Press release "Sixth Congress on Polish Studies March 14-17, 2024 at TU Dresden"

Together with the Deutsches Polen-Institut (English: German Poland Institute) in Darmstadt, TU Dresden is looking forward to the upcoming Congress on Polish Studies. Guests expected to attend the opening ceremony on March 14 in the TUD Auditorium Center include the Saxon State Minister of Justice and for Democracy, Europe and Equality, Katja Meier, the Ambassador of the Republic of Poland to Germany, Dariusz Pawłoś, the new President of the German Poland Institute, Heiko Maas, and the Deputy Foreign Minister of the Republic of Poland, Marek Prawda. Christiane Hoffmann, journalist and deputy spokesperson for the German government, will give the keynote speech at the opening. 

Since 2009, the Deutsches Polen-Institut and the host university for a particular year have been organizing this gathering of experts focusing on Germany's immediate neighbor to the east. It is the largest such congress nationwide. This year's topic "Upheavals – New Beginnings" is characterized on the one hand by the research focus on disruption at the University of Excellence TU Dresden, and on the other by the current situation of upheaval in Europe unleashed by the Russian invasion of Ukraine. In the past and present, Poland in particular has been affected by ruptures that have been both destructive, and yet have also driven innovation. What individual and collective reactions have there been to such ruptures, what narratives have emerged from them and what political, social or cultural options for action have arisen? The congress will address these and other questions in a variety of formats. The accompanying program includes a double concert featuring the Polish bands "Coals" and "KIWI" at the Zentralwerk.. The full program can be found in updated form at www.polenforschung.de. 

"After several years of preparation, we are delighted with the great response that the congress has received from experts. From the point of view of the Institute of Slavonic Studies and the Center for the Study of Central and Eastern Europe at TU Dresden, this is also a clear acknowledgment of the Dresden area: At this location, together with many Polish partners, we will be able to experiencedelve into relevantcurrent state-of-the-art German research on Poland. This is what makes the congress special," says Prof. Christian Prunitsch on behalf of the organizing team at the TUD. Prof. Peter Oliver Loew, Director of the Deutsches Polen-Institut, adds: "Dresden is practically predestined for the academic study of Poland. I am delighted that the sixth occasion of our congress is taking place in the Saxon capital." 

Contact for press inquiries:
Prof. Christian Prunitsch

Dr. Andrzej Kaluza
Spokesperson  of the Deutsches Polen-Institut