The European Network Remembrance and Solidarity
The recent years have proven that the vast majority of discussions and debates about the past in countries of Central-Eastern Europe were concentrating and still concentrate around the problem of existence and operation of the sites of memory. They were and most probably they will be for long an essential factor shaping “historical politics” of each nation and state aware of its past. Unarguable is the fact that the programs of historical education of societies and - most importantly - processes of remembering collective past and shaping of collective future are developed and realized on the basis of the sites of memory. United Europe more and more frequently reaches to its historical roots while looking for a binder enabling construction of the common culture of memory. The problem of relation to the past that is permanently present in historical debates is the proof of that.
While Europe politically and economically and otherwise becomes unity in almost exemplary way then the attitude to the past, experiences resulting from it and accompanying emotions demonstrate how difficult becomes development of common culture of memory, how deeply is in this respect still divided our continent. Different experiences from the past, lack of opportunities to carry out an open dialogue about it still remain factors significantly hindering such process. Different levels of historical awareness and mainly different and not always comprehensible for the other partners historical experiences of societies of particular European states cause, that carrying out an open and honest dialogue that is respecting facts and experiences resulting from the past and above all taking into account sensitivity of the others, becomes very complicated. The necessity to create a common ground for European dialogue about the past becomes a challenge for people aware of this fact.
Europe of the 20th century still is in shadow of the two bloody and devastating wars and – what is particularly important – of the two totalitarian systems: German National Socialism and Soviet Communism. This horrible heritage of the past left its stamp on history of the whole European continent. It became the common experience. It was common but also unique since these experiences were recorded in memories of particular states and nations differently and today they take quite different meanings. This distinctness is best expressed by symbols and tokens of our memory of past, in the sites of memory.
The conference on the sites of memory, their significance and role in contemporary world and in historical discourse according to intentions of its organizers should bring closer and define the problem and ipso facto to contribute to understanding of the culture of memory of our neighbors.
Intention to set up a conference on sites of memory in the Central-Eastern European states emerged in 2005 during numerous, sometimes emotional discussions we used to carry out with colleagues from Austria, Germany, Hungary and Slovakia while working on guidelines of the project of the European Network “Remembrance and Solidarity”. It is the result of our common effort to create the ground for exchanging experiences and opinions that is indispensable for the process of development European culture of memory. In this work we were united by the need to create the European culture of memory based on dialogue and respect for the past.
Creation of the European Network Remembrance and Solidarity whose task is analysis, documentation and propagation of knowledge about history of the 20th century, the century of wars, totalitarian dictatorships and suffering of civilian population, based on common declaration signed on February 2nd, 2005 in the Royal Castle in Warsaw by the Ministers of Culture of Poland, Germany, Slovakia and Hungary, was a step in this direction.
Tasks of the European Network Remembrance and Solidarity: connection of initiatives of public and private institutions, NGOs, scientific centers and sites of memory in various European countries with aim to actualize the main message that underlies establishment of this initiative so important for European dialogue. The European Network Remembrance and Solidarity will support and finance realization of joint scientific and educational projects which contribute to better knowledge of the past, its understanding and to construction and development of the European culture of memory. The Foundation European Network Remembrance and Solidarity was founded on August 23rd, 2005 by professor Józef Szajna – a prominent Polish artist, former prisoner of KL Auschwitz-Birkenau.
The Conference on the sites of memory in Central-Eastern Europe is the first initiative starting European dialogue on problems of the past which came into being within the circle of people creating the European Network Remembrance and Solidarity. It is held in a particular place, in a hall called New Chamber of Representatives of Royal Castle in Warsaw which was destroyed during the World War II and was rebuilt by Polish society. It is in this very hall that in 1791 the text of the Constitution of 3rd May came into being. This Constitution set foundations of modern structure for Polish state. It was the first in Europe and second in the world, after the United States of America, document of this kind. The goal of the Constitution of 3rd May was to reform the state and gave it solid foundations.
As the organizers of the conference we will not contribute to creation of a document so significant for development of each of our states but drawing on achievements of our predecessors from 200 years ago we can ensure that free and substantial exchange of opinions on various problems of our common past will contribute to restoration of dialogue necessary for the development of European culture of memory and to preparation of solid foundations for this dialogue.
Andrzej Przewoźnik (1963-2010) – historian, long-term Secretary General of the Council for Protection of Memory Struggle and Martyrdom. One of originators of the European Network Remembrance and Solidarity. Killed in the plane crash in Smolensk in April 2010.