As we held our first in-person workshop in Warsaw (26-28.09.), we had the occasion to finally meet face to face and discuss not only the research aims and hypotheses but also the first conclusions of initial fieldwork and archival research. The discussions continued long into the evenings, which we also used to apply the category of post-displacement, crucial for our project, to Warsaw. First, we visited Powązki Military Cemetery, to see the tombstones of the members of the communist party. These were the representatives of authorities essential for the resettlement of the formerly German territories incorporated into Poland after 1945. Then, we examined the memorial of the 1st Polish Army as a ghostly presence, as it was hurriedly unveiled before it was finished. Finally, we went to see how Warsaw was restored as a modern, and at the same time, a historical city. To this end, we analyzed the Warsaw W-Z Route. While we agreed the next meeting should take place in the regions we investigate, it was interesting to see the contrast between them and one of the capital cities.


Photos: Michal Korhel/Kinga Capik