In Between? 2025

About In Between? 2025

21-31 August 2025, Görlitz(GER)/Zgorzelec(PL)

‘In Between?’ is an educational project that searches for local histories in the borderlands of Europe, that share a unique culture of memory, shaped by the turbulent history of the 20th century: its wars, geopolitical changes and mass migrations. We invite students and young professionals of the arts and humanities (aged 18–26) living in European Union countries to participate in this years’ edition of the summer school from 21 to 31 August 2025 in the so-called European City Görlitz–Zgorzelec on the German–Polish border, where they will produce a new episode of the ‘In Between?’ podcast series.

Project Coordinator

The coordinator of the 2025 edition of In Between? is Helena Link.

Contact: helena.link@enrs.eu

Read more about Helena.

Why Görlitz and Zgorzelec?

The European City of Görlitz–Zgorzelec is a unique example of cross-border cooperation in the heart of Europe. Separated by the Neisse River, Görlitz and Zgorzelec were one united German town until 1945, when a new border divided the city between Germany and Poland. The second half of the 20th century took its toll on the border region dealing with the unsettling memory of the Second World War and the difficulties of the Cold War. However, after the collapse of the Iron Curtain, an unprecedented rapprochement began: joint cultural projects, cross-border cooperation and the vision of a united European city of two countries that transformed these once-separated places into a model for European integration.

The landscape has become a fascinating part of the development of this German–Polish border region. The Neisse, once a symbol of division, is now a unifying element within a shared natural environment and cultural heritage. Forests, parks, and historic sites tell stories of centuries of interconnection and shifting borders, forcing us to question the idea of a natural border. Looking at German–Polish relations through the lens of the (urban) landscape offers new perspectives on European border regions: it reveals that borders do not only separate but can also connect — an insight that extends far beyond Görlitz–Zgorzelec.

About the project

The tenth edition of the ‘In Between?’ summer school will start with a preparatory online meeting in July, where the participants join an introductory lecture on the history of the German–Polish border region. From 21–31 August 2025 they will visit Görlitz and Zgorzelec starting with a series of workshops on oral history, landscape as heritage, and audio recording and podcast creation on the spot to prepare them for their further research. The participants will then start to explore the border region on their own by visiting historical sights and landscapes, taking part in guided tours, talking to and recording interviews with experts and the locals community. Their research results will be captured and presented in the form of a short artistic podcast they produce with the help of an expert during the project. The podcast will be shared on the streaming platforms Spotify and Simplecast afterwards as a part of the ‘In Between?’ podcast series.

Since 2016 the participants of the programme have explored 26 regions in Central, Eastern and Southern Europe. In 2018 the project received a special mention during Europa Nostra Awards. You can find more information about previous editions on enrs.eu/inbetween.

Application process

Applications are closed. Candidates selected for interviews have been contacted.
Click here to find the rules of our recruitment process.

Workshops & Mentors

Jarosław Kociszewski

Jarosław Kociszewski is a journalist and international relations expert. For many years he was a Middle East correspondent for the Polish press and one of the hosts of the program “Więcej Świata” on Polish Radio. Presently he is a chief editor of www.new.org.pl portal run by College of Eastern Europe and collaborates with Stratpoints NGO focusing on development and security. He is a frequent guest on several radio programs, where he comments on the current political situation in Asian and African countries. Jarosław Kociszewski is also one of the three founders of Free Range Productions. He will accompany the participants as a mentor during their podcast production.

Dr Natalia Otrishchenko

Dr Natalia Otrishchenko is a sociologist and researcher at the Center for Urban History in Lviv. She has been involved in many international projects, including the “Region, Nation and Beyond” at the University of St Gallen, Switzerland, “Memories of Vanished Populations” at Lund University, Sweden, “Historical Cultures in Transition” at Collegium Civitas, Poland, and “Legacies of Communism?” at ZZF, Germany. In 2024–25, she is a UNET Fellow at ZOiS, Germany. Since March 2022, she has led the Ukrainian team in the international documentation initiative “24.02.22, 5 am: Testimonies from the War”. She is the author and editor of Conversations with Those Who Ask about War (2024). She will accompany the participants as a mentor for qualitative research methods and oral history methodology.

Andrzej Paczos

Andrzej Paczos is a geographer, regionalist, and museologist with a passion for the cultural and natural heritage of Central Europe. He works at the Senckenberg Museum für Naturkunde in Görlitz and previously held a position at the Muzeum Przyrodnicze in Jelenia Góra. He is also a certified tourist guide, translator, lecturer, and author. Andrzej collaborates with institutions such as the Karkonosze Museum in Jelenia Góra and the Schlesisches Museum in Görlitz. He has been living in Görlitz for several years, having grown up in Jelenia Góra, and brings a deep understanding of the shared history and landscape of Görlitz and Zgorzelec. He will accompany the participants, sharing his knowledge of the region's past and present.

Partners

Organiser

Local Partners

ENRS is funded by: