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Polish-Ukrainian history conference to tackle difficult shared past

05.05.2026 09:45
About 100 historians from Poland and Ukraine will gather in southeastern Poland this week for what organisers describe as the largest-ever joint conference on Polish-Ukrainian relations.
The Polish-Ukrainian Historical Congress is scheduled to take place from May 6 to 8 in Baranów Sandomierski, southeastern Poland.
The Polish-Ukrainian Historical Congress is scheduled to take place from May 6 to 8 in Baranów Sandomierski, southeastern Poland.Image: Mieroszewski Centre via Facebook

Senior officials from both countries will also attend, including Polish Deputy Culture Minister Marek Krawczyk, Ukrainian Deputy Foreign Minister Oleksandr Mishchenko and the heads of both countries' diplomatic missions.

The Polish-Ukrainian Historical Congress will feature nine sessions covering topics from medieval history through to World War II and contemporary collective memory.

Participants will examine differences in how the two countries interpret their shared history and identify gaps in existing research.

"This congress is a response to the need for an honest dialogue about the past, including its most difficult and painful aspects," said Łukasz Adamski, deputy director of the Warsaw-based Mieroszewski Centre, which is helping organise the event.

Organisers say the aim is to create space for evidence-based academic debate and to demonstrate that historical dialogue between Poland and Ukraine continues to develop.

The conference will also address some of the most contentious issues in public debate between the two countries.

The Polish-Ukrainian Historical Congress will take place from May 6 to 8 at Baranów Sandomierski Castle in Poland's southeastern Podkarpacie region.

It is being organised by the Mieroszewski Centre and the Ukrainian Institute of National Remembrance.

(ał/gs)

Source: PAP