Podiumsdiskussion zur Dissidentische Zusammenarbeit zwischen der Ukraine, Deutschland und Polen

In the organizer's words:

In discussion: Karl Schlögel, renowned historian of Eastern Europe and winner of the Peace Prize 2025, Basil Kerski (President of the House of History North Rhine-Westphalia, Hanna Radziejowska (Director of the Pilecki Institute Berlin) and other guests from Poland and Ukraine on historical experiences and their significance for the present.

As part of the "STUS" exhibition, Eastern Europe experts Karl Schlögel and Basil Kerski as well as Hanna Radziejowska and Maciej Piotrowskizu will be guests at the Gerhart Hauptmann House. They will be discussing "Dissident cooperation between Ukraine, Germany and Poland", transnational exchange and networks of political solidarity between the three countries in an open round table. What significance do they still have today and why is knowledge about them so essential today?

"In the summer of 1989, the desire for freedom in Poland finally crossed the threshold to the peaceful revolution that would soon take hold of the whole of East Central Europe and ultimately lead to the dissolution of the Soviet empire established in 1945. Without Polish self-liberation, there could be no German reunification: Not all Germans are aware of this connection." (Heinrich August Winkler, Süddeutsche Zeitung, September 14, 2020). Even though the Solidarność trade union has split into several rival movements, the liberal ideas of the original Solidarność live on in Eastern European civil society as the best model for freedom movements, and not just east of the Polish border.

The event will include a Q&A session with the audience.
Free admission, please register in advance: schlenker@g-h-h.de (Dr. Katja Schlenker)

A joint event of the Gerhart-Hauptmann-Haus Foundation, Pilecki Institute Berlin, Polish Institute Düsseldorf, Lew Kopelew Forum and the Heinrich Böll Foundation as part of the exhibition on Vasyl Stus.

ACCOMPANYING PROGRAM

As part of the exhibition on Vasyl Stus and the "Ukraine is here" series of events, visitors can look forward to a varied accompanying program of concerts, performances and readings. In addition to the Gerhart-Hauptmann-Haus, other cultural venues in Düsseldorf will also be involved in the program.