The Western Lands Family Archive project is aimed at students from three provinces: Lower Silesian, Lubusz and West Pomeranian. As part of the project, participants will acquire skills in archiving and processing documents, collecting accounts from witnesses, and using modern technologies to digitize the collected material and publish it.
The aim of the project is to protect collections held in private family archives, collect and archive accounts from witnesses to history, and then publish a historical work.
As part of the project, meetings and archival lessons were held at schools in Bolesławiec, Nowogrodziec, Kruszyn, Żeliszów and Kraśnik Dolny in Lower Silesia. On 21 March 2018, a summary of the first stage of the project was held in the conference room of the Municipal Cultural and Sports Centre in Kruszyn. Numerous residents, invited guests, local government authorities, representatives of non-governmental organizations and education authorities attended the meeting.
During the ceremony, the exhibition “Kruszyn Yesterday and Today” and the multimedia presentation “Western Lands Family Archive” were presented, and a live history lesson was held. During the meeting, participants heard about traditions brought by residents from various places to Bolesławiec County after the Second World War.
Stanisława Zięcik spoke about traditions in the Eastern Borderlands of the Second Polish Republic, Barbara Smoleńska spoke about preserving traditions in the Bolesławiec area in modern times, Zbigniew Junkiewicz spoke about traditions in the Polesie region, Natalia Fekete presented the fate and traditions of Poles deported to Kazakhstan, Helena Strzelczak spoke about the traditions of French emigration, Tadeusz Grabowski spoke about traditional Easter dishes brought from the Buczacz area.
After such interesting accounts from witnesses to history, the starosta of Bolesławiec County, Karol Stasik, deputy mayor Roman Jaworski and deputy chairwoman of the Bolesławiec Municipal Council, Grażyna Łucka, shared their memories.
The meeting had an exceptionally warm and intimate character. After the official part, the guests and hosts sat down at a festive table with delicious Easter dishes and cakes, while Joel Beucher presented a repertoire of French songs.
The meeting was organized by Grażyna Wężyk from the Public Library in Kruszyn and Sebastian Zielonka from the “Solidarni Razem” Association. The project partners are: the KGHM Polska Miedź Foundation, the Lotos Foundation, the Regional Board of NSZZ “Solidarność” and the “Solidarni Razem” Association.