Over two days of proceedings, the people of Bolesławiec listened to presentations by university lecturers, historians, museum professionals, archivists, students and enthusiasts, who addressed various issues concerning the post-war history of the so-called “Recovered Territories”. The papers generally presented the results of research based on archival, iconographic and cartographic documents. However, there were also presentations based on family memories and personal stories.
On the first day, the conference was held at the “Orzeł” Cultural Integration Centre. The invited guests were welcomed by the Mayor of Bolesławiec, Piotr Roman, and the director of the State Archives in Wrocław, Dr Janusz Gołaszewski. Short presentations were prepared by representatives of Bolesławiec associations and groups of settlers. The activities of the Society of Friends of Lviv and the South-Eastern Borderlands were discussed by its president, Barbara Smoleńska; those of the Association of Re-emigrants from Bosnia, Their Descendants and Friends by its president, Halina Waniak; those of the group of re-emigrants from France by Kamilla Dudek; and those of the Bolesławiec Cavalry Association named after the 6th Kaniow Lancers Regiment by its president, Grzegorz Jankowski. The introductory presentation was delivered by the City Secretary, Jerzy Zieliński. Papers were also presented by lecturers from the Faculty of Historical and Pedagogical Sciences of the University of Wrocław: Prof. Grzegorz Strauchold, Prof. Leszek Ziątkowski, Dr hab. Joanna Nowosielska-Sobel, Dr hab. Piotr Pałys, Dr hab. Filip Wolański, Dr Dariusz Przybytek and Dr Grzegorz Sobel; students and doctoral students of the same university: Kamilla Jasińska and Natalia Kotrys; as well as Dr Rafał Nowakowski (Marshal’s Office of the Lower Silesian Voivodeship), Zygmunt Brusiło (Society of Friends of Bolesławiec), Krzysztof Rajczakowski (Museum of Ceramics in Bolesławiec) and Adam Baniecki (State Archives in Wrocław, Bolesławiec Branch).
The second day of the conference was organised at the headquarters of the State Archives in Wrocław, Bolesławiec Branch. Papers were presented by Zdzisław Abramowicz (Polish Scouting and Guiding Association, Bolesławiec), Dr Edmund Maliński (editor of the Bolesławiec Yearbook), Mariusz Olczak (Central Archives of Modern Records in Warsaw), Maria Subik (Municipal Lower Secondary School No. 2 in Bolesławiec), Anna Bober-Tubaj and Agata Bojanowska (Museum of Ceramics in Bolesławiec), Barbara Grzybek (State Archives in Wrocław, Bolesławiec Branch), Ivo Łaborewicz (State Archives in Wrocław, Jelenia Góra Branch), Katarzyna Uczkiewicz (Memory and Future Centre), as well as lecturers from the University of Wrocław: Prof. Rościsław Żerelik and Dr Barbara Techmańska, and students of the same university: Kamil Frąckiewicz, Joanna Wolska, Marta Łobacz and Angelika Perz.
During the break, conference participants could view a photographic exhibition by Barbara Schutty (University of Wrocław), devoted to the contemporary image of Bolesławiec and Lower Silesia.
The conference was organised by: the Historical Atlas Workshop of the Historical Institute of the University of Wrocław, the Museum of Ceramics in Bolesławiec, the Memory and Future Centre in Wrocław, the State Archives in Wrocław, Bolesławiec Branch, and the Bolesławiec Cultural Centre–International Ceramics Centre.
The post-conference materials will be published in print at the end of 2016.
Information: Museum of Ceramics/ii