Prof. G. Berendt: If we don't talk about our story, others will.
8 February 2026 11:06
Radio Maryja
It is crucial that we present past in a way that is consistent with the findings, without censorship restrictions that have occurred before and without forcing any experimental paradigms, according to which we are to talk about certain things and not others. My position is that we request to talk about everything, but honestly – he said in the Wednesday "Unfinished Talks" on tv Trwam prof. Grzegorz Berendt, a historian, a peculiar typical of the president of Poland for historical diplomacy. The scientist pointed out that if we don't tell our story, others will do it for us.
The function of the typical of the president of Poland for historical diplomacy is simply a fresh position, created by Karol Nawrocki in order to conduct dialog with abroad partners on issues related to the past of the 20th century. This is 1 of many elements of shaping Polish historical policy.
“The state is afraid that hundreds more historians enter into professional, technological and educational activity. After all, all year specified a government of the size of experts of the past enters into professional activity with historical faculties in our universities and universities of a different character. any of these people are engaged in discipline and education, bringing citizens closer, but besides foreigners or Polish diaspora fresh findings. It is crucial that we present this in a way that is consistent with these findings, without censorship restrictions that have occurred before and without forcing any experimental paradigms, according to which we are to talk about any things, that we are to spread these versions and not others, due to the fact that specified tendencies happen where any representatives of the historians' community say that something should not be said at the minute that we may start talking about in the future. My position is that we gotta talk about everything, but honestly – emphasized prof. Grzegorz Berendt.
Opponents of this position raise, among another things, that moving on a certain issue can worsen relations with neighbors. specified voices appear, among others, in the context of Ukrainian genocide in Volyn and east Małopolska. The guest “Unfinished Talks” pointed out that this is simply a false conclusion.
– I pointed out to my Ukrainian interlocutors that the fact that millions of Polish citizens learned how terrible, terrifying events of genocide took place in respective provinces of the occupied Republic (...) did not hinder the gigantic sacrifice of the year 2022. I saw that they had only just considered that Volyn had been shown respective times earlier, and nevertheless tens of thousands of Poles rushed to aid 3 million Ukrainian citizens who went through our country, seeking security. So you can see that a very serious section of our society wants to know the past, to talk honestly about the past, but this (...) does not origin a negative attitude towards our east neighbours," said the historian.
TV talker Trwam pointed out that investigation and popularization of the latest Polish past has not only a political dimension. While on the subject of the Volyn massacre, prof. Grzegorz Berendt pointed out that this is simply a surviving communicative of millions of Poles, passed on in their families by witnesses of these terrible events.
These citizens are not neglected by the current President. Karol Nawrocki promised in the run that he would search exhumation in relations with Ukraine and a worthy burial of victims of genocide made by UPA. From the minute he took office, it was not an empty promise. The head of state openly raises this issue in talks with Volodymyr Zelenski, and on the map of Ukraine appears further places where work is being carried out in this area.
– I hope that our Ukrainian partners besides will see through this dialog that these issues request to be discussed, but above all, that innocent victims should be buried. People will know what happened, they will be wiser, but it will not harm the Polish-Ukrainian neighbourhood, due to the fact that at the minute Moskals can play with this issue more than erstwhile we simply lead these cases to the finale understood as worthy of burial of defenseless victims of crime," the historian pointed out.
Historical diplomacy should not be aimed solely at the East. Recently, the public outraged the President's refusal to vote in celebration of the liberation of the German Auschwitz camp.
– The speeches of the head of state are not a permanent part of the celebrations which take place on 27 January. However, the unprecedented event was the omission of the head of state in a welcome. This is emphasized, among another things, by the minister Kolarski, who has been attending many events commemorating the victims for many years, (...) as a close associate of president Andrzej Duda. Here, the management of the Auschwitz State Museum decided to act without precedent, which cannot be explained. I can only guess why this was decided. I connect with the fact that erstwhile the president visited the erstwhile Auschwitz camp the wall where prisoners were executed, the cell where Father Maximilian Kolbe and 9 another prisoners were starved, he was not accompanied by only the director, but besides no of the vice principals. The museum was accompanied by private staff. I take that as a spectre. Of course, the chief has different tasks on specified an crucial day – he has to accept different guests, but as the head of units of this kind earlier, that is, among another things, why there are vice-directors to relieve the manager at this point. no of the Deputy Directors of the Auschwitz State Museum accompanied the president during visits to the places I mentioned earlier. That is my opinion. There may be voices again trying to undermine it, but in my opinion it was not an accident. individual reacted this way, not otherwise, and did so, possibly due to his individual attitude to the election consequence of June 1, 2025. They wanted to show disrespect to the president, and it was done. This is my unofficial opinion, not the Chancellery or the president (...), regardless of the kind of messages on the website of the museum (...), after my speech, said the guest “Unfinished talks”.
A peculiar typical of the president of Poland for historical diplomacy pointed out that if we as Poles do not talk about the past from our own point of view, there will be those who will do it for us. It is so the work of Polish state institutions and opinion-makers to carry out the mission of historical education.
And against this background - what media do we have in Poland, what were they for the last 35 years?
Radio Maryja
It is crucial that we present past in a way that is consistent with the findings, without censorship restrictions that have occurred before and without forcing any experimental paradigms, according to which we are to talk about certain things and not others. My position is that we request to talk about everything, but honestly – he said in the Wednesday "Unfinished Talks" on tv Trwam prof. Grzegorz Berendt, a historian, a peculiar typical of the president of Poland for historical diplomacy. The scientist pointed out that if we don't tell our story, others will do it for us.
The function of the typical of the president of Poland for historical diplomacy is simply a fresh position, created by Karol Nawrocki in order to conduct dialog with abroad partners on issues related to the past of the 20th century. This is 1 of many elements of shaping Polish historical policy.
“The state is afraid that hundreds more historians enter into professional, technological and educational activity. After all, all year specified a government of the size of experts of the past enters into professional activity with historical faculties in our universities and universities of a different character. any of these people are engaged in discipline and education, bringing citizens closer, but besides foreigners or Polish diaspora fresh findings. It is crucial that we present this in a way that is consistent with these findings, without censorship restrictions that have occurred before and without forcing any experimental paradigms, according to which we are to talk about any things, that we are to spread these versions and not others, due to the fact that specified tendencies happen where any representatives of the historians' community say that something should not be said at the minute that we may start talking about in the future. My position is that we gotta talk about everything, but honestly – emphasized prof. Grzegorz Berendt.
Opponents of this position raise, among another things, that moving on a certain issue can worsen relations with neighbors. specified voices appear, among others, in the context of Ukrainian genocide in Volyn and east Małopolska. The guest “Unfinished Talks” pointed out that this is simply a false conclusion.
– I pointed out to my Ukrainian interlocutors that the fact that millions of Polish citizens learned how terrible, terrifying events of genocide took place in respective provinces of the occupied Republic (...) did not hinder the gigantic sacrifice of the year 2022. I saw that they had only just considered that Volyn had been shown respective times earlier, and nevertheless tens of thousands of Poles rushed to aid 3 million Ukrainian citizens who went through our country, seeking security. So you can see that a very serious section of our society wants to know the past, to talk honestly about the past, but this (...) does not origin a negative attitude towards our east neighbours," said the historian.
TV talker Trwam pointed out that investigation and popularization of the latest Polish past has not only a political dimension. While on the subject of the Volyn massacre, prof. Grzegorz Berendt pointed out that this is simply a surviving communicative of millions of Poles, passed on in their families by witnesses of these terrible events.
These citizens are not neglected by the current President. Karol Nawrocki promised in the run that he would search exhumation in relations with Ukraine and a worthy burial of victims of genocide made by UPA. From the minute he took office, it was not an empty promise. The head of state openly raises this issue in talks with Volodymyr Zelenski, and on the map of Ukraine appears further places where work is being carried out in this area.
– I hope that our Ukrainian partners besides will see through this dialog that these issues request to be discussed, but above all, that innocent victims should be buried. People will know what happened, they will be wiser, but it will not harm the Polish-Ukrainian neighbourhood, due to the fact that at the minute Moskals can play with this issue more than erstwhile we simply lead these cases to the finale understood as worthy of burial of defenseless victims of crime," the historian pointed out.
Historical diplomacy should not be aimed solely at the East. Recently, the public outraged the President's refusal to vote in celebration of the liberation of the German Auschwitz camp.
– The speeches of the head of state are not a permanent part of the celebrations which take place on 27 January. However, the unprecedented event was the omission of the head of state in a welcome. This is emphasized, among another things, by the minister Kolarski, who has been attending many events commemorating the victims for many years, (...) as a close associate of president Andrzej Duda. Here, the management of the Auschwitz State Museum decided to act without precedent, which cannot be explained. I can only guess why this was decided. I connect with the fact that erstwhile the president visited the erstwhile Auschwitz camp the wall where prisoners were executed, the cell where Father Maximilian Kolbe and 9 another prisoners were starved, he was not accompanied by only the director, but besides no of the vice principals. The museum was accompanied by private staff. I take that as a spectre. Of course, the chief has different tasks on specified an crucial day – he has to accept different guests, but as the head of units of this kind earlier, that is, among another things, why there are vice-directors to relieve the manager at this point. no of the Deputy Directors of the Auschwitz State Museum accompanied the president during visits to the places I mentioned earlier. That is my opinion. There may be voices again trying to undermine it, but in my opinion it was not an accident. individual reacted this way, not otherwise, and did so, possibly due to his individual attitude to the election consequence of June 1, 2025. They wanted to show disrespect to the president, and it was done. This is my unofficial opinion, not the Chancellery or the president (...), regardless of the kind of messages on the website of the museum (...), after my speech, said the guest “Unfinished talks”.
A peculiar typical of the president of Poland for historical diplomacy pointed out that if we as Poles do not talk about the past from our own point of view, there will be those who will do it for us. It is so the work of Polish state institutions and opinion-makers to carry out the mission of historical education.
And against this background - what media do we have in Poland, what were they for the last 35 years?
Radiomaryja.pl/information/prof-g-berendt-jesli-no-we'll-tell-about-our-history-another-do-to-for-us/
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