Masuria – Somewhere in Between

European Network Remembrance and Solidarity

The participants visited Pisz, Mikołajki, Kadzidłowo, Ełk and Ogródek to explore the memory of the German-Polish neighbourhood of over eighty years ago. By telling this audio story, they try to understand the social relations in the area, with its ethnic-national rivalries, before 1945, when Masuria was part of Germany, and after 1945, when it was ceded to Poland and the ethnic composition of much of the population had changed. Who are the Masurians? Can we still see traces of the complicated past in the landscape of a region that is a popular holiday destination? These questions were put by the students to the witnesses of history, local activists and the representatives of the local institutions.

Produced by: Susana Glaza, Magda Mazurek, Katie Taylor, Miroslav Nechytaylo, Eleanor Domin, Eliška Soukupová, Alexander Jan Kurek, Andrei Lysou with the support of John Beauchamp (FreeRange Productions), Julia Machnowska (ENRS) and Urszula Bijoś (ENRS).

With the contribution of: Michał Misztal (Muzeum Michała Kajki in Ogródek), Dietmar Serafin, Piotr Szatkowski PhD, Rafał Żytyniec PhD i Jakub Knyżewski (Muzeum Historyczne w Ełku), pastor Dariusz Zuber, Karolina Puzio and Katarzyna Jankowska (hydro-polis Foundation), Aneta Karwowska PhD and employees of Muzeum Ziemi Piskiej w Piszu, representatives of the Landsmannschaft Ostpreußen e.V. (German Compatriots' Association), Rafał Kubacki and Marek Łachacz (Stowarzyszenie Sadyba), Henryk Brodowski and an anonymous source.