lubecka’s book [A German Criminal and the Polish Court. Proceedings Before the Supreme National Tribunal in Kraków] was awarded the Witold Pilecki International Book Award for the “best academic historical book” of 2022.

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2022 | Andrzej Brzeziecki "Major Żychoń’s Big Game: An Intelligence Ace Versus the Third Reich"

The book "Wielka gra majora Żychonia. As wywiadu kontra Rzesza" [Major Żychoń’s Big Game: An Intelligence Ace Versus the Third Reich] won the Witold Pilecki International Book Award for the best historical reportage of 2022.

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2022 | Tomáš Forró "Donbas: Wedding Apartment in the Hotel War"

In 2022, due to Russia’s aggression against Ukraine, the Awards Committee of the Witold Pilecki International Book Award established a special category. The award went to the book authored by Tomáš Forró.

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Virtus et Franternitas Medals presented

The third edition of the Virtus et Fraternitas Medal Gala took place on 15 June 2022. This time, at the request of the Director of the Pilecki Institute, the President of the Republic of Poland bestowed medals on a total of 23 people.

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Information concerning the 6th issue of the "Totalitarian and 20th Century Studies" yearbook

The editors of the “Totalitarian and 20th Century Studies” yearbook invite you to submit articles in Polish or English. The deadline for applications is 31 July 2022.

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Totalitarianism Across History and Disciplines | conference

We invite graduate students and postdoctoral scholars from all disciplines to submit proposals for papers regarding any aspect of totalitarianism, from a broad theoretical and historical perspective. The deadline for applications is 15.09.2022.

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Lemkin Center | University of Warsaw declares cooperation with the Pilecki Institute

In connection with the establishment of the Lemkin Center, the Pilecki Institute and the University of Warsaw have signed a framework agreement for cooperation.

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You can help by gathering testimonies from Ukrainian refugees!

We are appealing to volunteers for support in collecting the accounts of the Ukrainian people.

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Raphael Lemkin Center for Documenting Russian Crimes in Ukraine

In response to the Russian attack on Ukraine and reports of Russian military actions against civilians, the Pilecki Institute has established the Raphael Lemkin Center for Documenting Russian Crimes in Ukraine.

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Jan Maletka Deserves Commemoration. A Response to Adam Leszczyński

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2021 | Christina Lamb, „Our Bodies, Their Battlefield. What War Does to Women"

Christina Lamb’s reportage won the Witold Pilecki International Book Award. “Our Bodies, Their Battlefield: What War Does to Women” triumphed in the third category: the special prize for war correspondents.

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2021 | Filip Gańczak, Jan Sehn. Tropiciel nazistów [Jan Sehn. The Nazi Hunter]

The biography Jan Sehn. Tropiciel nazistów [Jan Sehn. The Nazi Hunter] by Dr. Filip Gańczak caught the attention of the Awards Committee of the Witold Pilecki International Book Award and won the prize in the second category devoted to historical reportage

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"Conscience cannot be delegalized". On the closure of Memorial International

On 28 December, the Supreme Court of the Russian Federation endorsed the request from the Prosecutor General’s Office of Russia and ordered the closure of Memorial International.

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The Witold Pilecki International Book Award | an open letter

An open letter from Wojciech Kozłowski, Director of the Pilecki Institute, to Eliyana Adler, the prizewinner of the Witold Pilecki International Book Award in the "Academic history book" category.

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The Witold Pilecki International Book Award | an official statement

The statement of the Jury of the Witold Pilecki International Book Award and the Pilecki Institute.

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Competition for the Post of Adjunct in the Humanities or Social Sciences

Competition for the Post of Adjunct in the Humanities or Social Sciences at the Witold Pilecki Institute of Solidarity and Valor.

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Competition for the Post of Adjunct in the Humanities

Informujemy o rekrutacji na stanowisko adiunkta w dziedzinie nauk humanistycznych w Instytucie Solidarności i Męstwa im. Witolda Pileckiego.

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History and Memory. Graduate Academy 2021-2022 | second call for applications

We have decided to create more places on the "Totalitarianism in East-Central Europe 1939–1989: History and Memory. Graduate Academy 2021-2022" program. Apply now! Deadline: 29 August 2021.

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Pilecki Institute International Teachers and Educators Program | call for participants

Have you ever reflected on the nature of evil? Do you wonder what leads people to become involved in resistance to totalitarian regimes? Do you want to engage your students in debate about the most important events of the 20th century?

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The 20th-Century Polish School of Law. To the Rescue of Mankind – Between Diplomacy, Law and Politics | call fo papers

We would like to invite you to submit an application for the international scientific conference organized by the Pilecki Institute on 8-9 December 2021. The deadline for applications is 30 September.

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"Silent Heroes" | an interview with Deputy Minister of Culture, National Heritage and Sport Magdalena Gawin

"Polish-Jewish relations cannot be described through the prism of the pathology of antisemitism, physical violence or the mythology of oft-repeated lies which undermine the aid that was given."

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Totalitarianism in East-Central Europe 1939–1989: History and Memory. Graduate Academy 2021-2022

The program is aimed at fostering reflection on the regional experience of facing two totalitarian regimes and introducing it into mainstream discussion on the history of the 20th century.

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“Pilecki” | multimedia report

A soldier who volunteered to be imprisoned in KL Auschwitz, the author of reports on the Holocaust. Today we celebrate the 120th anniversary of the birth of Witold Pilecki. We invite you to see the report prepared by journalists of the Onet.pl website.

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Walenty Jabłoński, doctor and an exile in Siberia, is dead

We are sad to learn of the death of Walenty Jabłoński, an exile in Siberia, participant of the Union of Siberian Exiles in Białystok. He was deported to a kolkhoz in Kazakhstan in 1952, where he was saved from starvation and death by Tassybaj Abdikarimow.

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The letter from Roni Reiner, daughter of the survivor rescued by Józef Pruchniewicz’s family

Moshe Kuflik was one of the Jews who survived the German occupation thanks to the aid provided by the Pruchniewicz family. Roni Reiner, the daughter of the survivor wrote a letter to the participants of the commemorative event honoring the murdered Pole.

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Exercising Modernity "We are the Future” | results of the competition

The Pilecki Institute is very pleased to announce the results of our call for applications for the third edition of the Exercising Modernity Academy.

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Tools and Objectives of Genocidal Social Engineering. Man and the State in the Face of Totalitarianism | call for papers

We would like to invite you to submit an application for the international scientific conference organized by the Pilecki Institute, which will be held as part of the "Lemkin 2018-2023" project.

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Prof. Żaryn on the “The Volunteer” and the figure of Captain Witold Pilecki who has recently become a symbol of our values

Every nation has a right to its own uniqueness. Professor Jan Żaryn discusses the book “The Volunteer: The True Story of the Resistance Hero Who Infiltrated Auschwitz”.

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Second Edition of the Pilecki Fellowship Program | Call for Applications

The deadline for submission of applications for the Pilecki Fellowship has been extended! Deadline for applications: October 31, 2020.

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The centenary of the 1920 Battle of Warsaw: "Everything at stake"

Precisely 100 years ago something most unlikely and surprising has occurred: Polish Army troops have defeated the Red Army in the outskirts of Warsaw. It was the decisive battle, the battle for everything: independence, liberty and even life.

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Pilecki Institute International Teachers and Educators Program | call for participants

The Pilecki Institute is launching a pilot edition of its International Teachers and Educators Program. It will consist of two parts: a five-day online conference (August 15–19, 2020) which will be followed by a study trip to Poland.

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Was Stalin a genocidaire?

An interview with Norman M. Naimark, the author of the "Stalin's Genocide" conducted by Eryk Habowski, an expert in international law at Pilecki Institute.

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Results of the 2020 Pilecki Fellowship Program

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An Unusual and Possibly Unique Operation | interview

Monika Maniewska, one of the co-authors of "The Ładoś List", and Professor Bob Moore talk about the activities of the Ładoś Group. Note: starting from today the English version of the publication is available for free!

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Information concerning the 4th issue of the "Totalitarian and 20th Century Studies" yearbook

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Poland was there. Fighting Nazi Germany, 1939-1945

75 years passed since the end of the war! The Polish soldiers were fighting from the very first day of the war in 1939, until its end in 1945. They contributed greatly to the Allies’ victory, by fighting in Europe, Southeast Asia, North Africa and the Midd

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Results of the call for short-term research grants

The Pilecki Institute is very pleased to announce the results of our first call for applications for the short-term research grants program.

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Witnesses to the Age - Stories that leave no one indifferent

The testimonies recorded within the project “Witnesses to the Age”already include nearly 1,250 recollections and reminiscences of Polish citizens who lived through the War II and of those who remember that difficult and turbulent postwar period.

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Our Digital Collections

We hope that our digital collections will facilitate many scholars in their scientific research of that period: a few clicks of the mouse is all that is required to discover the history of Poland and the fates of its citizens in the 20th century.

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The heroic Poles who saved my mother’s life | article

"Seventy-five years after his mother was liberated from Bergen Belsen, Daniel Finkelstein has learned about the brave Polish diplomats who saved her life". The article by Daniel Finkelstein published on "The Jewish Chronicle" website.

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The English edition of “The Ładoś List”

Polish wartime diplomats in Switzerland in cooperation with Jewish organizations attempted to rescue between 8,000 and 10,000 Jews from Holocaust.

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KL Gusen - the forgotten camp | interview

An interview with Rudolf Haunschmied who is a member of the Gusen Memorial Committee and a self-educated historian. Most of the commemorative initiatives for the KL Gusen concentration camps of the last decades were based on his activities and research.

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Behinds the scenes of the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau | article

"The question is often asked how it was possible that the descendants of Heine and Goethe were able to subject other nations in the heart of Europe to such a terrible fate in the first half of the 20th century". Article by Professor Tadeusz Panecki.

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Roger Moorhouse | interview

A interview with Roger Moorhouse: historian and author, offering book reviews, comment and analysis on Nazi Germany, Adolf Hitler, World War Two and modern European History.

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Why did the Second World War begin in Poland? | interview

What was the cause of the outbreak of the greatest armed conflict in human history? There is no place for manipulation. We speak with sovietologist Professor Marek Kornat about the genesis of World War II and the duties of academics in dealing with facts.

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75th Anniversary of the Liberation of Auschwitz. "The camp system was changing all the time" | interview

An interview with Nikolaus Wachsmann, Professor in Modern European History at the Birkbeck University of London and author of “KL: A History of the Nazi Concentration Camps”.

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The end of Auschwitz | interview

How did the liberation proceed? In what condition were the surviving prisoners found? An interview with Prof. Witold Stankowski on the day of liberation and the preceding months.

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Wannsee Memorandum

The Standards of Management and Commemoration of the former German Concentration and Extermination Camps (signed on 7th April 2017).

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Declassified UN files | interview

The world knew about the Shoah thanks to the Polish Underground State – the Polish Government-in-Exile informed the Allies about the Holocaust. An interview with Eryk Habowski, an expert in international law at the Pilecki Institute.

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Wie die Ładoś-Gruppe 1942 die Welt wachrütteln wollte

Bereits 1942: Die ersten Meldungen über den systematisch durchgeführten Judenmord. Polnische Botschafter in Bern, die unter der Obhut von Alexander Ładoś gefälschte Pässe ausstellten, um Menschen jüdischer Herkunft zu retten, möchten die Welt aufrütteln.

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Pilecki Institute short-term research grant

We are looking for researchers worldwide, representing disciplines in the humanities and social sciences to carry out their own research projects and who will contribute with their approaches, perspectives and new ideas.

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The Premiere of the “Passports to Life” Exhibition in Israel

Acting in cooperation with the Polish Institute in Tel Aviv, the Pilecki Institute organized an exhibition entitled “Passports to Life” about the group headed by Aleksander Ładoś. The exposition can be viewed at the Menachem Begin Heritage Center.

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The long-awaited publication of the 'Ładoś list'

The Pilecki Institute has published a list of 3,262 names of Jews who were in possession of so called ‘Ładoś passports’, named after the Polish ambassador to Switzerland in 1940-45.

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Pilecki Fellowship | call for application

The fellowship is awarded to both senior and junior researchers, representing disciplines in the humanities and social sciences, especially modern history, sociology, political science, international relations, law studies and political philosophy.

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Translation project coordinator (full-time position in Warsaw).

The Pilecki Institute, a recently-established research and cultural institution, is currently looking for candidates for the position of TRANSLATION PROJECT COORDINATOR (full-time position in Warsaw).

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"The Volunteer" - remarkable story of Captain Witold Pilecki

The book by Jack Fairweather, which will come out in June, tells the story of Witold Pilecki – a remarkable Pole, volunteer to Auschwitz and one of the greatest heroes of the Second World War.

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Pilecki Institute Short-Term Research Grant 2019

The Pilecki Institute Short-Term Research Grant is tailored specifically for MA and PhD students seeking an opportunity to carry out research in Poland aimed towards completing their dissertations.

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Results of the Competition for Cultural Scholarships "Exercising Modernity"

On 1 March, 2019 the Witold Pilecki Institute of Solidarity and Valor launched a competition for cultural scholarships in the project Exercising Modernity. We already know the winners.

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Cooperation between the Pilecki Institute and the Bundesarchiv

Key documents of the Bundesarchiv concerning 20th century history will be digitized en masse by the Institute and added to its digital holdings. Plans are also in place to make these copies available in Warsaw.

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The Boundaries of Totalitarianism According to Carl Friedrich | call for contributions

The Pilecki Institute has the pleasure of announcing an international and interdisciplinary research project entitled „The Boundaries of Totalitarianism According to Carl Friedrich – Consigned to History or a Viable Model?”.

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The Onset of the New Order: Europe 1939–1940 | CALL FOR PAPERS

On the 80th anniversary of the outbreak of World War II, the Pilecki Institute invites representatives of the humanities and social sciences to participate in a conference devoted to the experience of the War and occupation.

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Commended for promoting Poland in Israel

Seven Israelis involved in the promotion of Poland in Israel have been awarded the title of “Ambassadors of the Good Name of Poland”. This commendation is granted by the Pilecki Institute and the Polish Institute in Tel Aviv.

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The opening of the Berlin branch

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.

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Results of the Competition for Exercising Modernity project

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Pilecki Institute awarded Golden BohaterON prize!

We received the award in the “Institute” category for the “overall work in 2018 in disseminating the 20th century history of Poland and particularly the individual testimonies of witnesses to the atrocities committed in occupied Poland during World War II.

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The Volunteer. Witold Pilecki and his Mission in Auschwitz | exhibition

We have presented a story hitherto unknown and untold outside Poland – that of Pilecki’s mission to Auschwitz.

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#stayhome – with the Pilecki Institute

My home is my castle. This expression is especially true during the pandemic, as home is now the safest and most unrestricted place you can be. But how to avoid falling into a monotonous routine?