Last September, as part of a school exchange, we were in Siegburg. In June 1994, Class III D from the Liceum hosted German guests. We corresponded throughout the year and agreed that we would spend the first three days together in Kraków. Accompanying our group were Ms Zyta Topolnicka, the deputy head of the Liceum, Ms Małgorzata Pędlowska and Mr Hubert Dworsatschek.
For two days we toured Kraków. We visited Wieliczka and showed our guests the Old Town, Wawel and St. Mary’s Basilica.
Kraków made a great impression on our guests, which they did not hide. They had expressed the wish to visit Oświęcim well in advance. We truly had mixed feelings while on the grounds of the camp. In the eyes of our German peers we saw both curiosity and horror. It seemed that somewhere deep inside they felt guilty for the events of the past, although our generation had no influence whatsoever on how they came about.
When we arrived in Bolesławiec, the rest of the class was waiting for us with our German teacher, Ms Czesława Zielonka, our form teacher. We naturally hosted the guests in our homes, trying to make them feel comfortable and ensuring that their impression of their stay in Poland was as pleasant as possible.
On Corpus Christi, each family was to arrange the day’s programme independently. It turned out that almost all of us met in Szklarska Poręba, with its wonderful places worth seeing. On 3 June, the people from Siegburg were with us at school, attended lessons and toured our good old Liceum. After the lessons, we went to the town hall for a meeting with Bolesławiec Mayor Józef Król, who delivered a short speech.
We took photographs together, and the German guests received commemorative Bolesławiec pottery items and brochures about Bolesławiec. Germans are very fond of ceramics, so it was easy to guess that they were pleased with the gifts. We also visited the “Polfa” Vial and Ampoule Factory. Later, we showed our guests around the town, pointing out its prettiest corners. In the afternoon, we organised a party in our school café, with a wonderful buffet prepared by the parents. It was a farewell event, because the guests had to leave the next day. On Saturday, we also went to Grodziec, where we toured the castle and admired the beautiful panorama of the surrounding area. In the evening, at the railway station, we said goodbye to our German friends.
Over the course of these two meetings, first in Siegburg and now in Bolesławiec, we had time to become friends, and we also invited one another to spend our holidays together.
For our class, the exchange is now over, but privately we will continue to meet. Next school year, another group will travel to Siegburg, and I think its stay will be just as interesting and fruitful as ours. Learning a language, making new acquaintances, discovering another country and its customs – that is truly a great deal.
We are glad that we took part in this Polish-German youth exchange, in “blazing a trail” from Poland to Germany.