13 April 2023
3,000 people, including more than 1,600 students attended the first day of the Congress of National Remembrance held at the PGE Narodowy Stadium in Warsaw. Besides the usual attractions which are an essential part of the event like exhibitions, theatre for the youngest, board games olympics, historical reconstructions, film festival, VR gaming zone, practical first-aid training and many others, the opening day saw nine discussion panels, one award ceremony, and a concert.
The Congress of National Memory is not the end, but the beginning of a discussion about what national memory should mean to us and where it stands in 2023,
said the IPN President Karol Nawrocki, Ph.D., opening the three-day event.
The discussion panels held on the first day of the congress touched on subjects like the policy of remembrance and historical policy - the experience of Central and Eastern European countries, the search for and identification of victims of wars and repression, Immersive history education, graves and memorial sites of veterans of Poland's fight for independence in Poland and abroad, prohibition of glorification of totalitarianisms, symbols of national identity through the eyes of artists and ways to encourage young people to become interested in history. To the most well-known Polish stadium, we have invited, among others, distinguished historians, educators, publicists, bloggers and vloggers, young programmers, social activists and veterans.
Education for remembrance. The state of historical knowledge of Polish people and their attitude towards the past.
Participants: Karol Nawrocki, Ph.D., (President of the IPN), Barbara Fedyszak-Radziejowska, Ph.D., (Advisor of the President of the Republic of Poland), Prof. Zdzisław Krasnodębski (European Parliament), Prof. Krzysztof Malicki (University of Rzeszów), Prof. Andrzej Szpociński (ISP PAN), moderator: Adam Hlebowicz (IPN National Education Office)
The policy of remembrance and historical policy - the experience of Central and Eastern European countries through the eyes of historians.
Participants: Prof. Hans-Jürgen Bömelburg (Justus-Liebig-Universität Gießen), Prof. Jan Draus (University of Rzeszów), Prof. Andrzej Nowak (Jagiellonian University in Cracow), Prof. Wojciech Roszkowski (Cardinal Stefan Wyszyński University in Warsaw), moderator: Konrad Białecki, Ph.D., (IPN Historical Research Office)
The policy of remembrance and historical policy - the experience of Central and Eastern European countries through the eyes of heads of institutions.
Participants: Karol Nawrocki, Ph.D., (President of the IPN), Réka Földváryné Kiss, Ph.D., (Nemzeti Emlékezet Bizottsága), Peter Jašek, Ph.D., (Ústav pamäti národa), Ladislav Kudrna, Ph.D., (Ústav pro studium totalitních režimů), Giora Zwilling (Arolsen Archives), moderator: Krzysztof Ziemiec (Journalist)
Search for and identification of victims of wars and repression — mission and duty.
Participants: Ladislav Kudrna, Ph.D., (Ústav pro studium totalitních režimů), Áron Máthé (Nemzeti Emlékezet Bizottsága), Prof. Krzysztof Szwagrzyk (Deputy President of the IPN), Dariusz Wudarzewski (Defense Prisoner of War/Missing in Action Accounting Agency), moderator: Jacek Karnowski (Journalist)
Immersive history education - towards new educational paths.
Participants: Magdalena Hajduk (Director of the IPN New Technology Division), Andrzej Horoch (ConnectedRealities.eu), Justyna Orłowska (KPRM), Prof. Jan Pomorski (UMCS), Prof Rafał Wiśniewski (NCK), Krzysztof Zieliński (Catholic University in Tczew), moderator: Marcin Wikło
For our memory and yours. Graves and memorial sites of veterans of Poland's fight for independence in Poland and abroad.
Participants: Michał Mazurek (Consul General of the Republic of Poland in Manchester), Adam Pleskaczyński, Ph.D., (IPN), Remigiusz Stefani (Activist of the Warsaw Rising Museum), Dirk Verbeke (Activist from Belgium), moderator: Adam Siwek (Director of the IPN Office for Commemorating the Struggle and Martyrdom)
How to encourage young people to become interested in history?
How to encourage young people to become interested in history was discussed by a panel of fascinating creators active in social media - founder of Laguna’s Spitfire Legacy Scott Booth, British singer Katy Carr, Warsaw Rising Museum educator Aleksandra Duda and renowned author Clare Mulley.
Participants: Scott Booth (https://lagunasspitfirelegacy.org/), Katy Carr (https://katycarr.com/), Aleksandra Duda (Warsaw Rising Museum https://www.1944.pl/en), Clare Mulley (https://claremulley.com/), moderator: Przemysław Janiga (IPN)
"Signet rings" Gala of the IPN Publishing House
To fulfil its educational and publishing mission in the country and abroad, to disseminate knowledge about the most recent history of Poland and to promote the reading of historical books published by the IPN Publishing House and the achievements of their authors, the President of the Institute of National Remembrance, Karol Nawrocki, Ph.D., established the Book of the Year competition - "Signets of the IPN Publishing House". The award gala of the first edition of the competition will be held as part of the Congress of National Remembrance.
The prize was awarded in six categories: monographs, popular science publications, source publications, memoirs (or accounts or recollections), albums, and book of the year based on Internet voting. The winners of the competition received the "Signets of the IPN Publishing House" statuette and special diplomas. The prize is a foreign language publication of the book that receives the highest score from the Jury in a given competition category. The evaluation of the publications participating in the competition and the selection of winners is done by the Jury appointed by the President of the IPN. The winner in the "book of the year based on Internet voting" was determined based on votes cast by book readers via a digital platform. The award ceremony was closed by a concert during which the audience had a chance to listen to Polish evergreens from the inter-war years and the wartime era
The winners of the competition received the "Signets of the IPN Publishing House" statuette and special diplomas. The prize is a foreign language publication of the book that receives the highest score from the Jury in a given competition category.
The evaluation of the publications participating in the competition and the selection of winners was done by the Jury appointed by the President of the Institute of National Remembrance. The winner in the "book of the year based on Internet voting" category is determined based on votes cast by book readers via a digital platform.
New Technologies at the Congress of National Remembrance